https://www.livescience.com/health/medicine-drugs/fda-approves-1st-new-class-of-opioid-free-painkillers-in-over-20-years

Trying not to be overly hopeful but super interesting!

Today and tonight I've had a burning sensation in my left chest above my breast/below my collar bone. Is this typical of fibro/costochondritis? It's worse when I lay on my left side.

I had to have a tooth removed yesterday. I have another that needs to be removed in a few weeks. I fell in September which caused a concussion, broken teeth & a HUGE flare. The procedure went even better than expected yesterday, just local anesthetic, no complications. Because the tooth was broken there was a chance the extraction could have complications but the oral surgeon was amazing. Today, however, I'm back in a big flare. The pain from it is way worse than the pain from my tooth. It's just really frustrated because it always starts with muscle spasms in my neck & shoulders which then gives me a migraine. Tomorrow I won't be able to move. I wasn't expecting it, but now I'm worried it'll happen again next month. Have any of you had a flare triggered like this?

Thanks for letting me vent. I appreciate all of you.

So I have been in search of a new rollator as my current Drive Nitro is a few years old and the rattling on my hands and wrists from u even terrain is driving me up a wall. I live in a city with a lot of uneven sidewalks and cobblestones, and I love to go “off-roading” at the park, so I decided a rollator with pneumatic tires would be the best for me.

Unfortunately I ordered the Rollz Motion Performance and then decided it is far too heavy for me, so I’m returning it.

I have been looking at the ByAcre Overland, but I was wondering if anyone here has experience with it? My top two concerns are US-based customer service and seat height. I am 5’2” and am worried that the seat height on the Overland will be too tall. The 21.5” seat on the Rollz was totally fine for me, but the Overland has a 24.5” seat. Anyone have any insights?

Also open to suggestions of any other rollator with air tires or other shock absorption measures.

To anyone who deals with chronic nausea, dizziness and/or fatigue, I would save your money. The experience is amazing and very stimulating, but before I knew it I was experiencing the symptoms of VR sickness. It’s a shame because it’s a really cool piece of technology, but I’ll be returning it this weekend. Is there anyone here who has actually had a good time with VR?

i’m trying to replace swimming for very obvious reasons. i picked it for efficiency and the low impact on my joints. even just wading water for an hour or two burned a lot more calories and generated far less pain than any walk would.

any cost-effective replacements that i can do from my home? i tried a rowing machine, but my upper back really didn’t agree with it.

guessing a bike would be nice, but i would need to save up a paycheck or two.

I saw someone describe how they find eating boring somewhere else and it really resonated with me. Everybody has said that I need to eat more than once a day because more food = it will be better managing my pain or whatever. I don’t see it that way.

There’s just nothing I want to do less at the end of the day than cook a meal, eat it, clear up. I would never have the energy to eat 3 or more times a day. I just can’t do it. Little meals at regular intervals aren’t an option either. I can’t refuse to see service users because I’m eating my fourth meal of the day. I don’t have the money for more than 1 meal a day either, all my money goes on getting to and from work as well as rent and bills. Given it’s supposed to keep you alive, food is far too expensive here. My weekly shop for just me which consists only of my evening meals for the week is regularly costing me in excess of £20 so God knows what it would be if I tried buying for 3-4 daily meals. I also have this horrid gnawing stomach ache every evening for the past couple of weeks which seems to occur after I eat so it puts me off. Sometimes it sticks around until morning. I don’t care if I can’t eat throughout the day, but if I can’t eat in the evening either because of this horrible tummy ache then I don’t know what I’ll do. I keep being told I have IBS but it hurts far too much, right in the middle of my stomach, to be IBS. Eating might be boring as hell but even I know I have to at least once. So if I can’t manage it even once in the day, I don’t know what I’ll do. I spoke to my community mental health team who said they could send me to a dietitian if I wanted but I don’t need one right now so I have said no for the moment. I’m just sick of always having to cook, eat, clean up, then again the next day, and sick of being lectured that I don’t eat enough.

I'm just needing to rant to people that understand. Since before christmas I've either been ill or having a flare. I feel awful and barely able to walk. I'm so depressed as I'm not able to do yhingsbi was doing before. I miss going on longer walks with my dog or even just climbing the stairs without feeling I've ran a marathon.

hi! im 20f and i’ve had random symptoms and health issues my entire life but i really am wondering what’s going on. in my childhood to adolescence i was sick constantly(swine flu, mono, pneumonia, strep 10+ times, etc.) i was also a toe walker as a kid which led to me having short achilles tendons, tendinitis, extremely tight calves, cramping, and, most recently, plantar fasciitis. i also am diagnosed with IBS but my food intolerances are getting worse and worse (spicy food being the worst, but dairy and eggs are close to the top). my bowel movements are excruciating— cramping, hot flashes, nausea. for the past couple years, i wake up 3+ times a night in fight or flight and never feel well rested/ am always fatigued. i’m diagnosed with anxiety and cptsd so i have blamed my sleep issues on those things but im not sure at this point. i’ve also started to get insane muscle aches and almost pressure points when im in a certain position or have to sit in class as well as what feels like nerve pinching and soreness in my ribs. im extremely intolerant to the cold, it makes my bones hurt and once i get inside i feel like my body is burning from the inside out.

last year, my GP ran me a few thyroid tests and everything came back pretty normal in that realm back then. i plan on talking to my dr again at my well check, but i live far away from home at college and the office is only open during the week which is why i’ve been suffering in silence for a while now— it takes forever to get an apt that works for me and my dr and when i can take school off. i guess im just wondering if anyone relates?? or if anyone has some advice?? after scrolling for a couple days and relating so hard to some posts, i thought i might as well try.

I (23F) don’t have a specific reason for this post. I think I just need advice, encouragment or maybe to just vent.

For about a month now I have been experiencing pain all over my body that has altered my life for the worse. The list of illnesses in my mind freak me out and the doctors seem to be of little help right now. All my bloodword has been coming out fine, which you would think gives me relief but instead I’m left feeling more scared, confused, and lost.

My mind has concluded a couple of things: fibro, an autoimmune diease, or a chronic illness. I hope so badly it is none of these and something more simple that can be fixed but I feel distraught. I am only 23 and I cannot accept this agonizing pain will follow me forever. It has only been a month but I have lost the will to live. I take such good care of myself and yet here I am. My body feels out of control, it is no longer mine and it feels like its crumbling. I understand this is what life is about but it feels like such a harsh awakening. I’ve been spoiled my entire life with health and now that it is gone I feel distraught. Life is unfair. Life is a continous cycle of suffering and I hate it. I hate I’ve been dealt with this. I see no light at the end of the tunnel. I know I need to be positive but I am at stage 1, denial and confusion.

Any positivity/advice is greatly appreciated. *If anyone is wondering here are my symptoms -Muscle/bone pain in all of my body that jumps around (can last 5 minutes to the entire day) -An insane burning sensation in my legs -Muscle twitching -Sleep disturbances because of the pain -Tingling sensations that come and go -Malaise -Panic attacks -Depression

I just quit my 2nd job (I had two PART-time jobs, though the one I kept was more of my main one), after fighting against it for too long and finally accepting it was too much. Without giving him details I told my manager I have been dealing with some health issues and can no longer handle two jobs. I felt I wanted to be transparent but I didn't want to complain. He wrote back, and was very kind about it (which I am SO SO lucky and grateful for). However, this sounds silly, but now I'm feeling so guilty that I used my health for the reason. Even though that is the reason lol. I feel guilty that since its fibro and not some "concrete" and "understood" illness or disease that I'm, I can't think of the word but like i'm doing a disservice to people with "real" diseases. Almost feels like I lied or am an imposter and am undeserving of the kindness he showed me. Sorry for the ramble. I guess I just needed to say it somewhere where it might be understood <3
Sending love, hugs, and healing to you all.

I’m not diagnosed, but I’m in the process of investigating my health issues and fibro is currently my best lead. Literally—I went in thinking I had POTS, but after discussing my symptoms my doctor said, “hold on, I need to get a different information packet.”

Funny stories aside, the pain and fatigue are weighing on me today, and I really ought to do something other than nap. I’m having trouble thinking of what to do—I have some homework, and I enjoy knitting, but eventually I’ll get bored/my hands will hurt and it doesn’t always feel productive to my fickle perfectionist brain. What activities/hobbies do you keep around for your low energy days? This could be anything; a game you like, something for your bedside table, a favorite yoga video (if that sort of thing helps you,) anything I can turn to other than sleeping. Don’t get me wrong, I rest when I need to, but a 2+ hour nap isn’t exactly recommended. I already have sleep apnea so I don’t want to make my sleep any worse. I’m really just looking for ways to get through the midday/after work/after class/after anything slump. I’m very new to this and still coping with the reality that my energy might be lower than it was before. I think something to get me out of my own head would help :)

I seem to be so hot/face sweating so easily. Granted it is summer at the moment but inside with air on. I’ve started carrying a fan around with me like I’m going through menopause!

Plus once I’m hot it’s so hard to cool down again

Ugh!

Is this a fibro thing? Or just a me thing?

The past several days have been extra bad with my fatigue. I currently can’t eat dinner bc I’m too exhausted. I drink caffeinated drinks to try to cope with the fatigue, but rn I feel like I’m being crushed by the feeling. I know typical advice for dealing with the fatigue is that you should pace yourself, but what do you do when you pace yourself and still get exhausted? I’m so tired of being tired.

Doc put me on 100mg morning and night. Started with night..got horrible headaches but pushed through then did the morning and night 100mg each. Everytime I stand up I feel like I have insane POTS symptoms (light headed no matter how slowly I get up, heart races when I just walk across the room).

I've been on it for 3 weeks now but I'm in tears ready to quit. I'm a mom of 2 boys and I can't do anything right now because of the side effects. Don't feel like it's helping pain much either I just want to sleep..feel like it's making me depressed.

Do I stick it out? What have you tried that works if it's a different medication? Thanks!

Does it help you? Are there side effects, and has anyone experienced weight loss from you? I have a friend who just started it. And I am curious.

How does one know if they’re immunocompromised? I’ve read from a few different sources that illness can affect people with fibromyalgia differently. I feel like I am one of those people. I get sick at least 6 times a year, with flus or colds. Not only do I get sick more often, but the duration and severity of my illnesses are very intense despite being an otherwise healthy person (27F). That’s outside of all the bacterial infections, lung/kidney/GI infections, stomach flus, and general recurring ailments. Any idea how they might be related?

I injured/aggravated my rotator cuff recently and the orthopedic doc referred me to Physical Therapy.

Now it seems the PT is causing a widespread fibro pain flare-up. The therapist changed the regimen to a milder approach to see if that helps.

I need to heal my shoulder, but it's making everything else hurt 🤕 (I already waited a while to seek treatment because I thought the shoulder pain was fibro!). My least favorite game: "Is this fibro related?"

Just ranting. Thanks for reading. xo

I keep finding myself "waiting" on the next test... Or deep diving into my own research and trying different things for different diagnoses.... Or waiting on my body to bounce back or recuperate from whatever it is that ails me... There's something to be said about "acceptance".... It can be freeing-yet depressing.
I won't ever stop doing what I can to help myself... But I'm still waiting for that "one thing" to resolve... Or that final piece of the puzzle to be put in so we can solve my issues.... When did you stop waiting and just accept and move forward?

21F, just got a fibro diagnosis along with hypermobility syndrome. The rheumatologist seemed to brush it off and recommended some lifestyle changes. "Eating healthy is a good [treatment]... getting exercise too". Is that it? Seriously? I'm genuinely surprised because the pain, stiffness, lightheadedness, and nausea has been so debilitating that I can't even finish school. Is the answer to actually just try to live as healthily as possible?

(-from someone who was a serious athlete too)

And how do you cope with it? Anyone helping you when you're sick? If so who?

When you guys have a flare up is it normal to feel absolutely horrible like you have the flu. I am newly diagnosed in December. Yesterday day I did some household chores laundry swept changed out my bedding and dusted, also cleaned my dining room. This morning I cooked breakfast and did dishes now my body feels like it’s on fire and it feels like flu aches and a headache and just general fatigue could this be that I push myself beyond my limits? TIA for any helpful advice and support

Hi all,

I recently started on Gabapentin. My doctor put me on a low dose to start, 300mg capsule once per day, and it was ok but not perfect. Pretty much it let me get a good night's sleep but not much else

My dosage was upped last week to the 300mg capsule twice per day. And its WEIRD. Like i have all the same sensations in my body that correlate with being in pain -- hyper awareness of a body part or my skin feeling tight/puffy or feeling stiff and slow. But im not registering being in pain? All the signs are there... but i'm not? Just a dull awareness of it all

I'm not feeling dulled mentally-- in fact i feel clearer than i have in a long time because i don't have half my thoughts going "fml ouch ugh so uncomfortable... how do i fix... when can i nap... ugh i wanna go home..."

Has anyone else experienced this?

Its only been about 3 days since i upped my dosage-- maybe it will level out and not feel so bizarre later?

I'm in happy tears y'all. Its been 4 years of pain - my hands haven't stopped hurting since day 1. Taken so much from my life. I've been seeing a very empathic pain management doc after years of negative tests and treatments. My regiment is...fine...I still have pain and very limited physical capacity. But it's my life if I want to stay off of narcotic meds (currently using LDN, duloxetine, and cannabis)

In November, I had UHC insurance, they refused to even consider the spinal cord stimulator trial. Unless I had one of three specific conditions. Well I was able to join my now-husband's work's insurance with BCBS and they don't even need a prior authorization for the trial?? I'm in SHOCK. I was stressing out waiting for the approval, and it never came, so I called the office and he's like "oh it's already approved, see you next week" 😭😭

I know the trial isn't a guarantee it will work, but this is the first ray of hope that I might get my hands back. I would have just accepted my fate if I hadn't been coming to this group to read your stories and see how supportive everyone is. Most importantly, I'm excited to see something like SCS being accepted to treat fibro and can be another option for us

Cross your fingers for me folks 🫡

Thank you so much to everyone who participated in my exercise poll yesterday. I had over 200 responses. I will finish reading and responding to them all, over the weekend. I just wanted to thank everyone, especially letting the ones I have not responded to yet that I really appreciate it.

Thank you, Heather

How many of you feel this way? I got jobs and then quit because the pain was too great, the lack of sleep, the stress. I hate this. My mind tells me it wants to do one thing but my body won't follow. I'm so sorry for all who have no choice but to work a job that causes them pain.

Is itching part of fibro?! I am so ITCHY!!! And sometimes I itch so bad it hurts. I have scratched myself raw and have broken the skin from scratching so hard. How can I remedy this? Sometimes it's my feet and I have had to pull over while driving because I am almost in tears from the pain of how much I am itching. I have had fibro since I was 7 years old, I am 30 now. I can't take this!!!!

Since being diagnosed I have trialled taking amitryptyline and duloxetine. They have helped with my chronic pain but since being medicated I am the most fatigued I have ever been in my life. Before medication I used to wake up early before work and run 5-10km a few times a week and go to Pilates twice a week and walk after work every day. Yes I was in pain but I was active and healthy and it helped my mental health. Now I can barely manage a walk and I’m so slow. I have absolutely no energy and am constantly wanting to nap. Is this the trade off we have to choose from? We either live in pain or live with constant fatigue and no energy to do anything? Has anyone given up the meds because of it? No wonder weight gain is such an issue for so many people with fibromyalgia. The meds are zapping the strength and energy right out of us.

I’m 22 and was recently diagnosed with fibromyalgia back in September. I just started a new job in a kitchen having to stand 8 hours a day and I’m already struggling. I’ve only had two shifts so far but I have 7 more 8 hour shift coming up in the next two weeks and I at least want to go through with those before I quit. How do I cope? After 4 hours of standing I get sick, I have double vision. I drink gallons of water but I still seem not be hydrated, my legs, ankles, and feet feel like they’re on fire. When I come home I sleep for 10+ hours and can barely walk when I wake up. On top of that I have carpal tunnel so when I lift trays it adds to the pain in my body.

The upside to this being a temp job is that I can quit at anytime but I want to at least stay until I get my first check. I’ve been looking into different foods I can eat along with different shoes I can buy to make the pain more manageable/bareable. But I’m curious to see what other people do differently.