It’s Cuddle Ewe® for Me
I purchased a Cuddle Ewe® underquilt a month or so ago. I would like to say that it really has made a positive difference in my sleep. I am now sleeping straight through the night and am experiencing sounder sleep. Thanks for offering this great product! – Charly
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A Little Needling Does the Trick
I’ve had FM for 17 years and had tried a number of treatments and medications. Then about eight years ago I started receiving myofascial release therapy - a very gentle form of massage. It helped relieve a good deal of my pain and I no longer had to use a cane to walk.
Then two years ago, I began to get acupuncture treatments. Within a couple of months, I was sleeping more soundly and for more consecutive hours (without medication) than I had for many years. As an added benefit, my irritable bowel problems have also improved considerably. Although I received weekly treatments for quite a while, I’m now able to maintain by going for acupuncture about once a month and adding myofascial release therapy occasionally as needed. – Karen
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My ‘Magic Elixir’
Two yrs ago, my rheumatologist…prescribed an antidepressant called Effexor XR® 75mg…I will never be without this magic elixir! The relief is unbelievable. I must say that the dry weather here in the California desert is much better for me. I hurt less and the quality of life is better. – Susan
Note: The pharmaceutical drug Effexor® (venlafaxine hydrochloride) is a type of antidepressant that has been studied experimentally for possible “multi-purpose” mood-plus-pain-relief effects in Fibromyalgia patients with depression. See for example “Pharmaceutical Drug News: What’s What With Popular Antidepressant” at http://www.immunesupport.com/library/showarticle.cfm/id/7206/searchtext/Effexor/
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New MD Helped Me Find the Right Combination - Don’t Give Up!
I came down with the worst FM attack of my life [13 years ago] at age 50…that nothing except complete bed rest would relieve the all-over pain and migraines. I went into menopause shortly after the FM started… When all this attacked me, I was walking three 15 minute miles once or twice a day with my husband and was in the best shape of my life…From that, I blew up 100 pounds in a year or so. I went from taking no pills at all…to, at last count, taking 17 different kinds of pills. In March 2005 we were in an auto accident that really set me back - horrible pain all over my body with nothing relieving it.
Our neurologist…sent me back to the rehabilitation specialist office where I had gone for so long. My old doctor was gone but another lady doctor had taken her place. I thought she would be sending me right out to get more physical therapy, but she spent a good share of the time going over my medications and deleting some and changing to others. A couple of them she deleted because, although they are both for pain, they actually fight against each other and cause worsening pain! I started the pills that night and went on from there. I am more free of pain than before the auto accident! It has been quite amazing! I also take …supplements that she OK'd. I wanted you and your readers to know to keep on trying until you find the right combination of medicines, doctors, whatever, to get you on the road to health again. – Kay
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A Warm Bed Relieves Aches
Trying to save money by keeping the heat off, I purchased a heated mattress pad for my bed. While it kept me nice and toasty on winter nights, I kept in on the bed for those days when I was feeling "achy." It didn't have to be turned on high heat; just a low heat during the night allowed me to wake up without the muscle stiffness that I usually deal with. Here in Florida, I haven't had to use it at all this winter. But feeling achy this week, I'm going to put the pad back on the bed tonight! – Kathleen
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How I Keep Things in Perspective
Suffering from the “invisible” symptoms of FM rarely brings sympathy or support… My co-workers have absolutely no idea of what it costs me to turn up at the office every day.
It’s not just about the physical symptoms of FM and other chronic health problems, it’s also about the stress of trying to find the money for doctors, specialists, drugs, supplements and good food! …On the positive side, chronic pain, exhaustion and ill health has made me a far more compassionate and caring human being. And I’m so thankful that I’m not bedridden or housebound (well, rarely these days). On the very worst days and nights when I think that I can’t bear any more pain, and I think I can’t get out of bed, dress and go to work, I pull myself together and focus on the good things in life. I also give thought to others who are worse off in drought and poverty stricken third-world countries. This awareness of others puts my own problems into a far more manageable frame. – Victoria
