Just an update on me. The good news is that my
MRI came back fine.( they were checking for MS)
The bad news is that I do have Fibromyalgia.
On Thursday I had 2 cotazone shots. One in my shoulder blade and one right in my shoulder, OUCH!
I had a bad reaction to the shots and got VERY hot and almost passed out. I felt so stupid!
Anyone else with FM have any tips on what works for pain. I have been hurting for a year and thinking that I could feel this bad forever is a bit depressing.

By Dana on Monday, June 21, 2004 - 09:25 am:

Hugs on the diagnosis. At least you can get treatment. I know a few women w/ this ailment and their bad days seem awful. BUT they do have good days too. So now w/ the treatments, you can start looking forward to feeling better. I do know that you need your rest to keep the good days coming, so do your best to not over do your activities or over stress. The good days can last a long time, so keep a positive attitude.

By Emily7 on Monday, June 21, 2004 - 12:22 pm:

I am glad that you have a definite diagnosis. I will keep you in my thoughts.

By Lauram on Monday, June 21, 2004 - 12:39 pm:

I have Fibromyalgia. The theory is that I have a post viral syndrome from having Lyme disease (twice) and mono. I have this and for the pain I take Celebrex. It works pretty well. I also have problems sleeping from my FM and take Gabitril for that. It REALLY helps to feel less fatigued. Also exercise supposedly helps but to be quite honest I haven't been able to do much of that. I'm going to try to do it this summer though more regularly. As far as depression goes, I hear you. That's actually part of FM too. You might want to have that evaluated too. I just had a neuropsych test done for that as well. Do you have a good rheumotolgist? IF not, that's really important. Be careful with cortizone. I did that once too, but you can only have so much of it- and it does wear off in about 6-12 months. Also, sleep helps with the pain as well- and avoidance of stress. In my life that's next to impossible, but I thought I'd pass along the info.

By Trisa on Monday, June 21, 2004 - 03:39 pm:

Thanks for the tips! I do exercise almost everyday
or at least take a walk. Its not easy when you are hurting. What is a neuropsych test?

By Lauram on Monday, June 21, 2004 - 05:58 pm:

It's an EXPENSIVE comprehensive eval of possible neurological/psychological conditions either causing or contributing to the overall syndrome.

By Trisa on Monday, June 21, 2004 - 08:07 pm:

Did insurance cover it?

By Lauram on Sunday, June 27, 2004 - 05:29 pm:

Yes, but I had to pay $200. The total was about 2500 or so.

By Bea on Sunday, June 27, 2004 - 10:56 pm:

An orthopedic specialist diagnosed Fibromialgia almost three years ago. He perscribed Prozac. This doctor believes both Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome to be sleep disorders. He sent me to a sleep clinic, and we discovered that bursts of brain activity were disturbing my Delta level sleep patterns. The Delta level is when connective tissue is regenerated. Evidently Prozac is helpful in calming that brain activity, and promoting Delta level sleep. After about 34 days, I awoke painless for the first time in years. I feel no side effects. I’m not drowsy or out of touch. I simply sleep better at night, and function painlessly throughout the day. Prozac sure helped me, both now and when I first took it to help with my severe depression.

By Trisa on Monday, June 28, 2004 - 07:59 am:

I will have to ask about taking that Bea
and thanks for the reply! That cortazone shot has helped my arm pain a great deal. I was even able to play on the swings with my son yesterday without being in pain. Feels good to live again!