Newly diagnosed with Fibromyalgia

Hi there and welcome,

i have not yet got confirmation i have fibro yet off to see rheumatologist next month.  you have come to the right place for support.  the people on here are so friendly and have good knowledge of this illness.

i can relate to the feelings you are having in your feet mine started about 5 weeks ago and i fine in the morning when first getting up theyare so painful i tend to walk on the sides of my feet, not good idea though.  i also find if i have been sitting for a while i have the same problem.  i have a problem with my left ankle anyway as i shattered it after slipping in the kitches a few years ago so i have constant pain which increase when it is cold so i just ignore this pain.

just keep posting and people will be along soon to help.

again welcome

jaent

hi, the foot pain was dreadful for me for a while but did eventually ease. I am not sure whether it will if you are on them all day though! Have you tried tramadol as well alongside the co-codamol? When I am really bad I take them both, if its bearable though I will just use the co codamol. Its good if you can ride through and keep working. i am 46 and been suffering 22 years and although I was housebound for 4 years very early on, I managed to get back and work till just recently. I love workking so I really feel like I am missing out now, at the time that I was housebound though I tried to turn it around to positive by thinking 'at least I can spend all my time with my new baby'. Of course, now they are 20 and 17 I want and need to be working, but I am now on disability after applying 3 times and it does feel very strange. You will probably be on amitryptelene as it works for pain relief too, they may suggest you put that up. I went up to 4 a night for pain. Cant remember whether it helped or not, it was years ago. Oramorph helps too but thats best for me if I am relaxing. Also try to soak your feet in hot water if you can, that may help. I was told by a fivro doc that eucalyptus oil in the bath would help x

Hi alb90,

I've had Fibro & ME for 22yrs since I was 14. Over the years the pain areas do move around or for me it's more like what I get used to so something else hurting stands out more.  There's always a pain level going on somewhere in the body so I learnt to block out at least the lower level so that just the higher levels can get to me.  The 'A' medicine at 10mg is the lowest level you can be on of that medicine.  I'm now on 30mg along with a selction of other drugs, some of which are for the ME.  I'm unusual because I didn't get diagonsed until last year. Mainly because I thought I was normal and just had a bad back.  Simple case of not knowing other people aren't the same until it gets so bad you speak up.  For me I've coped through the years by just continuely pushing myself (I am the perfect Boom and Buster) - yes I know you should "pace yourself".  Admittedly now I am 36 I'm going down hill very quickly but that's because of the ME not the Fibro.  For the Fibro I find a microwave heat pad essential. Because most of my Fibro is in my back, neck and knees I also wear a magnetic back support at times.  Maybe heat packs under and over your feet and ankles? Lyrica and higher dose of Amiliptyrine made the stiffness in the mornings less for me.  Also I have a system of walking 6 steps, kneel for a bit, walk another 6 steps, sit for a bit. Then back to bed for 20mins reading. After that I can get up and walk alot more smoothly.  Keep trying different things, you will find what works best for you. The Co-codmal I find is no good unless I have a headache. I'm not sure but I think that works better for Acute pain rather than Cronic pain (different pain signals)? Can't remember - hee, hee that's ME for you Good luck in finding what works for you x

hi its a common miss conseption that fibro affects your joints directly, your joints hurt yes but its the soft tissues and tendons around your joints that becomes tight thats the clicking, and we have inflamation which causes the tenderness  and pain.

unlike rhuemotode athritus which disforms the joints.

so i suppose we are lucky in that way.

the pain in the feet i know really well its like standing on lego bricks in bare feet ist the kind of sick pain that you get. mine comes and goes . i havent had it for a while iv been taking supplements and rubbing in magnesium oil in my feet and legs so lets hope it stays gone

. the best treatment in the past iv found was reflexolgy. weekly . my ladys has retired i live in a really small town so cant find anyone eles but for the moment the magnesium oil is working .fingers crossed

 

HI Alb, your rheumy is correct and perhaps rather than changing your job you could alter your hours, job share or try to fit in more rest breaks where your not on your feet constantly. I use a high (like stool) chair with wheels now to do part of my job as I cant stand for very long.I find the pains for me are worse in my ankles and legs, but feet defo in the morning, then it subsides. Ropinerole at night helped me a lot, which is for restless leg syndrome and defo made improvement. When I first had symptoms it was really painful but now I have learned to pace myself through graded exercise therapy and its really helped. JK

Hi alb, I'm also quite new to the site. I'm 29 and was diagnosed just a few months ago. Initially I had a lot of pain in my right hip, standing/sitting was really uncomfortable. Since I've started sleeping a bit better the pain in my hip has improved - so hopefully the pain in your feet will improve too. How is your sleep? For me the pain also moves around a lot. One day my hip is worst, the next it's my back, or my neck. I get the joint cracking too - didn't have this until the fibro hit.

 Have you tried sticking heat packs on your feet? I have little microwavable ones - you could stick them onto your feet at your break times. Or have you tried doing gentle exercises for your ankles, to stretch out any tension? These things might at least give you temporary relief?

Thankyou all for your replies :-) I'm waiting for physio at the moment (6 week wait) so hopefully theyll be able to help me too. It's strange, when I'm sat or laid down I feel normal, like feel I have nothing wrong with me (except the annoying cracking joints) but as soon as I stand up I feel like an old lady. Does anyone else have stiff fingers? I can no longer fully straighten them 😕. Even after a days work where I use my hands loads! 

Sorry I forgot to put about sleep; yes I get to sleep perfectly - no worries there. I wake up about 3-4 times every night really stiff, shoulders and hips especially. And I cant use my hands at all. Even to pull the duvet back over me. Frustrating!

Hi I got diagnosed yesterday with fibro and was wondering how u was getting on .