Pain pills, sleeping pills, for Fibromyalgia?

Question

My older sister has FM and she got fired from her job a couple years ago because of memory problems. She was taking a lot of pain pills like Percocet and then eventually Morphine. Since then she has not worked and did not even try to get disability after the first denial. Finally when she was going to end up on the streets I took her in. My question is how many people out there with FM do not work, exercise and are on these kinds of medicines? Anytime she even so much as cleans up in the house a little she sleeps and can’t move for 2 days. I have read the exercise is very important for FM sufferers and I have done a lot of research on it. I know my family has done tons more research on it than even she has. She was once a vibrant, dedicated over-achiever who now is sooooo opposite! Any thoughts or help from anyone with FM or that knows someone with it is greatly appreciated. Thanks!

Answer 1

Hi Fem Needs Help,
I know lots of people who have Fibro, and all your sister needs to do is continue to fight for her disability, it takes a while to get it but she just has to never give up on it, but Rather than put a long message in here about fibro and all of this email me at [e-mail], I own a totally free chat room that deals with diseases like fibro,ra,ms,lupus etc and you could come and talk to others with fibro about the problems they face everyday and the different pains they have everyday,and how they deal with the pain, the chat is totally free and it will put you in touch with real people with this disease, sometimes it helps to talk to live people instead of looking for answers on the net, and we also have a totally free message board with all types of different health infomation including a fibromyalgia message area so just email me for the link and we will be glad to help, we look forward to hearing from you

Answer 2

You have every right to be concerned. What concerns me is ur sister's mental state of mind. Has she been evaluated for Mental Issues, and got on proper medications? In the long run, she would be able to qualify for Disablity. Normally, most people are turned down the first, if not second time. I believe her issues go way deeper than the fibromyalgia. She needs help, a good support system (sounds like she does)- and a place she can call home. A lot of people that were once successful and end up in the streets do suffer from a Mental Disorder. This is sad. The statistics of those with FM would be a hard call. Is she still taking pain medication? Is she able to get on Title 19 for her medications? I do believe what it will take is someone pulling her up from the mess in her life. God bless you for caring so much. Here are some sites that may assist you with ur quest for answers. Have you considered a Pain Management Clinic for her? They do wonders in assisting people control their pain, as there goal is to make a person's life more bearable. They utilize different interventions for each individual case. Good Luck and Take Care!

Answer 3

She can get disability with persistance. Tell her to keep trying and see her doctor regularly. He'll be helpful in proving her case for disability. He can state that she can't sit or stand in one place for a long time and that excersize is harmful. Make sure she stays with the same doctor. No medicine really works on FM, but some makes the pain manageable.

Answer 4

I've read a lot of studies showing how the supplement 5-HTP can really help FM patients. I'm asking my doctor about it on Monday. It's supposed to boost your serotonin and that's supposed to relieve a lot of FM symptoms.
It's a dietary supplement so you don't need a script, you could probably just get it at the Vitamine Shoppe or something like that.

Answer 5

This is an autoimmune disease. People with it have a lot of pain and at times doing even a small acitvity can leave them very tired. Many people are on pain meds to just get thru the day. Talk with the rheumatologist to see what can be done.She needs to reapply for disability. As this incurable disease worsens, she will not be able to work.

Answer 6

What your sister is experiencing having Fibromyalgia is a living nightmare. Yes, a certain amount of exercise is important, but people with Fibromyalgic can only do is small amount and then they are knocked flat. Type A personalities (Go getters) tend to get this disease more than any other personality.

I'm enclosing information from an article I have written on Fibromyalgia.

People with FMS have the additional stress and frustration in their lives of trying to explain (all the time) why today they can do almost anything and the next day they can barely get out of bed. Depression is a frequent side-effect of FMS and who can question it? Living with a body-wide toothache-like pain constantly is something only fellow sufferers can truly understand. When we have "bad days" the pain can feel like there are hot curling irons jammed into our muscles. Can you even imagine that? Also imagine the fatigue of your muscles being so bad that it feels like they have turned to Jell-O. And no matter how much you try to exercise your muscles never feel normal again. It's always like battling Jell-O to make your body perform.

Spouses, family and others in your life have a hard time figuring out how you feel when you have FMS or chronic fatigue syndrome. There are times when you were accused of not pulling your own weight, or just plain sand bagging it. Many are accused of wanting extra attention. After a while the Fibromyalgic doesn't like talking about it and they sure don't care for having to make excuses (can't go to a restaurant (Irritable Bowel Syndrome), can't go hiking; horseback riding; to the fairgrounds; the park and so on - while SOMETIMES the Fibromyalgic can't be stopped!). This is why I strongly recommend support groups where you can feel that you are not alone in this condition.

There is simply no way for anyone to understand what is going on internally with the Fibromyalgic body. Because you look absolutely normal, yet you feel like you will never perform normally again. No one can see what the problem is. And since it is not such a known illness such as cancer it does not get the respect that people with cancer would get. No one would question a cancer patient about his or her illness because everyone has heard of it. If you have bad days because of your illness with cancer no one would question it. But because Fibromyalgia has not been classified as a disease or given notoriety (such as a famous person getting FMS) it is relatively unknown.

Most of all - please stop thinking that one must be in a cast, using crutches or wrapped in bandages to "really be hurting". Just because someone is not in a wheelchair or walker does not mean they are not in incredible pain. Fibromyalagia can even cripple a person like arthritis or even Multiple Sclerosis, its symptoms AND the feeling is very much the same! More and more cases are being reported of people who are becoming bedridden, having to use Walkers or wheelchairs due to Fibromyalagia. Chronic Fatigue, Depression, Chronic Pain/Myofascial Pain Syndrome are frequently found along with the FMS. It can get so bad that being hugged (a breeze!) can be painful! A cat on a lap can feel like bone grinding against bone. Your socks touching your toes can be a nightmare of pain. Your sheets and blankets touching your toes or legs can be so painful you are unable to sleep. Elastic touching you anywhere is pure hell. Imagine having even your clothes touching you your worst pain. It was so bad for one woman in her 30's, with small children (and a husband) that she used Dr. Kevorkian to end her misery.

Answer 7

http://www.fibromyalgiasource.com has lots of information about Fibromyalgia and may be able to provide you with some assistance.

Answer 8

Fm makes you tiered, but it physical therapy is VERY important.. you must know this if you have been reading up on it... I know how painful it can be, but pills are not always the answer... help her... if you love her, get her into a specialist for PT.... Good luck!