Irritable Bowel Syndrome Message Boards | Dealing with a new diagnosis of fibromyalgia...

Hello all!

I know I haven't been active, ever, in the living room....and I stopped participating in the Recipe forum as well. It's just gotten to the point that I only have so much energy to get through the day (so many spoons, if you will! I really appreciated that analogy, Casey), and reading and responding to everyone's posts are two things that I just gave up doing. And most of the time nowadays I'm in so much pain that the thought of typing makes me cringe.

Well, anyways, I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia today. And I just want to cry! On top of EVERYTHING ELSE that I have to deal with (which certainly doesn't help with the fibro, that's for sure), I now have to accept that I have a chronic condition, that I can't beat, no matter how determined I am. SIGH. Deep down, I knew I probably had fibro, but since most doctors are quacks and think that the pain and the sleeping problems and the inability to think straight are all in my head, then I've been able to live in ignorance, and denial. Not anymore! I finally found a doctor who could relate with me (her sister has had fibro for 18 years), and help me see a light at the end of the tunnel. On top of the sleep medication (she now has me on elavil??), she's throwing all these other anti-inflammatory drugs at me, and physical therapy (won't that only make me hurt worse? I hope not!) and anti-depressants. Up to now I've resisted drugs, and have dealt with my IBS naturally, and have gotten that under control for the past couple years. SO I am overwhelmed at the thought of taking all this stuff, just to get through a day. There's so much to learn, and read up on, and again, the thought just drains me. And then there's dealing with the fact that I am struggling in school, and there is no way that I can continue being a full time grad student. I feel like such a failure compared with the other students! But after the worst year ever, I have finally hit my rock bottom, and I just want to feel better! And stop crying everyday!

I guess I'm just looking for outreach at this point, and possibly some info on the best meds to take? What does everyone know about SSRIs? I know that the best way to start feeling better will be to get some sleep! I was taking ambien, and that didn't help, I actually still woke up throughout the night and felt like a zombie the next day. I'm just hoping that eventually I'll be able to sleep on my own....for a while there, before I was prescribed anything, I would get maybe 2-3 hours of sleep every 3-4 days.

Thanks for your help!

-Heather

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Heather

"Quod me Nutrit me Destruit"

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