Fibro Flare up

[nellie43]

Hi All,

I am going through a flare up at the moment and I am in constant pain with it. It doesn't help that my arthritis is playing up at the same time so the pain is more or less doubled. I am taking so many tablets now that I constantly rattle. I have to take my pain meds every 3 hours now and if I am late taking them I know as the pain escalates and i'm left screaming in agony. I go to bed at 9 every night and take all my tablets which knock me out for a couple of hours and then i'm awake for the rest of the night.

My husband has a neurological disorder and is currently appealing a decision that the social have made, they say that as his condition doesn't cause him to lose consciousness that he is fit for work, he loses all feeling in his arm and leg which cause him to collapse, his arm locks up and he twitches constantly. These attacks can last for anything from an hour up to 6 and he also has lost feeling in both arms and legs, when this happens he also loses the ability to speak. He gets no warning of an attack, just a tingling in his arm and then within a few seconds his arm starts to lock up. He suffers from depression and has been classed as a high risk by a counsellor but according to the social he doesn't have depression. How do they know, are they here when he's bad, i'm the one that has to deal with him and talk him round.

This new benefit is a joke and the person who thought of it wants to try living on the meagre money that they give us for a week, They wouldn't last a couple of days let alone a week.

[Fibrofoggiest]

Oh dear what a tricky situation for you. I hope that you manage to get your pain under better control and I suggest you perhaps talk with the CAB about the situation with your husband. Not sure what you mean by "the social", but clearly they need to perhaps have a letter from his GP explaining how much his condition impacts on him. I know how difficult people are finding all the new benefit reforms, but again the CAB and other links that perhaps one of the volunteers may put up for you, can be of great help.

Foggy x

[nellie43]

Hi Foggy, thanks for the advice. We have actually made an appointment with the CAB for tomorrow morning. When I said the social I mean the social security, dss or whatever they call themselves these days.

[Hidden]

Oh dear I can sympathise I have fibro and arthritis ... But I can't take any pain meds ... Allergies galore ....

Hope you feel better soon

V x

[Cookie72]

I also sympathise with you nellie, as I also have fibro and spondyloses of the lumber spine also osteoarthritis every where else, I have a feeling that if you have fibro then u have or get arthritis as well, I remember when I was 11yrs old I was playing hide and seek in the woods with my cousin and friends I bent over to pick up a leaf and that was it I couldnt move that was when all this came to light, hope u soon feel better gentle hugs Dee xx

[nellie43 in reply to Cookie72]

Thanks Dee, as you say I also have osteoarthritis, sciatica, underactive thyroid, ibs, heart palpitations, hiatus hernia, eczema, psoriasis, to name but a few of my other conditions, They have all been made worse by the fibro. My osteo is everywhere

[Anandavajri]

I also have fibro and arthritis and know how it can be. I blame mine on an accident when I was 13 when I banged my back on a trampoline at school. I had back trouble all my adult life then it turned into the above. Hope you find some way to get relief.

However, I do not have the added worry of a partner with his own health problems. How can the social not see how bad he is? It beggars belief, doesn't it.

[nellie43 in reply to Anandavajri]

I agree with you, they don't care is what i've come up with. Now they're saying that they're changing the dla as well, if that goes we're well and truly buggered. This government is crap, they've not thought about the people who genuinely need these benefits and are penalising us all for the small minority that claim that shouldn't be on it.

[KENORME]

Like you I have Fibro/Arthritis ( couple of nearly clapped out replacement knee joints and an heart complaint.

I have been under loads of consultants ( gave up the ghost with GPs years ago) therefore pain etc from Fibro/Arthritis is always there but with bad Flare - Ups nearly every other day.

Drug wise when a bad flare - up occurrs try 2 - 500 mg Paracetamol followed about 30 mins later with a 5 mg Diazapam,these I find takes the edge off but do not to often.

[nellie43 in reply to KENORME]

I take paracetamol with ibuprofen, I shouldn't really take brufen as I have an ulcer but they seem to work better with paracetamol for me, especially when i'm having a flare up. I tried diazapam but had a bad reaction to it, it sent me away with the fairies and my husband said he'd never allow me to take them again.

[Cookie72]

Hi kenrome. I don't find any my meds take th pain away, I'm on 500 and two300 mg of gabapentine, two 50mg of tramadol 3times aday, also a serttraline, and co.codamol o ck them up if necessary, but it all only just helps. Cope, like grumpy I'm allergic to any meds but so far ok on these I also take omeprazol for Barretts Osophegus which is a pre.malignant condition with hiatus hernia, sometimes I feel I must rattle and would like to come off them , but things would be worse, this I know cos I've tried it, so what do you do, I just wish I had found this site long ago, it nice to know there is one one out there that understands exactly what we are going thru, finished my rant, lol, gentle hugs to all Dee xx

[KENORME in reply to Cookie72]

Fibro appeared after my first replacement knee was fitted (1997) and then was in bed for 3 months after keeling over in 1999/2000 until I had to early retire in July 2000.I had been active in the UK disability movement because I was a National Disability Officer since about 1990 attending conferences all over Europe. I Studied the Americans with Disability Act and Air Carriers Act ( USA) In1993 which included visiting that country taking in meetings with congress committees etc I started studying Fibro from 1998 and now keep in touch with developments world wide by way of using the internet .The Golden Rule I find is everyone is different and use differing distraction techniques.