New to all this....

[Sophieccx]

Hey!! So I'm new here.... and very new to Fibro! A little insight.. I gave birth to my second child 8 weeks ago, a few days after I felt a little poorly, but I wont go into all that, a week after I had excruciating chest pain, thought I was having a heart attack! .. fast forward another week or so and 2 ambulances, several a&e and doctor trips later.. I've had multiple ECGS, blood tests, ct scan.. all is normal, they are now saying they think its fibromyalgia.. because following the chest pains I ended up with every single area of my body either aching, hurting, shooting pains, dull pains.. not all at once, some days worse than others.. a hall of alot of anxiety, mainly health anxiety chest pain they have said possibly costochondritis.. but who knows. I'm just here to know what others feel and how they cope with it.. does it get easier when you know how to deal with it and not panic about every little pain, I also get itchy spots and burning sensations randomly in different areas too.. hope to speak to some fellow people with the same

[M0AL61 Moderator Volunteer]

Hi Sophie, and a very warm welcome to this lovely forum.

If you take a look at our main site at

fma.org

you will find lots of useful information.

You will see a banner running across the top of the page, click on where it says information, and there is lots of useful stuff there.

You will also get a lot of support and advice from the other members here. xx

[SusieSquirrel]

Hi Sophie I really feel for you having fibromyalgia on top of just giving birth. I hope this isn't taking the joy out of motherhood. Hopefully things will calm soon. This could just be a really bad flare up after the trauma of birth.

I have found it easier, although I had months of flare ups it's easier if you try to relax and heat helps.

I have learned that I just have to live with it, so I don't get so worked up and anxious.

Take care

[Sophieccx in reply to SusieSquirrel]

Thank you! It's not been nice, and I did feel like I wasted the first month - I was petrified, didnt know what was going on with myself. Its still not an official diagnosis yet but it really is looking that way seeing as all bloods etc have come back clear..

They believe it would have been the birth to trigger it off because it was quite a traumatic one unfortunately but I'm very much enjoying my baby now

Thank you for the useful info and tips! X

[SusieSquirrel in reply to Sophieccx]

I'm pleased you are enjoying your baby now, they grow up far to fast.

Rest as much as you can and try not to over do it. Which can be difficult but it's so important

Congratulations on your new baby 🌹🍾

[Purplebluebell]

Hi there. Yes I had similar symptoms with the chest pain which lingered but I have found over the years that Amitriptyline 2 hours before bed really helps and keeping fit but not to the point of exhaustion. Also learning relaxation . I am currently using Headspace to help me with anxiety due to the Corona virus.

I hope you learn to live with your symptoms and begin to feel more in control but it can take time when newly diagnosed.

[Sophieccx in reply to Purplebluebell]

They want me to take amitriptyline too, but I'm so scared of them because I've heard nothing but horror stories.. how do you get on with them?

I think I just need to relax and try to remember that what I've got isnt going to kill me as that was my biggest fear to begin with

[Purplebluebell]

I was diagnosed at 36years and I'm now 60 so have been on this drug a long long time and they still help. You take a very small amount maybe starting with 5mgs which is half a tablet then slowly build up to 10mgs 2 hrs before bedtime. I do have a dry mouth but its not unbearable. They can take a few weeks to work as low doses help pain. The thing with fibro is that it is not degenerative like arthritis so the body is not deteriorating like that. It just hurts a lot and you need to find ways to escape that. There are courses run by physios etc called escape pain which your GP/Consultant may know about.

[Sophieccx in reply to Purplebluebell]

That's all very good to know, thank you so much

[YASMINTINA FMA UK Volunteer]

Firstly congratulations, yes I did start to feel better when I got a diagnosis from my doctor I realised different symptoms slotted into place, so yes calmer in general, have you see your own doctor about the fibro ?? Or what it the hospital docs s ?? Good forum to have a chat here, you do get to read some useful information along the way, I hope you are enjoying the lovely weather and your little baby,missing my little grandsons 3 and 5 ohh so much with the sad current situation out there, take care xxxx

[Sophieccx in reply to YASMINTINA]

Its from my own GP, not an official diagnosis yet but it's looking that way.. probably 95% that it is that. Plus I have a few family members with it and they all agree its probably this too.... Also thank you for the congratulations, apart from some trapped wind hes doing great xx

[Vixen04]

Hi Sophieccx, welcome & congratulations on becoming a Mum! It really is scary when you first have the pain of FM (fibro) but living mindfully, ie one minute at a time works for me. I was always a "what if this happens and when I do this" & never just enjoying right now. As a result I would always get myself in a right tizzy, imagining things that could potentially happen and it was ruining being able to just enjoy right now. I'm on pregablin which is much purer than gabapentin and therefore doesn't cause side effects for me. When I tried gabapentin it was awful, sooo many side effects. It helps so much.

You will have stressful times simply being a new Mum and that may cause flare ups which you can't help so don't stress over that cos it will start a viscous circle!! Sleep when baby sleeps as you'll need the rest. Try to get your GP to refer you to a rheumatologist or neurologist for specialist support for FMl and that helps so much.

Myself, I have had rheumatolid arthritis since I was 15 (46 now), I was diagnosed officially with FM 2 years ago although I've had bits of it for years and I have a condition called Sjogrens Syndrome which also causes joint pain as well as many other things. I still have to figure out new symptoms from frequently, the latest being hyper sensitivity ie my finger touching my arm feeling like I've hit it with a mallet!!! That makes it hard to work out what condition is causing the pain each day. My Rheumatology Professor explained that if I feel all over pain then that's usually the FM. That helped to figure out part of it all!!

I hope all of our answers give you some hope that you can manage this bloody frustrating condition and as you say it won't kill you which, when we have something new wrong with us we always worry about first. I hope you have a good support system in family and friends because that makes a huge difference. I wish

Gentle hugs, Claire xx