Seems like the cold gets us all. I put a heating blanket under my bottom sheet. I also have sleep apnea. I have been taking Ambien 10 mg for about 5 years. ( I am trying to ge the drug maker to do tests on long term use) I take 2 to 3 vicodin and 2-3 soma a day. I use ice packs for bad pain and heat to keep me going. I have had a bad 3 months as we sold our house and got rid of 3 bdrms and 3 baths worth of furniture and stuff. My husband retired this month (HURRAY) and we are buying a 40 ft long diesel pusher RV and becoming fulltimers. I can't wait to have such a small space to take care of and traveling all around at my leisure. I think taking care of that big house even though I had a housekeeper was very hard on me, and the packing and moving was very bad. But, it's over now and a new year is coming with many new fun times. Happy new year my friends.
I think concerned621 had a really good way of identifying which pain is which. I have OA too in my lumbar spine and my shoulder. I never use heat when I have a flare up of OA because it only makes it more inflamed. I only use ice. That is not the case when I am having a FM flare up- I can use heat on my muscles and sore ligaments and tender spots when It's FM related. That is my way of differentiating between the two pains.
Sometimes at night I fall asleep with a gel ice pack on my shoulder or I lay on it. It only stays cold for about 20 minutes, which is enough to allow me to fall asleep. I believe they make knee ice packs too that you can strap around your legs. You could let them get half frozen, so you wouldn't have to worry about falling asleep with them on if your pain was really bad. Perhaps take them out of the freezer about an hour before bed?
Do you or can you tolerate an NSAID? I have taken many of them and the only one I can manage to take that doesn't give me a stomach ache or a headache is Voltaren (Diclofenac). It is very effective at keeping the inflammation down. Also, if you can't take it orally, they also make a topical gel that you can rub on your joints. It's not anything like Bengay as it doesn't have a strong odor, it rubs in right away and it works very well. One time I rubbed it on my neck thinking it wasn't going to work and about 15 minutes later my ear was numb. It freaked me out. Anyhow, you should ask your doctor about it.
I also take something to help me sleep. Some kind of sleep aid is key if you have FM. Everyone is different though, so you should talk to your doctor about trying a couple different options. Some muscle relaxers are good. I can't tolerate Trazadone- it makes me feel really bizarre, but some people do really well with it. Elavil is good too for sleep. I've even used Benadryl over the counter (just make sure you're not taking anything that would interact with it).
Good luck to you and keep us updated.
-Dusty
You are not alone. I live in a climate that gets a lot of rain, then cold, then pressure drops. I suffer just as you described. If you are not taking anything for sleep I would highly suggest it. I took vicodin for years, I am not a doctor but in my experience vicodin is great for short term pain. It caused me to have rebound headaches, jittery, and not sleep. The minute I stopped taking it I realized how many side effects I had from it.
I take 50mg of trazadone for sleep. I also have sleep apnea so I need to use a Cpap machine at night, even then I might not sleep but I would lay awake all night without a sleep medication. I would talk to your doctor, you must sleep. Trazadone does not have to be taken all the time, just when you need it. Unlike Lunesta and some of the others.
I have chronic pain from 7 surgeries on my spine and fibromyalgia for the past 15 years. Doctors tell me my pain is very complicated because they can't tell which is which pain. For me FM pain is the deepest dull ache I've ever experienced. It hurts to the touch. So if you touch the nape of your neck, just above your elbows, the breast bone and rib area for me it's unbearable. I also have arthritis in my spine, hands and I think in my feet. It's not painful to the touch unless I move my hands or feet. In my spine the arthritis pain takes my breath away.
Now this is me. You have to try to figure out how to determine which pain is which. It's very important for your treatment. When talking to a doctor it's helpful for them in prescribing your medication or if you want to take supplements to really define what is going on in your body. So try to figure this out for yourself.
Something that helps and I know ice does not sound good at a time like this but heat makes me ache more, ice will calm down any inflammation you are having. For me I don't view FM as being inflammation but when my arthritis is acting up or my joints feel achy I use ice. It calms the nerves, blood vessels and relaxes the muscles. So enjoy the warm bath but for me too many warm baths gets my heart rate up causing my FM pain to flare. I stopped ever going in a jacuzzi because of this. If you have access to a gym or any dry heat sauna it's the best for what you are going through. That and moving in a warm pool. I started that 7 months ago. I can only walk, I do it for about 40 minutes in the warm pool at the gym then sit in the sauna for 15 minutes. It's amazing the pain relief.
This is what works for me:
ice instead of heat
try to define your pain
talk to your doc about a sleep medication for these times/sleeping will help your pain so much (trazadone/minimal side effects, take only when you need)
remember to breath, I tend to hold my breath when I'm in pain
DRINK A TON OF WATER
limit any sugar, white foods-white bread, white potatoes, white rice/cakes, cookies, any sweets really.
***remember to pray if you pray or meditate and ask that this pain go from your feet up through your body to the top of your head and up in to the atmosphere because you can't take it on any longer.
Visualization is very helpful, there are books, tapes, classes and private sessions.
Take care and I will send my peace and prayer that the pain be less and less with each passing moment.