Hysterectomy and Fibromyalgia

I got my FM DX as a "bonus" from a specialist - I was walking out the door - and he said - anyone ever tell you that you have FM? See you in a month... Mine isn't as bad as many... If I spend too many hours (9+) in bed my back will be SOOO stiff and painful... wiping in the bathroom isn't possible (for the big job)...

I have found that if I can lie in bed in a different position and really relax that my back will be better - if I had to jump out of bed and really get going -well - I will be in pain for most of the day...

Or if I can just sit for a while - my back will loosen up...

Sleeping normally? HA HA HA... I have had insomnia since May 97 when I was in an accident and fractured my skull (and wacked my brain around fairly good)...

Depression is a BIG part of FM - cause or effect I am not sure about...

I have heard that FM can be helped by the hyster - so who knows... maybe in time eh?

Exercise is the best form of treatment... or maybe walking in a pool if you have that option...

Hugs!

Shauna

I've been seeing a pain specialist for nerve ablation treatments (thanks to Endo) and he Rx'd Cymbalta. He said that it's been on the market for about 2 years and it has had great results for Fibro pain. It's been amazing the relief it has brought. My OB/GYN was surprised.

Rhonda

What is Cymbalta? A pain med. or a anti-depressant or a sleeping pill?

I did a search on Cymbalta, and it seems to be an antidepressant, though it is also approved for a certain kind of pain associated w/ diabetes. It's described as a serotonin and noroephirine (sp?) blocker.

My rheumatologist initially tried a few antidepressants and serotonin blockers on me. They made it impossible to sleep for all the weird thoughts and images running nonstop through my mind all night, and then there were the body twitches. After a week of that, I figured if I'd actually been depressed, I'd probably jumped off a bridge just to get some sleep. Seriously, serotonin blockers do seem to work well for some people w/ FM, and I envy them if they are able to sleep through the night.

My experience w/ estradiol about a month after my surgery was even more bizarre, eventually becoming semi-psychotic thoughts and images all one night. That next a.m. when I called the Dr. and she wanted to up the dose, it didn't seem quite right, but I went along w/ it. Fortunately, things did get a little better, but still not good. I was just beginning to realize I didn't have much in common w/ the women I knew who'd had a hysterectomy and were just happy as clams taking an estradiol pill each day. The truth is, it's every woman for herself, and women w/ FM may have a special set of circumstances. The fact that 7 out of 10 people w/ FM are women indicates to me that it could be hormone-related. So few Drs. actually listen and hear what women say to them, and even fewer know much about FM, so sharing info and experiences here is probably more helpful to some of us.

Cymbalta is a selective seratonin and norepinephrine re-uptake inhibitor. It's been on the market for about two years.

It started out in trials to treat depression and they discovered that it worked great for diabetic neurapathy and fibromyalgia as well. Dr.s are Rx'g it off label for Fibro while the manufacturers work on FDA approval.

I take it for muscular pain and it works great. First few days made me nauseated and sleepy, now it has no s/e.

I was just throwing out ideas of what has helped me incase you might benefit too. I'm sorry that SSRI's and SSNRI's don't work for you. I hope that you do find some relief soon.

www.cymbalta.com
www.rxlist.com

HTH,
Rhonda

hello sisters,
it's been a while, good to see such support
tah/bso 10/99, alora patch working well
car accidents x3, 1994, 1999, 2000
herniated discs-c5, L5, fibromyalgia, thoracic outlet syndrome, carpel tunnel syndrome, sjogren's, raynaud's, tmj, axiety, depression
educated and worked as P.T. until 1994,
I "look" ok (invisible disability), finally receiving ssd!! I take my "recipe" of rx's to be the best mom i can (son-13), and get thru one day at a time. YOU ARE NOT ALONE, AND LET ANYONE SPEND 24HRS IN YOUR BODY BEFORE THEY PASS JUDGEMENT ON YOU!!
i luv u sisters!!
hot flashes??powersurges!!