Nausea

Question from a member: "do any of your members suffer really bad nausea please?"

• Absolutely. Shows up out of nowhere and feels like you have the flu. I haven't actually vomited from it but have been close enough that I was sweating and cold and in the washroom cause I sure felt like I was going to. But most times I get a sudden wave of nausea but it passes in a few minutes.

   
• Yes.....often...kinda makes me nuts!!

   
• Yes and sometimes vomiting also.

   
• At times I do

  
  
• Yes, every single morning i wake up feeling so sick, as the day goes on it eases but then starts up again in afternoon. It seems to link in with my most tired times of the day xx

   
• Mornings are the worst.

   
• Frequently, not managed to find a good way to combat it yet! Particularly bad when I am stressed.

  
  
• ooohhh yes most days....my doc gave me anti nausia table that are brill x

   
•  I do as well

   
• Yes I do everyday I am feeling sick right now as I have been a bit emotional today so the fatigue is really bad

   
•  I get it on and off, like a flare symptom. Often if I havent eaten or if pain is bad. Other times it just seems to be a symptom with no reason. Ive been really bad today. Nauseous, dizzy and headache. I take stemitil usually but thats not helping much today.

  
  
• sometimes

  
  
• I live with a bottle of Pepto bismula with me most of the time because of it

   
• Yes, very badly at times and even vomit, was told this is cfs/me. Who knows?

  
  
• I feel sick pretty much all the time, I do take a lot of medication so I'm never sure what causes it, its horrible though!

   
•  i get it only on a morning, when i was working and up early it was the worst it didnt settle down till lunch time

   
• Yes. I did so many pregnancy tests thinking it just be that then I spoke to a friend with Fibro & she said she gets it too. Yet another symptom to add to the already huge list :-(

   
• Fibro. Makes you feel like you have the flu, body aches and neausia. My Dr gave me DEXALANT . But I'm in America, not sure if the meds are the same. Plus I eat salty crackers, chips. That seems to help me.

   
• Wendy - I have pretty much the exact same thing. I'll be suddenly hit with nausea, and will sit on the bathroom floor feeling shivery and as though I'll throw up then it passes. It really doesn't help that I am emetophobic either!

   
• Yes, more so at night time and when I first wake up!

  
  
• Yes, along with those delightful bouts of Fibroflu. I find sipping ginger beer helps a bit.

  
  
• I get regular waves of nausea most days. I usually need 2 sit down+wait 4 it 2 subside, whereas with other symptoms I prefer 2 do something 2 take my mind off it. With the nausea I just have 2 stop cos its so debilitating. Sipping tonic water helps me xx

   
•  I take meclezine(Bonine, Dramamine)

   
•  i had it today and it kept me outta church

   
• Yes always nauseous take tablets 3-4 times a day to counter it and don't get me started on the heartburn lol

Restless Legs

Question from a member: "I have problems with my legs and arms shaking and jerking around it's worse at night do any of your members suffer this?"

• restless "leg" syndrome - my favourite :S Was sitting watching TV and it wouldn't stop :( *gentle hugs*

• Sounds like RLS (Restless Leg Syndrome, but it can also affect arms as well) I dont personally suffer from it but I have spoken with other Fibro and ME sufferers that do have RLS.

   
• Oh yes! know it well...it's not pleasant...

  
  
•  i have RLS,,,but it does "move" to other body parts as well,,,jerking, shaking and that aweful "crawly" feeling like every nerve is moving like worms,,grrrrr 
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•    It's worth being checked for Iron Deficiency. Cut out all caffeine, and avoid alcohol with these symptoms. I know also that some meds can cause this, particularly anti depressants. Definitely worth talking to a Dr about this, and not just put it down to being a 'fibro thing'. Jerky movements throughout the entire body can be C02 deficiency so bear that in mind also
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• I suffer with restless leg syndrome and my arms shake some times.My arms cramp a lot and it hurts very much

   
• Mostly, I just get really bad cramps in my legs...

   
• Get both......very irritating...soft hugs to u all ..

   
• L i get involuntary mucsle jerks in my arms and legs. often at night

   
•  I didn't ask the question but what comments are saying, I have this & I just chalked it up to one of my many autoimmune diseases. What type of doctor was seen to make this diagnosis? I have to use Lidoderm patches on my arms & legs, mainly at night. I spend hours crying cuz nothing helps & it hurts BAD! Any help is appreciated!

   
• I have restless leg syndrome which also affects my arms and drives me insane, it doesn't hurt but you just don't know what to do with yourself!

   
•  I have mild rest less legs, but my hands, mostly my right hands shakes a lot.

   
• I have it, also. Mine started when my Dr put me on mobic for arthritis in my hands. It did help the arthritis pain but the jerking started along with sweating profusely. She changed me to prescription strength naproxen. I don't jerk as bad but it is still there.

   
• Ive had restless legs few times x

   
• Shelly, have you seen a specialist that truly understands your diagnoses?? I'm sorry to hear you are in such terrible pain

Tens machines

Question from a member: Has anyone tried a tens machine please? I am looking for drug free ways to manage my pain?

• I've had a TENS for years, it works on more specific pain and takes a lot of use to build up but generally it does not help my flares.

  
  
• I love my tens machine, helps my back pain enormously and other pain too xxx
• I personally don't find them very helpful. I find those massage chair covers a lot better. xxx

  
  
• The best thing I ever bought is still my electric heat pad with settings x
•  i love my tens machine, but also love my neck and shoulder heat pad

  
  
• It helps me a little.

  
  
• Wasn't any good for me. Heated car seat is my weapon of choice when my backs really painful.
•  It depends on the type of unit. The type of pulse is different on each of them. I get better results from a scaldingly hot bath....
• Not to seem like too much of a freak, but have you tried cannabis? I am convinced that cannabinoid replacement therapy is the best treatment for autoimmune disorders. You should investigate that option (if you haven't already)....
• I hated it!! Did not like the feeling at all!!

  
  
• Never heard of a tens machine....what is it......
•  I didn't like it. It made me feel irritable... Sort of like when there is a noise and you feel yourself getting irritated and then someone stop that noise or turns it off. Tens felt like that noise.

  
  
• you have to be careful. i turned it up too much which caused my back to go into major spasms.
   it's a temporary fix! it feels good while you have it on, just don't turn it up too high...
  
  

  • It is just a distraction, and only works for the moment.

     
  • I have used this device with good results as it help the muscles to heal and regenerate with some relief from pain. It's important to find the correct spots to place the pads and be careful not to have the electrical current cross your heart, ie putting the pads on the left and right side of your body at the same time as it can & will interfere with your heart beat & could possibly stop it. Common sense should always prevail when using any kind of electrical device goes without saying, but worth repeating. I hope this helps. :)

     
  • For muscle spasms I used a product called Fibrosense and what this product does is it replenishes the body with minerals which our fibro bodies don't retain like other peoples do without F.M.S. I used this product for 4 months have noticed a reduction in spasms which literally crippled me with pain to the point of not being able to breath with the exception of tiny gasps of air. Cheers.

    
    
  • didnt work for me at all hospital lent me one for just over a month, was too awkward for me to get the pads in the right position which kept coming off as they caught on my hair, do not ever touch the pads whilst unit is switched on , I did twice by accident when pads fell off, almost shot through the roof, and I dropped unit down toilet twice !!!! not for me I prefer heat pads

     
  •  At times it worked and others no

    
    
  • Massage therapy has worked well for me. (I haven't tried the tens mach.) I try to go once a week to a local massage school where they charge only $25/hr instead of the typical $55+. Some weeks they have specials of 2 for $25.

     
  • Yes I have one and it helps.

   

Tablets

Question from a member: "I seem to take an awful lot of tablets but none seemt o really be helpin me. Is it normal to be on so many drugs? My gp makes me feel like I'm some kind of drug addict"

• A lot of ppl take a lot of drugs. You have to ask yourself, do they help? How do you benefit from taking them? I ask this as i have gradually come off the drugs i was taking and just take pain relief. I honestly think they cause more harm than good, but we are all different and only you know the answer.

   
• It is normal but it is up to you to decide what works and what doesn't. Amitriptyline works brilliant for me buy gabapentin makes no difference at all, I would've been as well taking smarties so I stopped them, no point putting poison in my system for no reason. The rest I tend to take as I need, co-codamol for general pain and if that fails to work then I have nefapam as a back up (I rarely take it) I also have diclofenac to reduce inflammation and again if this fails i then take diazepam (again not often). I have a few others as well. I think the point I'm trying to make is that you can end up with a lot of medication, some for general day to day usage but others that you don't have to take all the time but better to have on stand by for the biggies and any you feel don't work at all you'd be as well stopping. Good luck, I've had fibro 18 years (I'm 32) and its taken a long time to figure out what's best for me.

   
•  I told my gp earlier this year i wanted to cut my pills down to the minimum i could manage on. I now realise that one I cut out I do need so starting back on it and cutting out another with the gps support. Have also told her I am not going to take strong pain relief as it doesnt help and that if she can find me hydrotherapy i would rather try that as it helps. I refuse to allow them to fill me up with f
  Pills i use heat pads, hot baths and positive thinking.

   
•  I feel the same way. If I get ready sick to the point of needing a trip to the ER, Im tired of trying to explain why Im on so much medicine. Im seen by a pain care specialist that prescribes my meds. I also have problems with my stomach & get told that I need off my pain meds to help with my stomach issue. I can't explain to him or family Dr that m in pain. If anyone can explain how to get that members answer & it may help me too!

   
• water therapy is the best for FM!! I do take much fewer drugs then I did in the past when I first was diagnosed. I believe that is because I complained so much of the pain that my Gp tried to get me some relief in the beginning!

   
•  I have come to the conclusion from the amount of research i have done that we can not expect to eliminate the pain completely. I have spent the past 2 years trying everything available and they don't work for many ppl. I don't take pain relief 24/7 either as i always explain, my pain is always a 5/6 on a scale of 1-10, i often have 10 also and find if i take them 24/7 when the pain is real bad, i have no relief what so ever. Does that make sense? Its hard because as individuals only we know the answers. As for explaining pain i find the scale of 1-10 really helps, ppl seem to take notice. So i will say i have pain from head to toe everyday 24/7 in multiple areas, different pains eg aches, neuropathic, joint pain. I have areas where it never lets up like my feet, explain like that then think about the pain scale it does seem to make ppl think, at least it has with me.

   
• I take no pain or sleep medications, due to the side effects and not helping. I hurt just as well without them as I did with them.