still not sleeping

Today is a really bad one. I thought maybe the Lyrica would help me at least a little. I'm not sure what to think now. I take only one at night because if I take 2 I cannot do much at all during the day. I am too sleepy. Taking just one doesn't seem to make me tired enough to get enough sleep either. I am so exhausted all the time. I use to have so much energy many years back.

I feel like I'm not worth anything because I can't get out to work. I have lost income for almost 2 years now because of my pain and lack of sleep. I cannot stand for long periods so retail work is out for me. I tried working even as a cashier at 2 different companies last year Mar. 2007 and had to quit both of them within 2 days because I could not take the severe pain of standing after even a half hour.

I can't find any kind of legitimate work at home job either. All of them want you to pay them for information. I can't sit for long periods either so even working at home would have to be limited to only a few hours. I can't find any company that needs that little help. I cry a lot because I can't find any kind of work that won't bear so much pain on me also trying to stay awake while working is a real challenge now.

I have to take daytime naps often because of lack of sleep at night. I toss and turn about every 15 mins or so all night long.

Lack of part time income for me is not letting us get our credit card paid off like we'd like to either. With my husbands income we are making our bills but we cannot save for our future or even give Christmas gifts to some of the family like we'd like to.
I've worked all my life since I was 18 and now I feel like a failure as I cannot even work even a little to bring in some type of income.

I may have to try for SSDI . I was thinking about if for some time now but keep hesitating because I feel like I'm asking for a hand out and that certainly is not the case. I have found a website called Allsup.com that I may use. I found their link from FMAware.org. I don't want a handout but we do need my income back.

Until next time,
Have a Wonderful Week!
Nancy

Books on Fibromyalgia

Good day everyone,

I just purchased (online) 2 books on Fibromyalgia. One is The Complete Idiot's Guide to Fibromyalgia and the other is Fibromyalgia for Dummies. When I receive them I will read them through and share with you some tips etc. I gain from the books.

Ever since I knew I had Fibromyalgia I have been reading all I can about the chronic muscle disorder. One thing I found out is that the pain I have sometimes in my chest is Fibromyalgia related. I thought maybe I was going to have heart problems, but since Fibromyalgia affects your muscles, and your heart is the biggest one, it occurred to me, WOW, I never thought of that.

A couple of years ago I did have a stress test at the hospital because I was going in for shoulder surgery and my doctor knew of my occasional chest pains. They said my heart was fine and I was relieved. Although I am a little scared because what if I really do have a start of a heart attack and I just think it is Fibromyalgia pain? How would I know the difference? Apparently some people do not know.

My thought is, if you are experiencing pain in the chest that frightens you, go to the hospital. It is better to be safe than sorry, right?

I hope you are having a wonderful week and I will talk to you soon. I have to go do some housework. I just look at it and think "This is going to hurt me real bad tomorrow and probably the next day too"!!

Take care!
Hugs,
Nancy

Sleepless nights - trying Lyrica

I feel so very tired every morning when I get up. That's because every night I toss and turn because of my pain. I can't lay on either side for more than 10 minutes so I flip from side to side, then from back to front. When I get up it takes me at least 30 minutes (or more) to wake up some and get the body moving.

I am tired or groggy all day long because of lack of sleep. I did try Ambien and Lunesta but I felt very weird on both of them so I stopped taking them. They made me have nightmares, plus I was not sleeping any more than without them. I tried several anti-depressants and will never take another one again. My body cannot handle them I guess. I felt foggy and disoriented all the time on them and dizzy a lot. They didn't help me sleep any either.

I am now trying Lyrica. The doctor started me on 75mg twice a day. It was making me sleepy during the day so my doc said to try 2 at night. I did that for a while and I was still too sleepy during the day. I take one at night and that seems to help with the pain some (enough to help me sleep a little more) , but when I'm awake the pain is just as intense as ever. I do have to take two Lyrica when I am in real severe pain just to get some sleep but then the next day I am so tired.

I am so hoping that someday soon Fibromyalgia patients like me will have something to take for severe muscle pain every day for during the day that won't make us sleepy and groggy. We need something to ease the pain yet keep us alert. For now I have to stick with Lyrica.

Have a Wonderful day everyone
God Bless
Nancy