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Welcome to the best thing I have found also.
I have an addictive personality. If 1 cup of coffee tastes good 2 will be better.
If one martini is good, 2 is better.
So I refrain from alcohol and I am super super careful of the Vicodin. Without it I would be in bed 3 days out of 7 at least.
The other posters are dead on. Your PCP can prescribe cymbalta and lyrica which are the first choice of fibro drugs. They can also go to sevella if lyrica is not feasible.
They also can go to something for the pain and muscle relaxants for sleeping.
The vitamin regimen of RNY is strict. But if you are compliant, they are great. You actually feed yourself something that makes you feel better.
I take extra Vit D 1000 IU twice a day.
I take chewable adult vit in AM and one a day for women at night.
I also do 500mg of sublingual Vit B12 three times a day.
Having the weight off will help. Lyrica might put weight on - if that happens to you, just request another drug - sevella I've heard works ok.
Good luck on your journey.
Tink
I have been taking cymbalta and lyrica for about 6 months now.
My fingers are stiffer, I get shooting electrical pains through my hands almost constantly. I occassionally have a razor like pain through my buttocks, like someone is trying to laser saw me in half. I get the same pains in my upper arms. It feels like I've been trying to lift 100 pounds.
I havent had any nausea or stomach pains/cramps. I have been having unbearable carb cravings, even if I go lite carbs for a couple of days, I still crave them until my head literally hurts.
It is making my love of a pot of coffee a day - sadly - go away. Now it's all I can do to drink a couple of mugs a day. I hate that!!
Tink
I have had what they now tell me is fibro for about 15 years.
It was mild, usually just pain in my shoulders and hips.
Oct 2006 I had RNY because I was spilling protein so the doc said it was the beginning of kidney failure.
I was taking a handful of pills daily. I was taking Vicodin about 4 or 5 times a month.
Post op - I am taking a handfull of supplements with 3 scripts. One to assimilate Vit D better. Cymbalta and Lyrica for fibro that flared worse after my surgery. Still on the Vicodin, but now Daily, at least twice a day.
The amount of supplements will equal the amount of pills you are taking now. DS is perhaps less likely to deprive you of your vits, RNY will make you malabsorb not just food and calories, but vitamins and minerals too.
I am adding an endocronologist to my list of people that keep me alive. At 60 I feel like I'm 80. All because of the fibro flare.
But the RNY
- remission for diabetes - I no longer take any meds
- remission of the COPD - I am just now starting to have the breathing problems again, but not taking meds.
- no more high cholesterol no more meds for this
- no more high blood pressure - I got rid of two pills it was taking to get this under control.
The pros far outweigh any cons for me with RNY. I am happy that I had a few good years, and I'm confident that once we find the right combo of drugs, that I can have a wonderful retirement.
Tink
Thanks, Jim
The more I make it through every day, the more I think I need to stop the Lyrica. It's doing weird things to me.
Thanks for the suggestions, I'll take them to my doc and see what she says.
Candy
on 7/14/10 10:11 am
I had RNY a little over a year ago and I have to say my fibro is not worse, but it is not better. One thing to note is that NSAIDS can not be used after surgery. I take hydrocodone 4x a day which works best for me now, but I wish I could take motrin once in a while. I want to say since I have lost weight I feel the best I have in a long time. I have increased energy and longer endurence when I exercise. The pain is just something I need to tolerate.
My biggest concern was pain and I made that very clear since I was already on opiates. After surgery, I was given 1mg of morphine every 10 minutes and YES, as expected, I began a really bad flare. Yes, it was painful, yes it was scary sometimes and yes it went away. Everybody's different. For me, it was worth it and over all the fibro has gotten better as well as the myofascial pain. I'm still kind of tired but it's only been a month but walking. I'm still struggling with the pills but haven't needed opiates for FM/MFS pain. My surgeon has had patients with fibro and he says that those patients don't complain about pain. It's not a cure, but considering we live with so much pain, having less of it is a big relief for most of us...Go for it!
I have used gabapentin helps. Tramadol really helped me also.
Good luck with control of pain.
OLD INFO:Now I finally broke the 300 lb mark 89 Pounds lost in 120 days !
New info: Now 130 pounds lost and 2 years out. Weight around 245 lbs.
My loving wife, Robin had DS Sept. 30, 2008 and has lost about 130 lbs. also. Hey, thats 260 lbs. lost together. We lost a person in there somewhere.
I find I hardly check in here. I am sorry. I too have had a hard time with the rain and humidity of late. I am sorry to hear you are having a rough time. I hear you about the depressed and hurt! It's a vicious cycle. I take one day, sometimes one meal or protein shake at a time. I continue to struggle to get active.
Gentle Hugs right back to you!
Sue
Collinsmdzia
