r/Fibromyalgia

Ive had TMJ issues on and off for years but lately my jaw clicks basically every single time I open my mouth and its starting to really annoy me, Its not even always painful it just feels like the whole area is tense and irritated constantly. I also get a lot of neck & shoulder tightness during flare ups so Im guessing its all connected somehow, I use the ketro pain gel sometimes when the muscles around my jaw get really tight and it helps a little with the soreness, but the clicking itself never stops. Has this happened to anyone else? Im starting to worry a little ngl.

so i was on pregabalin on and off for a few months, but yesterday morning, i took my first dose of my new duloxetine prescription, and even though i was told it would only start working about 8 weeks in, this morning, i woke up exhausted and lethargic as always, but i noticed my muscles felt numb and my shoulders... weren't tense? i've had chronic neck, shoulder and back pain since 2009 (so since i was 9) and was diagnosed with fibromyalgia in 2024, so over half of my life has been with some form of chronic pain, and now i'm not sure how to deal with this numbness instead of pain? have i just gotten so used to being in pain all the time that this is a bit uncomfortable? and how am i already having this effect so soon after starting this new medication? i mean, i also smoked a lot of (medical) weed last night, but i often do that, and i never have such a weirdly numb morning like this. i'm lowkey scared that i don't want to get better since the chronic pain has been something i've always been able to count on. is that insane?

My husband (M49) was diagnosed with fibromyalgia a few years ago.

He has tried every medication that his MD and pain specialist have to offer. He is still suffering and is demoralized.

Have any men had success with alternative modalities? Any recommendations that you can share?

Thank you.

hi everyone, I wanted to ask about your experiences when it comes to rollercoasters. I have always loved them, the bigger, faster, and steeper they are, the better. I haven't gone on any since my pain got really bad so I'm wondering what people's experiences have been. advice for managing a day at the amusement park is also very welcome, thanks!

Any new physical problem I experience has somehow started since, is flaring up because of, or is a comorbidity of FM. Anything I like doing in my free time is limited because my wrists hurt and my shoulders can't take it. My body feels so unfit, but I can't do enough to feel fit. My relationship is suffering because of it, I have become inconsiderate and self centred. I don't have the energy anymore. It's so isolating, I don't know enough about this and how it affects me, to help my partner understand. I don't blame him, it sounds like a made up disease to someone that doesn't experience it, plus it's impossible to express. My period, my activity, my work, my social life, everything suffers because of this and nothing feels real. I don't trust doctors with diagnosis anymore, I don't trust my survival instincts because what if it just hurts because of the FM and not a broken finger? I sleep like shit, I wake up tired, I mostly have dysthimia, I am getting checked for Carpal tunnel, I have cervical. I just can't catch a break. As soon as I feel like I can push it and do enough with my day and have a life, the same exact moment is when it decides to be too much. I can not explain to people why I'm tired and sleepy and irritated. I need this to take a back seat and feel strong and powerful and like I can do something with myself sometimes. I HATE it.

Anyone else feel like this?

There’s so many things I’d want to be doing, even just regular stuff like cleaning or taking a shower. But I just can’t, my body won’t let me just do things.. am beyond frustrated and sad and angry. I feel like this has taken everything away from me. I have had to stop doing hobbies that I enjoy and I can’t be the kind of parent or partner I’d want to be… am just forced to be in this weird bubble of my own body, that feels like a prison and I can’t get out. Even writing this hurts. So soon I won’t even be able to connect with people online or play games on my phone. Can’t hold a book properly to read or a pen in my hand to do puzzles/sudokus or a paintbrush to do my art.

Still waiting for a doctor’s appointment and I fear they can’t even help me once I do get an appointment. The frustration is insane. How do you handle losing yourself to your illness?

Sitting at home. In a safe and calm environment yet am suddenly very aware of how physically tensed up I am. Happens. When I consciously relax my shoulders, it feels so damn goooood. Just me?

Following on from my last post- https://www.reddit.com/r/Fibromyalgia/s/u0TUozHXiV -

I went to my GP after my limping and pain increased. Was sent to hospital as they wanted to rule out blood clot. The hospital staff literally rolled their eyes when fibromyalgia was mentioned, they refused to do a scan but did the D-Dimer blood test and ruled out clotting issues that way. I was terribly upset and asked them what on earth do I do, I can barely walk. They flippantly just shrugged and said to take paracetamol and get back to my GP.

I am drained. I'm in pain. I'm staying on the sofa at my mum's house as I can't face the pain of getting up the stairs to my flat, or trying to get in and out of the bath.

I just don't know what to do. My autistic son has just had surgery so needs me right now, I also have a 10 Yr old with suspected ADHD. I am a lone parent, and I can't afford to not function like this.

i'm laying in bed right now as i'm typing this. it's so bad again i just want to cry out of exhaustion and ​​frustration. my whole legs feel like they are being weighed down against my bed in aches. ankles all the way up. sometimes my toes will even ache. i feel lots on my arms as well and wrists but my legs are really strong. ​

i take magnesium every night​​​​​​ and consume daily turmeric and ginger along many other things that support the joints and aches. but i can never seem to understand this completely. it genuinely feels like getting the flu every month and sometimes it's hard to even tell whether or not i​ actually am coming down with something. it's been rainy and so that is something that i do know triggers it aa bit but this is extra bad this time. i do stand on my feet for hours at my new job now.​

to anyone reading this, what are you starting to understand about your own body and flare ups? do you understand them better now? do you know your triggers and can you tell the difference between actual sickness and just fibro flaring up as usual? in need of comfort and advice!!​​

I am trying my best to eliminate some of the things that have been causing really bad flareups lately. I am a bit new to this all... I keep my little fibro journal and try to track symptoms and things of this nature but I would appreciate if some of the more experienced of you guys drop what you have noticed causes your flareups the most often so I can keep that in mind for myself. Thank you!

I've been somewhat disabled my whole life due to my mental health issues, but after having an infection seven months ago I've become house bound/partly bed bound with physical health conditions. I have been on job seekers disability stream (australian pension payment) and delaying appointments as I need to apply for the proper disability pension since i cannot walk now. It doesn't really feel worth me going through the effort to apply and fight for the pension or anything when it feels like I'm stuck grieving the ability to use my body properly. All of this stress has made me develop a pretty bad substance use habit, and I feel like my life is falling apart.

I need help to organize where to go from here. What do I do? What did you do when you first became disabled to actually get comfortable, financially and mentally?

Sorry for the rant style post. Thanks x

This will be long so I apologize ahead of time.

I’ve been trying to see my primary for some time now to get work accommodations for my job where I am on my feet 99% of the time. All I’m asking for is three times a day 5-10 minutes at a time to sit down and to rest to reduce pain and fatigue. Unfortunately for me my primary is scheduled out months and I can’t see her. So my primary’s office often pairs me with another doctor, a PA, or for my last visit a NP.

I’ve never worked with this NP and I will never again as it was a horrific experience.

For context this are the highlights of what happened:

When I requested the work accommodations I could tell something was off by her posture and vibe. She told me the only time she has ever given workplace accommodations for those with fibro pain were for people who worked at a desk all day and needed to move around not sit. She explained all of the research and criteria she knows about fibro pain and fatigue says I need to move not rest. I again explained the nature of my work; walking, standing, pushing, lifting, always moving. She doubled down and said again she wants me to move more.

So I explain the painful symptoms I experience at the end of the day and how they can be so bad I call out of work the next day sometimes because even a night’s worth of sleep doesn’t help the pain.

This is where it gets weird. She asks me if I have any workout DVDs (is this 2004???) or could I take a brisk 20 minute walk after work. Again I explain I walk around 6,000 - 10,000 steps a day. Moving is not an issue for me. I did mention I was concerned my medication was causing me to gain weight and I’m overweight to begin with so I don’t know if she just latched onto that but holy shit it started to feel like she was being fat phobic and all she was concerned about was getting me to move more with no resting.

We both came to a stalemate and she said she would ask a colleague of hers. She left for a few minutes and came back. She stated her colleague agreed with her and that I need to move more. I started to cry as I was very frustrated.

She then asked me if I had been evaluated by a psychiatrist and this is when I knew I was in danger. I asked her why she asked me that question and her response was the brain fog, which I mentioned also being an issue, could be ADHD.

This is upsetting for several reasons but here are the top two:

In my chart with this medical institution is a document from a neuropsychologist who diagnosed me with Autism back in 2025. It was a comprehensive evaluation, which included many common psychological ailments including ADHD. It clearly states I was evaluated and diagnosed by a professional, which this NP could easily find.

The second upsetting issue is I. Have. Fibromyalgia. A common symptom of fibromyalgia is BRAIN FOG.

At this point I am getting up and the NP is trying to give my work accommodation papers back to me and tells me that for my appointment in 4 weeks I can try and ask that doctor if they want to revisit this topic.

She keeps on pushing the paperwork at me and I finally breakdown and take it.

In one last ditch effort to get her to empathize with me before I leave the exam room I tell her about my history with endometriosis for 20 years, which took my fertility and resulted in a complete hysterectomy in my 30s. I explained for 20 years I was gaslit by doctors about my menstrual pain and it cost me big time. I told her I felt she was treating me similarly.

Her response in a deadpan voice was “I’m sorry you feel that way.”

So I am crying heavily in my car after and call the public relations office for this medical institution. I tell them everything all the while crying heavily and hyperventilating (I have not cried like that in years.) They were very nice to me and apologized. They said they would get back to me and I haven’t heard anything from them until this evening when I got a letter from the medical institution stating someone from the institution wanted to talk to me about my experience with this NP and my civil rights.

Phew 😮‍💨 Sorry for the long story but has anyone been in this situation or knows how I should handle this?

I’m going to be frank about how I never want to see this NP again or the doctor she said agreed with her.

If anyone has any advice I would appreciate it. I’ve already documented the entire interaction in a google doc.

Again thank you.

I just made an appointment with my doctor for next week. I'd like to go in with as much info as I can.

Background: I'm on duloxetine and gabapentin with good results. However I'm having an extreme flair. I know the flair is due to added stress. In February my husband was diagnosed with prostate cancer. Monday he had a 4.5 hour surgery to remove his prostate. Tuesday we returned home. He requires a lot of help at this point. I manage his meds, empty his catheter, push fluids, remind him to get up and move hourly.

A few weeks ago my flair started. It's just been getting worse and worse. Today it is so bad I can barely move. The pain is tolerable if I'm sitting or laying down, but standing and walking is excruciating. I didn't get much sleep this week for obvious reasons.

My question is, should I ask for a prescription for oxycodone or percocet? Like not a regular schedule, just as a rescue med to help me be able to move a little? Over the counter meds don't work. I can't stand the feeling of a TENS unit. In the last few weeks I've tried heat packs, ice packs, and topical patches. I couldn't even do my chair yoga this morning because it hurt so much.

What advice do you have?

Trigger warning: discussion of addiction and pain meds.
Hi all. Im a 22F and was diagnosed with fibromyalgia literally today. I’m not doing great however i have other chronic health conditions so it’s not my first rodeo😅. I was wondering if anyone had any tips for overcoming fear of pain medication/high risk meds. I have a family history of addiction and a history of addictive tendencies myself (nothing serious just things we prefer to keep an eye on). I’m in a much better safer place now. I know if need be i have not only the tools i’ve learnt in therapy but the support from family friends and my medical team to take medication that is higher risk. However, Idk how to overcome the fear. I’ve just always told myself “i’ll never get addicted to pain meds bc i’ll never take them”. however, now i’m in a situation where unfortunately i may need something stronger than over the counter pain meds to maintain a quality of life. Obviously, this is something i’m actively talking about and working through with both my behavioral and physical health care teams. I was wondering though if anyone who’s been through it from a patient perspective was willing and able to share. Any tips tricks and advice both on this topic and fibromyalgia in general are appreciated 💓

I can’t seem to remember anything. Stuff I did half an hour ago is just a blank. It’s really starting to affect my day. It’s really starting to affect my job. I don’t know what to do about it.

Can’t post pics, but…

fibro fog moment of the day, i poured frozen peas in my water bottle 😑 and didn’t realize till I drank them

Does anyone else get facial pain? The only link I can find when I look it up is TMJ but I don't have that and it's not just regular facial tension

I live in a country where it's illegal to leave this religion. We have a month where we have to fast. No water or food from dawn till dusk.

I have left the religion years ago, but I'm still forced to abide by it's customs. I still live with my family (It's heavily frowned upon to NOT live with family because of the religious extremism). So I pretend to fast every year, and I always have a flare because of it.

I snuck in breakfast and other food thats caters to my deficiencies in spite of having to pretend to fast but it wasn't enough. I tried my best to eat and I powered through the fatigue and pain and hoped I would be better once the month was over.

At the end of that month, I ended up having muscle pain so bad that I was struggling to walk. The past two months have been horrible. I'm trying my best to eat well. I'm taking suplements and meds, but I'm struggling so hard to be functional at work. I'm so exhausted.

The worst part is that the religious education here has brainwashes everyone to believe that fasting is benefitial for our health. Maybe it is benefitial for some, but not for all. In this country at least, we're still pressured to do this even when we're sick. Now that I'm fully diagnosed, I'm never fasting again. I'm going to adovocate for myself harder.

edit: I'm not blaming the religion, I'm more frustrated at the extremism in my country. The religion is not taught properly here, instead, it's twisted in a way that has created harmful social dynamics. Whatever you feel about religion, you all know that there are a lot of countries out there that take it too far.

I am currently having a very difficult time working. I have fibromyalgia, PNES, anxiety and depression. I may also have lupus but I have not had any formal diagnosis yet.

I just used all of my FMLA time to work on appointments and treatments for the extreme flare ups and seizures that I have been having, then started having some other types of flare ups often accompanied by a butterfly rash at the very end.

This week I missed 2 days of work that I expect that I will be written up for each. My work has a "3 strikes and you're out" policy.

My husband and I are in a bit of a disagreement on how best to handle next steps. I want to quit. I've never been fired before and the thought of it gives me panic attacks alone.

My husband wants me to wait and get fired because 1) I could get unemployment and 2) because he thinks that it would be more compelling if I end up needing to apply for disability.

What do you guys think? In your experience, does getting fired from jobs due to not being able to perform from health issues increase your chances of getting accepted for disability?

Thank you for your time and guidance.

I just received my first medical marijuana card to help treat chronic pain from fibromyalgia. I need to know where to start. I live in a state that doesn't allow gummies, unfortunately, so I'm most interested in tinctures and creams ( I have no interest in vaping or smoking, and smoking isn't allowed in my state anyway.)

What combination of thc and cbd should I start with? Honestly, I'm not even sure what to ask here. It's all new to me!

Update: I should have added that I have a history of generalized anxiety and panic attacks.