I feel like I die a little more day by day. I think of ending me every morning upon waking and every night before sleeping. The Only reasons I don’t…a wonderful man and our dog.
I am always in pain. If not my back, then it’s my legs….i could name the parts of me that don’t hurt much easier than the ones that do.
Some days are unbearable, I don’t get strong painkillers, I don’t get painkillers at all, really. I get 100 mgs. Of Tramadol per day.
I not only have fibromyalgia, but also degenerative disc disease and chronic migraines. I have gained an uncomfortable amount of weight that just won’t budge. I DO get as much exercise as possible. I keep as active as possible, that way I can’t sit around and think about the pain.
I don’t think I’m afraid to die, I am more afraid to continue to live…but what if death is worse?
The most common form of death with fibro is suicide. 50% of those with fibro try or do commit suicide.
The way it destroys your life, the chronic pain and issues, having difficulty working, the strain on relationships, can make you feel hopeless. It’s complicated, but the overwhelming burden of the disease and all the various symptoms, the lack of a real cure, the difficulties in getting disability, the invalidation of your suffering makes you lose it a little, it messes with your head and you don’t see how you’ll ever have a good life with it. It’s difficult to deal with, for sure.
Fibromyalgia causes a lot of pain and can derail a person’s life. It’s a pain, literally, but it is unlikely to cause death directly. However, people who have Fibromyalgia often develop depression and that can lead to suicide. Many people with Fibromyalgia do not get the help they need because friends, family or even doctors don’t believe them. Doctors don’t want to give people with Fibromyalgia anything for the pain but don’t always offer other solutions. There are other things that can help. There are other medications that can help besides pain meds but they don’t all work the same for everyone. Each person has to try one and then see how they feel and change if necessary. There are exercises and stretches that can help, like Yin Yoga. I get a lot of muscle knots with flare ups so myofascial relief helps me a lot. Heat and ice packs, lidocaine patches or sprays and counseling when needed to help with depression.
Also, some doctors tend to assume every new pain or issue is related to the Fibromyalgia and sweep it under the Fibromyalgia rug. They may not take the time to check out the new problem, which could be an unrelated and a potentially serious issue. Something like that could lead to death because it was ignored.
If you know someone with Fibromyalgia, stop and ask them how they are doing. Let them talk about it and hopefully they will keep fighting the long fight.
I once heard that the horror of fibromyalgia is it will make you suffer in pain but won’t kill you. My advise as a past fibro patient is to focus on getting lots of quality sleep and a therapist that works on the healing points of the body as well as chiropractic therapy
I agree with Justin about the depression, that is a very real part of fibromyalgia but I would like to send out a cautionary tale about anti-depressant drugs. They can make you depressed, especially if you are not depressed. My doctor was sure that I 1. was depressed and 2. that an anti-depressant would help me with my fibro pain. This couldn’t have been further from the truth. The medication made my pain so much worse and made me extremely depressed.
So while the actual fibro will not “kill” you, the depression or side effects from an anti-depressant could potentially make you suicidal. Feeling like you will never be out of pain can be very difficult to deal with, it does feel very hopeless. Nothing works for everyone but know that there ways to deal with the disease and to live with it.
Yes, you can. There are several symptoms and syndromes associated with FM that if untreated could be life threatening. It is important to have a Healthcare Provider that understands Fibromyalgia caring for you, following your hormones, Vitamin and Chemical and pain levels, and regularly asking you for any new symptoms or changes you have noticed. All these can be treated and keep you living with Fibromyalgia as comfortable and functional as possible
