Question:
My primary pain sites are getting worse every day it seems. Seems like if I am on my feet very long at all the pain set in. Can anyone relate? I have tried walking a bit but it that causes me pain too. I hate feeling like I can't do anything anymore. Housework is impossible. We do without other things to have a cleaning ladie come in. My husband helps as much as he can. I insisted that he go to Florida with his friends. He needs a break, I know. Is leg and back pain a problem for you, like that is a silly question as I know it is. How do you deal with it besides staying in bed all the time. I refuse to do that but do rest when I need to. Of course, pain meds help. Use to be that I would have good and bad days but that's no longer the case. Seems like the older I get the worse the pain is. Does exercise help any of you with the back and leg pain?

Answer:

Until a few years ago, the pain you describe "was all" there was to fibromyalgia for me, but it was excruciating. I tried many things... physical therapy, exercises, surgery, and have found that at least in my case, the best I could do was find something to combat that pain and the upper-body pain that would follow in good time. That ended up being a personalized "cocktail" of daily pain meds, including oxycontin, zanaflex and celebrex in my case. I also use hydrocodone for flares. It's not great, but it keeps me off the proverbial ledge most of the time.

I'm having terrible lower back, buttocks, and hip pains too... the best thing I found is that I take Skelaxin 4 times a day (it kindof makes me sleepy) but it makes the pain tolerable enough to take care of my three sons and all the things I need to do with housework... slowly but surely. My dark load is piled up to about three loads now... when I get to it, I get to it. My DH is working so hard right now and isn't home until about 8 or 9pm and he doesn't have the extra energy, so I dont' even ask for his help. Occassionally, i've switched from the Sklexin to the Darvocet (which doesn't make me as tired...so I use more of that one during the day) and about three times a year I get cortisone shots in the lower back and/or both hips to get the pain to go away.

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