chronic pain /wd and i'm completely desperate

[Yolanda]

Hi there everyone… I would really like to talk with some of you because I really need some advices and some support right now…

 

Well… I am in quite a bad situation right now where I do believe that I am having fibromyalgia, having an appointment with my PCP on this Monday and I am not very sure whether will I be able to make it through the weekend with those medications that I am having on hand now. I do know very well that at this current point I am going to be screwed for 4 days at least... I’ve gotta say that right now I am taking truly A LOT of the medications for the relief and there are those days that I am not accomplishing a thing. I did have called my last week re my bloodwork doctor in order to ask about the possibility if I can have arthritis and there’s the nurse who has said to me that it was most likely only anxiety and that’s it.

 

I just don’t know how I can ask the doctor if it is fibromyalgia (he has told me that it is a non diagnosis) as I am suffering from pain every single day. I am being terrified of benzodiazepines withdrawals due the fact that they are complete HELL as much as I have read online and other people’s stories in regards to the benzos wds…. But I just really want to get a solution to my problem and nothing more. I just want to be pain free and that’s it.

 

To be honest, I do realize that I am already very and very late in this game in order of posting this and asking for help as I can’t go well now without consequences… however better later than never, I guess… plus to that, absolutely any of your help is going to be deeply appreciated. A lot of thanks to you guys in advance for any of your help and bless you all. I wish you all pain free days. Thanks!

 

[Rociefoldn]

Hello there Yolanda… first off you need to tell us where do you live? That’s because the help and treatment etc. can differ from country to country. That’s why, if you are in the UK then I can offer you some recommendation, however if you are somewhere else then I can’t actually help you much with many recommendation… and hopefully another poster is going to come in with some advices for you… but it very much depends on where you are located.

 

I can tell you that from as much as I know… in regards to your benzos withdrawals… they are best being treated with the diazepam and that’s because of it’s long half life. Nobody says that it is going to be easy, but it can do a good job in your withdrawals. However, if that’s a serious and a truly big problem that you know you can’t deal with it myself then please don’t try to deal with it by yourself and get yourself a medical help for your sufferings (either it is benzo withdrawals, or pains or whatever else). And unfortunately I can’t get you any help since I am having absolutely no ideas how they are treating any of that in the US or anywhere else. I am really hoping a lot that you are going to be feeling better soon. Wishing you all the best and come back with updates whenever you are going to have some for us.

 

[Laregrell]

yolanda hi. Im very and very sorry for that… for everything that you have went through and still going through. but you know.. reading your post I couldn’t understand why those doctors are giving you benzos for the pains that you are suffering? or I haven’t got it right and you are self medicating with benzos? whichever one is, I just know that the benzos surely are not the best solution for that and I never heard of someone being treated for pains with benzos. I mean, I do know that they can actually help you get rid of the pains and I know it from experience because my valium does help me with my back. however I would suggest you to be very and very careful with the xanax. those ones can be really deadly. there are a lot of those new laws about the opiates fail to say that the person most likely has taken them with the xanax. that’s a bad combo… a really bad one, such bad that it can be dangerous.

 

You might believe me or you might not but… I have already been to 2 funerals directly related to those people with doctors being too scared by DEA in order to write anything that can actually help the quality of life. and so then our country is ending up with all of those people self medicating who are not being aware of those dangerous counter effects. so please, beware of it and you should know that you shouldn’t ever use xanax with any kind of narcotic pain killer because if you would… I am quite sure you’re gonna suffer and that’s in the best case… only a very low dose of the valium and the hydrocodone I think that it would be a very good alternative for you and for your problem. however, the real problem is that there is no proof of your pain. that is why, the first thing that I would recommend you to do right now it is to go to a neurologist and ask for his opinion on this problem of yours. they can really help you and I think that the biggest way that they can help is because they are able to verify if you are having a nerve damage or anything in this matter. I did have those tests myself where they are pricking you with some pins in differences places and they see how your body is responding to them.

 

I would also recommend you to be careful of lyrica as well as some people are ok with it, however there’s my mother who is using xanax for her anxiety issues but they have also given her lyrica for her fibromyalgia. well, to make the long story short – 48 hours or so after she has started to take it and she already has started to be suicidal and it is not that she has been predisposed or anything because she’s not like that. It has all ended with a grand mal seizure. and she has ended up with a week long hospital bend experience. that’s why I just want to warn you to be careful on it.

 

what I would think that you need it is a FM/a, which it is a blood test. this test is able to identify markers produced by the immune system blood cells in those people who are suffering from fibromyalgia. the main purpose of this test it is to help the docs to see the fibromyalgia and distinguish it from some other conditions out there which can have some similar symptoms as fibro, like for example lupus or rheumatoid arthritis. as much as I have heard, this is something new and also it has been reported as being like 99% accurate. huge props for pain studies and people who cared enough to give this to chronic pain sufferers out there. huge props for the pain studies and people who have cared enough in order to give this to the chronic pain sufferers out there. I also did have had the electronic nerve impulse thing too. as I have called it – the pin pricker.

 

I am not very sure if this is going to help you with anything at all, however I have big hopes that this is going to give you at least any hopes that you’re going to be alright and would give you any hints of what you’ve gotta do. also I’m hoping that this post of mine is going to be one step forward for you in the right directions of what you need to do, towards to get the medication/ support/ help and treatment that you really deserve and first of all – need it. everyone who is going through such sufferings deserves to get help, we’re all human being and no one out there should be going through such big pains, at least in my opinion.

 

It is mostly about time that we are taking a atand. I can swear to you that I can take my dog to the vet and to get him a pain script with absolutely no problems in case that’s what the doctor is going to say that I need to do and the script/ medication is going to cost big money. that’s only because I consider he should not suffer. as nobody should. but what’s most interesting is that I can take pain script for my doggo with no problems while I can’t do it for myself… I just don’t realize how we reached such a moment when even animals are being treated better than how people are being treated…

 

anyhow… I can see that I started rambling here so sorry for this so I’m gonna stop. however I just really have some big hopes that this would be helpful for you. that this is going to point towards the right direction. Im not absolutely sure whether do you need a referral or maybe your p.c. can send you somewhere for bloodwork but I really hope that in the end you’re going to get it and you’re going to get treated well. hopefully they are going to see it in your blood and hopefully they are no longer going to call you a drug seeker or anything in this matter when they are going to see that you truly need help since you would be able to show them the physical proof of your needs and not to simply tell that it hurts. I do believe you that it hurts, but unfortunately, especially lately, doctors don’t actually believe in words only. in fact, I heard that they don’t actually believe not even when they have proofs. I’m wishing you good luck and just keep us all updated so we could all know how are you doing and maybe, if we could help, to help with whatever we would be able to. I really hope that it is going to be everything alright for you in the end. I wish you good luck and pain free life!

 

[Olcou1960]

Yolanda hello. I just wanted to let you know that you are not alone in this situation as I can totally understand your situation since I am a long term sufferer of this condition as well… I’m having it for the last 30 years or so now. every single blood test that I have had come back showing normal results, however there was definitely something wrong with me as the pain that I have had was unbearable, I can say that it has been even worse than childbirth and mommies understand what’s the pain from the childbirth… but well… as I said, mine were even worse. So well, Fibromyalgia it is typically diagnosed by testing trigger points on your body, that’s since it is an autoimmune disease, where the body is continuing to fight the muscles and the central nervous system. My doctor tried to help me by giving me different and various medications and in all my life I have been through a lot of medications out there, I have tried, I guess, every single pain medication available including Gabapentin, Lyrica, Amitriptyline as well as some several other antidepressants as well. in addition to that, I have also been scripted some low doses of steroids which I have been on them for like 2 years due to my extreme and unbearable pain that I have went through… but the problem is that normally, you are not being allowed (as it is not recommended) to use them for longer periods of time since it can have long term side effects if taken this way. in the end, what provided a little bit of relief has been the time when I have been scripted baclofen by a doctor… I personally found it to be a bit more helpful for myself and with baclofen I was also on a low dose of diazepam, but this benzo has not been given to me by my doctor as I got it myself.

 

But please, you should keep in mind that in case you are feeling as if you are in danger then please, you need to contact anybody out there who can help you urgently. Feeling as if you’re in danger means that most likely you are so go to ER if that’s the case. I’m sorry as I don’t know where you are living and I’m even more sorry as I don’t know what might work for you, however I really hope that in the end you are going to get the help that you well deserve and finally will be pain free. Wishing all the best to you.

 

[Yolanda]

I am living in the US if this makes any changes. My family is basically laughing at me each time when I am telling to them that I really think that I am having this ailment and that’s since they don’t even think that it is even real at all… thanks guys for your support as this means a lot for me. it is really hard when you don’t have any support from anyone especially from your family which, instead of trying to help, they laugh at you. That’s why I am so thankful to you. But unfortunately now I know that tomorrow is going to be just one more day of misery and that’s so hard. I do have a little bit of diazepam left, however I have big doubts that it is going to get me through the weekend with what I have left.

 

My only hope right now, I think, it is that my doctor is going to start treating me for fibro… I think that this is truly going to help me as I know now that its symptoms are basically all (or at last most) of mine and they are getting worse and worse… but the worst is that I hate with passion to ask for some treatment and to ask for medication for a certain situation (as mine) that is being looked on in the medical community as being skeptical at the best.. that’s so hard. Sometimes I think that having a broken leg/ arm is so much more easier.

 

Anyway, Laregrell, I just wanted to say that I am very thankful to you for your information which I really really appreciate that you’ve tried to help me. now I’ve got to confess that I absolutely hate doctors, the doctors visits and I am in a very big fear of my upcoming one and I am hoping a lot that I would be able to find a solution for what has been ruining and plaguing my life for the most time of it.

 

In fact, thank you a lot each one of you for your valuable information and for your help and support. I really appreciate that you’ve taken your time responding to my thread which means that you care and tried to help. This truly means a lot for me.

 

[Silva]

Yolanda I would recommend you that when you are going to your doctor on your next appointment, you should start with the basics. It is very important. you are having pains and so… you need to describe what kind of pain, describe it in little details, and anything that you think that it might trigger the pains. Describe it all in little details. It is fine to tell to your doctor that you have researched what you have (your symptoms) and that your pain symptoms does seem to be similar to Fibromyalgia or at least that’s what you think from the research you’ve done. Keep in mind that you are not a doctor and you can’t do their job, that’s fine, you should not go to the doctor and flat out tell to him (or her) ‘I have fibromyalgia – I’ve diagnosed myself, now give me meds’ or anything in this matter. after all, you can’t know for sure if you indeed have fibromyalgia or you have something else with similar symptoms. So please, don’t tell your doctor your conclusion that you are having fibro. Just tell that from the research you’ve done (because we live in 2017, everyone researches their symptoms online) it seems as if you have it. this is only a suggestion in which your doctor might want to look into. And in the end, he (or she) is the only one who can put a diagnose, and that’s after tests and etc. but lately a lot of people out there do this mistake of researching their symptoms online and coming up with a conclusion (which, by the way, is often wrong) about their diagnose and they go to their doctor flat out asking for the meds for the condition they think they have. Please keep in mind that unless you are having a strong and long term relationship with your doctor then coming in and telling him (or her) that you are having fibro or any other condition and therefore you need pain medications then this is what most often results in the doctor completely refusing to prescribe any kind of pain medications at all… it truly makes it sound as if you have ‘found’ a disease that ‘needs’ pain medications. I understand that you are in pains, but that’s what I told you to do – explain to the doctor in little details so they know and understand that you are in pains too. Going in and telling ‘i have pains give me meds’ is what they take as drug seeker.

 

And yeah, by the way… one last thing I wanted to talk about it is the diazepam you said that you take without your doctor knowing which seems to help… diazepam it is not a pain medication – it is primarily a muscle relaxant that it is also doing a good job in easing anxiety… and to be honest your post does sounds quite a bit anxious, which is why you may be feeling some relief by using it. don’t go to the doctor and tell them your conclusion or diagnose that you think you have. You only need to tell the symptoms. That’s why if you are also suffering from anxiety from the fibromyalgia pains then you can tell this to your doctor as well… tell the doctor absolutely all the symptoms that you have… but only the symptoms. They are going to tell you what diagnose you have and what medications you need. You can only tell them what you THINK you have (diagnose) from the research you’ve done but, of course, you are not sure, as you can’t actually be. just don’t ask for a prescription for the *X* medication…. You need to let your doctor to help you to feel better because in the end, trust me, they indeed can help you better than you, or I, can. Usually doctors try to help with the least because this way you have least chances of side effects, least side effects severity, least risks and so on and so forth. there are situations in which a doctor can give you a medication which would resolve all 100% your problems within hours. but within weeks you could feel even worse than in the beginning… just listen to your doctor. Wishing you good luck and hopefully you will feel alright!

 

[2Mia]

Yolanda, what has been said up there by the previous commenter is true but keep in mind that you need to find yourself a doctor that is recognizing fibro as a disease since there are still doctors out there who does not. you can do it by searching online because there is a lot of info online and therefore I’m quite sure that you can also find a doctor who can treat it well. so ask for doctors for fibromyalgia in your area, of course try to find the best one and go to them. going to a random doctor might be pointless because if you are going to end up going to one who thinks that it is a non disease then this is, as much as you can think, pointless. There are a lot of people out there who are suffering from it and are getting treated daily. But good thing that we live in 2017 because like 10 years or even more ago, people were skeptical of fibro and more than 10 years ago I’m not sure if fibro was a diagnosis at all… nowadays there are still doctors, as I said, who do not recognize I as a disease, however there are still a lot of doctors who treat it. what I’m trying to say is that nowadays it is a lot much more easier to find a doctor who can provide you a proper treatment for fibromyalgia than say 5 years ago, or even 10 years ago or more. And fibro is surely something that should be taken very seriously as I am sure fibro isn’t anything to play around with. I was sure that it exists but then I got all 100% sure after I heard of a doctor on npr years ago saying that he has been in big doubts that fibro is a diagnosis and that’s until he has got it himself. He has therefore spent some years in pains until he has been scripted tramadol. All his doubts disappeared as soon as he got it.

 

That’s why, if you want to get treated of something please find a doctor who knows that fibro is a real diagnosis and not a myth or something in this matter. research it and I am quite sure that you are going to be able to find a list of doctors who can help you. I personally am having spine issues and a list of doctors who can treat it in my area is always coming up on a research whenever I am doing it. quite sure you’re going to get a list yourself too.

 

And in the end… about the withdrawals… if you are having withdrawals from the benzos which you think that they can be dangerous or even life threatening then you should go to an ER and get help. Withdrawals from benzos are not anything you should be playing around with me as they are very serious. Plus they can also help you with the pains as well. maybe this is going to help.

 

[Symone]

hey op, I just wanted to say that I’m really sorry for you that you are not getting well deserved support from your doctor and his staff… that’s really sad and I imagine that it must be really hard to get through all of it. there was my doctor who discussed with me about fibromyalgia a few years ago (I did have had a lot of pains as well, however not fibromyalgia, luckily!) and I remember that she has told me about Gabapentin and Lyrica as being treatment options for this condition. Benzos, on the other hand, never came up (I know my doctor and that’s why I know that she would give me a script for them in case she thought that I really need them, she’s a true doctor which really tries to help her patients, she’s great in getting me and whoever else what we really need, but only if she thinks that we really need it). so well… now I am really really curious myself in finding out how benzos have actually helped you.

 

Whichever the case, it might help you to jot down some notes for your appointment about your pains, where it is located, when you are feeling it and what is helping (of anything is actually helping). This can really help you, in fact it can help you very much your doctor understand it all and therefore it helps you. I do know that when I am being stressed and I am in pain notes do help me to keep me focused when I am talking to my doctor. They help me being objective and telling him everything. They help remember it all, describing in details and so on and so forth. and as I said, this helps my doctor understand my needs better and therefore I get better/ more help.

 

Just something I thought it might be helpful since I find it helpful for myself… good luck to ya and don’t forget to come back letting us know how it all goes for you

 

[LooreD]

I personally did have known few people out there and one in particular who, when running out of their valium and reaching out for the withdrawals they would always go to the hospital and usually they would get the treatment that would help them in order to get through until the day they would see the doctor. That’s how bad the withdrawals were/ are.

 

Exactly as it has been mentioned by someone else up there… benzos withdrawals are nothing fun and they can be life threating and I personally am only using them just once per week if I can that’s after going through the withdrawals myself which they were so so SO bad! (I got into the withdrawals when I have got stuck in the villa in Italy and I have ran out of my 10 mg of blue valiums)… that felt as if it was hell on earth… but anyway.. I’m obviously not an expert in these kind of stuff but this is what he has done a few times I have noticed and it has always worked out somehow in the end, however the discussions can have an effect on your script later on?! Anyway, I am thinking that if you’re truly that sick and ill and using them for real and good reasons prescribed then I am nearly all sure that all of the options should be considered… it very much depends on what kind of doctor you are going to find because I personally have had doctors that have been very and very understanding and really tried to help as well as I have had completely insensitive and to my opinion – carelessly.  Just try to get the help from a proper doctor and take big caution on your benzos intake… then again, this can be really dangerous.

 

[Damme]

Hey there… how are you doing honey now? are you feeling better? Please keep us updated… I personally am not having fibromyalgia myself however I still do know what you are talking about since I am having a friend that has it so I do know what’s like living with it. if you are interested what does my friend take then I can tell you that she’s on a patch and on soma for getting relief. It is her GP that gives her the scripts for these. And doubtlessly fibro it IS real and it is worse than most people can imagine.
As for myself… my doctor is giving me a script for a low dose for the Valium for my muscle spasms to deal with and also gives me a script for Xanax in order to deal with the anxiety and with the panic attacks that I often am getting so I also do know something about benzos and what I do know for sure is:

 

In case you have ever been on some high dosages of Valium and you are going to run out of it then without waiting for the withdrawals go straight to the ER, immediately. Go to ER even if you feel fine yet and go as soon as you can because you never know when it can happen. Go there and tell them that you’ve been on high doses of valium and now you’ve ran out of it. if you would tell them this, trust me they are going to start doing something with you immediately. You don’t want to get a seizure and I’m quite sure about that.

 

I just want to keep you on the safe side and hopefully I did. I wish you good luck and check in with an update whenever you get the possibility.

 

[Beinale]

What people are talking about here is that you do not want to go into ‘cold turkey’ withdrawals from benzodiazepines because they can be dangerous. If you want to get off benzos then you need to do it slowly and gradually. Going into cold turkey with benzos then yeah… better don’t do it and if you feel as if you soon will – better go to ER ASAP!

 

[LooreD]

Well, after I have got back from Italy a few years ago and being on 60 – 100 mg of valium a day, I found out that I tapered off of it very and very slowly because it has happened over a period of like half a year or so! This is the time when I have used olp for them and also dhc and nitrazepam too, however got it down to only few 1 -2 days a week max only keeping t going down and down slowly, very slowly. I did have got and I do know very well myself withdrawals, however I have found out one doctor out there that I have been very forward with who we drew up a plan and has been positive, I have jumped through the hoops and I have never lost or needed script earlier than I should get them and even when I have moved onto a less realistic doctor out there was a plan… we had an agreement set that they did not want to so quickly to mess with. In my opinion you need to find a good doctor, such a doctor with whom you can make a good plan with… I mean, I am not trying to say that having the pills isn’t handy as I know it is, however having a good plan is always better and taking less pills is going to make you able to function in life without them in future if your doctor would be able to help you properly. I think that you both need to be realistic, both of you keeping words and also having realistic goals… this doesn’t and in my opinion it shouldn’t be negative to any doctor out there…. as for example having olp it is indeed very and very handy, however the regular script is easing a lot of pressure worries that you surely do not need and in the UK, luckily, it is free… unfortunately I do have some issues at the moment and therefore I’m currently looking into… however one more last thing that I should add here and I do mean least use of the benzos it is indeed a very and very good thing that I want as I do not want to get any kind of memory loss continuously… maybe this is going to be helpful to you a bit…

 

[Yolanda]

Thank you very and very much for your supportive posts guys, I really appreciate it a lot. You have no idea how much it means for me! I have finally seen my doctor now and I have only got out half of the things that I wanted to address and that’s all due to the fact that I have been just too ‘scared’… I know that’s a mistake… I have suffered from migraines all my entire life and besides from the period ones, the chronic are, I do realize it no, and with the help of my doctor, the muscle spasm related ones, and he has been really really kind and has sent me for blood work and assessment for the fibromyalgia/ arthritis as well as I am seeing now a therapist in order to help me to get through all of this. I feel as if I do have some hopes now but I really want to get my life back again… I really want very much to read a book and not to listen to the audiobooks and to podcasts anymore… I don’t want any more to remain trapped into my own house due to the fact that I just cannot work because of all these issues that I am going through (I am thinking that even typing this is most likely going to cost me tomorrow… unfortunately).

 

But then again, thank you very and very much each one of your for your support, as I said it earlier, it means a lot for me. I do know that I have been stupid enough in coming up with this conclusion… but I do realize very well that my life is never going to be the same or as I have pretended it should be all this entire time… now I want to ask you, if you are a praying person then please pray for me too that I do not get a seizure myself or even die into my sleep. I do have medications, however I have been sparing on them compared to what I had taken for the last few months now… now that I am thinking about it, I just cannot believe that I have been just so so careless and I do hope a lot that you all send me good wishes and as I said, pray for me… but most importantly I have big hopes that I am going to get out of this entire mess and going to get into a good spot in my life… finally, as this is so hard to resist…

 

Wishing you all (including myself) for pain free nights and days, for pain free life in general… I am going to keep you all updated if you are interested and hopefully will come back with good news. One more thing here that I wanted to say is thank you very much for the advices that I have got, belief in my situation and may god bless you all. I am sorry for not responding here sooner and keeping you all updated… the weekend (and generally, the entire week preceding to be fully honest here) has been so so doozy… and I do realize very well that I need to address this… whatever it may be… blessing to all of you and thanks very much once again!