MS and Fibromyalgia

I have suffered from chronic pain for most of my adult life, joint pain in my hands, neck and back. I saw a rheumatologist as far back as 1976 who gave me meds, NSAIDs (nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs) for the pain, which I took off and on for a few years (not during pregnancy) and then daily for a consistent time.

The official MS diagnosis came in 1996. My usual pain became much worse, and as pain is not considered by some to be an MS symptom, I saw another rheumatologist in 2000 and was told my pain was due to fibromyalgia. Oh, goodie, another chronic illness, one where fatigue was also a problem.

Found this article about others with both, and found it interesting.

http://ms.about.com/od/signssymptoms/a/Q-Can-People-Have-Fibromyalgia-And-Ms-At-The-Same-Time_2.htm

I'm off the NSAIDs, have been for a number of years. They can play havoc with your stomach and the cost was an issue (no benefits). I have managed for some time now with just Advil. Some days I wake and know it will be a 'bad' day, and other days I can manage the aches and pain with no medication.

If I have a flare up of pain, I take it regularly with maybe a dose of Tylenol tossed in for good measure. I tried the arthritic Tylenol, that has an eight hour effect, a slow release sort of thing, but reacted badly to it, not sure why as I've taken Tylenol for years.

I still swear by heat as a comfort and pain reliever, and am never without my heating pad and the neck wrap that I heat up in the microwave. This hot weather has negated their use for awhile, and as I have the typical MS aversion to warm weather, I'm trying cold relief, but it's just not the same.

There is no such thing as a day without pain, it's more a question of how bad. Such is life. I know I still have it so much better than other people and have learned to push through and make the most of the good times.