I need to write this to give you all a warning about Pain managent doctors who do NOT understand what happens when you have RNY and absorption issues.

First of all, trying to find a doctor who is sympathetic to you with Fibro is tough.  I had one pain management Doctor tell me he didn't believe in Fibro, just another disease doctors lable you with when they don't know what is wrong with you.  So, I went to another one. This jerk, even when I told him about my surgery and that sometimes I couldn't last six hours with pain meds, instead of letting me taking them sooner he would up the dose. So, after 6 months of seeing him he upped my meds to 15 mg of oxcontin every six hours and a 75mcg fentanly patch.  Then, he was giving me epidurals in my back for numerous spine issues.

In Nov, I had to go to the ER after one of his shots.  I get a letter that he let dismissed me because I went to the ER.  I called before I went, and at the ER they told me the epidural inflamed a bulging disk in my thoracic spine.

So on Dec 13, I took the patch off and threw the pain pills away.  Guess what? After three years of being on some kind of pain medication I went through horrible withdrawals for a month.  I can not begin to tell you what I went through alone with no one to turn to.  So, I am writing this to warn you.

Bella Lunacy

Well congrats to you, it isn't often we hear good news on the fibro forum. I figure whatever works is great!! You certainly can't go wrong with accupuncture. Hope this continues to work long term for you, what a blessing. Thank you for sharing, it will give others another option to look at!

I fought depression for years, tried all kinds of meds to no avail.  Then my doc put me on Savella for fibro and my depression evaporated, it doesn't do jack for my fibro, but is great for the depression.  I have also fought the "how do I get myself to exercise" demon for years as well.  I had all but given up, but everyone kept nagging me about it and my doc really wanted me to try water exercise (not swimming, water aerobics).  I finally did it and it is awesome.  The pool I use is a heated sal****er pool at the local YMCA.  The people in my class are so nice and the weightlessness of being in the water is wonderful and water time is fibro pain free time for me.  So I actually look forward to going.  Keep trying different exercise options until you find one that works best for you.

Hi, has the Cymbalta caused you to gain any weight?

I get side effects from almost all of the Fibro meds, or the common meds used for Fibro pain. Gabapentin was awful, I felt like a zombie! And Lyrica and Cymbalta both made my depression worse. I get good relief from just old fashioned pain medications! I took MS Contin for years with great effect, but since they can't be crushed, when I had my RNY they switched me to Methadone, another narcotic pain med. It isn't "long acting" per se, but it has an extremely long half life (the amount of time the drug stays active in your body), so has the same effect as a long acting med, but can be crushed.

It was so effective that even after I could take whole pills again, I stayed on the Methadone.

Personally, I can't function as I need to, because of my pain level, unless I am properly medicated. It allows me to have a somewhat normal life. After dealing with Fibro for 15 years, that's about as good as I can ask for!

Nothing ever takes the pain away, but there are many meds that can make it bearable.

Keep after your doctor to explore every avenue if your pain treatment isn't working for you! With some time and trial you should be able to find something that helps.

As far as keeping it natural, good luck! You will come to a point where you may have to choose between natural, and living your life in pain......or chemical and controlling your pain. Good luck whatever you choose!