Chronic Pain Associated with Fibromyalgia

Years ago when I lived in WV my Dr. there said he thought I had fibromyalgia.' I worked for the Parks & Recreation Dept. many years until I got malignant melenoma in 88 but I beat that. Had chronic pain in my right knee which resulted in an arthroscopy there. I also had carpal tunnel surgery there. That hand is very painful now and it is hard to hold anything in it. I've had cortizone injections in both the knee and hand, moved to Baltimore in 97, had an arthroscopy on knee in 98 and 99.I also had injections of cortizone every 3 months on knee. Ended up with total knee replacement in 02. Medications I have taken were nsaids which ended up putting me in the hospital, they thought was my heart, but was a hiatal hernia and acid reflux. Have been on nexium since then. Started having problems in right shoulder to where I could not lift anything. All these years I did do physical therapy. Rnded up with a herniated disc in neck to which they did a fusion in 04.It was then they noticed I had a chiari malformation but didn't think it would do anything. In Aug. 05 I had severe stomach pain, but was high and spread thru my stomach. I ended up having my gall bladder out. In Jan.06 I was driving and my eyeballs literally bounced. It was like a dizzy feeling, but not. I pulled off the road and it stopped. I continued on home and told my husband the wierdesy thing just happened, to which I explained. I then had a headache for 3 months, ended being off work and was going to physical therapy, but it was not helping. Made an appointment with the neurosurgeon who did my disc fusion. He put his finger up and said follow my finger, I felt the eueball literally bounce. He said, oh yes, that chiari is definitely doing something. He performed the surgery and when I was released I started theray right away to get the motion back in my neck. I have problems with pain meds but do okay with muscle relaxers. Pain meds keep me awake. I was on zoloft thru most of this but recently have been taking cymbalta. I also took neurontin off and on before the chiari surgery. as taking about 1000 mgs a day back then.I was off work 6 months before I went back to work. I started gradually at 20 hrs aweek and continued therapy 3 days a week for about 4 more months after returning to work, doing it before or after work. I went back to full time by October of 06. Occasionally at work I would have dizzy spells. A couple times I thought I was having heart palputations. But I did continue to work steadily, sometimes more than 40 hours aweek because I work in the prepared foods, deli, cafe' part of the store. One time I looked at the chef and said, "I think I'm going down", to which she yelled someone grab Barb. I got a headache and they decided I should go home. In July 07 I doubled over in pain and had to run to throw up, the pain was so severe. I went to the Dr. and they immediately sent me to the hospital, thinking it was appendicitus. The pain was so severe I was doing Lamaze breathing until they started an IV on me. After endless tests they said it was a hernia. From that day in July (19th) it hurt to eat, so I just drank ensure, ate jello, broths. I couldn't eat because of the pain. I was readmitted to the hospital and put on an Iv and just clear liquids for 5 days. Aug 27th the surgeon removed an embilcal hernia and removed scar tissue that had adheared the the abdominal wall from years prior of having a c-section. It was not long after that that my whole body was in pain. I was sent back and forth between Dr.s I've had MRI's, 2 CT scans w/iodine. Drank the bariun twice for that test.They have choclate now..not too bad, a doppler of my stomach, swallowed a camera capsule, an upper GI and colonoscopy. My Dr. and the other DR's conferred andf still couldnt decide what the pain was. My Dr. sent me to a Rheumatologist, had blood work there, she called my Dr. and they both decided it was an aggressive case of fibromyalgia. I HURT ALL OVER. I now cannot work, it hurts to do any shopping. It hurts to stand at the sink and wash dishes w/o crying. I've been trying to walk, but the pain in my back legs and hips feel like they burning. I am taking 900 mgs of neurontin 3 tomes a day. I wera Lidoderm patches, up to three a day for 12 hours. I take 90 mgs of Cymbalta twice a day. Sometimes I am up all night like I am now. I was last night too. Rozerum didnt work for me and others we have tried. Tylenol PM sometimes works. My Dr. was giving me valium to which I could actually function through the day and do things. He was afraid I would become addicted and I can't have them anymore. He gave me flerall. It says take 1, they do absolutely nothing for the pain I have, I am seeing a therapist and a Psychyatrist now because my Dr. said I went from an active person to a person who is completely debilitated. I have no life at all anymore. I healed much better after brain stem surgery then this. But from what I've beeen rreading. trauma to the spine can trigger this. I guess it gave me another year to work after that, because it was almoat a year from when I returned to work that this happened. I no longer have my job and I have applied for social security. But I want a life back with no pain. I am only 53 years old and have only been married for 6 years. My DR. said I always ended up having a surgery every year. I first noticed in 01 that I was having dizzy spells on elevators and started with panic attacks from that so he gave me zoloft then. From there you can pretty much see wher my life's gonne from there, not much of one. I've been searching sites for pain management and came across this. I'm hoping you know someone who could please please help me with this awful pain.Thank you for your time and consideration, I'm hoping no one else has suffered like I have, I keep trying to be optimistic.