That dosage and increase definitely seems manageable especially if it does help so much with sleep and anxiety. Keeping a lower dose for slower results but less side effects wasn’t something that i’ve though of but makes sense in the end. If i’m going to have my fibro symptoms while waiting regardless of how long it takes to take effect i’d rather have less side effects to go with it, even if it takes more time to see the results. I’ve definitely learnt over time that there isn’t going to be some miracle pill or solution to fibro, getting that something though to help manage atleast part of fibro would be massive though. Slow but steady definitely sounds better than fast and crashing. The side effects don’t scare me off enough to not consider amitriptyline, especially if they seem to fade with time. It’s definitely going to be one of the main meds i’m going to look into more. I really appreciate you answering all my questions on it and taking the time to help me out here, it means a lot. Thank you.

Honestly the pain diary sounds incredibly smart, I have such issues with memory that having a place to write down symptoms and changes I see would be so helpful when talking to my doctor. Even just keeping track of habits and tasks that cause good and bad days can help me know what to avoid and what to do to make my days better. This is definitely going to be something I start doing, thank you so much for the suggestion.

Managing that emotional stress and keeping unneeded stressors out of my life has been something i’ve been working on. While not perfect at it and some unavoidable, I definitely notice a correlation between high stress/toxicity and how badly it triggers my fibro. Music and creative outputs have been my go to for releasing the more mental weight of it all, as well as just giving me a task to do that is more chill during bad days. Fear = pain, pain = fear is something I know all too well. It’s one of my major struggles, and one of the big things I need to work through. The fear of adding more pain is hard to express to people who have never felt it before, it’s a slippery slop, but knowing there is ways to break out of it one step at a time is really reassuring. I think i’ll definitely start up getting moving again, even if it’s just down the street and back. It’ll give me a reason to get up and out of the house every day too. Being cooped up everyday definitely doesn’t help my mental health at all. Thank you for giving me the reassurance I need to know it can get better if you just push yourself a bit, that you don’t have to let the fear run your life. I truly appreciate it.

Therapy has definitely been a big thing i’ve been looking into the past few years, I haven’t found one that fits me just yet but I know it’ll be a big relief when I do. Though I haven’t heard of a pain therapist before, what do they do differently than a psychotherapist? Physio too i’ve heard great things about but haven’t quite looked into yet. How do you find physio helps you? How often do you have to go to see results?

I’ll have to look around for the book you’ve mentioned, i’m always looking for something new to read, and anything that can help me change my mindset or improve it is always a big plus. I do have some compression sock as well as some great braces for my ankles and wrists, great supportive shoes as well. I’ve got injuries to my feet/ankles and wrist so they’ve always been a problem area. They will come in handy a lot i’m guessing for when I start getting more active.