Hi everyone,
I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia about 5 months ago, I just started seeing a physiotherapist two weeks ago and he suggested I try acupuncture but I am on the fence about it because I have seen a lot of studies suggesting that the positive effects felt from acupuncture are placebo effects or that they don't last long. Have any of you tried it? Did you find it worth while?
iv been having it for 2years its good for certain symptoms of fibro .i.e I B S
bladder problems anxiety but it wont cure your fibro . but i think its worth it
Emis Moderator comment: I have removed the other comment about a specific product as we do not allow repeated posting of product names in the forums.
I have tried acupuncture and it did help a little. My physio gave me physio for half my session and acupuncture for the other half. I think if you are going to benefit you feel the benefits quite quickly so it might be worth trying it a few times to see if it works for you.
Thanks for the input denise, I think I will give it a shot, I've nothing to lose after all.
I've had acupuncture twice about three weeks apart for tight muscles in neck and upper back due to the fibromyalgia pain.
I find it does loose them and my posture feels better.
I was sceptical but have found some benefits
Hi
My attitude is anything is worth a try once
I havent got fibro but have osteoarthritis and kyphoscoliosis {C shaped curve in your spine} also OA in my spine so I suffer problems with my back.
My physio suggested I try some acupuncture....I agreed......It depends what you are expecting. I'm afarid there isnt a cure for arthritis {that includes fibro} we can manage it and ease the pain which is what acupuncture did for me.
Mine was a 6 week session, once a week, then a break for a few week and another 6 week session.
I found that for the first five days afterwards it was great...not pain free but a lot less pain then the last day before the next one was due it started to get sore again
To me that was a result. The only thing was being free on the NHS they are only allowed to give a certain amount of them to you.
I'm waiting for an appointment for another session
Give it a try
Love
Eileen UK
where abouts in the uk do you live iv been paying for accupunture for over 2years at £40 a go iv never been offered any thing like this for free ever in 10yrs. i was also told by an ex nurse i was entitled to phiso for 6 weeks but doctor has never mentioned it and he knows i am not in to meds and use alternatives ,but everytime i ask is there anything eles i can try thru the nhs i just get shurged shoulders and a blank look.
i dont think they like patceits who dont bow and scrape and take there filthy addictive meds [personal choice] .sorry that sounds rude. but i was always taught not to feel sorry for myself and get on with it ,right from a child so i find it hard to go to the doctors week in week out winging on about this and that pain. but they seem to prefer them patceints
.i only ever go when i am really struggling and they treat me like a nusence there lucky to see me twice a year .so i am no winger.it just dosent seem fair to me, all iv ever done is try ways to get better and not to be a bother and you seemed to get less thought of by GPS .
if i could go to them and they could give me a pill a day to give me my life back i would ,i just dont want to become a pharmacy junkie is that so wrong .
Hi toswas
I live in the North East
I was having physio some years ago.....I've got OA iots of places and among others lol kypho scoliosis........that affects my back badly and my physio who is trained as an acupuncturist asked if I would like some.
Never tried it so I said yes.
I think I said in my post they are only allowed to give so many of them because it is the NHS but anything is better than nothing.
It was one a week for six weeks, then a break and then anothe one a week for 6weeks thats all that was offfered in the year..
Love
Eileen UK
That's good to hear, are you going to keep using it to help your symptoms?
Hi Eileen,
Thankfully my physio has recommended a place that runs on donations so I can pay what I can afford. Lucky to live where I do, I guess. It's nice to hear stories of acupuncture helping people's symptoms, it's making me want to give it a shot.
Hi
Thats great news.....Even if you only try it a couple of times what have you got to lose if you can afford it
I'm waiting for an appointment for a new session and after that if thats as much as he is allowed to do on the NHS I'm going to ask if he can refer me to a private one and give that a try. It will be expensive but you never know the occaisional one might help.
Good luck and let me know what happens
Love
Eileen UK
Hi
Whearabouts in the UK do you live....you askem but didnt mention where you live?
I disagree with you about them not liking patients who dont bow and scrape to them. I do not bow and scrape to them.....if I dont think they are right I will tell them.
They might not like it but it doesnt stop them treating me.
What are you having acupuncture for? What have you been diagnosed with?
Have you had a diagnosis from the hospital or have you not gone any further than your GP?
If you havent had a diagnosis from the hospital....go to the GP {you dont have to take their meds} and ask for a referral to the hospital.
Be firm but polite.....you should get a referral.
Then take it from there......I dont think you mentioned what was wrong with you??
You can go to the GP, ask for a referral to the hospital, they wont give you meds but will write to your GP, it was from the physio I was getting that the acupuncture came.
Let's know what happens and wah you have been diagnosed with
Love
Eileen UK
thanks for reply i am in the north east to . filey in yorkshire .
i suppose its just a case of differant doctors .
.i have mine fortnightly because weekly used to drain me.
sometimes you think is it really helping but it does my lady is on a 3 week honeymoon and i am feeling the diferance already.
roll on 10th of dec and my next treatment . i am trying to get some money together to get a course with a chiropractor . because that helps my back no end
. but i want to pay for a several treatments up front , as its another £60 AWEEK its hard to find sometimes weekly . so i am trying to get a lump sum together . so i can have a course to get me feeling less stiff and tight . say for 8weeks then hopefully will need only to go once a month .i have scoliosis to in my upper back to. life really is a pain for some of us
sometimes. still got to keep going. hope you are well today. very cold here .
regards tina .
regards tina.
Hi Eileen,
It's great that you can get so many free sessions, I don't think the HSE offers anything like that over here. I checked out private acupuncture here and one of the places I looked in to cost 50 euro per session, so that would work out at about 40 pound.
Leimodnunewra
Hi Tina
I'm a bit further up....Newcastle
I doubt that I could afford that as often as you go
I still think its worth you trying even if youonly get a few sessions, its a few that you wouldnt have to pay for....I'm at Hexham General.
I've never gone to a chiropractor ....used to go to an osteopath a long time ago {before kypho scoliosis was diagnosed} I did go back to him but he would touch my back
My scoliosis is in my lower back as is some arthritis
but I have a slight hump at the top of my back....thats the kypho bit apparently
On top of everything I had a second hip replacement in January and ws doing some NHS exercises to strengthen the muscle...... weeks post op and there was a crack!!!!! Ambulance came, had an X Ray and the diagnosis was "you've fractured your Greater Trochantor bone"....I had never heard of it before but its up at the top where the replacement was done. Anyway the consultant that saw me said "nothing we can do about it, it will heal by itself but will take a long long time"
10 months later I'm still on 2 crutches I did speak to the consultant/surgeon that did both my THR's and he said "I know you like straight answers so No it wont heal!!!!!! A bit of bone has broken off and moved quite far away from the joint......for a fracture to heal both bits of bone need to be touching or nearly touching.
As you say ....we've got to keep going!!!! If we dont laugh we would cry
Its freezing up here as well....Yesterday was bad.
Doont know about you but my poor joints dont like this weather
Love
Eileen UK
Hi
HSE? Where abouts are you?
We are very lucky in that respect.....dont know that every area offers it but ours does so i coulnt myself lucky even if it is only a few sessions
Your price sounds about the same as our private prices here.
I just thought if he couldnt do anymore sessions I would like a referral.....I dont want to go to just anyone......then I would try it but I couldnt afford it very often
If your physiotherapist offered it will he not do it? We have 2 trained acupuncturists in our physio department. The one that has done mine is head of the physio dept.
I hope you get something sorted out
Love
Eileen
I am in Ireland. The HSE is our national health service.
Same here, I definitely would not be able to afford to go regularly to a private place, I don't think many people could in the current economic climate.
I don't think he does acupuncture himself as he referred me to another place for it.
Leimodnunewra
ouch that sounds awful . yes i cant win , if its to humid like this summer was i cant breath and sweet pours of me and i just get hotter and hotter , so thats i anightmare. but when it gets really cold i ache all over .
i think there must be about 6 weeks in a year where i can cope.
pity we are so far away would have been nice to meet for coffee once in a while ,dont know about you but this condition seems to isolate you from people . i am trying to get down to banbury to see my sister in law but iv just had a flare up , so havent made it yet .
shes moving back to soutthampton soon after the break up of her marriage and i want to get to see her before she goes .
any how will keep trying to get there ,thats all ican do .keep trying.
trying to sort out christmas i like tradditional paper decs and mangers inside and out , and then lots of lights around my garden . cant stand all this tinsel tat dont mind tinsel on the tree . but thats all . hope you get of your crutches in the near future . .
Hi
Why on earth didnt i pick up where you were from?
I'm from Ireland but from the North.
Dont live there now I'm in North East England but I still have family there and go over as often as possible.
So the one he referred you to.....does he charge a lot?
Nip over the border
Love
Eileen UK
Hi Tina,
Well I'm not likely to get off my crutches soon....in fact I'm on them permanetly now because this fracture wont heal......a bit of bone broke off from the hip joint and has moved quite far up my body For a fracture to heal you need the 2 pieces of bone touching each other {or near enough}
I've accepted that now.....bought myself pink and black crutchs.....Thought if I have to use them I might as well have ones I like...not NHS dull grey that make one heck of a noise
I'm now looking for another coloured pair but not pink this time.
Its the same as clothes or make up.......get them to suite yourself not just any old things
Humid weather doesn't affect my breathing but believe it or not it affects my joints but not as bad as the cold months..
It would have been nice to meet for coffee. If you are ever coming in this direction give me a shout
I hope you get to see your sister before she moves
As for Christmas.....I'm very late.....bought a lot of presents but not everything and decorations??? That will be very last minute
Love
Eileen UK