Hi Everyone, I'm new to this. I was diagnosed a few months ago with Fibro and I have no idea what I'm supposed to do. My Dr. wants me to track my pain and try to see what causes it. I don't know what is fibro pain and real pain. How do I know the difference? Is any pain I feel going to be related to fibro?
This is very frustrating. I'm only 30, I work full time (in a pretty stressful job), I go to school full time at night, I have a husband, a 10 year old and house to take care and I'm anemic with a B-12 deficiency. No one understands what this is like. When I say I'm tired they don't understand how tired I am, they just don't get it.
I am so darn tired but I never get to stop. The part that's killing me the most is the headaches and not sleeping.
Does anyone have any suggestions? My Dr. doesn't want to put me on any meds right now because of the side effects and after reading up on them I don't want to be on them either. The majority of my pain is in my hands, fingers and arms which makes everyday activities pretty difficult. Any suggestions to lessen the pain without drugs?
i dont know if this will help but if i am having pain in my body i take a really warm bath and take my time. it seems to help me. just tell your husband you may be in the tub for a bit to see if the heat helps ease your pain and maybe you can get some quiet and rest time. also maybe you could use a heating pad or blanket. the weather is getting warmer so that may not be as good of an idea but if you have the ac going it may not be that big of a deal. i have heard people say they use epsom salt in their bath water to to help ease anything. hope this helps sorry i couldnt help more.
Thanks Ashley! I'm not one for taking a bath, nor do I really have the time. It seems that I never get a moment to rest. But...we are actually getting a hot tub in a week or so so I am hoping that I will have time to use it and that it will help.
I've tried a heating pad but I usually end up falling asleep with it on and wake up hours later. Not sure if a heating pad on for that long is good for you not to mention I have a fear of electrical fires.
hot tub would be great i would think! wal mart sells heating pads that shut off automatically after 30 minutes. just an idea. it drove me crazy when i first bought it because i was used to the ones that stay on til you shut them off. but if your worried about fires or sleeping to long that could be an option. hope this helps. good luck, let us know how the hot tub thing works out for you.
dear SammiZ and everyone, please be very careful of falling asleep with heating pad on. i ended up with a bad burn on my heel. people with fibro often have neuropathy and cannot feel things too hot or too cold. it must be an automatic shutoff type if you are going to fall asleep and this is no joke!
taking your time is essential, but revamping your lifestyle is going to be very important especially if you are going to go at it drug free. warm baths with epsom salts are one of the most therupeutic methods of dealing with fibro pain. major changes in lifestyles are necessary. i urge you to get information on line or at the library on what to do. you sound like you very motivated but pressured from the outside.
i wish you wellness and have faith and hope in you. keep posting and writing and you will find alot of guidence and support as you make these important changes and your family adjusts.
Hi sammiz and everyone else i no exactly how you feel because i was in my thirties when i was told i had fibro i was in a job i loved caring for the elderly and a fe w under 50 with all differant problems so i didnt want to be on medication because my work would suffer. I had to call it a day when i had to be helped up off the floor by a 91yr old woman because the pain in most of my joints was awful i can laugh about it now but at the time i thought i was putting this lady in danger and i would never have forgive myself if anything happend to her. I wish i could say to you that you will never need to take tablets but im almost 99% sure u will and if it stops your pain why not dont suffer when you dont need to. My pain is always worse in the winter so i tend not to go out much but a hot bath always help me a bit and i have found thermal leggings and they are really good as you can wear them under any trousers to keep your legs toasty warm so i can go out alot more this year as i was given a wheelchair too just incase i wanted to go out with the family so sammiz i hope you will get lots of tipps off all the fibro buddies because i no i have
Well I know that we have found alot of information on this very subject and Wise Fox has tons of information. However, there is research that diet may have something to do with pain flare up...like aspartene is not good, some people have responded to a gluten free diet...some have chemical reactions to certain chemicals and eliminating those have helped. Electric blankets have helped some people, an automatic shutoff heating pad helps..you need to keep moving even as difficult as that might be...just light exercise...yoga has helped some...meditation has helped some...each person is different and what works for one doesn't always work for another. The one thing that seems to be extremely common here is that you need a good doctor. One that understands Fibro and if you don't have a good one you need to find one...Some see a Rhumatologist and others see a MD or a Osteo but whatever their specialty is..they need experience with Fibro patients.
Glad you have joined us...We share alot of information here...we give each other tons of support and we have lots of laughter so as Donna always says...add one more bean to the pot and another quilt on the bed (I think that is right...she's a southerner and you know she has us all saying yall...lol!!)
I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia at a young age of 17. I was devistated because it is not well understood (it was very rare when I was diagnosed) and I learned some things over the years, that helps me deal with the pain!!!! WORK OUT!
Yes, the best thing for fibromyalgia pain is to move your body around. I find that riding my beach cruiser and bmx for fun and swimming is the two best things for fibro.
Try swimming. It's fun and easy on the body, but whatever you do...remember that there is no pain medication out there that touches fibromyalgia pain, so move your body around, it's the best thing for your pain.
Find something that works and try to stay away from sugar. Listen to your body, it will tell you alot. If you eat sugar (you might feel sluggish, so switch to an apple or other fruit). If you want some soda, get some stivia instead (it's a plant extract that tastes like soda, that you put in your water or other drink).
Shop around for alternatives to sugar and move that body. You will feel like a new person. Trust me. Your body will tell you what it needs.