See All
Preferences
My Communities
My Discussions
My Email Digests
Announcements
Attention All WebMD Community Members:
These message boards are closed to posting. Please head on over to our new WebMD Message Boards to check out and participate in the great conversations taking place: https://messageboards.webmd.com/
Your new WebMD Message Boards are now open!
Making the move is as easy as 1-2-3.
1. Head over to this page: https://messageboards.webmd.com/health-conditions/f/fibromyalgia/
2. Choose the tag from the drop-down menu that
clicks most with you (and add it to any posts you create so others can easily
find and sort through posts)
3. Start posting
Have questions? Email us anytime at [email protected]
Welcome to Our FMily!
My name is MeMe, I'm an FM suffer of 19 years, along with autoimmune diseases & other conditions. We are delighted to have you join us!
You have certainly come to the right place for support & understanding! You'll meet many warm & friendly people here who are willing to share great tips & whom are here to listen & to support you on your new journey living w/ FM. We all have so much in common & you'll fit right in, my friend! You join in and share at any time you like.
*The most important & most difficult is ACCEPTANCE! Then learning to live within your new found limitations. Setting realistic goals & making changes. Learning to say NO.
*Acceptance of the "New You" is so important in keeping your self confidence, security, & inner strength! You are still YOU, just differently abled. I firmly believe in remembering/accepting all that you DO have to offer, dispite your current limitations!
*Pacing yoursef is a MUST, even on good days. LISTEN to your body! Getting restorative/restful nights sleep is important. Rest & take breaks when your tired.
*Recommend U trying STOPAIN in spray form, it's very cooling/tingliny, it helps to relieve pain. Found @ WalMart, in the pharmacy section, under $8.00
*Taking hot baths & soaking in epsom salt helps to alleviate the pain & stiffness! Heating pads, electric blankets, DeepHeating WellPatch are also helpful.
*Village Naturals Therapy Mineral Bath Soak for Aches & Pains w/ Eucalytus, Rosehips & Chamomile (contains epsom & sea salts) - great for soaking. It's very cooling & relaxing. Found at WalMart.
*Dr. Bronner's Magic Soap 18-in-1 Hemp Peppermint Pure Castile Soap made w/ Organic Oils, is extremely wonderful for bathing & soaking! It's intensely cooling & tingly, helping to relieve pain temporarily. -A personal favorite of mine- Using a loofah and body brush is great for appliying, to open up pores for optimal results. Found at Vitamin World in a 32 oz. bottle or at drbronner.com
*Doing gentle stretches before & after getting out of bed & after a hot bath helps to loosen tight muscles, taking deep breaths as you do them.
*Massage & hot stone therapy is a great alternative for temp. pain relief.
*Walking & warm water therapy is a gentle way of getting in excercise into your weekly routine. This helps to keep you mobile. You cannot feel your weight in pounds in the water, as you don't feel your pain. Dr's highly recommend this form of exercise!
*Doing gentle exercises & stretches are great for maintaing/gaining muscle strength & increases mobility & flexibility, easing muscle & joint pain & stiffness. Pilates workouts, exercise balls & resistance bands are great tools for stretching!
*Treatment alternatives: accupuncture, biofeed back, psychotherapy/counseling, PT, aqua therapy, & massage.
*Simplify your life. Avoiding/preventing as much stress in all areas of your life as much as possible is key, as this fuels added pain.
*Following the recommendations of your dr & taking prescriptions as prescribed, responsibly.
*Educate yourself & family, keeping up with new research. Print out info for friends/family.
*Learning to ask for help can be very beneficial, as this will relieve you of some tasks others can do.
*Have a good support system. Staying connected with other people to avoid isolation & depression is theraputic.
*Excercise your brain daily to help keep your mental faculties stronger & to help brain fog by doing cross words games. Challenge your mind doing mental exercises to keep your mind sharp.
*Know that FM is not life threatening! Accept your symptoms wax & wane, but flares are transient & ultimately improve.
*Accept that life is different for you & know that U can still find joy in your life & you are valuable!
Again, its so nice to meet you, my friend. You've found such a wonderful group! I hope to get to know you better. So sorry your suffering with FM just like all of us. But we are always here to pick each other up! You'll get much encouragement from many. Hope you stay with us! Keep well.
Welcome to Our FMily & Warm Hugs to You,
~*MeMe*~
Thankyou for your words of encouragement and helpful
otc pain cures. I was recently diagnosed with FM but I know
I have had it for many years. I went thru a battery of tests
xrays Mri's etc as I have had enough injury to my body to question if it couldv'e been something else. I have an excellent Neurosurgeon who sent me to a Rheumotologist who ruled out RA and determined the FM. I wanted to go with
a natural approach to therapy.
I believe that phys therapy really does help as I was receiving that for a dif reason and it benefitted my whole body. The pain decreased dramatically. Unfortunately we all don't have those machines at home. The pain has returned 10 fold. I have to develop my own plan. I am going to try some of the things you suggested otc. I use the heating pad daily which is a life saver. I don't know if anyone has any suggestions for
foot pain? I have severe Plantar faciaitus. I can handle about 3 hrs on a good day on my feet. Most days I wake up and feel absolutely crippled with pain when I start walking.
I also have regular arthritis in both knees and hands which hurt daily and arthritis in my neck from a bad car accident which is why I was in phys therapy. The accident was 24 years ago. I am trying to avoid surgery.
I can't take otc pain meds because I take Topamax for migraine disease which has been a life saver. I suffered most of my life with that.
I am a 53 year old single woman who alway has felt 35 yrs old in mind and body. I don't look my age either. I lost my job due to office closure after working for a telecom company 31 years. I need to go back to work full time yet tho I did take their retirement/severence to survive so I could take care of these physical issues. FM has really taken a toll on me along with the arthritis. I worry what if I can "ever" find a job again
if I can physically hack it.
I look forward to chatting with you all and learning as much as I can or assisting anyone else.
God Bless and Happy Easter to those who Celebrate!
Thanks Again for this MeMe
Kana14
suzeb
I am a "Me Me" too! That is what my 5 year old grandson calls me! I was diagnosed about 2 months ago and tried to just ignore the pain until this past weekend working in the garden flipped a bad flair up! The words "pace yourself" have never made much of a difference in my life as I usually am in a constant state of motion--teaching full time, working on my jewelry business after hours and in between just being a wife and mom.
My pain seems to be mostly in my hands and feet, but my knees really manage to do some talking when I sit at my desk for more than 5 minutes and then try to get up! Boy talk about looking and sounding like an old lady! Has anyone else experienced that?
Another thing I have noticed with this latest flair up is that when I wake up during the night my arms, especially around my elbows, are hurting so much that it is difficult to move my arms. Surely this isn't going to be with me for another 30 or more years???!!!
Karenanne44
Has anyone else had both?
I have signed up a few minutes ago to the site and am most gratefull to see that we are not alone. I have had FM & CF for the past 5 years. I live in SOUTH AFRICA in the EASTERN CAPE close to EAST LONDON. I have been to many doctors, specialists, endocrinist . Travelled many a mile to get help. Was in rehab for 2 weeks .....as one specialist said I was a middle aged depressed woman. I am 50 now so I started at 45.
In December 2009 my daughter now living in LONDON came home for 2 weeks. She was so allarmed with me crying early hours of the morning, could not believe it was her mother. At the same time I have been going to my GP and each time would tell me I am aneamic, December 2009 he gave up, said could do no more for me. So next was a specialist in EAST LONDON. What a gentlemen, I was so bad that my muscles would ache, jerk, burn as i started to relax..a warm bath and many pain and sleeping tabs I would fall asleep in the bath. He prescribed PEXOLA .125mg at . Well the next morning I woke up and realized that something wa amiss. I HAD NO MUSCLE SPASM!!!!!! THAT WAS AMAZING.
FM CF have affected me so so much that I cant do a days work, I am self employed , scaled down to mornings only, BUT lack of CONSENTRATION ,FOCUS ,FATIGUE,AND DEPRESSION is my daily life. Sadly I have lost my lust for LIFE.Unforuanately I am allergic to a ingredient in some medication which has cost me many a Rand.
All the things I enjoyed doing dont feature anymore. For the past 20 years I have done all the book work, stock sheets, all to trial ballance for accountant, sadly I have not even closed off for APRIL. As for end of year stats I am way behind . in 9 weeks time I fly to London to welcome our 1 st grandchild and have to complete books. I pray for help everyday, set my mind on doing 1 month, but as 1 pm comes closer " BED " is my best friend.
I fit 16 points of FM & CF. Pain from elbows to knees. On arrising in the morning it feels like my muscles have shrunk and the bones in my feet are crumbling. Sitting down is no pleasure, EXTREMLY PAINFULL.
Sadly many people cant see the PAIN and say its all in the MIND.
My meds work 50 %t when I get upset its like all flares up.
Having .25mg Pexola at night ,40 mg Pur-Blocka,20 mg Cilift
10 mg Pax and 7.5mg Arem .Oh I also sleep with electric blanket on day and night, the heat seems to help.
Morning meds 20 mg Cilift, 40mg Pur-Blocka,2 imunoboost,Hormone tabs .
When i cant handle the pain i have DICLOFENAC tabs and sometimes a strong injection just to have a good nights sleep.
Regards
Another sufferer
I'm so sorry you are struggling! I have a four year old and a two year old I'm in the same boat as you- it is hard to be a mom when you are feeling like this. You didn't specifically mention this, but my kids have a hard time understanding why I am so tired and don't always play with them so I've talked with them and explained that mommy is sick but it's not like a cold. My four year old completely got it and has an easier time with accepting the situation. I cried when it hit me how much my fibro is affecting them but they are both so empathetic that I think there have been some positive outcomes too.
My fibro has been bad for 10 years now and because I was only a teenager, most doctors didn't take it seriously either. I was so sick of not knowing as you said, especially since it took years to get a diagnosis. I'm not sure what your insurance situations is but if you could doctor shop, it is so important to have someone who is willing to partner with you in your treatment. Actually, a chiropractor was the one who officially diagnosed me and his adjustments totally helped my pain. I think the one thing I have realized is that to deal with fibro, it is doing a bunch of little things and making adjustments to manage it. A lot of the drugs help but doing yoga, cutting out cafiene and lots of little stuff makes all the difference! And yes too, fibro can totally do that to your head whether it is from not sleeping well, fatigue from the pain, or even depression from being in pain all the time. The best thing you can do is make sure you are getting enough rest; that's what works for me. I take valerian root to help me get REM sleep and not feel drugged since I need to get up and take care of kids in the middle of the night.
I hope that you are able to find a good doctor and that they can help you quickly! I know it doesn't seem like it, but you will get an answer eventually. When I was at your point, I totally gave up on ever finding out what was wrong with me but it will be okay. You are doing are great job starting working on it now too!
I'll keep you in my prayers!
Olivia Grace
adventuresofaneverydaygirl.blogspot.com
My mother was diagnosed with a brain disorder that is pretty painful..I am the go to girl..the one that takes care of everything an everyone. It is a very lonely, overwhelming, feeling, and because you have something that people cannot see they just a)dont remember you have it b)dont care to understand it .and c)think you just are blowing people off.
I used to be extremely athletic, handle everything on my own, dont ask for help...etc..
I pray for your husbands safety an well being an that he comes home to you soon.. if you ever want to chat let me know...k
More from WebMD related to this Tip
See Related Pain Management Communities
Women's Health Newsletter
Find out what women really need.
Helpful Tips
Helpful Resources
Related News
Related Drug Reviews
- Drug Name User Reviews
Report Problems With Your Medications to the FDA
You are encouraged to report negative side effects of prescription drugs to the FDA. Visit the FDA MedWatch website or call 1-800-FDA-1088.
The opinions expressed in WebMD Communities are solely those of the User, who may or may not have medical or scientific training. These opinions do not represent the opinions of WebMD. Communities are not reviewed by a WebMD physician or any member of the WebMD editorial staff for accuracy, balance, objectivity, or any other reason except for compliance with our Terms and Conditions. Some of these opinions may contain information about treatments or uses of drug products that have not been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. WebMD does not endorse any specific product, service or treatment.
Do not consider Communities as medical advice. Never delay or disregard seeking professional medical advice from your doctor or other qualified healthcare provider because of something you have read on WebMD. You should always speak with your doctor before you start, stop, or change any prescribed part of your care plan or treatment. WebMD understands that reading individual, real-life experiences can be a helpful resource, but it is never a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment from a qualified health care provider. If you think you may have a medical emergency, call your doctor or dial 911 immediately.
Health Solutions From Our Sponsors
More From WebMD:
Knee Pain Assessment|Control Your Blood Sugar |Psoriasis|MS Assessment|Anaphylaxis|ADHD in Children|Diabetes Diet|Hodgkin's Lymphoma|Multiple Myeloma |Hearing Loss: Its Causes and Treatment|Myths and Facts About Prostate Cancer|Living With Alzheimer's|COPD|Prostate Cancer Clinical Trials|Diabetes Assessment|Live Better With Diabetes|Atrial Fibrillation Assessment |Treating Advanced Prostate Cancer©2005-2016 WebMD, LLC. All rights reserved.
WebMD does not provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. See additional information.