Well, that’s a loaded question, isn’t it? You are implying that not believing in a condition’s existence is in some way incorrect. An honest answer effectively requires admission of fault, which is incorrect and inappropriate. Nonetheless in the hope of providing some balance, please read on. Be warned that if you have fibromyalgia as a diagnosis yourself, you may not like what follows, and may even feel insulted. This is of necessity a short article…
This can be a difficult question to answer because fibromyalgia affects everyone in differing ways; however, there is one overarching thing that makes it worse, not moving. Although it can feel horrific to move at times, not being active will only make things worse. On really bad days all I can muster is walking my dog 10–20 minutes 3–4 times in the day. It’s not a lot but it helps. I’ll also do light stretching…
Fibromyalgia did NOT ruin my life, but when I tell you what it has cost me thus far, you will think I’m mistaken. And the worst thing of all, after being able to proudly say that I am a nurse, I can no longer legally say it. I went on full disability in 2015 because just remembering a doctor’s order was impossible, or a diagnosis, or a name! Maybe it’s an inner me, I really…
It’s hard to address them all at once. I’ll just mention that your issue with panic attacks is probably both psychological as well as physiological. From your wording, it sounds as though you experienced anticipatory anxiety about having a panic attack which then operates in a self-fulfilling prophecy fashion to trigger a panic attack. So there’s an initial cognitive element, which then produces a physiological result. That’s pretty common but also points to the fact…
I realize that Fibromyalgia doesn’t affect everyone the same way. I don’t think I suffer as much as some people do. Having said that, there are things that I have done that make it better. When I was first diagnosed in 1987, I started exercising, at the gym and walking. It took care of almost all my pain. 12 or so years later, the chronic fatigue kicked in and everything got worse. I took naproxen,…
What I found in 35,000 hours of work going back to 1978 was that lots of things can start FMS, CFS, and other things; injuries, viruses, bacterial infection, and other things that the body attempts to heal for months and years and such. When it fails at healing the “chronic symptoms” develop. They are secondary symptoms, symptoms caused by failing to heal in 3 to 6 months more or less. Most of these symptoms are…
Oh boy, what a question and you got the right person to ask, if you research and I don’t mean just google. I mean research the medications you take. You will find most if not all have side effects and one of them is weight gain and fatigue. Some also deplete vitamins so ask your doctors for information. If you suffer from Fibromyalgia pain/Chronic pain, it is difficult to move. If you also have any…
Yes, I was diagnosed in 2001. In 1999, I suffered a back injury at work. Even though I followed my treating physician’s advice, including physical therapy and home exercises, the pain in my back just wouldn’t ease up. Within a year, I had widespread pain that felt like I’d overtaxed my muscles. (To this day, the area of my injury is extremely sensitive to the touch, as if someone kicked me in the sacrum.) My…
Bless your heart! I would say to you to get a notebook dedicated to writing down everything you eat and how you are feeling every day. Write down your pain levels and fatigue levels and how your food affects you. If any foods cause you to have abdominal pain eliminate them from your diet. Additionally, stop all sugar except in the form of fresh whole organic fruit. This is because I believe that fibromyalgia is…
I always find it helpful to soak in a hot Epsom salt bath (the calm scent one or relax one), it helps the aching body as the water cools stay as long as you can handle it and then pat dry do not rinse. There are periods when I’m cold and can’t warm up a hot bath or shower…. Then there are periods I’m hot and can’t cool down- yep as cold of a shower…