Four Effective Tools to Deal with Fibromyalgia

Many times I get a flare up of my Fibromyalgia if I am under stress. One of the things I have had to learn to do is develop and use tools to deal with the stress. This ability developed over time. It was not something that happened right away.

Talking out about the stress and emotions I felt helped. We all know that flare ups of Fibromyalgia do not necessarily wait until the second Tuesday for the support group. I had to find another way of being able to do it. Ideally a way I could talk to people in the middle of the night if I had to.

One of the tools I was able to use was list serves, chat rooms, and social media. It does not seem to matter what time of day or night there is someone there willing to talk. Of course I still had family and friends I could talk to but people online were more accessible at times.

Another type of tool I had to learn was to look at my own self-talk. People routinely get into the habit of thinking or talking to themselves negatively. We all use self-talk, we just need to learn to use it effectively. This takes some effort as it just seems to be easier to talk negatively.

A third tool that I used was meditation or prayer. Either one seems to work it just depends on your preference. Being able to give your pain, stress, and emotional to God or your higher power lets our minds rest and relax.

A fourth tool can be yoga or mild exercise. I definitely did not feel like exercising when my Fibromyalgia was in full swing. The surprising thing is that just a little exercise seemed to give me a little endomorphin rush. It made it a little easier to get through the day. As one friend told me, some days I just had to move what little bit of my body I could.

Many people with Fibromyalgia report that they know they are stressed or emotional but just say it is ok. Essentially they are denying themselves their need for help. That alone creates more stress. For myself it created more severe Fibromyalgia flare ups.
Now many times when I am in pain I realize I am stressed or emotional about something.

I have to make myself stop and deal with it in some manner. Fibromyalgia may be chronic and, at least at this point, incurable. We can learn to manage our lives and emotions to reduce the effects.

Keeping Warm with Fibromyalgia

I saw some recreational vehicles in the Walmart parking lot last night. It reminded me of my Fibromyalgia. I imagined that the occupants were people who had come here from up north. I imagined what it would be like to travel and live like that.

One of the things I wish when it starts to get cold is that I could winter in a warmer climate. Then I remember that I do live in a warmer climate. In Louisiana we have short winters and long summers.

I tend to hurt more during the winters. During the summers I am cranky. I do not like it when it is hot. Some people think that the winters here are more painful because it is a wet cold. I tend to think wet cold compared to temperatures below freezing are not really a comparison that is helpful.

My main goal is to keep warm. Keeping warm seems to reduce the Fibromyalgia pain. I have a pair of hunting socks to wear at night. Although it cost a little less than ten dollars for a pair of socks it was cheaper than the compression socks I started out looking for.

Those hunting socks are certainly warm too. They helped keep me warm all night. Unfortunately by morning they also made my calves of my legs hurt. I will have to remember to take then off sometime during the night.

I also use the disposable heating pads during the night. The name brand is Thermacare. I really do not buy the name brand though. I buy the cheaper off-brands. They are designed to lay and gently stick to the area that hurts. For me, my shoulders almost always have Fibromyalgia Pain so that is a good place to start.

I use them for that type of pain. I also move one around on various parts of my torso. They keep me warm when I am achy all over. The heating pad also lasts longer than it says they do on the box. Sometimes they last as much as four times longer. Maybe the name brand would last longer than that.

My fibromyalgia pain also responds to hot baths. I keep a box of Epsom salts around for the bath too. Epsom salt baths are recommended by licensed massage therapists after a massage. The salts draw out toxins that have been released by the massage. I also hear that coaches tell their players to use Epson salts after a work-out.

These are just a few of the things I do to help with the pain during this time of year. Except summering farther south, I just dream about that.

Newbie Advice

Someone asked me what I would tell someone newly diagnosed with Fibromyalgia. Here is what I came up with:

'You know how you are feeling right now? It gets better. At first being sick with Fibromyalgia is creepy and scarey. At first, before I knew what I had, I felt out of control. But it got better. I got better at managing the pain and the fibro fog.

I got better at hiding it when I felt really bad and had to go to work. I still hide the pain alot. I figured out other ways to get things done. You will too. I know you can do this.'

I hope and pray you take this to heart too!

The theory that Fibromyalgia is a retrovirus has sparked a lot of discussion among myself and my friends who have it. It would be nice to have a medical test to tell us and the world we have it. Even though it is generally accepted that Fibromyalgia is real, I still get those looks.

Better yet it would be nice to have a test for our children. I routinely try to get my children to eat and do the things that I do now so the Fibromyalgia will not be triggered in them. It seems like I have had this all my life but definitely after I had to evacuate for a hurricane.

Many of my friends tell me of trauma in their life that seemed to trigger the Fibromyalgia to a disabling extent. Many of them tell me they have had some of the symptoms and problems since childhood too.

Even if Fibromyalgia is a virus or even if it is not, we still need to do those things that work for us. Journaling what we eat or what stresses us helps us find the things that make it worse. Learning to relax and teaching our children and friends what we learn helps.

I firmly believe that I got Fibromyalgia for a reason. It is a reason I do not know or understand, but I believe everything happens for a reason.

Remember What Helps

One of the problems with Fibromyalgia is remembering to do the things that help. When you are in a flare it is harder to remember anything. The fibrofog is a killer. When you are feeling good you are busy trying to catch up.

The joy of Fibromyalgia is that I forgot what I have done before. So if I have spoke about this before sorry!

One of my theories with no basis other than my own experience is that I have to find new ways of doing things in everyday life. One of those things is my grabber. My shoulders hurt to much to be able to reach things that have fallen behind stuff or things that are too high. The grabber is a big help. At least on days when my hands don't hurt.

So what is your favorite piece of equipment?

Smoothies Update

I have not posted about these in awhile. They initially seemed to help with my Fibromyalgia. I made and drank them for a long time. I stopped because I got tired of so much banana. I did hear of a smoothie made with ripe avacado as the base.

Some alternative remedies seem to help the Fibromyalgia for awhile, then not so much. I think of the smoothies more as a natural medicine. I then forget about them. Do you think that is the fibrofog?

It might be time to start making smoothies again!