Welcome, Debbie.

Some of us "slid" into fibro (I did). A bad day. Two. Three. Then suddenly (or so it seemed) every five of seven days was bad. Then it became degrees of How Bad Today? Then I worked with meds and strategies for exercise and stress management, and had about 8 years of "remission" where a flare was happening maybe three times a year and lasted a day or so at a time.

It's trial and error. Unique to each of us. Since fibro probably has a dozen different causes but medicine can't detect them accurately enough to treat the underlying cause, we tend to fall into groups. Some who are helped primarily by diet, some primarily by meds, some by another kind of meds, etc.

I came down with mono at a time in life when I was also malnourished due to poverty. Stress is a huge trigger for my flares. When stress management techniques for anxiety and so on don't work? Oh, I'm in trouble!

Keep a diary, a journal, of what you do in a day, every day. Foods you eat, activities, exposures to chemicals or people or situations. It's tedious, but after a few months, most of us find "patterns" (as in our gal hormones, ugh), or recurring themes (In-laws, junk food, whatever).

And absolutely buy Fibromyalgia for Dummies. It's the go-to guide for this group and for good reason, IMO. Useful also for family, friends, and disbelieving doctors!

Basically, I just focus on keeping good baseline health (diet, gentle exercise, healthy BP and so on) because it makes the rest easier to survive. But if there's a magic cure? Sure missed me! That said, I know people who took Cymbalta and as long as they take it, they're fine. Someone else, it was a now-banned drug called Vioxx (which helped me enormously as well). Another person went low-gluten, and felt better if not great.

Sorry to write a novel, but it's sorta the standard "Hi, welcome!" when it's fibro. Vent and rant and ask away. It's why we're here.

Welcome,
Leo

PS Daily Check-in is just that, we kind of hang out, check in, imagine a coffee klatch, very free and easy-going. Feel free to drop in and lurk a bit, get to know us.

I actually diagnosed myself...I looked up the symptoms I was experiencing and every thing pointed to Fibro. I saw many doctors: rheumys, psychiatrists, neuros. . . everyone has to find the right thing that works for them. It is a touch and go illness.

Nice to meet you, BTW.

There is not much rhyme or reason for flare ups sometimes. The two things that consistently seem to trigger them are stress and not pacing yourself. Fibromyalgia is a chronic condition that requires an ongoing medication regimen and rest. You can still like your life but at a slower pace.

I second Leo's recommendation to buy "Fibromyalgia for Dummies." You can find it on Amazon. You've asked a lot of questions about the same issues since you joined the board. I think that having a handy reference guide would really help your anxiety levels.

Past that point, you have to figure out what works for you. Medication, Yoga, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, diet, stress management etc. Keep a journal and learn to say "no" and respect your limits.

We all wish that we could give you definitive answers to your questions. This is a complex illness that varies from one person to the next. We can only make suggestions about what might work for you. Take care.

My number one trigger is weather. If it gets cold or if the barometric pressure drops I WILL flare and get so stiff I can hardly move. Due to supplements and amazing drs I am not in much pain now (diagnosed in march and started treatment in June) My second trigger is overdoing ANYTHING. Too much stress, too much driving, too much resting, too much activity, ANYTHING too much and BAM. I really hate the word 'pacing' now :P (as in ' are you pacing yourself or have you overdone your workouts again?') I went through about 4 months of wondering if I was 'cured' until I finally got it. Fibro is forever and you just learn to work around it. Think of it like diabetes. It is forever but you can do things to keep it under control.

I too started like Leo. I had a miscarriage and then thought I had the flu. But as days turned into weeks of chronic pain, I knew it wasn't that. But then it went to sleep for about 11 years. I would only feel achy with severe temperature changes.
However about 18 months ago it came with a vengance. I felt like I had the flu, initially but it didn't go away. I had horrible muscle and joint pain and I could barely put one foot in front of the other and I was exhausted. I tried Cymbalta and going gluten free - I gained 40 lbs and didn't feel any better.

Everyone is different, try different things and hopefully you can find something that helps you deal with the pain and fatigue. I am still navigating.