Fibromyalgia Support Group
You're not alone in your pain. Fibromyalgia is a condition that can be difficult to diagnose and manage. If you're trying to cope with pain throughout your body, sleep problems, general fatigue, or other common fibromyalgia symptoms, you're in the right place. The community is here for you to talk about therapies and share your challenges.
I've been working at home freelancing. Frustrated that I can't handle more than 2.5 hrs of work. But it's true, time after time.
Did find relief from upper back pain by taking a 1/8 of lowest dose of tizanidine (Zanaflex) which was nice.
Can't stand routine. Same schedule two days in a row makes me bonkers. Am going to do something fun outside today.
Yes, looking for positives is most important. It changes how I feel. If I could be really good to myself, I'd stop trying to overdo and end up disgusted at being so out-of-it with fatigue. I hate fatigue the most.
Lots of changes in my family right now. Depression, moving out of state, chronic lousy jobs. But you know what? I am valuable. I listen and am concerned. They can vent to me. That's useful! I have to try hard not to try to fix it for them, because I can't.
How do you balance the need to limit your activity with the desire to do some things that you think you want to? Any tricks?
Did find relief from upper back pain by taking a 1/8 of lowest dose of tizanidine (Zanaflex) which was nice.
Can't stand routine. Same schedule two days in a row makes me bonkers. Am going to do something fun outside today.
Yes, looking for positives is most important. It changes how I feel. If I could be really good to myself, I'd stop trying to overdo and end up disgusted at being so out-of-it with fatigue. I hate fatigue the most.
Lots of changes in my family right now. Depression, moving out of state, chronic lousy jobs. But you know what? I am valuable. I listen and am concerned. They can vent to me. That's useful! I have to try hard not to try to fix it for them, because I can't.
How do you balance the need to limit your activity with the desire to do some things that you think you want to? Any tricks?
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We're all troubled.WSo, to remind ourselves we're not at rock bottom (this is a reverse optimism thing I learned as a kid):We are not living on the island of Krakatoa when the volcano goes boom!Yeah, okay, that sucks.***Toay in 1942, Pierre Laval announced that the way to free France was for Germany to win WW2. Pierre did not win a lot of friends. When the war ended, quite quickly he was tried...
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Another day, another ouchie?My bruised achilles tendon (don't ask) makes my foot numb. Wonky on meds, whacked it.Now, as to fibro:A lot of reports are going around some parts of social media that fibro (and dang near anything else) are caused by post-Covid, post-flu, post-vaccinations, post-pick-something.1. Your risk of death or serious complications beyond "ow, that shot hurt!" are typically...
Depression does suck! But as you said, you ARE valuable. Never forget that! Since you freelance, my only advice would be to follow the signals of your body. You know when it is too much, so whenever possible, take the breaks you need. No one has the right to judge you but you, so be gentle on yourself and know that you have a community of people to support you!
Sublingual B12 with folic acid is helpful. The folic acid helps it absorb. the tablets dissolve under your tongue. If I am experiencing a bad bout of fatigue, I start the day with one of those before my feet even hit the floor. I keep them on my bedside table. B12 is expelled in your urine so I use them as needed during the day.
Corvalen is a brand name for a supplement called D-Ribose. It also provides energy. I've tried D Ribose and for some reason the Corvalen formulation works better for me. Corvalen was originally developed for congestive heart failure patients. My Dad used it. You can read about it using Google and also order it online. I think that Amazon carries it among other places.
I watch what I eat and really focus on high protein when my energy levels are bad. I stay away from sugar and caffeine because the crash is much worse and harder to recover from afterwards.
Pacing and being mindful of how my body is reacting to my current activity. Changing up where I work on things so I am not in the same position/room etc. You can be much more productive if you pace as opposed to continuing to push yourself into the ground. Respect your limits and you will consistently get a lot more accomplished.
You are not alone! Sending hugs your way!
Agreed on above, so must do what you do, as you can. I've worked from home and/or for myself for about 20 years now (yes, about as long as I've had fibro!).... and honestly, I've had patches where I'd have the energy at 10 PM, work till 1 AM, sleep til noon, and who knew what?
Big purrs of support.
I don't really like the freelance job I'm doing but it does add some structure. I'm at retirement age. The extra money is nice but only if the overall experience is worth it. So, I need to decide if the work does anything for my life or would i better spend that 2-hour window outside, doing errands, etc. My energy level is pretty close to a ME/CFS level.
I've tried Ribose and didn't feel any differently.
I'll scale back for a while and see if it helps. Maybe not give up entirely on it. Thanks again. You guys rule!
Sorry for the venting. The advice to pace and change rooms/positions are ones I'll put into practice.
For now, I have to rest my arms.