My experience matches yours, although mine began over twenty years ago. And I have pretty much fought it ever since. But fought it at a slower pace, which meant keeping an exercise regimen at a reduced effort. It works for me, but everybody's case differs. Other things that help me: healthy diet (low fat, lots of fruits/veggies, no regular or diet soda, etc.), get plenty of rest, and partake in activities that bring me happiness. Today was a good day for me, especially after my one-hour nap!

I'm in the same boat except will probably not get a true diagnosis. Diet, supplements, herbals seem to have no effect. Exercise always makes things worse. At what point do we just give up?

Thank you both! Are you still able to work Asteroid? Is there anything in particular that helps you get through the day? I am hoping I can get to a place where my lifestyle helps me through the tough stuff but I'm wondering if the painful things now (like typing all day) will always hurt? Will they get easier as the flare-up goes away?

Hello! I'm the official meeter-greeter somehow (oh, right, I'm here every day).... I was dx'd in 1995, when this was still "just a psychiatric thing women get". (My rheumy, btw, was a man with fibro, so he didn't buy that then or later.)

Flares are tough, but... You Have To Learn To Live With This. Sorry, no other way around it. Everyone's different---meds may or may not help, didet changes---but baseline good healthy eating and gentle exercise are good for *e veryone* regardless of a diagnosis, so that's what I first recommend.
Second, Fibromyalgia for Dummies. It's a go-to around here on the ailment, coping, how to approach docs, whatever else you or your loved ones may be curious about. When it fails, well, that's why we're here. Books are great, but people and their real experiences help too.

I *never* give up. Or I'd not be walking today (2011 accident). I at some point got about 8 years of remission from fibro symptoms, for reasons nobody has ever figured out and I've had a lot of docs wondering. But since 2009-ish? Yeah. No such luck. And here we can talk about triggers, journals of symptoms, how to ask docs questions, what is or isn't debunked in research, why or why not something works....

Some things will ease when flares do. The trick is to consider it like this. You wake up where someone who finished a triathlon ends. They're exhausted, hurting, and everything they do for a day or two will be horrible unless they didn't work too hard at that triathlon. But we fibro folks? We wake up there. We wake up in need of rest and healing. How do we cope? Well, resting goes so far. Then comes gentle exercise (yoga, tai chi, warm water therapy are faves), respecting our limits, testing them when we are *not* in a flare (trust me on that one!), and similar common sense methods.

And you're gonna grieve. A dx of a chronic or scary illness comes with grief over what was and is not, won't be, might not be, etc., and that's *normal*. We share a lot of the grieving here. ANger is normal. "Dammit, I want my life back!" for example. "I hate this!" is another. And by sharing, we get a lot of support, validation, and feedback. I'm here every day, flares or not, b/c that daily check-in of ours? It's important. It's a little floaty raft for people who can't say this stuff in real life, who need to know that the words "fibro headache" don't ahve to be explained, and that when someone asks "will it always hurt", get a real answer.

Anyway, welcomet o our board, and trial and error and trying are the only "prescription" that works for everyone. WIsh I had better news, like a magic cure, but I don't. Darn it!

Cheers,
Leo

It's a long road. I've had it for 20 years. The beginning of it can be frightening if only because the symptoms are new and intense and you don't know what it will mean for your life, your job.

No, pushing through mostly backfires. Only if you're depressed and you need to push through to get up and out, yeah, push through. Otherwise, take rest periods. (See Bruce Campbell's self-help guide for chronic fatigue syndrome and fibromyalgia for a lot of guidance on learning your limits.)

The only things that reliably work for me for pain are heat (heating pads, hot baths), cold packs (when the pain is screaming) and sometimes muscle relaxants like baclofen or tizanidine. For fatigue: rest. And resting in bed in a fetal position to relax all the arm, neck, back muscles.

It's hard emotionally, physically. And it makes so many changes in your life. Learn to think rationally with CBT therapy techniques, mindfulness techniques. Try one moment at a time, learn to be grateful for small things. And maybe, just maybe we'll have significant progress in research about fibro one of these days.

Welcome to the group!

Pushing through will just keep compounding your health problems. Fibromyalgia does not respond well to stress or pushing. You will continually be in a flare which is a place that you do not want to go. A flare can last a day, a few days, a week, weeks or months. You are far better off to respect your limits, pace, learn to say "no" and mean it and continue to live your life but at a much slower pace.

Learning to be grateful for anything that you can do as opposed to things that are no longer feasible is important. If you find that you are struggling with depression, please see a therapist. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) can give you tools to cope with a diagnosis of chronic illness. Many of us see someone for extra support.

Daily check in hosted by our brainy and lovely spokesmodel, Leo, is a good place to hang out on this board. Some people just read and lurk and others participate. This is a pretty active group. Just look for the puma avatar and the day of the week in the heading. Take care.

Wow! I have to say you all are amazing! While I understand that most of what was said is considered "bad news" it is still comforting to have people understand what I mean and am feeling when I say I am in the middle of a flare-up. Here is the kicker, before I went into my current career I was a counselor! Some of us are great at dealing with other people's problems, helping them to think logically and to try to view a given situation in a positive light but we stink at allowing ourselves these same little gifts.
I am trying very hard to work on these things myself which is one of the reasons I joined this group. I wanted to allow myself the comfort of being understood. While I have a loving husband who is trying to do anything he can to help me the one thing he can't do is empathize.
I really appreciate both book suggestions; I will definitely be looking for them. I have also started seeing a nutritionist which I think could benefit from your journal suggestion bear_club.
I also really appreciate the honesty from Leo, Shakota6 and Fantom. Sometimes I feel like I am going to suffocate under the pity I keep getting from people. I know they mean well but I feel like telling them to stop pitting me that I am still the same strong woman they knew last week just with a crappie diagnosis. I have quot telling most people what is going on or how I feel as a result. I feel like your honesty about getting real with myself and my new limitations instead of pushing through helped me to give myself permission to set those limits. Permission to stop saying "yes" or "I'm sorry I can't..."
I am going to see if I can find the daily checking board! The support, knowledge and honesty I have found here is relieving and refreshing.

Could anyone give me the title of the daily check-in? I have found one regarding recovery but could not find one pertaining to fibro or fatigue/pain. Thanks!

Daily check in is a thread hosted by our resident brainiac and lovely spokesmodel Leo. Just look for the day of the week in the title and a puma avatar. Looking forward to see you there!

Forgot to add that stretching really helps me. You probably do that with yoga already! Anyway, mostly leg stretches for me. Wish it was possible to stretch my brain, since sometimes the fog never seems to lift. One doctor familiar with fibro recommended weightlifting, which I never managed to stick with.

Maynard - I am 70 years old my trigger for fibro happen 37 years ago & in daily pain for over 32 years now 7 to boot I am a male Maynard just don't get fibro - out of the over 3600 members there maybe 5 men. To put in mildly from what little you know about me so far I am one screwed up dude but i love it & yes, Maynard the femalefiibromites here - my name for all of you wonderful women on her love me. I mean how could you not love a guy who can talk none stop - probably knows 1500 jokes & has done some amazing things in the world of sports.

Maynard all I can honestly say is God has been very good to me in spite of the fact that I currently have 72 Health problems.
Maynard I sincerely hope we can become friends as I am a Gemini & love people.

Mike Howard - yes, Maynard I am an open book & I am proud of that fact because the Good Lord created us to be a unique person. I mean each of us is us & there will never be anyone exactly like us so why not enjoy being me.

By the way, Maynard & are you ready for this as you already know that I am
Mike Howard well Maynard my birth name is Michael Eugene Howard so I can be either Me or Meh so i have all of the bases covered. Yes, Maynard I am a nut!!!

This is an OLD post from Maynard! Not sure why it is popping up now!