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.
Good morning/day/evening/whatever:-)
Did I sleep? Eh. I'll take it. Did I feel pain? OMG, who set the invisible rats of he** to gnaw me?! FIgured out that my L4-5 is doing its fun "you overdid, so I'm going to give you neuropathic pain all night" thing. While most of my accident damage a few years ago was to L5, the L4 gets in on the action sometimes. All this, btw, b/c I followed doctor's orders to start trying five minutes of yoga every day again. Five minutes.... *sigh* And so basic that I feel like I'm not even doing anything. *double sigh*
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Today's therapy: When the pain hits, stop.
THi sisn't just for "you're doing laundry and the basket suddenly weighs 1000 pounds". This is... "Doing routine stretch". When your body says, "Twang!", you stop. Just... ease off. Back away. Do some slow, calming breathing of your preferred method (YouTube has tons, you all know I'm a box breathing girl), and then try again, but slower. Keep up that slow, steady, rhythmic breathing. At the moemnt of strain, be sure you're *exhaling*, and exhaling all the way. Why? Holding in the breath casues tension in teh body. Weird little neuro-feedback glitch there, but true. The body reads "breath held" as "situation bad", whether our conscious minds agree or not, and so we have to cosnciously keep awareness, or we can unconsciously make things worse. (Who, me?! Never!)
For example, I was going for the "touch my toes" (or ankles, or shins, as my day dictates). That spot in my back went "HEY!" and I stopped, eased more upright, just hugn out there with the breath... in and nice and slow and out and anice and slow and.... Tried again... ver very slowly, and got through that "spot", and that was the win. Which sounds sad, but if you'd seen my lower back and pelvis 5 years ago, you'd know that me touchign the toes is a huge deal, b/c there was re-learning to walk and stuff...
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Today in therapy, then: Stop. Breathe. Just... when it says ouch.... Stop, and breathe. Sometimes I'm surprised by what parts of me are tensed that I didn't notice until I feel that Twang! and stop and just hang out and breathe there. Self-inventory. Sucks, but it works.
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And on that note, the limping lioness has about 100 pounds of laundry to do. (OUr shower guest is gone, but oy, the towels!)
Special hugs and prayers for each and every one of you.... waiting on tests, doctors, spouses, bosses, kids, whatever it is, know that I do read, I do pay attention, and I hold you in puma-purr and heart.
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Lately I've been feeling scared and full of anxiety. I recently found a lump under my nipple. I hurt my back too. I'm in the process of moving. I'm run down. Everything is hard
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Well, our drought isn't broken but our gutter is. Got two big storms rigth after each other and, wait for it, a tornado warning.Now, I was already running for my go-bag when I heard thunder. The air felt wrong. The sky was getting a color to the west. Been there, lived that, time to hide.No funnel touched down but the radar indicated rotation, and boy was it visible from the ground. Different...
I'm doing.... Eh.... Fighting migraines on top of the fibro flares and getting no help. Tried to get the kids to help me with the housework last night and they decided to pick a fight instead. Wonderful?! Sometimes I find myself wondering what the point of all this is but whatever. It's the weirdest thing in the world. I don't feel depressed but wouldn't you have to be depressed in order to feel suicidal??
precious i hope you feel better thats the worth feeling
miki glad to see you here
Precious I'm sorry to hear your migraines are making things worse. I'm not sure what the point is so I would go with whatever makes you happy and that's the point.
Miki glad to see you.
Angela, glad the fibro pain is calming and you don't have to go out into the cold. I hope the antibiotics help.
I am doing pretty horrible today. Already in so much pain I can't straighten my hands which should make typing at work today wonderful. I made it to work but that's it. I'm ready to cry from the pain (at least the meds last night helped me sleep once the pain got under better control.) Drawing a blank for much of anything else. Too tired too much pain.
Sorry to hear that you had so much pain last night. I do relate to how tricky it is to predict fibro pain. One time you can carry the 100 lb sack of sand and toss it in the back of the truck (not that I'd try this anymore :-)) without consequence, the next time you'll hurt so bad after carrying a 5 lb sack of potatoes that you wince in pain. I hope that you find some relief as the day goes on there.
Precious,
It sucks that you're having to deal with migraines and flares. I hope that you have some time to kick back today and get some R&R. I agree with Miki on suicidal thoughts. Find someone close t you that you trust and talk about what you are feeling. I had someone very close to me commit suicide recently and wish he would have come to me for help.
Miki,
I had kind of a similar experience with breathing. I had a massage therapist what was constantly saying, breathe, just breathe....and I was thinking, I AM BREATHING (or so I thought). I ended up kind of hyper ventilating and getting a little anxious. :-)
Angela,
It's great that you don't have to go out! Hopefully that'll give you a time to rest and heal.
I had a lot of snow to move last night. (I am going to get some help with it but that gets harder to do in the middle of the winter). Anyway...I got everything looking pretty good and hurt so bad that I almost couldn't walk. Was having extremely bad shoulder cramps too of all things. BUT, after moving around slowly for awhile...sipping on a brandy and seven....breathing? I felt better, slept remarkably well, considering, and really don't feel anywhere near as bad as I thought I would today. THERE, even more positive than yesterday! ;-)
Hoping everyone has a good day today,
Kel
Sorry to hear that you are in so much pain this morn. Hopefully things will loosen up as the morning goes on. Sending you gentle (((hugs)))
Precious. I'm so sorry things continue to be hard. I hope if you are ever serious about suicide, that you will promise me to call the suicide hotline first. There is no shame in it. It's saved in my phone 800-273-8255. I hope your pain lowers and you can see how important you are to your kids, don't just think short-term, long-term they need you.
Hi Miki, I hope your pain is under control today. I have to consciously slow my breathing when I'm having anxiety or I hyperventilate easily. Have a good day.
Angela, I'm glad the fibro is calming, but sorry about how hard the rest is. I'm sorry you had such a bad night. I'm glad you are staying in, I hope the meds start to help.
Maynard, I'm worried about you. You sound like me, and that is a scary super stressed painful place. I'm praying for you. I hope you can find something else to focus on today, not your pain, not your stress. Pick anything that is relaxing and peaceful to you. I'm sorry you have so much pain. Hugs
kel, excellent work on the positive. haha I'm glad you found something that helped you last night after all of that pain. I hope you make it through today with lower pain.
I'm in a lot of pain, cried on the way to work, it probably had to do with trying to get a light workout, get ready, get my girls up, eat, get them ready, and make it out the door, it's no wonder I cry so much these days. That's a lot in the morning. I look forward to when I can reduce my hours at work. I'm believing in God for a more stable life. My sister is going to take my mom. It was supposed to be me since her son has a tournament today, but the time changed on his first game. Thank God! The busy work schedule continues. Group Hug!
Mnfibro Sorry about your pain as well :( We got over a foot of snow over 2 days this week it ended last night (more might come today though) And my dad thank God at 76 has no pain issues and had to snow blow their farm driveway it was too heavy for the plow on the tractor to do a good job. He goes back over it with the plow later on.
Twin You as you know are always in my thoughts and prayers you and your girls. I hope your day get easier!
Love to you all. I will catch back up tomorrow when, hopefully, my mood is better.
Presh, deifnitely keep that number.
Twin, I also thank you for it. I've got a dark abyss nibbling my toenails.
Miki, just breathe with us... slow and easy.... It's okay, really is....
Angela, you're in a healing prayer!
Kel, jsut a generic fist-bump of solidarity
Maynard, rest up, okay?
I probably missed someone. I fogged out and napped for three hours. No idea what triggered that except my body said, "I'm waking up when Mothe rNature make sup her mind!" It's like spring today, then winter tomorrow night and I have no idea which way it goes from there.
I love your breathing therapy. It’s something I definitely need to work on. Actually, I’ve read a couple of reports recently that oxygen therapy for the brain has been shown to dramatically improve fibro. As the resident expert, have you heard anything about that?
I don’t know anything about box breathing, but I’ll look it up! Hope your laundry goes easily and your pain ease up.
Precious, oh no, migraines and flares! I just went through about two weeks of that, and know it’s miserable. So sorry for your pain. And, not getting help from our lovely offspring is so disappointing and maddening. I’ve tried so many different methods to get mine (18 and 20) to help, from yelling, to bribing, to crying and “consequences” but they definitely have minds of their own. Wish I could give some good advice. ((hugs)) And please call that hotline number Twin gave you for help, if you do feel suicidal!
Hi Miki, hope you’re doing well today.
Angela, glad you are on antibiotics and your doctors seem to be, finally, really watching over you. Have a good, warm day inside!
Maynard, hope your day gets better and your pain subsides. I have small bowl of warm rice near my computer that I dunk my hands in and wiggle my fingers; looks kinda weird but the warmth really helps and the rice seems to be soothing. Hang in there, it does get better.
Ken, what do you mean 20 pounds and 5 pounds?? I need help with 2 usually :) That brandy and seven sounds like something I should try tonight!
Twin, so sorry you are in so much pain today. Your morning routine sounds overwhelming with too much pressure. Glad your sister can take your mom. Prayers for you, and for your mom!
BBMom, hope you feel better, both emotionally and physically
Again, not much sleep last night, lots of rain and we discovered a leak in our downstairs sliding door as my hubby was running out the door for yet another business trip. I’ll have to figure out how to plug that up I guess.
Good day, everyone
Leo, glad your stray human is gone! Hope he doesn't return to your shower again. Sheesh. Thanks for the breathing info. It be handy right now, if I could breath :(
Feeling worse than yesterday. Congested, gerd-y, throat scratchy, itchy, sneezy, coughy... hm, did I miss anyhting? Fell asleep coughing (not sure what time) and I guess I must have been coughing *in* my sleep because hubby startled the living daylights out of me at 2 AM trying to give me Nyquil to quiet my ruckus (of which I didn't know I was producing).
My back is pretty tight. From coughing? I dozed off and on after 2 but the back pain didn't really let me sleep. I had to try and sleep with my mouth open so I could breath... I hate that.
I have an appt with my social worker today. Yippy -not. I'd like to stay in bed please.
Back in a sec.
SoCa that sucks!!! When things start to spring leaks it's added stress that none of us needs.
BB try to rest and surround yourself with comfort.