I wanted to bring awareness in hope that more people my age come forward. Unfortunately, we must live with the hand we are dealt with. Remembering the pass isn’t fun, I wasn’t able to put a project like this on top of me and, I admit, a part of me didn’t want to find out, through other people’s experiences, that I truly have a severe case many doctors haven’t seen here. However, it’s an illness not many know about and if it’s affecting my whole way of living, I think others can use someone to relate to. Come January, it will be two years that I have had Fibromyalgia. In May, it will be my 20th birthday, which means the second birthday I’m celebrating with my illness. I know what I went through in the beginning, what I went through to get to this point, and what I’m continuing to go through every day of my life. If I can help even one person in some way, then that’s amazing because I know how alone I felt with this illness. I had my parents always by my side but still, it doesn’t matter how many people you have at your side, you feel alone and trapped with never ending pain. It’s up to us to get through this, educate ourselves, learn our limits, and push to get better even though I know the process is painful. Remember, medication alone can’t help you.
For those of you, who aren’t aware what Fibromyalgia is, allow me to explain. Fibromyalgia, an arthritis-related illness, produces a widespread of pain and is a neurotransmitter imbalance. Symptoms are unpredictable and most patients are frustrated by their physical limitations and inability to live their life the same way they once did. You must always control your emotions and the stress around you in order to have some control of your pain. The problem with Fibromyalgia is that there are so many symptoms and therefore it’s often misdiagnosed and misunderstood. Symptoms are chronic but fluctuate throughout the day, leaving you feeling helpless and/or defenseless. To meet the Fibromyalgia criteria for diagnosis, patients must experience a widespread of pain and have at least 11 out of the 18 specified tender spots, which I personally have all 18. The 18 spots cluster around the neck, shoulders, chest, hip, knee, and elbow regions. When light pressure is applied to any of these spots, the patient feels a severe pain. When I was first diagnosed, and even sometimes today, all it took was a light rub to have me screaming. The following are just a hand full of symptoms out of a long list, and are all of which I have personally felt: tender spots, anxiety/depression which actually causes the pain to flare up, incapacitating fatigue, widespread pain, chronic headaches, difficulty maintaining sleep, dryness in mouth as well as your nose and eyes, sensitivity to certain odors, sensitivity to weather change, sensory overload, mood swings, panic/anxiety attacks, unaccountable irritability, rapid or irregular heartbeat, hair loss, jaw pain, shortness of breath, pelvic pain, irritable bowel syndrome, difficulty speaking known words, confusion, trouble concentrating which is called brain fog, numbness or a shock feeling in your finger tips and feet, stiffness especially upon waking up in the morning, delayed reactions, unexplained weight gain/loss, muscle twitches, and diffuse swelling. Now keep in mind, I did say I have experience all these symptoms among many others and it’s only a hand full of symptoms related to Fibromyalgia.
As I have been saying throughout this blog, medication alone can’t help you. I have been on Cymbalta, Lyrica, and Savella along with many other medications. Nothing helped with at least easing the pain a bit. The most important thing is to stay active. I know it hurts and sometimes feeling unbearable but it truly does help you with the stiffness and in the long run even if it’s just a few minutes of movement. It’s also very important to manage your stress level and stay positive. I know it’s frustrating to change your ways of doing daily activities as well as dealing with the everyday pain but you must stay positive and know that you are slowly getting one step closer to achieving a better day. We know this illness will be with us for awhile so we tend to look at it as a bad thing instead of looking at the positives. You might feel pain today trying to hold a paper cup, which I went through many times and drop/broke many dishes, but one day you will be able to do it and that day will be a great day. Not to mention the strength and outlook on life you now have because of your experiences with this illness. I use to think that I was so lame to see it that way. That I should be able to hold a paper cup as well as any other glass cup but that mind set won’t help us. We must accept things for what they are and appreciate our mini victories. I could always be stuck in bed, unable to pick up my arms or walk after all. This illness taught me it’s ok to ask for help. I’m so use to taking care of others that I didn’t know I could be allowed the same treatment. I felt it made me weak or a failure and it just wasn’t something I should do since I always took care of everyone. I learned to let people in and accept that I can’t do it all. We all need support and help at times. If we can provide that for others, then we should allow others to provide that for us when we need it. This illness truly is a whole life change. It tests you emotionally, physically, mentally, and your faith.
It’s important to educate yourself on your illness. I have learned that certain foods aren’t good for us. Just like a diabetic patient who needs to control their sugar, we need to control certain foods we eat. For example, potatoes cause inflammation which our body definitely doesn’t need. Also, since Fibromyalgia causes us to have difficulty sleeping, we must find ways to get that sleep we so desperately need. I would go days unable to get any sleep, which isn’t good when we already experience fatigue and pain throughout the day, not to mention the vitamin deficiency I experience. I didn’t want to depend on more medications so I tried to find ways to relax myself. Unfortunately, I needed to get the help of a medication, which I have tried, many, but still find ways to relax myself since nothing keeps me asleep for the whole night or for long. Explore different way that may help you like: herbal teas, reading, listening to soft music, meditation, or some breathing exercises to clear the mind. People with this illness have found some comfort in acupuncture. While I tried it and saw it wasn’t really for me, I encourage others to try it since I have heard many success stories.
Exercise is an important part to managing Fibromyalgia. Staying active can help relieve pain, stress, and anxiety. The key is to start slow and listen to your body. In the beginning I could only walk a few steps and even that was unbearable but it’s better than nothing. It will be painful but you must remind yourself that this will pay off in the long run. Depending on the severity of the pain and a person’s situation, it is good to begin with stretching and low-impact activities. I know sometimes even a little stretching can hurt, don’t push yourself where you are suffering for days and unable to get out of bed, but you must push through it a little. Like any workout plan, you must be consistent in order to see results. Do as much walking as you can and also look into aqua therapy. Moving around in the pool can really help but it’s important to start with only 5 minutes and then work yourself up like any activity you will try. Just because you might feel good that moment, doesn’t mean you should push it to the limit. I have learned this all the hard way. Some other popular treatments are: massage therapy, chiropractic treatment, supplements, and herbs. Keep in mind you own personal situation and how much you can handle. What may help one person may not help another. I have tried using different vitamins, herbal remedies, and homeopathic treatments but like any medication, it doesn’t work with everyone. Also the downside to these treatments is that it takes far more time to show any affect compare to regular medications.
National Fibromyalgia Association: http://www.fmaware.org/
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