Fibromyalgia is an autoimmune condition that causes inflammation throughout the body that results in nearly constant pain and weakness in the muscles and joints. This pain can range from steady aches to stabbing pain. Reducing the inflammation in the body is essential for relieving your pain.
What are the symptoms of Fibromyalgia?
According to the Mayo Clinic the symptoms of Fibromyalgia (FM) include:
- Cognitive difficulty or Brain fog
- Fatigue
- Widespread pain
- Fibromyalgia often co-exists with other conditions, such as:
- Irritable bowel syndrome
- Chronic fatigue syndrome
- Migraine and other types of headaches
- Interstitial cystitis or painful bladder syndrome
- Temporomandibular joint disorders (TMJ)
- Anxiety
- Depression
- Postural tachycardia syndrome – When your heart rate increases rapidly upon rising from a chair or from lying down.
What do these Fibromyalgia symptoms feel like?
Cognitive Difficulty:
This feels like you are living in a fog, hence the common term “brain fog”. You can’t think straight, and focusing on a conversation is difficult. When I’m having a brain fog day, remembering simple things is very difficult and the names of things completely elude me. It makes holding a conversation very embarrassing, as I can’t come up with the words I need. I often write extensive lists for appointments or meetings I’m attending, so that I don’t forget anything I want to say. Most of my acquaintance know I have FM, so I own up to it when my thoughts are foggy. I often use my phone to show pictures, or look up the topic we are discussing so I can continue the conversation.
Brain fog days usually happen if I have not had enough sleep, so making sure I get to bed on time is essential. Doing games like Sudoku, Word searches, Wordscapes, Crossword puzzles, and Cody Cross have really helped engage my brain and improved my memory.
Another thing I have found very helpful is journaling at night before I go to bed. Our subconscious can’t tell the difference between what is real and what is not. What we tell our subconscious it will believe and start to bring forward in our waking hours. When I journal at night I write out statements like “My brain works perfectly and I will easily remember anything I need to know tomorrow.” When the fog starts creeping back into my daily life, I start writing this phrase every night, and within a few days my memory starts to improve again. I challenge you to try it too, as it’s free and you only have your memory to gain!
In addition the neurological issues that cause the brain fog can also cause balance issues. This is something you need to be careful of as it leads to falls. I have become very aware of every step I take. My eyes are constantly scanning the ground in front of me for things I may trip on. Keeping my cell phone in my pocket when I’m walking is essential. I have fallen one too many times checking my phone when it beeps! Staying consistent with my exercise regime has kept me flexible and resilient enough to not break anything. It also helps in healing my body quickly after a fall. Something as simple as stretching exercises and yoga can make a huge difference.
Fatigue:
According to the Oxford Dictionary, fatigue is extreme tiredness resulting from mental or physical exertion or illness. That for me is the worst part of Fibromyalgia, being tired all the time. My kids are teenagers now, so keeping up with them is extremely important to me. Pushing through the fatigue is part of my every day life.
Positive affirmations can really help with this. Telling myself I have more energy than I think I do and that the effort is worth it really helps. Staying away from caffeine and stimulants during these times is very important. Caffeine and stimulants often increase inflammation which only makes the situation worse. Watching my diet carefully makes a huge difference for me. I know the foods I can’t have and when I avoid them the fatigue lifts and I feel like I can conquer the world! Of course I have to be careful when those days come, as over exertion can cause a collapse the next day. Those days have become few and far between since I started following my anti-inflammatory diet and exercise plan.
Widespread Pain:
Widespread pain is an understatement with Fibromyalgia. As mentioned previously, the pain comes in all forms. The pain can be dull, sharp, constant, or infrequent. Even someone giving you a playful punch on the arm can be excruciating. For me it comes when I have gluten or dairy products. It is challenging to stick to an allergy free diet when no one else in your household has too. When I give in for efficiency sake, I pay the price for the following week. The phrase “it’s only one meal”, doesn’t apply to me. If you notice that some foods have a negative effect on you, don’t ignore it. Even if you can’t afford to have allergy tests, you are probably aware of foods that don’t agree with you.
When you experience heart burn, flatulence, bloating, belly aches, it’s because your body is trying to tell you that you are eating something you shouldn’t. Listen to your body. It knows what you need and what you don’t. Yes, it can be a major pain in public situations to not be able to eat what your friends do, but your overall health is more important than having that donut.
Ways to help the pain:
Finding a physical activity you enjoy, but doesn’t cause physical harm is important. I used to love skiing, ice skating, and rollerblading. I can’t do those activities anymore as the risk of falling has huge consequences for me. Walking, bike riding, swimming, low impact weight training, yoga, and Pilates are great ways to keep your body moving in a safe way.
Massage therapy is a must for helping get through the aches, pains and stiff muscles that come with FM. Releasing your tight muscles is what Massage therapists do best; helping you gain the flexibility you once had. I’ve been with my therapist Sybil for 10 years now. I go monthly, and even sooner if I have a fall. She has been instrumental in keeping me moving. If you are in the Medicine Hat Alberta area I highly recommend visiting Healing Hands Oasis.
Water consumption is essential for helping ease the pain of FM. Our bodies are 80% water, and need that water replenished on a regular basis. When there is insufficient water in our system, the body will pull water away from what it deems “non-essential” areas like the lips, skin, joints, and muscles. When the lubrication that water provides to the joints and muscles disappears, it causes increased pain and discomfort. Drinking at least 8 ounces of water 8 times a day will greatly help diminish the pain. If you sweat a lot or are very active, you will need to increase it.
Co-Existing Conditions:
Irritable Bowel Syndrome:
This is one of co-existing conditions that I haven’t had extensive experience with. There are certain foods that will cause me issues, but as long as I stay away from those I am fine.
Here is a great article by Ashley Welch about Everyday Tips for Living With IBS.
Chronic Fatigue Syndrome:
Chronic Fatigue Syndrome is something I do have experience with after receiving a flu shot in my 20’s. I had received the shot in my first job out of University. I ended up going on short term disability and lost my position when I couldn’t return. The western medical system was unable to help me, but the hot and cold therapy, and supplements my naturopaths gave me did! I still lost the last half of my 20’s as my body slowly healed, but by my 30’s I was back to my previous energy levels.
For me Chronic Fatigue felt like I had the flu 24/7. It has a lot of the same symptoms of FM. The muscle weakness, and constant tiredness. Finding something that I really enjoyed helped my recovery immensely. For me it was pursuing an acting career. I took acting classes, singing classes, returned to ballet classes, and auditioned as much as I could.
If your medical practitioner is unable or unwilling to help you or recognize the chronic fatigue diagnosis as mine was, seek alternative health practitioners like naturopaths that can help you regain your health. It’s not in your head, and there are ways to get your life back.
Migraine and headaches:
My migraines started while in University. These can be caused by abrupt weather changes or eating certain foods. Some of the most common migraine triggers are aspertame, msg, nutrasweet, alcohol, caffeine, chocolate, sulfites, xylitol, stevia, cheese. Even though I avoid these foods, I do still get migraines from time to time. I have found that Hot and Cold therapy is very successful in removing them. If you are interested in more information about how to use Hot and Cold therapy for migraines you can click here.
Interstitial cystitis or painful bladder syndrome:
This is one condition I have no experience with. Here is an article by Niki Wells about her experience of Living With Interstitial Cystitis.
Temporomandibular joint disorders (TMJ):
TMJ is something I’ve lived with for a long time. I tend to grind my teeth at night, so that definitely doesn’t help. The constant grinding through the night can also cause headaches. My massage therapist has been very helpful in doing TMJ massage when it gets particularly bad. You can get your dentist to have mouth guards made to help you with grinding through the night. I actually cracked a back molar through my grinding, so it became necessary for me to start wearing my mouth guard again. Although there are generic mouth guards you can buy at your local pharmacy, they can cause more problems then they prevent. Having a mouth guard designed for your teeth is highly recommended.
Anxiety:
Anxiety is something I have more experience with than I’d care to admit. I know how debilitating it can be. As a Christian we are constantly told not to fear. The bible tells us not to be afraid 365 times; that’s one time for each day of the year!!! The big question is how do you ‘not fear’ in the crazy world we live in? Trust. We need to trust in God. He says He will take care of us if we put our trust in Him.
Do you believe that God always tells the truth and cannot lie? Then we need to trust that He will do what He says He will. If you don’t trust that He will take care of you, you are calling God a liar. Once this concept was brought to my attention, I knew I had to change. I had to trust that God would take care of me. Now I take care of what I have in my control and let God take care of the rest!
Another thing that helps me control my anxiety is the phrase “So what?” So what if that imaginary scenario does play out, will it kill me? probably not. Realizing that in 5 days, months, or years the results of that situation will not matter is a huge relief to me. The question of “So what?”, also allows me to come up with answers to a rude comment or a plan B if I need one.
Overall though, I’ve realized that the scenario I set up in my mind rarely takes place, and I am continuing to discover that when I step out of my comfort zone I am capable of so much more. Doing the thing I don’t want to do always ends differently then I had imagined it would!
The importance of breathing:
Deep breaths are really helpful as well when I feel an attack is coming on. Taking a deep breath in for 8 counts, holding for 8 counts and releasing over 8 counts is very relaxing for me. It helps me center myself and gives my brain the oxygen essential for making good decisions. I can then ask myself what is making me so anxious and how best to deal with it.
In the end we need to realize that anxiety is just our brain’s way of trying to protect us from the unknown. Letting our brain know we are ok and everything will work out will go a long way to reducing our anxiety and allow us to experience more freedom in our lives.
Depression:
Depression is the opposite of anxiety, it is the constant reflection on things we regret from our past. I have spent many years in the cold grip of depression. Depression is very understandable when you have chronic disease. There is a constant struggle to get out of bed and keep going when doctors tell you there is no cure. This can easily drag you down. I can confidently say that my depression is in the past! It took commitment to monitoring my thoughts and choosing gratitude to get me to where I am today.
Knowing my worth comes from who God says I am, (not my job, where I live, or the car I drive) has been essential. God says I am His child, and that I’m a masterpiece! He feels the same way about you too! Since I know God doesn’t lie, then I have to believe that this is true. That I am a masterpiece, and should live accordingly. He has great things planned for me if I’m willing to step outside of my comfort zone and embrace it.
One of my favorite bible verses is, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” Philippians 4:13 I tell myself this every time I feel I can’t do something. Dark days still pop up from time to time, (when life seems too much) but this bible verse gets me through every time. Knowing I have a bigger purpose than just myself, helps me get back up to do what God wants me to do in this world.
Making decisions:
I also decided that I would not let my FM define who I am. Deciding to be the example of healing that no one could explain. In that decision I decided to eat as cleanly as I could, exercise consistently, and choose belief over fear. I know God has great things planned for me, and I want to be in the best shape possible to do them. When depression tries to sneak back in I know that I’ve let one of these things slip, and I adjust accordingly.
Depression Medication:
If you feel that medication is necessary to manage your depression, then I’d advise you to work with your healthcare provider to help find a medication with the least damaging side effects as possible. I do want you to know that there are alternatives to medication and you can manage your depression without it. I highly recommend the True Hope products, as they helped me transition off my antidepressant. Their Empower Plus continued to help me as I started managing my depression with cognitive therapy techniques.
In conclusion:
You are not your diagnosis. Living with a chronic illness doesn’t mean life is over. With proper management, you can have a very vibrant life! With just a few lifestyle changes, you can experience a massive reduction in pain and stiffness. If you are interested in finding out what that may look like for you, contact me at acgamero16@gmail.com.
One-on-one coaching is a great way to start building your confidence, and improve your health! I offer confidence coaching, health & lifestyle coaching, and exercise coaching. Click here for an application form and I would be happy to help you in your journey. You can also contact me at acgamero16@gmail.com or check out my website: www.nopainallgain.ca
