Tag: fibro fridays

health

Fibro Fridays: Resources for Chronic Pain Sufferers

MstldelanoLeave a comment

Over the past year, I’ve compiled quite a few resources that I’ve used regularly. These resources consistently provide reliable information and guidance for handling the next steps in my health journey.

Untitled design (12)

One of the first resources I uncovered is The Fibromyalgia Digest. This is an excellent website that provides information related to obtaining government benefits if you suffer from chronic pain. Their team is very proactive about reaching out to digest subscribers and offering assistance. I most benefited from the website’s encouragement to keep a log of my daily symptoms to identify trends and keep track of what treatments work best.

WANA is We Are Not Alone, an app that provides a virtual community for chronic illness sufferers. Users can connect based on similar illness or specific symptoms.  What’s really cool is how the app lets users learn more about traditional medical treatment as well as explore alternative treatment options.

Fibromyalgia Association of Michigan is a great resource for learning about the most recent research on fibromyalgia and treatments. I usually follow their Facebook page for updates, but the main website is fantastic, too: you can easily get updates from the blog within the website.

I hope these websites can help you! This chronic illness journey doesn’t have to be a solo one: there is support for us.

That;s all for this week! I’ll talk to you all soon. Take care!

health · life curation

Fibro Friday – Unexpected Fibromyalgia Symptoms

MstldelanoLeave a comment

As promised in a previous post, I’m devoting Fridays to fibromyalgia and all of the information, advice, support, and discoveries that I’ve had during my fibro journey.

Today, I’m discussing some of the unexpected fibro symptoms that I’ve noted in the past year. The most common symptoms – fatigue, muscle aches, mental fog – are well known, but there are quite a few others that I feel are worth noting.

Untitled design (5)

  • Hypersensitivity to heat and cold – I found myself unable to enter certain grocery stores due to the extreme cold within certain sections of the store. Even though summers here in Virginia are scorching, I couldn’t bear to go from the heat to the air-conditioned stores. Then, during the winter, I found myself quickly adjusting my thermostat because a little too much heat would trigger intense sweats. I’m glad that my medication has given me some relief from this particular symptom, but I still notice that those sensitivities have to be actively managed (dressing in layers so I can quickly adjust to the temperatures of whatever place I’m visiting).

Untitled design (3)

  • Pronounced thirst – I find myself drinking a LOT of water. And it seems like sometimes I can’t drink enough water to quench my thirst. I suppose it’s a good thing that I’m drinking more water, but it also gets annoying. It’s also important to be careful: too much water can be harmful to the body. So I have to also make sure that I get as much of my “water” from fresh fruit as possible. Which leads to my next point . . .

Untitled design (4)

  • Taste for “light” (fresh) foods – I’ve found myself wanting very “light” foods all of the time. I crave foods that can digest easily and leave me feeling light and refreshed. Don’t get me wrong I still enjoy the heady delights that can be found in Thai, Indian and Ethiopian cuisine. But over the past several months, I’ve craved smoothies, salads and other “light” foods that are gentle on my digestion. I think this may be because fibro is usually associated with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and, while I don’t have IBS, I still prefer foods that aren’t too taxing on my somewhat more sensitive digestive system.

Those are just a few of the symptoms that I’ve experienced that I suspect are related to my fibro. There are several more, but these were the most pronounced symptoms that I rarely saw mentioned when researching fibro.

That’s it for the week! I hope you all are well and continuing to take care of yourselves. Have a great weekend.

health · life curation

How I’m Managing Anxiety Right Now

MstldelanoLeave a comment

During this time, I continue to surprise myself with how calm and level-headed I have been. Yes, I know that having many privileges and blessing (comfortable home, enough food, adequate finances, family in good health) factor into my relatively anxiety-free state. But, I’m also actively managing my anxiety levels because I’m very susceptible to low moods and bouts of nervousness that can easily aggravate my fibromyalgia and trigger a flare-up of my symptoms.

For starters, I’ve tried to maintain my normal schedule as much as possible. Remaining committed to a regular schedule can really help you feel “in control” of your circumstances and more relaxed as a result. Along with good nutrition and continuing to take my pain management medications, I also have been incorporating yoga into my routine several times per week. I find that doing stretches and sensing the areas of tension in my body have been crucial in learning to relax and manage my anxiety.

Untitled design (1)

I pour my feelings into a journal in order to give myself some relief. I have designed over 100 journals that I absolutely love, and I have happily used several of them to capture my musings and to help me manage anxious feelings whenever they arise. I’m glad that I haven’t had to use them daily, but whenever it’s needed, it’s good to know that this method is available to me and it’s effective.

I’m also taking a supplement that I purchased from a local health food store. I cannot guarantee that this supplement will give you amazing results, but I find that it gives me some relief, especially when I’m experiencing fibro symptoms. This hypericum performatum is great and I’ve enjoyed using it occasionally. I’ve found that it really does help with my symptoms

How are you all managing your anxiety right now? Please let me know in the comments below!

 

 

 

*Affiliate links are featured in this article.

 

health · life curation

Fibro Friday – Do You Have Fibromyalgia? Getting Properly Diagnosed

MstldelanoLeave a comment

Welcome to the very first Fibro Friday! I’m hopeful that this series will provide valuable information and tips for other fibromyalgia sufferers, and it’s my sincere desire that my experiences with fibro will help someone else get back on the track to wellness.

*** Disclaimer – none of this is intended as medical advice. Please consult a licensed physician for a professional opinion. ***

The singular toughest part of my fibromyalgia journey was getting a proper diagnosis. There are still a lot of care providers that don’t know how to properly interpret fibromyalgia symptoms, and as a result, patients spend a lot of time suffering before there is a conclusive diagnosis. Even once patients receive a diagnosis, there are some care providers that treat fibro as some “strange” illness that only requires antidepressants and stress reduction to “clear up”. There is even a subset of care providers that deny the existence of fibro altogether.

researcher

On your health journey, you may end up doing a LOT of research.

Let’s be clear: fibromyalgia is a REAL condition, with devastating symptoms. There is still a lot of mystery around why it occurs and how to best treat it, nonetheless, it is real. The challenging part is, again, diagnosing it.

So, how can you determine if you may have fibromyalgia? If you have any of the following symptoms for at least 3 months, then you may suffer from the condition (an asterisk beside the symptom means that I personally experienced it as a fibro sufferer):

  • body aches , soreness or general pain, especially in the back, neck and shoulders *
  • morning stiffness *
  • exhaustion that doesn’t seem to let up *
  • sharp pains or pins and needles sensations *
  • feeling “sick” but not suffering from a cold *
  • may experience virus-like symptoms (feels like the flu) but can’t seem to get better *
  • suffer from extra tiredness and muscle pain after only slight exertion *
  • sensitivity to heat or cold *
  • anxiety, depression, nervousness, moodiness *
  • headaches *
  • sleep problems (can’t get to sleep, can’t stay asleep) *
  • forgetfulness, difficulty concentrating *
  • stomach issues (bloating, nausea, constipation, excessive gas) *
  • painful cramps
  • restless legs syndrome

You may have just one or all of these symptoms. I know that I often felt like I had the flu: I’d often complain of feeling like I got “hit by a truck” and, while the feeling lessened as the day went on, the overall “sick” feeling never went away completely. I was so tired that I couldn’t get out of bed on some days, and the headaches would occasionally be so intense that they could stop me mid-sentence and have me holding my head and I’d seize up from the pain. Nausea, sensitivity to heat and cold (I can’t go into the frozen section of some stores without a jacket because the air makes my body ache), and sleep issues (waking up every two or so hours) are just the tip of the iceberg.

If you have any of the symptoms and suspect you may have fibromyalgia, your best bet is to start with your primary care physician (PCP) and ask for a referral to a neurologist or rheumatologist. Your PCP can do preliminary testing to rule out other conditions (anemia – which often exists concurrently with fibromyalgia – or thyroid disease come to mind), but an examination by a specialist (like a neurologist or rheumatologist) will give you more conclusive results. If your PCP’s testing reveals that you have some other condition, try the treatments for that first, and see if you get some relief/improvement of symptoms. If not, it may be time to see a specialist.

Fibromyalgia is diagnosed through the process of elimination. After autoimmune conditions and other diseases are determined to be nonexistent, then a patient can be diagnosed as having fibro. If it takes you months or years to get to this point, take heart: I started having the worst of my symptoms at the end of October 2018, and I was diagnosed by February 2019. However, these symptoms first showed up (in a milder form) back in 2014/2015, at which time I went to a rheumatologist. The rheumatologist tested me for lupus, and when the tests came back negative, she sent me on my way and didn’t bother to examine me for any other conditions. Imagine how much further along I could have been if this had been addressed properly back then! Ah well: here’s hoping my experience helps you to shorten the time on getting a proper diagnosis.

In short, take a look at your symptoms, and see how long you’ve had them. If it’s been more than 3 months, ask your PCP for a blood test and, if that comes back okay, then ask for a referral to a rheumatologist or neurologist for additional testing. Let the specialist know that you suspect that you have fibromyalgia: they’ll know which tests to do, in order to rule out other conditions.

I know this is a pretty long post, but the next ones will probably be a bit shorter. I just had to let it be known that you’re not crazy, your symptoms aren’t just “in your head”, and a proper diagnosis is the first step on your path to wellness.

 

life curation · Uncategorized

It Feels Great To Be BACK!

Mstldelano3 Comments

Hi my dear friends! I’m so happy to be BACK on the blog! As you may recall from my last post, I’d been experiencing some health issues that were making it difficult for me to keep up with my blogging schedule. To be honest, I didn’t feel like getting out of bed on most days, and even little tasks felt like huge chores, so blogging fell WAY down on my list of priorities.

caef757f-2fe2-48f2-af30-d08ee7be58d1

Smiling because it’s great to be back!

After experiencing some pretty dreadful symptoms for several months, I was relieved when I finally got a diagnosis. I have fibromyalgia, a disorder that affects your entire body and causes widespread pain, fatigue, difficulty concentrating, and a host of other symptoms. I’ve read countless articles and found that most doctors agree that this is a neurological disorder and not a joint/muscle issue. I often find myself needing a lot of rest and even small, stressful situations can lead to a “flare up”, where my symptoms are more intense and I find it difficult to function. When I experience “flares”, I have to rest more and use stronger pain medication in order to get some relief.

Through all of this, I feel truly blessed. Yes, this condition is annoying and I wish I didn’t have it. But, I have a wonderful support system, and I recently moved into my first home, which is much closer to my care providers. My new home is beautiful and serene, and being in this setting has contributed tremendously to my overall health. I’m so fortunate that I have an understanding workplace that allows me to work from home as needed. And now, after making a few changes with my providers, I finally have a healthcare team that has given me the treatments and tools to feel better daily.

This experience has taught me SO much and I am excited to share these lessons with you all. I feel like I have a new lease on life! Now, I still have pain occasionally, and I have to monitor my symptoms daily so that I know what I need and how to best care for myself. But simply KNOWING that I’m not just tired or stressed has been such a relief. Knowing that I have an actual condition that is medically recognized and treatable means that this isn’t “all in my head”, and if other people are experiencing this, then that means I’m not alone, and there’s a good chance that that are treatment options that can really help me minimize my symptoms.

So I’m BACK! All of my posts won’t be about fibro: I’m going to leave those discussions strictly for Fridays, which will be (for now) Fibro Fridays. I’m excited to share self-care tips, lessons, and more information that I’ve gotten since learning about this condition. I look forward to sharing this journey with you all, as well as resuming my art, music, luxury, and lifestyle posts! Take care!