May is Fibromyalgia Awareness Month. So what better time to share what my experience has been with this mysterious health condition. It seems everyone with this condition has similar health issues but the severity of them varies greatly. The following is my brief history with Fibromyalgia and how I live with it.
My Journey
It took a while to be diagnosed with Fibromyalgia. Sometimes, I still don’t even believe I have it. However, it does explain a lot of the symptoms I have experienced over the last 20 years or so. I have had lots of little irritating health issues throughout my life. It started with a low back injury, then Irritable Bowel Syndrome in my twenties.
In addition, I suffered from Depression for a bit and to this day experience Anxiety. I have been on different medications over the years for all of the above. To be honest, I never found much relief from traditional medicine. Not that there’s anything wrong with that but just never seems to work for me. I do prefer to rely on lifestyle habits and healthy living as an alternative.
A few years back, I was diagnosed with Lyme Disease and Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever shortly after. After several rounds of harsh antibiotics, I started to feel somewhat better. However, I still felt the achiness in my muscles and joints as well as fatigue and gut problems. I wondered why I never felt totally healthy and why I was so tender in different spots of my body. So I continued to go about my life and just dealt with the aches, pains, and weird sensations. I saw a couple of different Naturopaths and Nutritionists who helped me tremendously.
The Fibromyalgia Diagnosis
After a stint of really not feeling great again, I decided it was time to get tested again for Lyme Disease and other auto-immune conditions. Nothing came back on the bloodwork results. I was relieved but then I was like — why don’t I feel good? Why do I still feel so horrible? I needed more answers.
My Rheumatologist suggested that it may be Fibromyalgia. I had heard of it before but never understood what it was. I don’t think a lot of people really understand– even the medical community. We discussed how all of my previous symptoms could be related and this would be a catch-all discovery. At the time I was so desperate for answers I allowed my doctor to put me on a prescription to see if it helped decrease any of the issues. She gave me 2 options to choose from – Lyrica or Cymbalta. I knew that I did not want to go on Lyrica right off the bat.
Cymbalta was the option I chose for the antidepressant effects and for pain relief. After 2 months of taking this medicine, I did not like how I felt. Besides gaining 15 pounds, it did not help me to feel any better and made me feel a little strange. After that, I decided to wean off of that medication and work on lifestyle choices.
What is Fibromyalgia?
Per the Mayo Clinic: Fibromyalgia is a disorder characterized by widespread musculoskeletal pain accompanied by fatigue, sleep, memory and mood issues. Researchers believe that fibromyalgia amplifies painful sensations by affecting the way your brain and spinal cord process painful and nonpainful signals.
Symptoms may include:
- Pain: constant dull body pain that lasts for more than 3 months
- Sleep problems
- Cognitive difficulty: it is usually referred to as fibro fog; difficulties in focusing or paying attention
- Fatigue: people with this condition often feel tired and weak, sleep for longer periods, and wakes up with pain
Other co-existing symptoms may include:
- Insomnia or waking up feeling just as tired as when you went to sleep
- Stiffness upon waking or after staying in one position for too long
- Abdominal pain, bloating, nausea, and constipation alternating with diarrhea (irritable bowel syndrome)
- Tension or migraine headaches
- Jaw and facial tenderness
- Sensitivity to one or more of the following: odors, noise, bright lights, medications, certain foods, and cold
- Feeling anxious or depressed
- Numbness or tingling in the face, arms, hands, legs, or feet
- Increase in urinary urgency or frequency (irritable bladder)
- Reduced tolerance for exercise and muscle pain after exercise
Credit: fibromyalgia symptoms – Bing
Lifestyle Changes to Help Battle Fibromyalgia
It is very true when you hear that nutrition is very powerful in treating health conditions. When I stick to low sugar, low carb, and moderate protein diet without a lot of processed foods, I feel a whole lot better. Staying away from alcohol has helped me as well. When you have a lot of inflammation in your body these changes are necessary to feel a difference. Otherwise, you are really just hurting your chances of healing and optimal health.
Let me be clear, I do believe that prescription medications are helpful for people and are not totally against them. Some people rely on these life-saving medicines in order to function and live a normal life. I am blessed to not have to be one of those people.
Exercise is also very helpful in this battle. However, I have to be careful in how much I work out and need to adjust the intensity because I do suffer from exercise intolerance. This is when you cannot recover from physical activity as a healthy person does. Lots of fatigue ensues as well as soreness that does not go away. Therefore, I have found a good balance between strength and cardio routines.
Here’s an article I wrote 10 Gentle Ways to Stay Active with Chronic Illness that provides some gentle options.
Stress Management is another must when you struggle with a chronic illness. Stress impacts every single part of our body. If you don’t have a good plan to lower your stress you are going to feel worse. Learning about self-care goes a long way in helping to deal with illness.
Areas I Focus On
There are so many other lifestyle remedies for chronic pain. I do occasionally take Advil for pain which is not good for long-term use. I take a multivitamin, Vitamin C, Vitamin D, Fish oil, Zinc, Ashwagandha, some CBD, and charcoal. I have had really good luck with Pure Encapsulations supplements.
My nutrition needs to be buttoned up and I do my best to stay away from gluten. My workouts always depend on how I feel. My goal is to do 3 to 4 days of strength training and cardio or walking the other days. I rest when I need to and don’t push myself too much. Staying active in any way helps me avoid stiffness and I need it for my mental health!
Other areas I focus on to feel my best:
- Consistent nights of quality sleep
- Positive Mindset – laughing every day is important to me!
- Spiritual connection – daily prayer and devotionals lift my spirit
- Community connection including loving friends and family
- Guided Meditation (very powerful for pain relief!)
- Healing my gut with natural supplements- L-Glutamine has helped a lot
- Consistent self-care activities – massages, journaling, music
Search for Answers
I have suffered from every single one of the above symptoms at one time or another. However, I am able to deal because of those lifestyle changes I have made for the most part. There continues to be more research on the reality of this health condition. My hope is to continue to find ways to get better or even just stay where I am at and not suffer from any progression of this disorder.
Keep searching for answers in the medical and alternative care community if you are experiencing symptoms that don’t make sense and don’t fit into the typical medical diagnosis. Ask a lot of questions.
Find a community that understands you. There are lots of Facebook groups but be mindful of the ones you join. There are some that have made me feel more anxious and weary. Either way, find what works for you. You are worth it and deserve to live somewhat of a “normal” life!
For more articles on how to deal with chronic pain and illness visit my Resource Library here!
xoxo
Jill DeMasi is a Lifestyle Blogger, Licensed Massage Therapist, and Certified Wellness Coach with a passion for helping others manage stress, chronic pain, and anxiety. Learn more about her journey and wellness practice that offers natural solutions to stress at www.AtTheHeartofWellness.com.
