Fibromyalgia and TMJ are two completely different conditions, but seem to travel together. Many people with fibromyalgia often suffer from jaw pain and have TMJ symptoms. People with chronic fatigue syndrome are often seen to struggle with TMJ as well. High occurrences of TMJ have been reported with people who suffer from fibromyalgia – which can affect the jaw muscles, jaw joints and can cause myofascial pain to arise. A study revealed that many people who have a fibromyalgia diagnosis tend to grind/clench their teeth more then those who do not have fibromyalgia.
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Last spring I had gone to the doctor because my jaw was extremely sore, clicking and locking in place. I had heard of TMJ, but never experienced having it myself. It can become rather uncomfortable and very painful at times. This attack was caused by high stress levels. My doctor advised me that my job was to go home rest my jaw, apply heat and try to destress. However, the stressful situation was beyond my control! Since this incident took place my jaw has been clicking and locking ever since. On Boxing Day, I was eating popcorn, and my jaw decided to lock when I bit down and when I opened my mouth it forced it to unlock suddenly. The pain was unbearable. I don’t even have the words to describe how it felt. All I know is after I had an instant migraine. It is still extremely sore and my jaw feels out of place.
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Symptoms of TMJ:
TMJ can cause many other issues and symptoms to arise. Believe it or not a sore throat, is a common complaint by many. People can even experience pain behind their eyes – your jaw muscles are attached to the jaw from behind your eye sockets. Decreased hearing is also possible. TMJ can cause swelling in your jaw and jaw muscles. The swelling can interfere with your eustachian tubes – causing these tubes in your ear to be congested. Below is an image that lists quite a few symptoms that we may not consider being signs of TMJ.
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How to help relieve TMJ.
1. Heat or ice. Applying either heat or ice to the affected side of the jaw will help relieve pain and any swelling of the jaw joint.
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2. Avoid overuse of the jaw muscles. Try to eat only soft food and cut food into smaller pieces.
3. Stretching and massaging the area. If are able visit your doctor or dentist, they may be able to help guide you in exercises to help TMJ. You can also find some helpful videos on youtube on stretches to help heal and relieve the pain.
4. Acupuncture can possibly be used to help with TMJ. I do not know much about acupuncture.
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4. Over the counter pain medications may be needed to help relief pain. In some cases anti inflammatories may be needed or a muscle relaxant.
5. Depending on what is causing your TMJ, you may need a mouthguard. Some people form TMJ from grinding their teeth.
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6. Lower stress levels. If you are experiencing high levels of stress, clenching your terth together from being tense will cause TMJ ton arise. Take time for self care or use some stress relief techniques to help ( deep breathing)
When I first started attending sessions with an occupational therapist a few months ago she directed me to listen to ten minutes of music a day. Not just listen to music in the background, but listen to the actual lyrics. I was so confused because I thought an occupational therapist would help me brainstorm strategies to help make tasks easier to complete. Music therapy is often used in many circumstances – even to help chronic pain sufferers.
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Music therapy has many benefits. It can help lower stress, reduce anxiety and can be used as a motivator. Do you ever turn music on when you are cleaning or working at completing another task!? Music motivates us! Music has many different genres – each genre has a different sound, beat and speed. Everyone likes different types of music . I often have music playing during the day. Music often brings me comfort and helps me relax.
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Scientists actually conducted a study on how music could benefit people with fibromyalgia and the findings are rather interesting. The study revealed that music helps reduce pain and increases functional mobility. The increased functional mobility seemed to be highly related to the music induced analgesia. Researchers found that self selected music proficiently decreased pain levels versus music selected by the researchers for the patients. In other words, listening to music you enjoy helps decrease pain levels. In another analysis researchers found that there was a significant decrease in pain from day 1 to day 14. The participants in the control group – there was no significant decrease in pain. Listening to music you enjoy also releases opioids into your brain and spreads through out your body. This acts as a natural pain reliever – reduces pain levels while you enjoy music.
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You can also use music as a means of meditation. I often listen to music when I walk. I was told listening to the lyrics attentively can act as a way to meditate. Meditation doesn’t always have to be sitting with your legs crossed with your eyes closed. I also used the music lyrics as a way to be more mindful. Instead of allowing my thoughts to take over, I concentrated on the music lyrics. Music is a great way to lower stress, anxiety and is proven to help stabilize one’s mental health. Experts often say people with fibromyalgia need to learn routes to help lower stress levels. If you enjoy music, why not use it as a way to help calm your mind!
Does fibromyalgia weaken our immune system?! We are usually told it doesn’t, but sometimes I wonder how accurate this information is. Doctors never seem to share the studies done on fibromyalgia. Why is it when we do get sick, it feels 3x as bad!?! At least for myself it does. Fibromyalgia seems to amplify whatever illness you are battling off at the time. I also find that it takes me longer to recover. I just got the news yesterday that I tested positive for strep throat. I’ve had strep throat several times before my fibromyalgia diagnosis. Now it feels like the symptoms of strep are worse. I know the strains of the strep virus change and alter overtime and become stronger, but I also feel like my body does not handle getting sick very well anymore.
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Does fibromyalgia cause our immune system to be weak!? Even though we are told by doctors that fibromyalgia doesn’t weaken our immune system, are our doctors familiar with research and studies being done on fibromyalgia?!! According to a study completed, various reports prove that fibromyalgia does in fact weaken our immune system. A study revealed that patients with fibromyalgia were exhibiting higher white blood cell count and cytokines ( immune cells) then people without fibromyalgia.
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A similar study reported that fibromyalgia weakens our brains immune system. A reduced blood flow to the brains pain center results and affects neuron receptors. This will lead to increased pain , and higher stress levels. Your immune system will become weak and and will be incapable of fighting off bacteria.
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People with fibromyalgia often have lower cortisol ( primary stress hormone) levels. Lower cortisol levels cause an increased level of estrogen to form in the body. Estrogen is seen to have a strong effect on the immune system. When there are high levels of estrogen in the body, the immune system is more likely to have an autoimmune response. This series of events causes progestin in the body to decrease. When progestin is low our immune system may tend to flare a lot . The fluctuation of these hormone levels are know to weaken our immune system. ( 2021 study showed an immune response was found).
Other factors that can also lower ones immune system are lack of sleep which people with fibromyalgia often battle and chronic fatigue levels. When people with fibromyalgia get sick with a cold, flu, sinus infection or in my case strep throat, it puts extra stress on our body. The stress our body feels from being sick can trigger a fibromyalgia flare. The flare up can intensify both fibromyalgia symptoms and illness symptoms all at once making it feel like you are even sicker! It is best to prevent getting sick. If you do get sick, self care is needed. Be sure to take care of yourself!
We are often told activities such as yoga and tai chi are good choices for people with fibromyalgia. Our doctors or any other health care provider involved share this information with us in hopes that it will help ease our fibromyalgia. We rarely stop to question this information because all we want is some relief from the excruciating pain. However, do these activities really help improve fibromyalgia symptoms?
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I was one of those people who thought yoga could possibly help benefit me instead of allowing my pain levels to run my life. I immediately went out and bought a few books on yoga – beginners yoga and yoga for chronic pain. I also looked up yoga videos on Youtube. Now, I am not a yoga fanatic, in fact I find it boring instead of relaxing. I tried to get into yoga before my fibromyalgia diagnosis and never was successful. However, I thought if it would help relieve the pain, why not try to learn to like it. I was desperate for any relief I could find. I soon realized I couldn’t get into most of the yoga poses without extreme pain. I eventually gave up. I started researching yoga recently as I thought about trying it again. I found some interesting facts about yoga and fibromyalgia. Does yoga really help fibromyalgia!!?
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Yoga is often recommended because it is a gentle intervention to help stretch tight muscles and joints. Yoga can also help build up strength. According to a study in 2011, participants didn’t report a reduction of pain and fatigue caused by their fibromyalgia. In 2013, an analysis revealed yoga helped reduce sleep disturbances, depression and improved their quality of life. However, again researchers concluded there was not enough evidence to confirm a link between yoga and reduced fibromyalgia symptoms. As far as I can see, there has been no further studies done on yoga and fibromyalgia
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Conclusion – there is not enough evidence to prove yoga is an effective treatment option for fibromyalgia relief. Don’t get me wrong, yoga does have it’s benefits, but is yoga really the right route for people with fibromyalgia!? If it hasn’t actually been proven by scientists to help reduce fibromyalgia symptoms why are we being recommended to take part in yoga!? With inconclusive findings, researchers state yoga MAY help relieve fibromyalgia pain, but there is no solid proof! I would suggest try yoga to see if it benefits you. If it does, continue to take part in yoga!
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Tai chi on the other hand has proof it is an effective activity to help fibromyalgia symptoms. Tai chi combines meditation, deep breathing and gentle slow motions. For myself I found tai chi too slow for my liking. I could never really get into the flow. Maybe this is because I find meditation exercises and deep breathing very difficult to do. Meditation requires a great deal of concentration which I lack. The study concluded that tai chi is as effective as aerobic exercises – if not a better choice for relieving fibromyalgia symptoms. The participants in this study filled out questionnaires at the end of the study. The information collected on the questionnaires reported decreased fibromyalgia symptoms – improvements in pain intensity, fatigue, physical function, depression, anxiety, morning tiredness and over all well being.
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My thought is even if there is not proven findings that yoga helps your fibromyalgia symptoms – if you find it helps your fibromyalgia, keep doing it! Everyone will benefit differently from each and every route tried. After all, all we want is some relief from the constant pain. There are many videos on yoga for fibromyalgia on Youtube that you can access for free.
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Here are the links to the studies carried out on yoga and tai chi:
Do you get random skin rashes with fibromyalgia!? These rashes can be painful, bumpy, raised, itchy and you may even experience your skin crawling. I often experience these rashes. I even broke out in a fibromyalgia rash just sitting at the doctor’s office. Since I was already at the doctor’s office I decided to show my doctor the rash that appeared out of no where. My doctor thought I had been scratching the area, but I had not scratched it once. It appeared red, inflamed and felt hot. I was always so puzzled to why I got random rashes. Sometimes the rashes look like heat rashes, but are actually not caused by sweating.
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Not everyone with fibromyalgia will develop rashes, but many people do. Rashes can appear at anytime anywhere on the body. Some fibromyalgia rashes can become so sensitive it is difficult to even sleep. If you are like me you often wonder what can cause these rashes to appear. The exact cause to the rashes has never been determined, but there are several factors that may contribute to a rash arising.
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Possible causes of why fibromyalgia rashes appear:
1. Medications you are on to help treat your fibromyalgia symptoms could be the culprit. Talk to your doctor of pharmacist to discuss whether your medications could possibly be causing the rashes to appear. I would advise getting any rash checked if you are unsure.
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2. Signals in your central nervous system (brain, spinal cord and nerves). Your brain could possibly be sending out “itch” signals to the nerves in your skin. Your skin will become oversensitive. The result of your skin becoming oversensitive will create a sensation of itchiness.
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3. Chemical imbalances. A chemical imbalance in the brain could trigger a rash to appear. When you scratch an itch your brain will respond by releasing serotonin which helps stop the pain or itchiness. However, the more you scratch the more you itch. The more scratching and itching you do the more serotonin levels increase. The itching and scratching cycle can possibly lead to worse skin pain linked to fibromyalgia. Researchers completed a study on mice that showed the release of serotonin made the itchiness in mice worse. The higher the serotonin levels are the more you itch which then results in a rash forming.
Food for thought… there are a lot of medications used to lower pain levels which have serotonin in them. Do these medications create the same response?!? The higher the dose, the more serotonin levels we have causing a rash to form?!?
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4. Is an immune response responsible for creating the rash?! If this is true your immune system believes the proteins under your skin are foreign invaders. This would promote your immune system to release histamine which would increase skin sensitivity, which results in a rash. There has been no research on this hypothesis as of yet.
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How to manage a fibromyalgia rash. ..
1. Avoid scratching the rash even if it is itchy. The more you scratch, the worse the rash becomes.
2. Apply a cold cloth or compress. The cold will reduce swelling and any pain. It may even help reduce the itchiness.
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3. Apply a hydrocortisone cream. It will prevent a histamine reaction from taking place and help reduce itchiness and help relieve the rash.
4. Avoid using extremely hot water to shower. Use lukewarm water instead. Using lukewarm water will help soothe the rash.
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5. If you have dry skin, use moisturizing lotions to prevent itchiness. Dry skin can lead to a rash forming.
Don’t always assume your skin rashes are caused by fibromyalgia. Always take the time to go talk to your doctor or pharmacist. You could be having an allergic reaction instead. I bet just reading this article makes you itchy!
Anybody who knows me, knows how spontaneous I used to be prior to being diagnosed with fibromyalgia. I used to jump in my vehicle and take random road trips. I would stop and site see everywhere along the way. I used to join friends at the last minute to watch their child play hockey or go for a coffee and chat for hours. I used to be able to plan my weekends days in advance. Reality – I can no longer do this living with fibromyalgia.
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Living with chronic pain makes making any plans difficult. Fibromyalgia is a very unpredictable condition. I find myself always cancelling plans because the pain slowly creeps in and takes over, or the chronic fatigue decides to attack. Better yet, a whole new symptom appears out of nowhere and I am left scrambling trying to figure out how to manage it.
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For example, if a friend calls me randomly asking me to go for lunch or coffee I will most likely decline because I just can’t do spontaneous anymore. I often decline due to the fact I fear while we are out, I will suddenly not feel good. I’m always scared fibromyalgia will attack while I’m out and I won’t be able to get myself home. This is not an excuse to not spend time friends. It is a true fear and my reality! When my fibromyalgia decides to attack, I know I have to go home immediately and lay down. If I do not I will send myself into a full blown flare that will last for days. Even if I do accept the invitation, it takes a lot of planning. I have to make sure the restaurant has softer chairs or booths because seating without cushioning makes my body hurt. I have also developed a sensitivity to noise and smells. If the music is loud or there are a lot of people talking in the background – it becomes overwhelming and my anxiety levels begin to rise.
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Even a planned relaxing weekend away can be exhausting. Travelling when you have a chronic illness takes a lot of preparation. Most people when they travel take clothing and toiletries – maybe a few other items. Pretty easy right!? Packing when you factor in a chronic illness takes way more planning. It is almost like I need a whole suitcase to accommodate my “pharmacy”. I have to pack so many different items just in case the pain decides to attack or any other symptoms I suffer from arise. From different sized heating pads to neck pillows all have to be packed. I have a full cosmetic bag of medications I have to take along. I dare not leave any behind because I know what will happen if I do. The one bottle of muscle relaxants I use as last resort I will need the next day! By the time you run every possible scenario through your head – and pack all the necessary items you are exhausted just from packing and mentally drained. I tend to pack days in advance so it isn’t all rushed right before we leave.
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Friendships are often lost due to the fact that we can’t plan ahead nor be spontaneous. Please know that if I have agreed to meet up for a coffee and suddenly cancel – it is not on purpose. I am not just making up an excuse, or avoiding you. Fibromyalgia truly does run my life. You may not be able to see how sick I feel. If I try to make plans with you it is because you are important and I value our friendship. A friend of mine called me and as per usual I declined going out for supper. Instead she brought supper to me and we had a great visit!
When I got diagnosed with fibromyalgia I bought the book “Let that Sh*t Go” – written by Nina Purewal and Kate Petriw. This book has been an eye opener and has helped me look at life differently. In one of the chapters they write about how self love is selfless. The chapter begins by having you imagine that you just woke up and so many thoughts begin to flow – listing off everything you need to do that today. Instead of getting ready and jumping right into that to do list, what if you started your day off with something you absolutely enjoy like reading a book for 30 minutes before begin that long list of yours?!! How do you think the rest of your day would pan out!?!
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I decided to put it to the test to see if it really made a difference. Instead of worrying about housework, what I would cook for supper, ect – or in my case what wouldn’t get done due to high pain levels and fatigue, I allowed myself to watch an episode of a favorite tv show, listened to music or a couple chapters of my audiobook. I found taking time to start my day this way made a huge difference. I was able to handle most high pain days a little better. Not everyday, but most. Being on disability, my schedule allowed me to be able to do this. I know lots of you reading this may not have the opportunity to do something just for yourself first thing in the morning, but what about a few small things throughout the day? Even calling your best friend for 5 minutes can be considered self care or take a minute to take a deep breathe in and out. The authors of this book, explain the purpose of starting your day by doing a self care activity, is so that you don’t start your day overwhelmed and anxious. Instead of trying to pour from an empty cup, you start your day with a full cup. For those of you who have not heard this saying, it basically means you can’t take care of others ( or in this case your to do list) unless you first take care of yourself!
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I believe the saying is true to its words. How can you go to work and be productive, care for your family, coach hockey, be supportive to friends ect. if you are running on empty all of the time?!? The answer is you can’t – or at least not effectively. Not taking time for self care actually has many negative effects. We will notice that when we get run down, and don’t stop to take a break, we often get sick more often. When we don’t slow down, we feel overwhelmed, exhausted and anxious when things don’t go our way. At least I do. Being stressed can create tense muscles and headaches to form. For people with fibromyalgia, adding tense muscles from stress is not going to help our pain levels, but will result with increased pain.
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Self care is a very important aspect in anyone’s life , but for those who have a chronic illnesses such as fibromyalgia, it becomes necessary for survival. Life gets so hectic that many people forget to incorporates self care routines into their lives. Making time for selfcare has proven to be beneficially. Self care helps reduce or eliminate stress, anxiety and depression. It can also increase your mental health and self esteem, along with improving your physical health. These are just a few benefits to practicing self care. There are many other benefits.
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Taking some time for yourself, will help you be in a “happy zone” which then tends to have a trickle down effect. Ever had one of those days where everything goes wrong? One incident after the other seems to take place? Now imagine yourself starting that day over, but starting it by doing a self care activity first. You begin your day with your cup full. The result will most likely be that you will handle your day completely different. The coffee you spilled all over your meeting notes in your office may not seem like such a big deal. Your child missing the bus home may not throw you over the edge. Why? because you took the time to start your day by taking care of yourself!
Why does fibromyalgia get worsen in colder weather? Many fibromyalgia sufferers report that they experience heightened symptoms and more flares during the winter months. I’m also one of those people that the cold weather affects drastically. As soon as fall begins the fatigue gets extremely bad, so bad that I have a difficult time functioning to complete simple tasks. Once the fatigue sets in the pain slowly increases. Each day that goes by the more pain I experience. With the increased pain, many sleepless nights result and the chronic fatigue sets in further. The fatigue causes a whole other set of issues such as daily sore throats, fever, swollen lymph nodes and migraines. The list goes on and on. What really causes fibromyalgia to become worse in the winter?
My thoughts:
1. We are less active during the winter months because of the cold weather. At least I know I am. This year I have an intolerance to the cold so I tend to stay home more. Even walking from my vehicle into a store leaves me chilled, and takes me forever to warm up. This winter I’m trying to go swimming to see if it lowers the pain levels. Swimming is always recommended to help fibromyalgia pain. I am also utilizing the mall as a place to walk since its too cold out for me to walk outside. Could lower activity during the winter be the cause to why we hurt more!?!
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2. Changing weather. I find our weather changes so drastically over the winter months the last few years. The changes in weather will cause the barometric pressure to also change. One day we will have -30c weather and then the next day it can be -2c. Barometric pressure has been known to irritate sensitive nerves in ones body( usually at lower readings). Could this contribute to the increased fibromyalgia symptoms?! I don’t have the knowledge to explain further. I am still currently doing research on barometric pressure. I just know weather affects my fibromyalgia drastically.
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3. People with fibromyalgia often suffer from anxiety or depression. Not everyone with fibromyalgia will, but lots do. Research often reports higher cases of anxiety and depression caused by lack of sunlight during the winter months. Can anxiety and depression heighten the symptoms of fibromyalgia? It sure can! When one experiences anxiety or depression, it results as a stressor to your body! People with fibromyalgia will know that stress to the body will create more symptoms or flares to form. If you didn’t know, you do now.
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4. If you have arthritis in your joints, cold weather can cause joints to become inflamed. The inflamed joints can make fibromyalgia pain feel even more intense. I often wonder if I have arthritis in my hands. I had an MRI done to rule out MS and the MRI revealed I have the start of arthritis in my neck, so I wouldn’t be surprised if I have it in other joints as well.
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Hacks to get through winter the winter with fibromyalgia…
1. Dress in layers! I live in Canada so our winter months can be brutally cold. We go through extreme cold snaps where I’ve seen -50 c cold warnings. If you have to go out in such cold temperatures, I would recommend layering clothes. This is the first year I’ve bought insulating pants to wear under my clothes. Avoid getting a chill is the best prevention.
From one of my favorite Christmas movies. “A Christmas story.”
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2. Hand and toe warmers. These can be a life saver when it is extremely cold. You can tuck these warmers into your gloves to keep your fingers from getting cold and put them in your footwear as well. Almost like a mini heating pad.
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3. Heated gloves. When I was shopping at a few stores I noticed there are various winter mittens and gloves you can buy that have rechargeable heaters built into the gloves. I do not own a pair, but next winter I think I will invest in a pair!
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4. Stores also sell heated winter coats now. Same concept like the heated gloves. Small Rechargeable heated devices are located through the coat. Only problem is they can be very pricy!
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5. Buy winter footwear that has a temperature rating for extreme temperature. Last year I had bought a pair of Sorell winter boots, but my feet still got cold. My boyfriend bought me a pair of Bog winter boots and I can’t believe the difference this brand makes. Not only are they comfortable to wear, but they are well insulated and have a rating of extreme cold weather to -50c!!
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6. Use heated blankets, heating pads or take a warm bath to help relieve the winter chill from your body. I’ve been using my heated blanket a-lot lately. It sure helps warm me up quickly and soothes the pain! Some people would rather have a hot bath to help warm up and relax.
Just a blog to make you think deeper. I attended an online fibromyalgia summit not long ago. Dr. Whitten spoke along side Dr. Murphree. Both these gentlemen treat fibromyalgia patients in the United States. The information in the video I watched made me think on a different level.
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Food for thought…
We all know there is no cure for fibromyalgia, but what about treatment options ?!? Finding a treatment or routine that helps improve your fibromyalgia symptoms can be tricky. Looking at my own journey I have realized I haven’t really ever found that treatment route that works – especially when symptoms appear when they feel like it. I feel like no matter how much I try to prevent fibromyalgia symptoms , I’m fighting a losing battle. I’ve come to realize that my body will do what it wants to do and it’s hard to rein it back. You learn to deal with your symptoms day by day as you never know which symptoms will be prevalent that day.
Question:
Fibromyalgia is considered neurological at this point, so how do we rewire our brain so we don’t feel pain so intense?
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If fibromyalgia is really caused by our brain misreading signals, how do we think we will be able to control it or change it? Ever been driving to the store and your mind wanders and you find yourself thinking about other things? “I really should finish that assignment for work. What should I buy at the store? I should really be cleaning. I can’t forget my best friends birthday on the weekend.” We usually don’t even realize our brain is thinking up thoughts without us thinking. Interesting, isn’t it? This is our chatty brain talking. If we cant even shut off our chatty brain, how do we make our brain not misread signals ?!! Technically we can help limit our mind from wandering by “living in the moment.” It takes a lot of redirection of our thoughts. If our brain is stuck in fight mode (fight or flight) how do we rewire our brain so we can increase our pain threshold? I asked the following two questions to most health care providers I have seen and I have never been giving any answers. I don’t have the answers to these questions. Just a few questions for you to ponder over.
*”Pain threshold is the minimum intensity at which a person begins to perceive, or sense, a stimulus as being painful. Pain tolerance, is the maximum amount, or level, of pain a person can tolerate or bear.”
1. How does one raise that pain threshold without causing excruciating pain, chronic fatigue or flares to arise!?!
2. How does one create a successful treatment plan without the pain going out of control?
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I was often told to raise the pain threshold level by slowly adding time to activities or tasks, but I found this unsuccessful. Example: adding 30 extra seconds a week to your walking ability may help raise your tolerance slowly. Some people may add time to their activity every few days, but I found this to be physically demanding on my body causing increased pain levels to arise. For myself, this strategy would just backfire and cause me to flare, even if I stopped before I hit my pain threshold line. After three years of trying to incorporate this strategy, I can say it has failed. No matter the time increments I can’t seem to get passed being able to walk longer distances. Don’t forget, everyone’s body will respond differently. Just because it didn’t work for me, doesn’t mean it wont work for you. Give it a try! You can alter this strategy however you want.
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Health care providers mentioned using yoga to help raise the pain threshold. Yoga incorporates meditation, physical poses along with mental training. Many people without fibromyalgia take part in fibromyalgia and find it relaxing along with many increased health benefits. These benefits include increased muscle strength, flexibility, energy, weight reduction and energy. However, for people with fibromyalgia it can become very difficult to get in the “zone” to concentrate enough to take part in yoga. Being able to meditate can be difficult on its own, but factor in chronic pain and fatigue levels makes it even harder. For myself, I found yoga too slow for my liking and I couldn’t even get into half the yoga poses due to pain levels increasing. How does one find the benefit of yoga with difficulties concentrating and have limited motion /flexibility to get into the yoga poses is beyond me. I even started with the easy poses and had a difficult time. Yoga may benefit some people, but it wasn’t for me.
There may be more strategies out there, but these are the only two I was ever introduced to.
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If our pain, fatigue or flare ups increase drastically during treatment routes, I personally think that this is a failed treatment route. I’m not a believer in the “no pain, no gain” saying when it comes to fibromyalgia. First of all I live with daily pain, why would I do something that causes further pain to result!? My goal is to decrease pain levels not cause further pain from forming. When we live with pain levels that are 10/10 why would I want to “add to injury”?!? In my eyes, a successful treatment route should cause limited or no pain at the time being done. A successful treatment plan should not cause a flare up to form the next day. If it does, it means you have gone over your pain threshold level and pushed too hard. I am a firm believer in stopping before one hits that threshold level. You may want to try to push just slightly above that line to help try to heighten that threshold level. Successful programming or treatment routes should improve your ability to function and move better and not result in more pain. After-all the goal is to improve quality of life not hinder it further!
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In my experience, health care providers do not seem have current up to date information on fibromyalgia or have a lack of knowledge of the condition. Don’t get me wrong, some are very knowledgeable on fibromyalgia. The lack of understanding and knowledge often can lead to hands on treatments – which are often too aggressive. Example: A massage therapist may not even know what fibromyalgia is and when you go for a massage may not apply gentler pressure while massaging your back or legs – resulting in extreme pain levels. Many healthcare providers overlook the common issue in fibromyalgia – our bodies are hypersensitive. Dr. Whitten also mentioned this in his discussion.
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In order to help reduce fibromyalgia symptoms, we must find the right combination of routes for ourselves. This process can be very exhausting. Don’t give up! Try everything you can possibly try. Don’t be afraid to speak up if a health care provider mentions possible strategies that have maybe failed you. They may even be able to provide you with ways to modify those strategies that may help you find success!
1. Weather changes or season changes. The constant changes in weather can contribute to fibromyalgia flares arising. Every fall my body responds poorly to the change of seasons – summer to fall. As the cooler temperatures set in, my aches and pains soon become consistent deep down to the bone pain. The colder the temperature drops the worse my pain levels become. The chronic fatigue becomes even more debilitating – making tasks even harder to complete. Getting out of bed in the morning itself is a challenge. I keep telling everyone that I need to win the lottery and buy my own tropical island. For myself warmer weather eases my pain levels. Other people, find heat difficult to handle. Everyone’s body is different. If I wake up with deep down aching during the spring and summer months – I often know the humidity is usually going to be high or if rain is on its way. Who needs a weather app when your body tells you the weather as soon as you wake up!!
2. Stress can also create a flare up to form. As we all know stress is not kind to our bodies, even without factoring fibromyalgia into the picture. Stress weakens our bodies, causing our body to become vulnerable. For people with fibromyalgia, the stress response tends to be heightened symptoms. It is very important for people who live with fibromyalgia to learn how to manage their stress in their lives.
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3. Over exertion. People with fibromyalgia or any chronic pain disorder need to pace themselves even on their good days. Its probably not a good idea to clean the house, go get groceries, run errands, and attend a friend’s birthday party in the evening. Trying to accomplish too much will cause over exertion and a fibro flare will result! I often make this mistake and then end up bed ridden for days to come.
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4. Illness. Even a common cold can create a flare up. People with fibromyalgia tend to have a cold or flu worse then people without fibromyalgia. Fibromyalgia can cause inflammation in the body and then add in a cold or flu that may cause further inflammation to form is unpleasant. I often wonder why when I get a cold it seems three times as bad then before my fibromyalgia diagnosis. According to my lab work my immune system is working as it should with no limitations detected , but yet it takes me longer to recover from the cold. Prevention is the key! Avoid being around other people who are sick.
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5. Lack of sleep. One bad night of sleep can cause a major flare up. This happens to me often as I have insomnia plus pain levels wake me up through out the night. Once I wake up, there is a slim chance of me falling back to sleep. For the last week, I have been waking up at three or four am, and then I can’t get back to sleep. It makes for a very long day. Even if I go to bed an hour later then I normally do the pain levels and chronic fatigue both hit a level of ten!
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6. Hormonal changes. Changes in hormone level can cause one to experience a flare. A women’s menstrual cycle, causes hormone levels to fluctuate. These fluctuations can be enough stress on the body to create a flare up! Thinking about it…is it really a flare up or does fibromyalgia just make a women’s menstrual cycle symptoms feel worse?!? I’ll let you be the judge of that question! I don’t really have the answer ro my own question. Just food for thought.
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7. Treatment changes. Adding new medications can cause a person’s body to react. Maybe the increased dosage your doctor prescribed caused some of your symptoms to get worse. I recently had a dosage increase of medication and I felt nauseated everyday for two weeks. I often get nausea, but this was worse. Even adding in a treatment pain such as light stretches can cause higher pain levels and fatigue to form. Any changes to your treatment plan causes stress to your body. The stress then is not tolerated well causing a flare up! I changed both my medications at the same time which caused extreme stress to my body. I probably should have increased each medication separately instead of at the same time.
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8. Travelling. For myself this is a major cause for a flare up. When we travel we have to sit in a vehicle or whatever means of transportation you take for extended amounts of time. This in itself is hard on your body. Sitting in a vehicle creates pain levels to increase which causes fatigue to set in from mentally enduring the higher pain levels. When you travel daily routines are also set aside for the day or even several days. After I travel I always go into a very bad flare up that lasts for days or even up to a week later.
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9. Individual sensitivities. This can range from certain scents, brightness of light, loudness or even triggered by an allergy. You may have other sensitivities. For myself I have become sensitive to scents. Stores that use sir fresheners or are using essential oils can trigger me to go into a flare. I have gone into several stores and had to immediately leave due to the scents. Loud noises is also a trigger for me.
FibroFighters 