Seeking Help with Fibromyalgia

Hi H.,
I have a friend who has fibromyalgia and she is really big into research and treatment and is "on top" of all the latest findings. Her email is ____@____.com is 31 and has been diagnosed for about 3 years or so. But contact her, she is always very willing to help and talk about it. You can let her know that M. in Ocean Springs recommended her to you. She lives in Louisiana. Hope this helps.

M.

Hi! I shop with a great company that has some natural products that people say have completely gotten rid of their fibro symtoms. Maybe they could help her. My email is ____@____.com I hope she finds some help! My mom and my sister both suffer from fibro and I worry that it may run in the family. From all that I have seen conventional medicine can't do a whole lot for fibro. I have always had good results with natural medicine for my health probems. I hope this may be of some help!

My mother and I have fibromyalgia. I'm not taking anything but aspirin and I'm doing just fine. My mother takes too many pills and is still in pain. Fibromyalgia is poorly understood and many doctors are at a total loss with how to properly treat it. I take an adult low dose aspirin, follow a gluten-free diet, watch my sugar intake, and go to bed early. To sum it up, it's all about reducing systemic inflammation. Excersize and sleep are very very important. Also, she needs to have her T4 thyroid levels checked, be tested for Lupus, Diabetis, and Celiac's disease and be evaluated for depression. If she resists these life style changes like my mother has then there is nothing you can do. It's my mothers personality that prevents her from getting better and I've given up on trying to help her.

Hi- I have Lupus, which is in the same family of diseases as Fibromyalgia. I was exhausted when I was at my lowest point, which is usually when people are diagnosed. Sometimes symptoms come on gradually, which is why many people take years to get an accurate diagnosis. Also, many of the diseases in that group have flares, or increased disease activity, and then "remission" or times when the symptoms seem to be more manageable. I know for me personally, it took a year or so of incrementally increasing doses of medication to find what was the best combination, plus the wait time to see if each increase was beneficial. Some medications take 4 weeks or longer to see the full benefits.

The biggest key to this family of diseases is learning your limits and being ok with taking a break, something we moms have a difficult time doing. For instance, my friends think I'm spoiled because I have a lady that comes to help clean the house every other week. We chose to do that instead of sacrificing time with our children. They're only young once and I don't want to be exhausted in bed all the time.

I don't know anyone with Fibromyalgia, but 10 medications does seem like an awful lot. When you add that many meds at one time, it's difficult to differentiate what is helping.

Good luck to your sister and just be there for her. It's so difficult when you feel like your body is betraying you by being sick.

J.

I have been diagnosed with fibromyalgia. I see a chiropractor and am doing Weight Watchers (I do not know if your sister is over weight but that complicates the disease) and exercising ( I walk 1-2 miles 3 days a week and am hoping to start cardio soon). I can honestly say in the year I have been diagnosed I have never felt so good as I do now. I only started Weight watchers a month ago but have lost 9 pound and have more energy and less pain that I ever had since being diagnosed. I do not take any medication for my fibromyalgia, only meds I take regularly are Yaz for birthcontrol and a multivitamin. If she hasn't, she should try to find a chiropractor, internal medicine Dr, or Rheumatologist, these people are usually more familiar with the disease than the family Dr.

Hi H.!

I'm sorry to hear about your sister's health. I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome nearly 3 years ago. I also have lupus. I dealt with symptoms for years, and was ignored by many doctors before getting my diagnosis. I have two young children, and another due in May. I have always been pregnant and/or breastfeeding since my diagnosis. I take no prescriptions. I do have a good rheumatologist who sent me to physical therapy in lieu of medication. I only had to go three times to learn the proper exercises and massage techniques. I also found a great MD who happens to be a naturopath as well. He recommended a variety of supplements, which can be costly. At the bare minimum he suggested COQ10 and magnesium, along with calcium supplements and a good multi-vitamin. I have found them to be very helpful with sleep and pain tolerance. Another thing I have had to learn over the years is to stop pushing myself. I have a very "type A" personality. However, I cannot go for days on end without rest like I used to do. If I feel myself beginning to hurt or get tired, I know it's time to stop. That can be a very difficult adjustment to make, especially when family and friends are not always understanding. I used to take ibuprofen daily to deal with the pain, however the doctor cautioned me against that. Ibuprofen can lead to digestive tract problems, which will ultimately make the fibromyalgia worse. I encourage your sister to research as much as possible about fibromyalgia, eat a healthy, balanced diet, drink plenty of water, get adequate rest, and explore alternative therapies. It will be much better for her body than further polluting it with all those prescription drugs. Alternative therapies get more at the root of the problem rather than masking symptoms. I wish your family all the best.

Take care,

B. Dasch

Hi H.!

I am sorry that you all have to deal with this. i really don't know much about the disease....but 10 meds seems outrageous and you mentioned that she had seen many different doctors. My grandmother in law's health took a deep nose dive right before our wedding. We (my husband, mother in law and I) all flew up there and started by getting all of her meds in one place and in front of one doctor. There were so many that were redundant and some that were not ok with some of the others. She went from 26 meds to 5 or so. She now has left the assisted living facility and has her own apartment back. Anyway - enough about Gram.....My long point is that I would wonder if all of her docs are communicating about her meds?

i will keep you all in my prayers....and get those meds checked!!

A.

Hi H., from what little I've heard about this disease, one things is always mentioned, eating a high protein diet and excersing even when you don't want too. I want to say, there also is something to do with wheat. But I'm not sure if you're supposed to eat more, or cut it out of your diet. Do a search online and I'm sure you'll find some more helpful answers. Try webMD.

Your sister is in my prayers.

A.