How to live positive with Fibromyalgia

Dear Bloggers,

Or how to look on the bright side when you are in pain everyday...

While we can never remove them completely, We CAN break the chains of Fibromyalgia!
Dealing with constant daily pain is... well, to state the obvious... a real Pain!
When you are in pain, the whole world becomes dark and dreary, this is a dismal place to live.
You hurt to even put your clothes on in the morning...It is hard to enjoy life when even a loving hug is painful!
Fibromyalgia is a painful condition.

Everyone experiences pain, so those of us who are stuck with it, or another chronic pain condition, all to often, get very little support from our family's, who may feel that we are being over sensitive or simply love creating drama.

I explain Fibromyalgia like this.

Take 5 clothes pins (you know the old fashioned wooden kind with the metal spring)...Place one clothes pin on each finger...for a little while it is tolerable...But keep them on longer and they become painful...Keep them on your fingers longer still and they become unbearable and the wearer wants to take them off...Then Tell them that they can not!
After a couple more hours of them having to continue wearing those clothes pins, then explain that this is the kind of pain you experience on a daily basis... day in day out, 24/7.The difference is that, they CAN take the clothes pins off and we can NOT!

I saw this somewhere on one of the Fibromyalgia web sites but honestly can not remember which site has it. To them I apologise.

Most people don't understand that even though we may not look sick, we really are.

Life becomes an endless blur of pain.It hurts to sit, it hurts to stand, we may walk with an unsteady gait, we bump into door frames, stumble and fall frequently...
So here are some tips I found useful to help me to cope with the daily pain and disability I deal with every day from Fibromyalgia.
It affects more than just the sufferer...It affects the entire family!
This is probably the hardest thing to do...Accept that you did not cause this, AND it is not just in your head!
Sit down with your family and discuss your Fibromyalgia or your other Chronic Pain condition with them.

Don't leave anything out...Be honest and frank in your discussion.
Try not to take it to heart if they do not understand or seem unsympathetic, some familymembers are just like that.
For me the Fibromyalgia hit like a train running over me at full speed...I have trouble getting up after it hit, my body feels like being beaten up, all I wanted to do was sleep for a while....If this sounds like you, these are the things you need to make your family aware of.Hopefully they will understand.If they do not understand, it will make things more difficult on you, but not impossible.

Understand you can't do it all....Be honest with yourself!
Take on projects in small bites, take your time so that you do not exhaust yourself and cause increased pain.
Fibromyalgia is a day to day kind of disease...today you may feel alive and full of energy and tomorrow you may barely be able to get out of bed!
Try to surround yourself with positive peoplePositive people will increase your energy, because they are supportive and will be more understanding.
Negative people bring you down, are not supportive and can actually cause you injury or increase your symptoms simply from the added stress or you pushing yourself to meet their expectations!

Joining a gym, fitness can keep you mobile...Join a gym? Yeah, I know it sounds crazy but, with Fibromyalgia or other chronic conditions you will feel like want to avoid exercise but, exercise is necessary to prevent or slow down the loss of function that occurs with these conditions.You hurt, so you do less, and you hurt some more...you exercise, you hurt, but you do not loose as much muscle tone...There is a fine balance though, that you need to be aware of, many doctors do not realize this or forget to tell their patients....
While at the gym you need to realize that most of the machines in there are geared for "normal people"whatever normal means...That said, some machines we will be physically impossible for us to use without causing injury to ourselves.

Take care of yourself... do not attempt to work out on machines that are difficult or cause you pain!
Listen to your body, place your mind in a peaceful state.

I mean, really listen to your body, you know you will be in severe pain by evening with your normal stuff anyway, so do stretching exercises.

Heat works by increasing circulation to the area which in turn helps to flush toxins out of the muscles. I love to take hot showers in the morning too get started.

This increased circulation will also increase inflammation so keep this in mind.

Heat is also known to soothe aching muscles.

Get a hobby like gardening, collecting coins, puzzles, anything you really enjoy a hobby can keep you mentally stimulated and help you at least temporarily forget about the pain.

A hobby will keep you busy, you can work on it when you feel up to it.It can give you a sense of accomplishment and putzing around with it keeps you active and mentally alert.

For me bicycling is soul healing... just riding out there looking at the wildlife and landscape is peaceful.

Take time out for yourself.

Do what you enjoy but remember your limitations, you can push them but, as you well know you will pay for it tomorrow.
Some things are worth the pain and fatigue!
Everyone needs to take a little time to pursue what makes them feel calm and at peace.

Life is wonderful, you can still get out and enjoy the world around you with chronic pain, just take things slow and easy

Do something to give yourself a reason to get out of bed every morning
Accept that you do have limitations, and ask for help if needed. (although this is pretty hard in the beginning)

Depression is common when dealing with Fibromyalgia and other chronic pain conditions.

The depression is a result of the pain not the cause of it.

You are not mentally ill as some doctors still believe... If they tell you it is in your head or you need a psychiatrist... get a second opinion and FIND A DIFFERENT DOCTOR!
Be proactive in treating your condition.

You know your body, tell your doctor how you feel, where you are currently experiencing weakness or pain so that the two of you can make educated choices on how to treat your particular symptoms.
Despite the pain, you MUST exercise to keep what function you have.

The Old Sailor,