**I am not a medical professional. Everything on this site is informational, only a doctor can give a diagnosis. Please seek a doctor's care if you believe you have any of these symptoms. Also, talk to a doctor for appropriate treatments for you **
So far on this journey, we have talked about what Fibromyalgia is and how it is diagnosed. Click on the links to go to those posts. In previous posts, symptoms are discussed, but not how to ease them or any type of treatment. This post will go over what I have found that helps and other treatments I have gone through. One of the saddest parts about Fibromyalgia is that, like symptoms, treatments differ from one patient to another, there is no one treatment that fits everyone. So if one does not work do not be discouraged, keep talking to your doctor and do your research on prescriptions and other methods. You may need to combine the different types, I know I do.
As a child, this was very difficult. If you are new to my blog, I was first diagnosed when I was eleven. I was accused of being lazy, trying to pull the wool over my mother's eyes, and many other unflattering descriptions of my character of my mother's parenting style. Some of these have followed me into my adult life. Actually having the "trash can diagnosis" can be harder than dealing with the symptoms itself, not to diminish the symptoms by any means.
I have become very lucky. I have a doctor that works with me and approves of my strategy of using alternative methods. He keeps me on low amounts of prescription medications that could have adverse effects on me. If you can find and build a great medical team, I suggest it. My doctor and I have put together a great team. I have him (who is also an internal specialist as well as my primary care doctor), a therapist (she also helps with alternate medications), a gastrologist, and a podiatrist (I would not walk without him). It may surprise some that I do not have a rheumatologist. In my area, I do not have a rheumatologist that works with Fibromyalgia.
For over the counter products that I use and recommend I have links in this post and on my Home Page under Favorites or My Favorite Products.
The CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2020)has the most common symptoms of fibromyalgia listed as:
Pain and stiffness all over the body
Fatigue and tiredness
Depression and anxiety
Sleep problems
Problems with thinking, memory, and concentration
Headaches, including migraines
Other symptoms may include:
Tingling or numbness in hands and feet
Pain in the face or jaw, including disorders of the jaw known as temporomandibular joint syndrome (also known as TMJ)
Digestive problems, such as abdominal pain, bloating, constipation, and even irritable bowel syndrome (also known as IBS)
I am going to go through each one of these Individually. In this post, I will be going over Pain and Stiffness.
Pain and Stiffness
Pain is a huge part of Fibromyalgia and has cost me jobs and sadly friends. Years ago I started taking Lyrica (I am not an affiliated sponsor of Lyrica). I swear by this medication. After the initial 3 days of taking it, I became motivated again. Before, doing anything was a tedious chore that I would have to repeat over and over again, and was tired out after about 5 minutes. My pain was significantly diminished. From late Spring to early fall I can be on a low dosage, I do need to increase it starting late fall to early spring. This is where it is great to have a doctor that works with you and listens to you and doesn't just dismiss you. I just contact my doctor and let him know what is going on and that I think it may be time to readjust my meds. This year his response was "I was wondering when I was going to get this call" with a slight chuckle. We just had a 3-day snowstorm and it was a few months later than the past years in contacting him. I do talk to him monthly, but I have other things that we work with. Every month he asks me " is your pain doing ok?" For the most part, I am, because we manage it well.
Even though we manage the pain well with medication, the pain is not gone, just not as bad as it could be without it. To help with bringing it down more, without being a medication zombie, I use a few different products that have changed things for me:
A Roller Stick: You can also use a rolling pin. I love this roller stick, it has beads with indentations that feel like a massage. I use this product daily and sometimes a couple of times a day. I mostly use it on my legs, but do get my kids to work on my back as well. It can be painful while using it, but after it is truly worth it.
How to Use:
You want to go the length of the muscle that you are working on. The picture to the right is a few ways that you can use it. I sit on the edge of my couch or bed to do my hamstrings and calves, it is easier for me. I use this product after I wake up and before I go to bed. If I feel tight throughout the day and I have a few moments to spare I have been known to do it again. It is difficult to do my back without help and I do have the issue that my kiddos (13 and 16) either do not do the right pressure or are too scared to work on me. They also have the patients of, well a 13 and 16-year-old.
Self Massage Hook Cane
This is how I work on my back. I move the cane around to find the point that is being affected. I do not just work on that one spot, I also work on the surrounding area. In the picture to the right, it shows trigger points that can be used to help relieve pain.
How to Use:
Hold cane with both hands and bring the big hook over your shoulder or under your arm to your back to the area that hurts. There are a few technics that I like to use:
I start with the point that hurts and with the amount of pressure that I can handle, I start at that point and do little circles working my way around the point. I do it a few times till it feels better.
Taking the knob on the big hook, I press it into the tender spot to where I can bear it, I count to 10 taking deep breaths with each count. When I get to 10 I slowly let up. If this does not totally help I go to number one and then repeat number 2.
Sombra:
If you have used Icy Hot you know the benefits can be wonderful, the smell not so much. Sombra provides all of the same benefits, but the smell goes away a lot faster. This $26.80 special is for 2 jars. My physical therapist charges $20 for 1 of the same size. I wanted to pass along the savings and love.
How to Use:
I apply Sombra to areas that are giving me issues and that I am planning on rolling out, using the Hook Cane, or that I am going to cup.
These last few products have focused mostly on pain, the next one works with pain and stiffness.
Tai Cheng by Beachbody
This workout system has helped me in a very wide variety of ways. What is nice about Tai Chi is that it focused on small muscle groups, that are normally ignored by other workout systems, as well as the large muscle groups. It incorporates breathing techniques and a food plan. With this purchase, you also get access to all the Beachbody systems.
Mr. Cheng has developed a system to make it easy to learn Tai Chi. His instructions are simple and easy to understand. All it takes is your willingness to learn.
These products has really made a difference in my life. There are more, but I am going to stop for now with these. Managing the pain is only a part of the battle, but it is an important part. Medication is not the only answer in managing it. Be proactive about your therapies.
Myka