The main fibromyalgia symptoms include widespread muscular pain and fatigue. It can be accompanied by anxiety, depression, or secondary intestinal illnesses. Many patients also suffer from a sleep disorder. You’ll need to get in contact with your doctor to find out about the specific medications for you. This is the first tier of treatment. Then you’ll need to find ways to deal with the remaining pain. Here are a few tips on how I personally avoid some triggers.
Living with fibromyalgia includes a lot more than just taking medication or eating healthy to get the maximum fibromyalgia relief. While these are important aspects and the elements that you should work on with your doctor you will find that the overall landscape of your life has really changed. You can still do most of the things that you did before, but you may have to do them in different ways.
Give yourself time to get better including lots of rest. Since this is a chronic condition it won’t ever be cured completely. However, I found that just the initial phase of being diagnosed with all of the doctors’ visits was exhausting. Slowly add in exercise over time and simplify the rest of your life as much as you possibly can while you adjust to the new medicines and way of life. Pushing yourself too hard can actually mean you get fewer things done in the long run if it makes you sicker.
Simple Steps to Limit Fibromyalgia Pain
Notice what parts of your daily routine exhaust you and cause you a lot of pain. If driving in the car is difficult then look at different neck pillow designs or try adjusting your seat. You will always still need to keep safety in mind. I’ve also found when I’m driving that I can’t sit for long periods of time. If I’m on a road trip I need to get out and walk every few hours. I also have a massage pillow that I use on my back before and after the trip.
For me I had to buy a lightweight vacuum to get housework done. I noticed that on the days when I would clean I would have a lot of pain in my arms the following day. The lightweight vacuums were also less expensive. They might not get my floors as clean, but they did help me to still keep a clean house when I don’t feel well.
Another big cleaning trigger for me was actually actively scrubbing things. This includes everything from the floor to the shower. While I’m usually frugal I do make a point to invest more money in my cleaning supplies. I buy brand names that do actually fight the soap scum so I don’t have to do a lot of scrubbing. There are even special pan scrubbers that will automatically clean the pan for you. I haven’t tried this option, but I think it would really alleviate some of the negative effects of everyday cleaning. You can still get things done with fibromyalgia. You just need to take a different approach.