How to treat, cope & live with Fibromyalgia

Fibromyalgia
Overview

Fibromyalgia is an illness characterized by widespread musculoskeletal pain accompanied by tiredness, sleep, cognitive, and mood difficulties. Scientists think the brain and spinal cord are affected by fibromyalgia, which in turn enhances the intensity of painful and non-painful impulses.

Symptoms generally develop after an incident, such as physical trauma, surgery, illness, or considerable psychological stress. Symptoms might sometimes build up gradually over time, with no obvious cause.

Fibromyalgia affects women more often than it does males. Many patients who have fibromyalgia also experience tension headaches, temporomandibular joint (TMJ) issues, irritable bowel syndrome, anxiety, and depression.

While there is no cure for fibromyalgia management, a range of drugs may help reduce symptoms. Reducing stress with exercise, relaxation, and relaxation techniques may also be beneficial.

Fibromyalgia is characterized by the following basic symptoms:

Widespread suffering. For at least three months, many who suffer from fibromyalgia say their pain is dull and continuous. To be deemed broad, the pain must occur on both sides of your body and above and below your waist. Fibromyalgia recovery includes recovering from widespread suffering through various exercises that we will discuss below.  

Fatigue. Despite sleeping for lengthy amounts of time, people with fibromyalgia are often exhausted in the morning. Patients with fibromyalgia are more likely to suffer from sleep disturbances such as restless legs syndrome and sleep apnea.

Cognitive issues. A condition usually referred to as “fibro fog” hinders the capacity to focus, pay attention and concentrate on mental activities.

Treatment

In general, therapies for fibromyalgia involve both medicine and self-care methods. Minimizing symptoms while also enhancing overall health are the primary goals of this protocol. It’s impossible to find a single therapy that works for every ailment, but experimenting with many different approaches may help.

Medications

Medications may help relieve the pain of fibromyalgia and improve sleep. Common possibilities include:

Analgesics. Naproxen sodium (Aleve, etc.) and other over-the-counter analgesics including ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin IB, etc.), acetaminophen (Tylenol), and others may be beneficial. Long-term use of opioid painkillers may lead to serious adverse effects and dependency, as well as a worsening of pain.

Antidepressants. In certain cases, the fibromyalgia treatment for tiredness and discomfort may be relieved by duloxetine (Cymbalta) or milnacipran (Savella). Your doctor may give amitriptyline or the muscle relaxant cyclobenzaprine to aid in encouraging sleep.

Anti-seizure medications. Medications developed to treat epilepsy are frequently beneficial in lowering some forms of pain. Gabapentin (Neurontin) is occasionally beneficial in lowering fibromyalgia symptoms, whereas pregabalin (Lyrica) was the first medicine licensed by the Food and Drug Administration to treat fibromyalgia.

Therapies

Physical treatment. A physical therapist can give you exercises that can increase your strength, flexibility, and stamina to help with fibromyalgia management. Water workouts, in particular, may be beneficial.

Occupational therapy. It is possible to lessen the strain on your body by working with an occupational therapist to alter your work environment or how you do certain duties.

Counseling. Talking with a counselor may help build your conviction in your talents and offer you techniques for coping with difficult circumstances.

Living with Fibromyalgia
  • Control the intensity of your discomfort

There’s no cure for fibromyalgia, and medicine can only do so much to reduce the chronic pain it causes. Alone, medicine may decrease discomfort caused by the disease by up to 20 percent. What a patient does for himself or herself, such as exercising and maintaining excellent sleeping habits, may minimize the pain by up to 90 percent. It’s not like pneumonia, where a doctor can give the patient an antibiotic and it’s cured. It’s a management illness, not a curative condition. Fibromyalgia sufferers may use different pain management techniques to help control their symptoms.

  1. De-Stress

Stress may cause fibromyalgia symptoms. Minimizing stress may enhance your quality of life. Some proven stress-busters include yoga, exercise, sleep, and meditation. Slowly exhaling while inhaling deeply may also be beneficial. Or keep in mind activities that you like or that help you feel better. When stress hits, do one or two of these.

  1. Find out what’s wrong

As with any medical problem, having the appropriate diagnosis is vital for creating coping techniques for fibromyalgia management. There’s no particular diagnostic test for the condition. To arrive at a diagnosis, clinicians assess an assortment of symptoms – such as broad body discomfort, exhaustion, poor sleep and mental disorders. It’s a constellation of symptoms that point in one way. Having fibromyalgia doesn’t prohibit you from having another painful ailment, like arthritis. Complicating things, fibromyalgia symptoms might come and go over time.

  1. Jot It Down

If “fibro fog” is impairing your attention or memory, have a pen and paper available. Set up reminders for important conversations you want to have with your spouse or family members by writing them down. Keep grocery lists, friends’ names, and crucial phone numbers and addresses in a notebook to bring with you.

  1. Do Some Serious Soaking

Taking a heated bath or soaking in a hot tub may help you loosen up tight muscles, ease discomfort, and improve mobility. If it’s tough for you to get in and out of the tub, consider a sauna or place a stool in the shower so you can relax and let the water do its job. Moist heat may enhance endorphins, which block pain signals, and help you sleep more comfortably.

  1. Stretch lightly

People with fibromyalgia often suffer from muscular pain and stiffness, which may make even the simplest activities difficult. Developing a regular regimen of mild stretching may help minimize fibromyalgia discomfort and enhance function. Light stretching may help you move more freely and with less discomfort. A good place to start for someone with fibromyalgia is by doing arm stretches up and down. It helps in faster fibromyalgia recovery.

As an additional gentle stretch, persons with fibromyalgia may find it possible to complete a side bend while holding a pillow against their chest. Five gentle stretches without discomfort may be the starting point for increasing the number of repetitions and the number of stretches you undertake over time. Your body gets into a nice beat, and the rhythm increases on itself. Light stretching before night might lead to a more peaceful sleep.