Is it in my head?

[Jasonryda]

I was diagnosed yesterday with Fibromyalga, is this a mental health problem? I can hardly walk and hurt so much everyday it brings me to tears. My legs feel so heavy all the time can this really be all in my head? It took me 4 hours to make a 30 min max journey yesterday, every step was agony and without a walking stick Id never of made it. Please someone give me straight talking. I also have epilepsy and Asperges but I work for myself.

[bren876]

Hi Jasonryda,

I'm so sorry that your in so much pain..

I just want you to know that Fibromyalga pain is'nt in your head, it an awful time when your having to come to terms with yet another illness.

We all know how painful it can be but i hope your getting the right medication which will ease the pain.

I know that someone will come on soon with more information which i hope will put your mind at rest...

Your not alone so please try and rest and take care.

sending you warm hugs, viv xx

[Royalspec01]

Hi there real sorry to hear you in such despair but you wont be alone up hear . Fibro can be a real bitch it comes in many forms I get exhaustion mentally and emotionally real quick I have the concentration span of butterfly and focus of a fly a memory of a goldfish but I've found ways to cope by pacing and prompts such as my alarm on my phone. I get the heavy feeling too, this for me usually means im tired and to stop fighting it and rest up. Then to think about my " stress " factors which is the one thing we all have in common. Our illness is all stress related and when you take care of that the symptoms lesson. Don't be hard on yourself either cause it wont go away and if you manage it right at the beginning then things improve a little and don't get worse. If you don't they got worse in my case, I suffer with the fibro fog a lot my responses are slow and I can appear to others a little vacant but im not I just im just not always able to respond quickly. There are stretch exercises too these can help with the tension too. Really hope you take care today and be gentle with yourself your fibro friend. Oh and by the way the saying its all in your head is crap as they mean it. Its very real the difference is where the spirit is attached to our bodies and our bodies normally have messages sent from our body's like a sprained ankle it hurts we cry or yelp our spirit releases this energy. But the amount of stress fibro suffers have normally suffered I think its like blowing all the fuses and there's no where to release this emotional pain so it turns inwards and start to trigger pain messages to our body's and although developed from our mind its real. It wont cause damage but it will cause the muscles to become stiff where they are continually spasm from the messages. I thought I had all sorts of illnesses and was tested and I had nothing wrong with me arthritis etc. I did have a lower lumber though which I wont go into. Id recommend always going to your doctor and don't be afraid cause its always good to be sure. I've found fibro to be a great mimicker of illness so always good to be sure anyway I've rambled too much already but do hope you find good company here and look forward to hearing from you. Remember its invisible and your not mad its real so take care.xx

[rosewine]

No Jason it is physical. Some people do suffer with depression but we think it is because of the way the pain, muscle stiffness, fatigue and sleepless nights affect us. I am so sorry that you have had this diagnosis as with your Epilepsy and Asperges you have enough to contend with. My husband is an epileptic and also suffers with anxiety and depression so I can at least emphathise with you as I know how the medication affects him and it makes him feel lethargic and very tired. You have done brilliantly working for yourself with your health problems. If you need support or just want to vent your emotions feel free to post as often as you need to. Try to be gentle with yourself as it is alot to take in when you are first diagnosed. On this site there are alot of links so you can get to know more about your condition or jsut ask us questions and we will try and help and support you. Big hugs. xxx

[Hidden]

Hello Jason, welcome to the site.everyone of us on the forum lives with fibromyalgia.

With this illness there is a lot to take in, so I wil just give you the basics. Fibro is not a mental health issue It is Neurological. There is a malfunction in the central nervous system causing the messages between the nerves and the brain to interpret things differently. Unfortunately there is no cure but it can be managed.

It may take time to find the best treatments for you. You will also have to learn how to pace yourself so that you are not overdoing it energy wise. With working for youself that may be difficult but it does cut down on the severity of the symptoms.On this site we do our best to answer questions support each other through the bad times and have a bit of fun

To learn more you can have a read of the posts down the side of the page, and you can also go onto our mother site where there is lots of info. to get onto the site go to the top of the page and click on the yellow butterfly

Hug sue see you around and don`t forget if you need more just ask.

[Jasonryda]

Thank you all so very much I really appreciate it. I am struggling with day to day life, not had a cooked meal for months but I refuse to be beaten without a fight. This forum is a blessing as I really thought they were telling me its all in my head as if I was making it up. God woke me up for another day so Ill get all I can done, thanks guys

[Hidden in reply to Jasonryda]

please don`t try to fight by pushing yourself

That will only make things worse. you have to learn to slow down and passify the monster. The more you push it. the more it will push back. sue

[Kittyletmein]

Hi Jason

I think everyone has confirmed its neurological condition and it sounds as though you have a strong attitude to life which helps. Do make sure you are kind to yourself that also includes ensuring you are eating healthy too.

[TheAuthor]

Hi Jasonryda

I sincerely hope that you are feeling as well as you possibly can be today? I just want to say to you NO! FIBRO IS NOT IN YOUR HEAD! It is a very real disability.

If you are experiencing such bad problems with your Fibro please discuss the issue with your GP and get some help with the problem.

Take care

Ken

[vixen49]

Hi Jasonryda I am so sorry to hear this we on this site no how you feel hunni it's not in your head And it's hard to come to terms with it I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia September last year and I only just come to terms with it we all get good days and bad days but try and rest when you can listen to your body hun gentle hugs dear friend keep posting on here there is always alot of support when you need. Ros

[teddybear7]

Straight talking it is then.

No it's not in your head.

It hurts

It takes a while to get your head round it though.

It can make you feel as though it is.

It's cruel.

Don't let anyone say to you your pains are not real they are.

Listen to your body and learn the triggers that make it worse. This takes time but is possible.

Look after yourself. If you can't do something then don't do it no matter what your head is telling you.

When others say you look so well, accept it as a compliment, don't fight with the fact that you feel horrendous. They have no idea what you're going through.

Learn from the wonderful people on here. They are all worth their weight in gold.

Remember though we're all different & what works for one might not for another. You will find your way with time. Xx

Straight talking it was (I hope) xx

[Lucyhobbit]

As everyone has already said it most definitely NOT in our heads (although there are lots of people who like to think it is, sadly). Try not to push yourself too hard - you'll only end up feeling worse. Fibro is a nasty naughty ***** (insert own word) and what works for one person won't necessarily work for another, but there is always someone here who understands, listens and sometimes give advice (or at least explain what works for them)

*gentle hugs*

[Ginsing]

The only thing in your head is your brain which has dreadful trouble sorting out where all the pains come from,mmnm.""

Now ask you brain, "Where does \Fibro come from" the answer is from all the pain receptors in our bodies hence the nineteen major points used to diagnose it.

"Why do we get tired " well the brain makes us feel tired in order to use healing time for all your appendages.

This is why when you are doing something and you past your bests time and are using up undesignated energy it can close you down and make you sleep.

Sleep is healing ti,time we need a minimum of 4 hours !

Dont forget to give your brain a vertual hug he will feel so much better

xxgins

[Jasonryda]

Wow what great responses thank you all! I bought a blender and am going to start making healthy fruit n veg smoothies, Im going to change my diet and start exercising. I am also going to plan in rest time during the day like a nap in the afternoon.

[fenbadger]

Let's rock and roll.

I cant better any of that advice and there seems to be links to diet, but more important, eat wisely in the first place. Healthy and balance. What are you taking for fibro and is it your doc says it's in your head? I did not get that impression. Good for you that you are working, it's as much a matter of pride and self respect, but if you can't, you can't. Exercise means just keep the joints and muscles moving, you're not training for a marathon. Low impact, and whatever works for you. I do tai chi but not the whole video (hooray for remote controls). there are lots of strategies for sleep if you have trouble sleeping but some sort of relaxation always seems to help. I'm not sure how this fits in with epilepsy, but I can imagine the muscle spasms make you hurt a lot.

Lot of gentle hugs

[Jasonryda]

Ive always been in pain all my life I just thought it was normal, but these past months after a bad seizure I can hardly walk my legs hurt so much the overall pain reduces me to tears, Doctors generally make me feel like Im making things up, Im sure its just me reading into things. I started on a smoothie diet today and going to find a good exercise routine on youtube. Im not taking anything and I really don't want to unless i have to. Im going to try different diets first.