Fibromyalgia

[Pandas]

Hi everyone, I am new to the group and I am suffering from fibromyalgia along with depression and anxiety.

[Hardy99]

Hi panda i am the same hope you are doing well

[Purpledelphinium]

Hi Pandas, same here and I’m also new to this group. It can feel very lonely, can’t it? I hope you are doing ok 😊

[Ukulelelady1 in reply to Purpledelphinium]

Hi Purpledelphinium,

Welcome to the group, you don’t need to feel lonely, it’s a great support network on here. Hope you’re okay.

[Purpledelphinium in reply to Ukulelelady1]

Hi Ukulelelady1,

Thank you for the kind words 😊. I’m ok. Better weather today which is nice 😃. I hope you are ok.

[Ukulelelady1 in reply to Purpledelphinium]

You’re welcome. Enjoy the better weather. I’m not too bad today thanks. 😊

[Hazel_Angelstar Administrator FMA UK Staff]

Hi and a warm welcome to the forums. you can find general information on fibromyalgia at our website fmauk.org and our patient information booklets at fmauk.org/publications

[Gigiruth]

Hi PandasWelcome to the group

I have found the information on here so useful to understand the condition.

And you can search for hints and tips of what helps. Good to have a group that understands.

We are all different so it helps to have a wide range of things to try.

Take care.

Gigi

[does-the-NHS-work]

Sadly these symptoms are normal, very normal, our association with physical and mental health, is very much not understood, for us all.

We all know a tooth ache that you can not stop thinking about, it just gets you down.For our group we have multiple tooth aches, so no wonder we feel down, it is tough really tough. Trust me you will work it out.

In the early diagnosis for me it was a mind field, you just do not know what to do to sort it out.

I find there are some tricks to this taming this fellow" you may not beat him, but you will go a long way to tie him down!

Here is my take on it:-

Get a book, and make some notes, helped me, then add four heading. Triggers, symptoms, date, resolution. Take control is this method.

I have said on here before, YOU and YOU alone are the person who will sort this out all the hope from the medics is not going to solve this, they may give you some ideas to help but they have not solved it for me.

What I found useful is understanding your 1. Triggers that give you flare ups, such as more pain, and can change your mood, (unhappy anyway now I have this to deal with) - mine is a situation that I am losing control, get stressful, this could be a close relationship, you will find yours - write it down.

2. Symptoms - how do you feel with this Trigger, like stressed, upset etc.

3. Resolution - what did you do to help yourself, did you fight it back, keep going, when you needed to rest?

Self esteem and confidence is gained by self control a feeling you are the boss, that you feel good about yourself, you will do it and after a while when you start to reflect back on your book in time you will thank yourself for your achievement🙂

Also make sure you give yourself some love, some wellbeing. good luck warrior.

Wellbeing

[KimiJay in reply to does-the-NHS-work]

Hi, dtnhsw. This is brilliant! I shall use those headings to update and consolidate my very untidy collection of notebooks, print outs, concertina files etc. I am decluttering and spring cleaning at the same time as getting ready for a decorator friend who is coming to finish off what I started in my living room two years ago before running out of energy and tolerance of the discomfort of it all. You've helped me with your clear idea about processing all the info that I was looking for to make sense of everything in a useful way. It's simplified the whole process in my mind - and my resistance to starting it - so thank you so much for this contribution. J.

[Luv2quilt in reply to does-the-NHS-work]

What great advice! I agree. Discovering your triggers does help one cope, though sometimes those triggers can be elusive. And, learning to go with the flow of good days/bad days helps too. Though sometimes it just gets old!

[Ukulelelady1]

Hi Pandas,

Welcome! I also suffer with anxiety (including health anxiety, which I put down to having a lot of medical issues already), depression and fibro. There’s a friendly bunch of people on here as I’m sure you’ll find out. 😊

[Midori]

Welcome to the forum, Panda. How can we help?

Might be a thought to lock your posts, or they can escape onto other social media. The Admins can help.

Cheers, Midori

[Captaincat]

Hi Pandas, I too suffer with anxiety and depression along with fibromyalgia but have recently developed some bowel problems, it’s never ending! You have joined a very supportive and informative group, keep in touch. X

[Sarahvit]

Hi Pandas, welcome to the group. I was looking at your profile and noticed you listed leg pains as well. Have you been tested for neuropathy? I have that too and it turned out it was caused from thyroid disease. Depression is second nature to our grieving our loss of health. I had fibromyalgia for 30yrs and still haven’t come to the acceptance stage of grieving yet. It is hard living with an invisible illness. This is a good support group. I hope you find support in that you are not alone in this.

[KimiJay]

Hi Pandas, I'm pretty new too. There's some good stuff here and best of all, fellow warriors who completely relate to this insane and utterly undeserved condition we all have. Hope the contact helps lift some of the anxiety and depression. J.

[Luv2quilt]

Hi Panda,I think, with chronic pain, struggling with depression and anxiety is pretty common. Unfortunately those 2 things can exasperate fibro pain. Depression makes us less motivated to get up and move (which can help or worsen symptoms, but movement is good to keep joints well) along with furthering our tendency to isolate. If you are an introvert than it gets even harder to get together with friends. Anxiety increases stress, which in turn increases inflammation and pain.

You are not alone in your suffering. There are many of us out there, quietly trying to live in this unpredictable world of fibro/arthritis/chronic fatigue/etc. Chronic pain is a marathon endeavor in mourning what we can’t do, and embracing what we can. It’s all about pacing, learning to hold expectations loosely, and relishing the good days. To combat depression, I often have to mentally push myself to go for a walk despite pain, even if it’s a slow stroll around my neighborhood. To battle anxiety, I personally find reading the Bible and praying to help calm, not just my thoughts, but the physical symptoms of anxiety. Taking a 1 week/2 week course of very low dose of amytriptoline (sp?) helps me too. Getting quality sleep really helps ease both depression and anxiety. I hope these tips are helpful and you find what works for you to lower your anxiety and have brighter days. 🥰