Flare ups

[Blun01]

Morning all, I’m suffering with yet another flare up after only just getting over one which lasted 4 weeks. It starts with my body ceasing up, so much so that I can’t move at all. I had to take tramadol and diazepam yesterday just to be able to get out of bed. I had to phone in sick at work. Last time it happened at work they had to call ambulance as my body wouldn’t work at all. I do get annoyed with peoples comments, like “you’ll be fine just try and move” or “I’ve got bad back too” etc etc. not looking for sympathy as we are all suffering but does anyone else have flare ups so close to each other?

[Sandybbfan]

Morning, just wondered if you are being tested for anything else because although with fibro I can hit a brick wall and go in to slow motion, the symptoms you describe seem to be extreme. If I was you I’d go back to the GP and insist on further investigations maybe to neurology and rheumatology. Random pain and parts of you seizing up are part of fibro as is the waves of tiredness and weakness but your whole body seizing up is worrying x good luck and take care of yourself x

[Yassytina FMA UK Volunteer]

Hello and sorry to read of your experiences, I agree I would see your doctor as soon as possible for a piece of mind, I do read here fibro sufferers can go from one flare too another but I’d differently seek help and ignore peoples comments, some really do do not have any idea what it’s like and should engage their brains😔before judging something theve no idea what it feels like , take care x

[rosewine]

So sorry to read your post. I'm another one who thinks you should see your doctor as it does seem to be very extreme symptoms. Let us know how you get on.x

[Kentish_Man]

I know how you feel my body often seems to seize up. Getting out of bed in the morning is quite an issue and I would happily spend all day there. However my bladder says otherwise. I was on morphine, but a misguided GP took me off of that thinking it affected my sleep. Now a fight to get it restored.

My bed and I are now the best of friends.

I have a bad back (slipped discs, Arthritis, Spinal Stenosis and varicose veins all in the same area) and am currently awaiting an MRI which the consultant marked as URGENT, she thinks I could have Cauda Equina Syndrome. Just something else to add to my growing list of ailments.

So I sympathise with you, as I also get comments such as you have had. "you just have to push yourself", I would if I could !!

[Kentish_Man in reply to Kentish_Man]

Now have been prescribed Oxycodone (Morphine by another name) so things are a little easier, except morphine makes you constipated.

Swings and roundabouts.....

[Elaine200756]

Had a really bad flare up that lasted 2 weeks. Last week was feeling better but this week having another flare up! Don't know what triggered it this time. Can positive excitement cause it do you think, with my daughter home on a visit from Singapore? Take care 🤗

[Luckychica in reply to Elaine200756]

Hi Elaine, my first post/reply here as I only joined yesterday Your query about positive excitement causing a flare really mirrors my own experience with fibromyalgia and ME.

Everything, either exciting or worrying, both good or bad, seems to tip my body into chaos.

It’s as if my mind goes into overdrive and my body reacts at once.

I can be happy and level, managing to live life dealing with reduced mobility and pain levels when life is boring, but give me a surprise event or a new something to look forward to and bam! within 24-48 hrs I’m in a flare and struggling to manage things I could previously do.

The only way for me to deal with it is sleep and rest, listen to my body and do what it says. If I sleep all day and wake at 3am to eat some toast well, that’s fine. It takes it to another level for a few days but it gradually subsides.

Then the event/visit/whatever happens and I tire myself out keeping up and that means another few days of doing my brain and body’s bidding.

A boring life is sometimes easier, haha!!

Anyway, yes, I understand what you mean and sympathise because I feel the same.

Hope you have a great time with your daughter :)) … just try to rest up sometimes too.

[Elaine200756 in reply to Luckychica]

Aww, thank you Luckychica. That really helps. Yes, I'll try and get more rest and thank you again. I'll be forewarned now 😘✨

[JayCeon in reply to Luckychica]

Hi there, and welcome, and Hi again Elaine200756 too: You both might be interested in the end of Annmarie09 's thread "Feel over-stimulated !??", me suggesting cortisol maybe be the reason and suggestions what to try: healthunlocked.com/fibromya...

[Luckychica in reply to JayCeon]

Thanks for your suggestions JayCeon. I’ve managed to get a face to face appointment with my GP next week so I’ll be talking to them about whole issues I’m having.

Yesterday, amazingly, I woke feeling better than I’ve done for months ( don’t know why!) but the aches were back by mid afternoon.

Trying to analyse why this happened but I’ve concluded that fibromyalgia and ME have their own set of rules and there’s no fathoming why. It was a great feeling while it lasted! 😂👍

[JayCeon in reply to Luckychica]

This waking up feeling well I often get after a short night, and it also means a cortisol-ey day or sometimes even a few days, after wchich then crash, esp. if I don't keep it all toned down.... Docs don't know much about cortisol, much less what to do with it.

Haven't heard it said for fibro, but MCA experts warn that even "good stress" is stress. Not saying you could have that, you'd need loads of oversensitivities.

[Elaine200756 in reply to JayCeon]

I agree with you 💯

[Elaine200756 in reply to JayCeon]

Many thanks JayCeon, I'll take a look 🤗

[Lynn2510]

Hi yes I tend to get them straight after one x

[JayCeon]

Hi Blun01 - well with my severe form of fibro, I've been in a continual full flare for over 2 years now, making me reduce all activities incl. work to 35%, despite tons of supps and PT every day keeping it "up" that way. Plus now jab-triggered MCAS taking me down to 10-20(-30)%. I did the 2nd jab in Februar before being completely out of the flare of the first, Difference to you is probably only I track & analyze my symptoms, triggers & treatments on my blog, so I can identify triggers - sometimes a month or two later. Latest flare of a few weeks was caused by a 3 hour university doc appointment an hour away. The last one I found later was a row of 5 times overdoing it a little bit (only about 2h every time) every few days. I knew I was and wanted to all the same, but since each single one didn't seem to be that bad I only realized after that they were the reasons I'd then gone down from 30% to 10% again.

It's hard not to get annoyed, but I try to. I do think comments like these are understandable, because people incl. docs haven't a clue, like we haven't much either. In some more orthopedic illnesses it really does help to try and move. And in some we might feel better if we believe we will. And they may be meaning they do realize how bad pain can be. But of course they should be adding: But we realize that this is something way different altogether.

Others have recommended to get the seizing up checked. Fibro does cause our muscles and tendons to shorten, so we feel stiff. Most of us in the mornings, me all day, after 10 minutes of not moving or after moving in one way, like cycling. But I agree with the others that if you can't get moving after flexing and stretching a bit and then more and more, then that has to be something different, that isn't a fibro flare. I also agree it's your neurologists and rheums that should do further testing.