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Post by Pahz on Nov 17, 2010 13:15:31 GMT -8
Since the effects of Fibromyalgia are just as different as everyone who has it, I figured we could start a thread about what it does to us, personally.
In my case, I have the all-over muscle pain. The easiest way to describe it is that pre-flu feeling, where everything's achy, I'm kind of tired, but not quite sick.
The all-over pain has varying degrees of discomfort, from the simple "flu-ish" feeling to what I've heard others say is "being hit by a Mack truck"... well, I've never been hit by a truck. But, I've been thrown from a horse. And I hurt for days after being thrown.
Heat and humidity exacerbate my pain. The heat and humidity also makes my skin itch, but its a deep-down itch, like a million tiny spiders are trying to get out through my pores.
I also get what I call "jolts". Sometimes I get a sharp, stabby pain that goes from one joint to another (elbow to wrist, for example). Sometimes its a single jolt, sometimes it throbs for minutes (or hours). I also get that jolt-y feeling where my fingers get tingly and numb. But its a painful numb. That's not even the right word to describe it, but that's all I got. If you lay on your arm and it "falls asleep"- its that painful re-awakening feeling that I get mostly.
Not eating also makes me hurt more or tire easier. But I'm not always hungry. I eat breakfast around six AM and some days, I'm not hungry till after two PM. And by then, I don't want to eat because I'll have to cook dinner soon... and its a circle.
So, anyone else with fibromyalgia feel like listing anything? And we can come back and add to it- because I know I'm forgetting stuff that doesn't hurt right now.
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Post by winterwhispers on Nov 17, 2010 20:52:50 GMT -8
I'll post about it! Depending on the day and how much activity and what types of activities I'm doing/have done is where it hurts most. On Mondays, my whole body hurts in that ache that you get when you hit your funny bone. The reason for Mondays? I work unloading the freight for the store I work at. After unloading all these boxes and pallets, I then unpack all the "repacks" into shopping carts depending on the department. It's very physically demanding for me. On any other day at work, it's less physically demanding, but can still suck from walking all day on concrete.
The cold aggravates my fibromyalgia. The colder I am, the more deeply I hurt. So cold NW winters, suck.
Often different parts of my body have more focused pain than the rest. That's usually when I've been using that particular muscle group repeatedly or of course have an overlaying issue like knots in the muscle tissue from "over-use". Work is the culprit again there...
I get tired just grocery shopping. Some days, just walking up my stairs in my house exhausts me. I drive a manual shift car, and that is quickly becoming increasingly difficult. I'll need to get an automatic within the next 6 months for sure.
Sleeping is a pain. Getting "comfortable" is not what it once was. I did find that if I throw my blankets in the dryer for a bit before bed it helps. But I still wake in the middle of the night from the pain.
I'm sure there's a lot more, but I seem to be suddenly falling asleep in my chair...
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Bunny
Figuring us out
I'm just a little black rain cloud hovering over the honey tree....
Posts: 45
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Post by Bunny on Nov 17, 2010 23:42:47 GMT -8
Right now, because of the cold, my fibro is killing me. I feel like I'm stiff everywhere. And I ache with every movement I make, even with my meds.
I find that I'm clenching my jaw a lot more now because of the pain I'm in. :/
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Post by winterwhispers on Nov 18, 2010 23:20:17 GMT -8
Jaw clenching, I do that a lot as well. And I apparently naturally try to curl into fetal position when I'm in a lot of pain. I never realized until a few days ago that the more pain I'm in, the more I curl up. It's strange.
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Bunny
Figuring us out
I'm just a little black rain cloud hovering over the honey tree....
Posts: 45
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Post by Bunny on Nov 21, 2010 18:44:17 GMT -8
I do that, too, in my sleep. When I'm in a lot of pain, I curl up tightly in the fetal position. The less pain I'm in the more relaxed I am. I still do it, but not as tense. The muscle relaxers help, I guess. :/
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Post by winterwhispers on Nov 22, 2010 14:00:54 GMT -8
It's now 27 and snowing here. My whole body feels like it's on pins and needles and I have a hard time staying warm. Soon I will be wearing my long underwear as well. I'm wearing layers inside the house because I can't seem to get warm. It's ridiculous.
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loyhargil
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Post by loyhargil on Nov 23, 2010 13:27:22 GMT -8
Hope y'all don't mind me joining in. I know some of you from the snopes board.
I've been going nuts lately with the weather change myself. I was only diagnosed a few months back so we're still tricking around with meds. It was getting more manageable, then the weather changed and now I wanna scream again. Not only am I getting the all over aches, the sharp pains, the electric shocks, the "sunburned skin" feeling, the numbness and tingling, but I've started the chest pains, too, where the ribs meet the sternum.
I've been griping at my husband lately for having a two-story house (I wanted a ranch, but he wanted a two-story more, so 4 1/2 years ago I caved). It's not fair, but some nights I just dread all the climbing to get to the bedroom. I've also been hauling my butt up every morning to do 20 minutes on the exercise bike to loosen up, but the last few days that's taken a helluva lot of force of will, and I'm starting to run short on that supply. And my migraines are starting up with more regularity again (I had gotten then down to one every two weeks, hormonally-based only).
I'm in a really, really bitchy mood about my health right now. December 19 I go back about my meds again, and I'm going to ask for some tweaking.
In the meantime, tomorrow I have to do a 5-hour round trip car ride to meet at the halfway point to drop my daughter with her dad for Thanksgiving. I should recover from that by ... Friday?
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Post by Pahz on Nov 23, 2010 13:54:58 GMT -8
I keep a blog about my fibro. In case anyone wants to read it... ~Bloggy Link~ Loy, I foresee Sunday.
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loyhargil
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She who perseveres
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Post by loyhargil on Nov 23, 2010 14:51:02 GMT -8
Sunday would figure, since that's the day I have to hit the road again to pick her up.
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Post by Pahz on Nov 24, 2010 16:17:28 GMT -8
Damn!
I learned today that cold and humid causes me to hurt, but not in the same way as hot and humid.
Hot and humid throws me to the ground and smooshes me flat till I want to die.
Cold and humid makes me all achy and I shuffle like a little old lady.
I still prefer the cold-achy to the hot-smooshy.
I hurt, but I don't feel like I want to die.
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Post by winterwhispers on Nov 26, 2010 22:50:12 GMT -8
Loy, Have you tried Massage or chiropractic for your headaches and muscle pain with the fibro? I am in the process of doing that now and it's helped so freaking much! I haven't had a bad headache for a while and my little headaches I that I normally have daily have decreased significantly. Just a thought On that note. Cold period makes me shuffle like a little old lady. The heat does bother me, but because I don't like being sweaty for no good reason The cold, it makes me ache like nothing else. I'd rather give birth another 20 times than feel that deep ache I get when I'm cold and it's cold out. I'm seriously considering moving to a warmer climate!
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loyhargil
Figuring us out
She who perseveres
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Post by loyhargil on Nov 29, 2010 6:18:01 GMT -8
I haven't tried chiropractic yet, but I have tried massage. About once every month or two, I'll go to my local spa for a hot stone. Holy crap, I feel drunk after those, but amazingly good. Pricey though, which is why I limite it.
My company, though, brings in a massage therapist every two weeks with whom you can book a 15-minute chair massage for only $14. I nab an appointment every time she and I are both in the building at the same time.
And Pahz was right of course. Sunday I felt better. Well, except we all got sick this weekend, too, but meh. After we got back from the drive to pick up my daughter, feeling crappy or not, we took about a 4-block walk (not much, but something) together, and then my daughter and I did yoga together. That held me together long enough to pre-make my lunches for the week (I make a gluten-free casserole every Sunday to cover my work lunches), and almost to the end of folding and putting away laundry.
Pretty much dead again now, but whatev, I made it into work!
And yeah, this cold weather is kicking my butt hardcore.
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Post by Pahz on Dec 5, 2010 19:21:20 GMT -8
Well, I've learned my lesson the hard way. Don't try to wrap Christmas presents without the aid of Vicodin. The VA automated system screwed up my refill and I've been without Vicodin since last Sunday. I'm doing okay, really, I've still got the muscle relaxers (which I only take at night because I need to drive in the daytime). But the last few days, my hands have been hurting bad. And it was stupid of me to attempt to wrap Christmas presents tonight, but if I don't do it, it won't get done. How much of our lives are spent saying those exact words as we wear ourselves down? ~Link to blog~
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loyhargil
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Post by loyhargil on Dec 7, 2010 9:25:09 GMT -8
Yeah, awesome.
My daughter was pissed at me this weekend because I traveled Friday for work - four hours round trip - and needed Saturday to recover. We let her have friends over, but she was mad that I couldn't take them to the movies, or take them skating, or whatever. It was all I could do to drive back and forth to a friend's house four times a day to help take care of their dog.
My husband kinda gets it, although not really. My daughter doesn't really get it at all, and is building up bitterness because of the things I can't do with her or for her (without pre-planning and naps).
This is starting to get rather depressing.
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Nico
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Post by Nico on Dec 7, 2010 12:38:40 GMT -8
I've been sick so long (about 14 years) I can't even remember what normal feels like. I actually find myself assuming that everyone feels the way I do, and just handles it better. I have to remind myself ALL the time that most people have more energy and don't measure their day in levels of pain. But it's still not something I can truly grasp anymore, because 14 years is a really long time to live a certain way - I was barely 20 the last time I wasn't sick.
So, I'm pretty sure that people who have never had to deal with chronic pain and fatigue have absolutely no concept of it, and no point of reference. Even trying to get on the same page by saying, "hey, remember when you had the flu?" isn't going to do it, because they got over the flu. It sucks. But in a way, it's understandable.
My husband is actually pretty understanding about it, but he's dealt with depression, so he at least has experienced feeling logey all the live-long day.
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