Fibro Fighting

Here you will find some of my tried and true remedies and therapies (sometimes - because if you have fibromyalgia you know that with this disease it can change it's symptoms and/or what works one day may not work the next).  Please feel free to comment on and add your methods of dealing with your symptoms on my posts!  I'm always interested in learning new ways to help myself and others and hopefully we can all help each other get a little relief and try to live a little better quality of life.

1. Healthy eating. 

Find what foods trigger your symptoms and cut them from your diet as much as possible or completely.  Wheat, sugar, milk and caffeine are culprits for me.  I'm not always the best at keeping them out of my mouth, but I do limit them pretty well.  I definitely feel the difference when I slip, and it is enough for me to keep an eye on my diet because the downtime stinks.






2.  Get enough rest. 

Listen to your body and take the rest you need!  Don't over do it.  I know that's easier said than done.  I have a tendency to do too much on the few days a feel a bit better then I pay for it for weeks.  Setting a kitchen timer, or a timer on my phone is a good way to limit myself and take it slower to pace myself.  I set 15 minutes, and stop whatever I'm doing - no matter what it is - because if I don't, I will pay later.  I sit and do something that requires NO PHYSICAL ACTIVITY.  Like, paying bills, or eating a lite snack and hydrating with water or herbal tea,  and put my feet up because my feet ALWAYS hurt.

3. Stay hydrated.

Drink plenty of WATER.  This is a biggy.  Did you know that most people walk around dehydrated all the time?  We should be drinking 1/2 the number of ounces of water as our body weight.  So if someone weighs 150 lbs, they should be drinking 75 ounces of water every day.  (150/2=75)   Caffeinated and carbonated drinks dehydrate us even more, so ditch those in favor of flavored water or decaf tea (without the sugar).



4.  Hot baths.

I am fortunate enough right now to have a zacuzzi tub in my bathroom, and a hot tub on my deck.  They have been life savers.  The cold is a major trigger for me, and even though I live in the Deep South, 40 degrees is just too cold for these fibro-effected bones.  I feel for you Northerners.  I would die up there!  (Or never leave my house.)  There is something about the hot water swirling and the salt (I use Dr. Teal's Epsom salts) and essential oils that soothes and relaxes my whole being.  The first two winters after my diagnosis, I barely left my bed. But after hubby got the hot tub for me - boy, did that make a difference.  The bathtub is okay, but the hot tub - I can fully submerge  in and the water temperature never changes - it's a miracle.  If you can afford it, the investment is definitely worth it!

5.  Essential Oils.  I know, I know you've all heard the hoopla lately.  And I guess I've jumped on the bandwagon.  But they do help me sleep and relax, both in my bed and in the tubs.  I'm highly sensitive to smells now, thanks to my fibro, but the smells from essentials do not trigger negative reactions.  They trigger POSITIVE reactions.  Nice, huh?  My favorite  all-around is Frankincense.  I use it almost every night in a diffuser on my nightstand.  I'm actually building a pretty solid collection of oils to use for everything from first aid to cleaning, to skin care, to ... whatever!  I have a sleep blend I spray on my pillow before bed, and I even sprinkle some on our A/C air filters when we change them each month to help make the house smell nice.  My favorites are Plant Therapy Essential Oils.

6.  My new favorite: a weighted blanket.  My husband gifted me a 20 lb. weighted blanket for Christmas.  In addition to Fibro, I also deal with depression, anxiety, and insomnia.  I had heard a weighted blanket does wonders for these as well as fibro.  Massage helps me wonders, as does deep non-movement pressure, so I had high hopes for one of these blankets.  It has surpassed all my expectations!  If you are like me, and the thought of sleeping UNDER a mattress for the pressure sounds good to you, a weighted blanket might be for you, too.  It's recommended that the weight be 10% of your body weight.  I weigh 185, and he rounded up to 20, but could have gone with 18.  I know you can get them up to 25 pounds, maybe heavier.  Mine is from Weighted Idea.

7.  Ask for help.  Learn to delegate where you can. Accept help when you can get it.  Don't allow yourself to feel like a failure because you need help.  Look at it as an opportunity for fellowship with others, because with fibro, it's hard to get out and be social.  Do what you can, when you can.  Accept that it's okay if not everything gets done.  I'm a perfectionist, so this was hard for me.  I had to change my perspective on some things and prioritize things, and realize that if the floor wasn't swept or the dusting didn't get done, it was okay.  If I had to choose between getting to visit with a friend, or doing a chore, the chore could wait.  And a true friend cares more about me, that whether my floor is swept!  (And you could get yourself a Roomba, like we did - that helps with the floors, too!)

8.  Don't listen to the judgement of others.  They have no idea what you are dealing with.  Educate to those you can, to those who want to know and are open to listen and learn.

9.  Have faith. 

We can do nothing in this world on our own.  Remember that God didn't give this fight to us, but He will be with us through it the whole way, and fighting FOR us.  God Bless You!

Much Love~