Tracing Origin of a Fibro Flare

[Jemima]

Each flare is a little different. This one involved no long days where I just slept, but much more body aches. So that worries me... What if they keep getting worse?

Happily, the one thing that you can be certain of, DebMarPir, is that fibro isn't progressive. It's totally normal for the flares to vary in severity and type - those pesky phantom pains can move all over the place, and other symptoms can also be really varied. If a flare or a period of flares is more intense, there will be a reason why we were triggered in that way - although, identifying the reason might not be immediately forthcoming! But don't be afraid that things will just keep getting worse. It's definitely ups and downs, but we have some power in that we can try to spot what sets us off, and keep confidence that bad patches will pass. Learning not to fear the pain is a really helpful step in keeping those flares down too. Fear = stress, and stress = trigger. So, whenever you hurt a lot, keep telling yourself that the pain is just a sensation, it can't harm you, and it'll leave the way it came in!

 

[Jemima]

P.S. Happy thanksgiving to you too, and everyone else here who celebrates it!

 

[Auriel]

@DebMarPir , stress, sleep deprivation, gluten sugar and this is the one I couldn’t figure out why mine had got way worse last few days so I phoned my dr and she had a theory, cold, I think she might be right so she’s increased my pain meds to 2 more capsules a day = 600 mgs extra THANK YOU DR! best dr ever

 

[sunkacola]

@JayCS and everyone else who answered above, I have been rereading your comments, and want to thank all of you. What I find very helpful is the idea of backing off and avoiding things that seem to cause stress, as oppose to trying to fix it afterwards. I just had another flare yesterday, then a fever came in on top of that and now a slight cough today is worsening but the flare is gone I think. All I did was go to about 4 stores in a row shopping, but it was too much time on my feet. My hip and knee hurt, and at the end I was aching. I sort of understand what I did, I should have stopped a little sooner.

But while I have had a lot of the linked conditions people with fibro have had going back years, I am obviously new to the fibro diagnosis, and totally new to the flares. Yesterday particularly and a little this morning, gosh I hurt. I hurt areas I have no injuries at all - like my pelvis. I mean honestly, what the heck is my pelvis hurting for? I take my gabapentin and muscle relaxant, but I am supposed to be off anti-inflammatories at the moment because I had a special "PRP" injection. Today I said heck with it and took one "in case" it helped. I felt like only Tylenol kicking in after forever helped yesterday. Each flare is a little different. This one involved no long days where I just slept, but much more body aches. So that worries me... What if they keep getting worse? I guess I just need to take it as it comes. I know many of you are naturally oriented, but do any of you for instance take a higher level of Tylenol or anything along those lines when these hit? I am okay when I sit and work, but hurt when I move around, or when the flares hit, but the flares are so far not so frequent. Thanks in advance for more insights.

Oh and by the way, I am sure all of you know this, but at least for me, lying on heating pads helps a lot, especially with the neck pain.

And Happy Thanksgiving. We have to be joyful for the blessings we do have, right?

I can relate to what you are saying when you say "honestly, what the heck is my pelvis hurting for?" In face, I relate to that so strongly that it made me laugh. That's actually what I do sometimes when something like that comes along. I make jokes about it, as if I had an audience and was a stand-up comedian. Maybe the jokes wouldn't be all that funny to most people but I bet some fibro people would laugh!
Humor is sometimes the only defense with something like this, huh?

Now, you say "what if it keeps getting worse?" and that is a natural thing to be concerned about. But the most important thing, apart from doing all of the many things you can do to help yourself to be strong and healthy in spite of FM, is to stop yourself from worrying about things like that. Worry is a killer, and if you worry about things that have not happened and might not happen at all, you are using your precious energy on something useless rather than on doing what you need to do to feel better. Just take it as it comes, as you say in your post. Don't waste time and energy worrying about the future.

This is one of the most important things I learned. These days I never worry about the future. Whatever is going to happen will happen and I can only do my best today to do the things I know are good and right for me. If you do that, then you can relax and let the future take care of itself because you know you are doing the best you can.

 

[KAH]

Hello all.
I would like to know your thoughts of when to start working again after a flare up and taking time away from the working world in order to re corporate. I have had major stress in large doses over the past 5 years and finally hit " the wall" 3 months ago. I took time off work and now have an awesome opportunity work wise. It excites me but at the same time scares me physically.
Thoughts?

 

[notsogrimreaper]

Right now I'm at work and I can feel a flare coming on, let just say Holiday stress and overdoing eating the wrong foods, family issues and Hosting my first Paint night I'm exhausted and hurting all over. I will probably take tomorrow and do my regularly scheduled chores and relax most of the day, hopefully my hubby doesn't come up with some new chore to do lol.

 

[notsogrimreaper]

is that fibro isn't progressive.

I feel like mine has gotten so much worse over the years, it started pretty mild and now it seems like i have a flare once a month or more. and I'm always hurting in some way or another as I get older.

 

[sunkacola]

I think some of that has to do with simple aging of the body. At least, I am sure that is the case with my own body. certain conditions such as degenerative discs will get worse over time. Some things that FM includes will get worse over time just because of wear and tear on the body. but the experts do not at this point view FM as being progressive in itself. Of course, that is what they say now, and it is true that they don't really understand this syndrome at this point.

 

[sunkacola]

Hello all.
I would like to know your thoughts of when to start working again after a flare up and taking time away from the working world in order to re corporate. I have had major stress in large doses over the past 5 years and finally hit " the wall" 3 months ago. I took time off work and now have an awesome opportunity work wise. It excites me but at the same time scares me physically.
Thoughts?

Go with your gut on this. That's my best advice. Ask your body, and believe the answer you get.
Seriously, get quiet in a place of no distractions, and sit with the question for several minutes, not trying to answer it or even to think about it. Don't weigh pros and cons, just sit with the question, and see what feelings arise from your body in response to the question.
And if you do go back to work pace yourself the best you can, do everything in your power to support good health overall (diet, exercise, mental attitude, keeping stress under control, and so on) so as to give yourself the best chance of success.

 

[JayCS]

when to start working again after a flare up and taking time away from the working world in order to re corporate. I have had major stress in large doses over the past 5 years and finally hit " the wall" 3 months ago. I took time off work and now have an awesome opportunity work wise. It excites me but at the same time scares me physically.

Can you pace what you'll be doing in any way? Why not try and see, before the opportunity is gone? How far have you recuperated? How much have you managed to invest in installing things to strengthen and watch yourself?

 

[Auriel]

@notsogrimreaper what’s a paint night, is it a get together where everyone comes to paint the house? Or are you doing arty painty drawings? 🖌

 

[sunkacola]

I am curious about Paint Night too.
Especially if it were to get together to work on art. that would be fun. I do all of my painting and other art alone, which mostly is good, but it would be a lot of fun to paint with others. And I bet I would learn from others too.

 

[notsogrimreaper]

A PAINT NIGHT IS: I get a group of women ( men if they want to participate too) together to paint a picture that I usually give a choice of three pics to choose from then vote on the top pic wins, I then break it down step by step and teach a class and we drink and snack and paint together. WE HAD A GREAT TIME!

 

[sunkacola]

Ah, I see. :
That wouldn't work for me, because I only want to paint what I decide to paint, but I am so glad it's fun for all of you! Doing something creative with others is a great way to get outside of your own problems, isn't it? Even though I always paint alone, it is one thing that really helps me to forget my pain for a while.

 

[notsogrimreaper]

I also do my own painting, I am about to do a few painting as gifts for my daughter who moved in to her new house.