I have struggled with the symptoms of Fibromyalgia my entire life. As a child, I would experience bouts of fatigue and have severe stomach aches. As a teen, I had low thyroid, severe menstrual cycles and my legs would ache. During my early twenties, I was diagnosed with tendonitis and sciatica. While pregnant with my second child at the age of twenty-six, I mentioned to my doctor I was experiencing chronic headaches. It was at this time, I was diagnosed with Fibromyalgia. We weren’t able to treat it while I was pregnant or nursing so I was anxious to start treatment about a year later.
Initially, I was given a subscription of muscle relaxants to help reduce muscle tension and later anti-depressants to improve my sleep patterns. Neither of these medications assisted my symptoms and they often left me feeling groggy. After discussing further with my doctor, she stated she didn’t know what else to try and recommended alternative therapies such as massage, chiropractic, acupuncture, nutrition and yoga.
As a massage therapist, I was already using massage therapy to reduce my symptoms so I explored the other options further. In addition, I began to research other changes I could make to my lifestyle such as weight training and nutrition.
At this point, I’ve found massage, chiropractic, yoga, weight training, and nutrition as my best options to help reduce pain from flare-ups. Some people with Fibromyalgia, can benefit from deep tissue, trigger point, and myofascial release during a massage therapy session. I personally benefit from this type of massage. Some can only handle a light massage and very gentle stretching. If you haven’t experienced massage therapy, discuss your expectations with your therapist very clearly. Start with a light massage and gentle stretching and wait a few days to see how you feel before you decide to experience a deeper massage. After each session, if you are not experiencing flare-ups from your massage, gradually add more therapeutic techniques. When you have Fibromyalgia, you may not experience the impact of the massage for a couple of days which is why it is critical to use great caution during a massage session and not to over do it. Once you’ve identified the massage techniques that work best for you, you will probably experience great benefits from your sessions.
The same applies when incorporating exercise into your routine. I have found myself flared-up many times the day after a workout. After researching the effects of exercise on Fibromyalgia, I’ve discovered it is always best to exercise at about eighty percent of what you feel you can do. After a few days, determine the impact your exercises are having on your body and add more gradually. When incorporating walking into your routine, start out with only fifteen minutes. With yoga, only do a portion of the class or tape and gradually build up to an entire session. You will not experience the benefits of exercise if you try to do so much that you are in pain for a week and not exercising. Your goal is to develop a program you can manage daily.
It is also important to add weight training into your routine. Activating the muscles to increase blood flow and muscle strength help reduce the tension in the muscles. Start out with light weights and add more weights gradually. I also only do two sets of each exercise because I find three sets cause me to flare-up. I also only lift weights three times per week and only upper or lower body work. For example, Monday I work on chest, arms and upper back. On Wednesday, I’ll work on abs, lower back, and legs. On Friday, I’ll repeat Monday’s routine. On the other days, I’ll walk and do about thirty minutes of light stretching. You may be surprised to know even with Fibromyalgia when I’m on a regular exercise schedule I can do quite a bit of weight training and walking. Including walking sixty miles in the breast cancer 3Day walk. However, this training was very gradual and I’ve been a walker my entire life.
Fatigue is one of the most common symptoms of Fibromyalgia. Therefore, eating a diet that keeps energy levels balanced can help manage the ups and downs of fatigue. I have found eating a diet that has protein and complex carbohydrates at each meal to help manage my energy levels and keep fatigue under control. Personally, one of my greatest struggles is drinking cola to give me energy. I have found this habit to be the worst habit I could have developed with Fibromyalgia. I continue to work on cutting out sugar and caffeine out of my diet. My nutritionist also recommended adding fish oil supplements. Fish oil improves cell health and is great for the nervous system reducing symptoms of Fibromyalgia.
I have also used chiropractic throughout my life to help reduce symptoms. My parents started to take me for adjustments at the age of twelve. Periodically, I will incorporate regular chiropractic visits into my routine when time and finances allow.
After experiencing Fibromyalgia symptoms for the majority of my life, I have found the best way to handle the symptoms is to design lifestyle changes that work for you. At this point, there isn’t a cure for Fibromyalgia. Work with your doctor and alternative health providers to manage your lifestyle to reduce your symptoms the best you can.
