Hi new to this forum, but I'm really struggling!

Hi zoe31081 fibro doesnt like it when we push ourselves whether its exercise or house work walking. We have to learn to pace ourselves and not over do things. If we over do things fibro fights back which is what is happening to you. You are pushing your self fibro is making your pain worse it can leave you totaly wiped out. listen to what your body tells you go easier on the exercise dont over do things. take care

Hi Zoe I have had fibro and colitis for over 25 yrs I am 58 yrs young lol I have always tried to keep myself as fit as possible I used to go everywhere on my bike in my younger years and go swimming on a weekend these days I get the bike out when the weather is good and I go to aqua aerobics and swimming twice a week and walk the dog each day.  I have chosen not to take any medications offered for fibro and just take painkillers when needed I have come to realise over the years as long as you pace yourself and do things in moderation rather than trying to push your body  it has helped to keep my  health problems under control.

i wish you well in finding what works for you take care

Shirl

Hi Zoe... Kaz is right... Fibro doesn't like the body doing a great deal, especially anything physically repetitive on the muscle groups, which ever ones doesn't matter sometimes as the whole body can 'Blow it's value at you'...  It comes to a stage that you 'don't and won't' have any remission down stages at all if you continue to push yourself to much.   

I pushed through terrible full body pain, stiffness, migrains, fatigue to be laid out cold almost comatose'd Ispgl?) pretty much, and in horrific pain inside and out and sweating buckets and it would go on for days and days..   Because we are merely trying to protect our sanity, our work employment, our family, etc we keep trying to push ourselves way past what our 'Fibro body's' are capable of, and in the long term of it, you will succumb to being a dam cripple sooner than later if you continue to think you can 'Push it'...   

Use a heated pool or spa to do gentle stretches, and very gentle aerobics for your muscles to cope with.  Still bare in mind it has to be gentle!!  Floating weightlessly is Great!!!...   

The more you push hard the sooner your cycle flares will become a regular thing in very quick succession, till it becomes just month after month of the same Flareup....   This is a miserable time span to be in long term..  !!   Believe me, I know.  

It has taken me a good number of years to work out the physical aspects of this business and also it's progression.  After being forced to take a Giant step back from 'all aspects' of my physical work, exercise (let me stress, I used to be very fit to, the harder or heavier anything was, the more I'd push my self to do and complete.  I have been like it all my life, up till my MVA, and Fibro kicked in instantly)....  BIG lessons there after...

15yrs on and I can hardly walk without my crutch/s...  my whole neck, my T3/T4  thoracic and whole lower spine, arms, wrists and fingers are constantly in awful pain, stiffness in the muscle groups, and I'm nearly always nausiated.   Any pressure put on area's is painful, and so it laying down on a mattress trying to sleep sometimes, as the gravity on body on the surface greating the pressure on areas is so agonising to when bad.  Even sitting is painful, and can be hard to get into a more comfy position to better work mind of pain.   Hohummm sorry I'm rambling.   

I am very sore always.. and anything I now do causes the body to over react over the normal pain levels.   And today, I drove an old friend to visit one of his old very best friends who now, won't be coming home from the hospital.. sadly.  

I happened to be there visiting when the message came through of his friend. So I said, I will drive you to see him one last time.  And he was so pleased he did go.  It was approx 500km round trip today, and he managed to spend a good long visit with his best buddy/friend.  At 80yrs old, it would have been hard to see his 78yr old best mate/friend for the last time...  

It was a surprise though I/we have to say.  That after arriving at the hospital, we had been told the very worst of the news.  He may not make the night, he's that bad.. he's gone down hill, heart not being able to pump the fluid from his lungs, kidneys failing.  He was unconcious and flown with wife in the helicopter to CCCare at the hospital, that morning.  We got the news of this in the afternoon at 2pm, within 10mins we were on the road for the journey to see him.

When we arrived, here he is, sitting up in his CCCare Critical Coronary Care ward, wires and cords etc and monitor screen, chatting and laughing with everyone..   This was made possible with the drip, pumping the necessary meds to keep his heart pumping/working.  Eventually this drip will taper off, and he'l be back battling it till he expires.  Sadly.  BUT it was a huge blessing for my dear old friend to actually see him again and chat like usual with him and his wife, for what will be the last time.  Although my old friend knows this, he's been told, I don't think it's actually sunk in really.  I think he thinks his old buddy, the battler of old, who has always battled hard against the odds with his serious health issues and won, will still amaze all and everyone and again win and live through this battle...

tsk tsk....  It's hard getting old... and I feel for this old friend of mine who has been on his own for a couple of years now, and battling loneliness....  

He wants so much to remain independant, but realises now he cannot do a lot of physical stuff with battle worn shoulders, worn out neck, and a minor stroke several years ago...Tremors...  SO, helped arrange home help, and someone to mow lawns AND Meals on Wheels...  ALL with HIS BLESSING now, thank goodness and the approval of his lovely doctor..  

Well yes I have waffled sorry...  but due to weariness and can't sleep!! haha  will do soon, unwinding of sorts now that I'm in bed, hot toddy, painkillers and will nod off for a while soon....  

All the very best Zoe going forward...  DO TAKE CARE of yourself... Please Do NOT over do things.  Again Kaz is right.  Fibro actually feeds off our physical exertion/s, and blows our head/body to the floor, anytime anywhere, anyhow!!   Even mental energy/exertion will do it!  Flare you up.   It's a prick, a real Retard B'arch of a condition I wouldn't wish on anyone, not even my worst enemy...

Learn ways to cope, and learn every day is different, different triggers, learn to cope and manage the less pain levels so they don't flare into unbelievable extreme levels.  

Learning to live with pain, means adopting strategies to bare the pain, ways round accepting 'doing less'..  accepting the consequences for what they are..  and in doing so, may give you less stress mentally.  Keeping positive, and positively grounded with positive 'other folk and things'...  helps you mentally to deal with pain to..  even if it's just a day fall of positive distractions, it means a lot to us, to have it because it can be a day of less stress, less pain... Don't worry about what tasks you cannot do ... maybe someone else can do it for you some time? See what other measures can be sort to assist you instead. 

LIKE my old friend, WE as Fibro sufferers become, very quickly much like some 80 - 90yr olds..physically slower, stiffer, we have loads more pain than most, and not that we forget things entirely, we just get brain fogged, where thoughts and actions are clouded for a bit, slow for a spell.  But the memory isn't  totally gone.  Our reaction time, is slower sometimes..  All due to Fibro and not Old age! 

Hi there. I'm same have both CFS and FMS so I get it.

My 1st question would be.....what type of exercise are u doing?

Zoe. X

Hi Zoe

Every action has an equal and opposite reaction or whatever the saying is! Whenever we have had a good day and done too much we have to payback.  If you haven't come across the spoon theory have a look. It's awful having to pace ourselves and work out what we can and can't do. My colleagues are good and although they still invite me to the out of work time activities they know the answer will be no because I will be of little use at work if I attend.  Hard to accept but I know my body now and if I do go out on a weekend I need 2 days to recover.  Listen to your body. Have you tried epsom salt baths, a good soak works wonders for me. Take care and don't overdo things.