I completely agree that one of the keys to managing the pain is to keep moving every single day - even those days when it is really bad. I ache every single day, but the few times I have taken a week or so off from exercise, the pain is much worse. Regularly stretching is also highly recommended, especially for the calves, hamstrings & lower back.

It is also important to learn to distinguish between your aches and true pain. Weather changes and stress can bring on flares. There are some great books out there that talk about how important your diet is as well as many foods can contribute to inflammation and pain. For example, stay away from nightshade vegetables (they lead to inflammation in the joints - same with arthritis). Onions and pineapple both have anti-inflammatory properties. Whit foods (potatoes, flour, sugar) contribute to being lethargic. And anyone dealing with an autoimmune issue should stear completely clear of artificial sweeteners as they further change the brain chemistry.

That is great advice :thumbup: I am constantly advising others to stay away from artificial sweeteners anyway, but for people with certain health issues it is particularly important!

I have it too. I won't get on the meds either. It just scared me to take some of them. Mine is better at this time, but right after Lexi was born, I had sooo many problems. My hands were sooo bad that it killed me to put on her baby socks. Hurt to do about anything. I still have problems now. I get tired so easy, just cleanin the house all day, will make my entire body hurt, and yes sleep....I've forgotten what this is. I average 3-4 hrs if that a night. Its terrible. The pain can be unbareable at times.

Our computer IT guy has it. It is SO sad to see him shuffle around the building some days - he's maybe 50 years old and walks like a 90 year old on his bad days. I will share some of the suggestions some of you have given - just in case he hasn't already been told some of these things. I think his dr. has tried just about all the medications and he's even done a trial study. No luck yet and he hates the mind altering pain meds.

i have a problem with that...when i had my youngest daughter 18 years ago...they thought that she had drained my immunity for it .....and gave me an MMR shot....those are the most painful shots you can ever get.....well.......3 years later........i still didnt have an immunity built up..........they said didnt want to give me a shot less than 5 years apart...but i havent had another.........i hate that shot............i have had many many in my life and that one is the worst

They wanted to give me another one after I had my last child almost 20 months ago. I declined it. It never works anyway.

My neurologist diagnosed mine 15 years ago when most thought it was all in your mind.
I have taken Prozac for years, don't think it helps at all so I quit taking it.
It is awful.

Thank You
 

Thanks for all the information and I have to say it really does help because you do tend to forget things that you have tried or need to try so being reminded of them really helps. I wish I could move to a warmer place and that will be a possibility next winter if it is this bad again. I hope everyone with or knows someone with this monster will get relief and feel better. I hope these post help everyone also.

Hi everyone,

My gran has Fibromyalgia and both my mum and I suffer from MS. I think it is really important to focus on diet!

Since I got diagnosed with MS and was told there was nothing that could be done I turned to natural and alternative ways. I real;ised there is so much that CAN be done, not to CURE but to live without any of the symtoms or relapses.

Since all this happened to me, i decided to go back to the UK and study both nutrition and herbal medicine.

My lecturers are master herbalists and more than 1 have told us stories of their success rates with Fibromyalgia patients.

So maybe those who want to investigate this side of things try a herbalist.

I also want to tell you a few things I've learned. Magnesium is very important in Fibro, so check for deficiencies. You should also treat for a leaky gut as most people suffering from Fibro have a leaky gut.

Things that aggravate: STRESS, TRAUMA, EXPOSURE TO DAMP OR COLD and POOR SLEEP

Also poor sleep causes lower levels of Magnesium. Maybe look for some nice herbal teas to induce sleep? Passiflora, chamomile .... etc

Fish oil supplementation is also important, (natural anti-inflammatory).

Also try a good safe, gentle detox to get your mitochondria working efficiently again. Toxins in your body can cause them to not work well and they are the energy producing organelle in the body.

Right, I think that is enough info, I might be boring everyone now. But I do hope it helps! If anyone wants anymore info please let me know

My mom has a procedure done once a year. She goes to the hospital, they give her local anesthesia and go into the nerves in her lower back and novacaine and cauterize them with lasers I think. This kills the nerves that are causing the pain signal. This lasts for about a year. Its pretty painfree and simple she says, it takes less than an hour, she *should* be laying on her back for 2 days afterwards but she never does. They will do one side in one visit and the other side about 3 weeks later. She used to be on Ketamine which is a painkiller, I believe they use it on horses. It was a suspension liquid, but (don't laugh) its very high in calories and she had to take it 4x a day at 100 cals each time. She was gaining weight on it. Also she moved from New Hampshire to New Mexico and I think the warmer and drier climate does help her a lot.