Fibromyalgia - symptoms, feelings of those who have it?
I'm trying to understand this disease - a friend has been recently diagnosed. What can I do to help her?
Public Comments
1. Just be really understanding and supportive. I have had fibro for 18 years now. At the beginning it really was a losing battle for me, I was on pain meds, muscle relaxer, anti depressants and I did nothing but go from doc to doc for a cure and sit around feeling bad. It seems like it wasn't until I stopped pursuing a "medical" fix it that I got better. I stopped all prescription meds, physical therapy and doc advise. Now I live a full, productive life. Stretching and low impact exercise is important, AVOID COLD if at all possible, ibuprofen when needed and having a support system is important. I was so depressed from feeling bad the depression would feed into the fibro & vise versa. I have bad days but am so much more better off now (and warn your friend that alot of doctors don't take it seriously and will chalk up anything that is wrong to the fibro) Good luck!!2. I still don't buy into the whole fibromyalgia bit yet. It seems to be a blanket term for people who have pain and they can't find a reason for it. I see a lot of narcotic addicts in the hospital who claim fibromyalgia - because they know the doctors can't find a thing wrong with them.
3. Fibromyalgia is a very painful and disobliging condition some days can be fine and other days can be bad low energy pain in mussels and some times depressions its impotent to take it slow on bad days there is lots of info on the net some foods can make it worse
4. The best you can do to help your friend is read up on FMS/CFS and learn along with her how to live with this condition. I think by asking "what can I do to help her?", you have shown what a wonderful friend you are to her already.
I have found this website to be a wonderful help.
www.fms-help.com
5. Having had fibromyalgia since 1982, I can say that the best thing you can do for your friend is to believe her when she tells you about what she is going through. It is not hypochondria - it is a REAL illness that is awful to have, so just be supportive. There is no cure as of yet. Symptoms fluctuate from day to day. Researchers are not sure what causes fibromyalgia, although some now think it's a viral illness affecting the hypothalamus portion of the brain. My site at www.fms-help.com is a compassionate, supportive and informative place for people with FMS, their family and friends. Please visit and surf around. I have 50 signs of fibromyalgia, 100 tips for coping, and a lot of intriguing articles that will enlighten. Your friend needs all the support she can get. The fact that you wrote shows that you care, and that is wonderful!
