Fibromyalgia? More like Fibromyhell

Picture from our drive through American Fork Canyon last weekend. 

I think anyone that has Fibromyalgia will agree that it really is a piece of your own personal hell! Right?!

First and foremost ...I would wish this on NO ONE! 
For those of you unfamiliar with Fibromyalgia, here's the Mayo Clinic definition, "Fibromyalgia is a disorder characterized by widespread musculoskeletal pain accompanied by fatigue, sleep, memory and mood issues." (More Info and ref: MayoClinic) 

No. 1 » Pain meds DO NOT work for long term management of fibromyalgia pain, in fact, it will make it worse in the long run...trust me...it took me 4 years and then unexpectedly getting pregnant and having a baby to realize that! Yeah, finding out we were pregnant while I have Fibromyalgia was a MAJOR MAJOR FREAK OUT moment! I survived like a champ however and it also reconfirmed my belief that EVERYTHING HAPPENS FOR A REASON! Probably not something I would want to go through again, but I'm a different person because of it!  

No. 2  » ABOVE ALL, slowly progressing, steady and consistent ACTIVITY is one of THE MOST IMPORTANT keys to living with this. I'm still trying to balance this one and figure out how to properly manage good days and bad days. You can't sit too long, be on your feet too long, stretch too much, or basically do TOO MUCH of anything. For example...Road Trips...they used to be SO FUN, but now sitting in the car for so long is torture...and stopping to get out and stretch every hour makes the trip that much longer! I do my best to stretch while in the car, bring lots of pillows, and sleep as much as I can. 

No. 3 » It's also important to keep your ANXIETY and STRESS level at a LOW, which doesn't mean to be lazy, it's making time to listen to music, enjoy a quiet moment to yourself, and remembering to take a deep deep breath from time to time. When I start to get stressed out I always think of the song lyric, "shorty got low, low, low, low, low, low, low, low, low "...I just need some apple bottom jeans and boots with the fur? (ref: Flo Rida Video) This is good advice for everyone in my opinion...not the song, the reduction of anxiety and stress. We are all trying so damn hard to be the best we can be, but it's ok to just be "good enough" sometimes...balance it out. Some of you are going to kill yourselves trying to be the best ALL THE TIME (that's even while they sleep...I'm exaggerating, but you get the point)! 

No. 4 » Yoga and stretching are also HUGE components! There is a reason that Yoga is so popular! It's not a fad or a label or a stereotype...its good for the soul and YOUR BODY! Find time to do it! And it doesn't nessecarily require you to sign up for a class. I know it can be hard to carve out time when you have your children, family, and work schedule to balance. I have a beginners and AM/PM DVD I got from Target (Beginners and AM/PM)...the AM/PM is my FAVORITE! They are cheap and your kids might even try to join, which is an awesome healthy habit to create and exercise to introduce to their routine! 

No. 5 » Some may think this unorthodox for me to include, but I am a supporter of medicinal cannabis in the form of edibles, lotions, aromatherapy, and oils as a form of pain management. In comparison with all of the medications I have been prescribed (Lyrica, Cymbalta, Gabapentin, Percocet, Ibuprofen, Alieve, Morphine, Lorazepam, and many others), cannabis has basically NO side effects, does not make me sleepy (unless I take the strain used for sleep) like all the other medications, no nausea, no constipation or better at least, no anxiety, no vertigo, no heartburn, no swelling, no lack of focus, no headaches, no abdominal pain from consitpation caused by the prescriptions, and when taken correctly and at low dosage, I have very very little pain with no "high" feeling! Unfortunately it is not legal in Utah even for medicinal use, but we took an extended visit to Colorado for me to try it. That is an experience worth writing about: after the  3 years we had experienced trying to work with a pain clinic, almost calling it quits on our marriage, and the onset of prescription dependency depression...the difference was a 360 (or in Dan's words, "I have my wife back..the Heather I met over 10 years ago!") Now the first time, the 10mg dose was too strong for me and I got a tad giggly, which was a rare sound coming from me the 3 years prior! But it was a hoot for Dan to watch and then there was the fact that I was laughing at his jokes again! LOL! In any case, the next time I only consumed half of the dose and my pain was gone, I was focused and clear headed, I wasn't groggy, I wasn't anxious, and I could actually think about something other than trying to think through the pain...I was happy, but not high! It was like a miracle and weird for me at the same time. This was a substance that I grew up thinking of as bad and illegal. I used it in high school, sure, and even then I couldn't understand why something like alcohol was legal, but pot is illegal. But whatever, I moved on and didn't really think about the stuff until over 20 years later when I was faced with this thing called Fibromyalgia. That's when I started researching it and the medicinal use of it...then Dan and I talked about it and being close to rock bottom we decided that the pros out weighed the cons to drive out to Colorado to try it, which had fortunately legalized the recreational and medicinal use of it and even more fortunate that we live in the state next door. Unfortunate however that I live in the state next door, so we are waiting patiently and hoping urgently that Utah legalizes at least the medicinal use of cannabis. Anyway, Dan's reaction to our experience with it surprised me! He told anyone and everyone about our experience and that he is now a supporter of medicinal cannabis. I think he even wrote a letter to the pain clinic. Anyway, I have my opinions about the recreational use of it as well, but this post is not to talk about my views on that...it's about my experience with and management of Fibromyalgia...along with my experience with the medicinal use of cannabis. Like a prescription, you take the appropriate dose and be responsible. It takes an open mind, but my advice is to educate yourself and form your own opinion. I'm not afraid to talk about it either, so please feel free to ask me any questions in the comments or send me an email...whatever. :-) (here's a good article from National Geographic: READ ABOUT IT

No. 6 » I have also started using these essential noni oils. The company Dan works for, Morinda, just started selling them, so I thought I'd give them a try and I really like the results! And I'm serious when I say, "CHECK THEM OUT", not just for me, my advice and the future interest of my husband's company, but for your own self interest and health... Essential Noni Oils

No. 7 » Oh and make sure you get your thyroid checked...I have hashimoto's disease, which can make the fibromyalgia WORSE! If you do have it, it's ok. It does complicate things a lot, but with the help of a doctor's care and other life changes you can manage your thyroid levels. Unfortunately, I have found though that no matter what, the symptoms of hashimoto's will break through...it sucks. 

In closing, it's been a LONG 4+ years...like I mentioned before, I almost lost my marriage, I was sinking into a prescription dependent depression, and my future looked like a long, dark, hopeless, hard road ahead...but there is hope, just listen to your body and do what is best for you, your body and your situation. This is all my own personal testimony and experience...it's an evolutionary process...filled with good days and bad days. But my hope is that maybe my story helped in some way. Again, please do not hesitate to reach out...I know how hard it is...I get it!