Take These First Steps to Help with Fibromyalgia Recovery

You’ve just learned you have fibromyalgia, and you’re uncertain how to proceed. That diagnosis will have been a blow, but never fear, help is here. And if you feel as though your batteries need recharging, and your operating system needs resetting, read on.

Step 1: Start with symptom tracking

Firstly, it’s wise to sit with pen and paper, or at your computer, and list every impact on your body and your lifestyle you either absolutely know or sense is aligned to the condition. Be as specific as possible.

Note the areas where you feel pain or some other different or unusual physical sensation. Note your emotions, your stress levels and any other altered mental state, your clarity of thought, any problems in the bathroom department, tiredness or alertness. Some of these symptoms may not apply to you, and you might have others not listed here.

Next, consider if any of your pain or malaise could reasonably be attributed to something else. For example, could a recurring headache relate to your need for an eyesight test? Might your feet be aching because you’re overdue for a visit to the podiatrist? It would certainly be wise to have these issues attended to quickly, as peripheral issues will add to your burden. Once you have your list of fibro symptoms, you should have greater clarity in which direction to seek support.

Step 2: Speak to a professional

Your doctor will be able to help suggest appropriate professionals, and these might include seeing a clinical exercise physiologist, a psychologist, or some other therapist, depending upon the specific or non-specific issues you have identified on your list. Your doctor may also suggest you head straight to More Good Days, where you can have direct access and support from highly qualified people and programs in these specialized fields.

You should be pleased to know there are things you can do for yourself too. When we are able to tune into our bodies, we can learn to identify our pain triggers, then methodically develop mechanisms to alleviate our symptoms. The positive effect on our wellbeing can be extraordinary. This is where your list of symptoms will once again be gold. If, like many fibro sufferers, you had ‘feeling more stressed’ on your list, then this is an area it is recommended you pay considerable attention to.

Step 3: Find an enjoyable activity to alleviate your stress

Finding an enjoyable activity to alleviate your stress will pay huge dividends. Learning to meditate, reading a book, listening to music, or even watching a movie with a warm drink may deflect your attention from a stressful situation, and can work wonderfully to lower the stress dial that in turn can lower the pain dial. Doing an activity every day that you enjoy immensely and find fulfilling will add to your quality of life in more ways than might be obvious.

While exercising might feel as though it’s the one thing you simply cannot contemplate because your body is telling you No, please reconsider. A gentle walk every day will be like winning the lottery because after a very short time, you’ll find that you can happily extend the duration and intensity of this simple exercise, for an enormous pay-off. Taking baby steps at first is key to success here. It cannot be overstressed how important it is not to overdo exercise, and please, please, throw out that once famous old saying, no pain no gain. It has no place in anyone’s vocabulary.

You may also discover you have developed certain food intolerances, such as a gut sensitivity to dairy or wheat. If so, and you adjust your diet to lactose-free and/or gluten-free foods, and eat as naturally and healthily as possible, you may find that your pain and bathroom problems suddenly disappear or dramatically improve.

With the advice of your doctor or dietitian, you could embark on an elimination diet, to determine exactly what it is you are not able to tolerate. It’s certainly wise to do this with professional guidance, because you need to ensure you maintain sufficient nutrients for optimum health.

Perhaps you will ultimately find your particular irritable bowel trigger may be coffee or chocolate or wine. Some find onion and garlic are their worst enemies, whereas for others, these ingredients are perfectly tolerable.

With these few ideas, in no time you should have fewer flares, and experience an improvement of your symptoms. You will have learned how to adjust your operating system to improve your quality of life, and never forget… you’re worth the effort.