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Do You Recognize All of the Avenues for Fibromyalgia Support?
by Miryam Williamson
What kinds of support do people with fibromyalgia need? There are many different symptoms, and they can come and go over time, often quite unexpectedly. Symptoms also sometimes worsen with stress. A minimal stress lifestyle is the number one goal, to whatever degree that is possible.
Patients have other needs, such as the need for proper nutrition; someone to help with chores and errands; a suitable physical conditioning and exercise program; pain management help, possibly including medication.
Medication is sometimes needed so that the person can think straight and develop the will to prevail over this condition; and then a gradual tapering off of medicines as the person phases in the new lifestyle.
Acupuncture, massage, Feldenkrais, Alexander Technique, Rolfing and a host of other body therapies can be very helpful to soothe pain, fatigue, sensitivity and insomnia. The patient also needs a supportive environment, be it friends, family, neighbors or church members.
Some fibromyalgia patients really have an underlying neurological disorder that is going undiagnosed. One such disorder is Lyme Disease, transmitted by insect bites.
Lyme Disease symptom patterns often include fibromyaligia pain and stiffness, but also includes other problems such as digestive disorders, migraines, and a whole other host of symtpoms.
Fibromyalgia is manageable, but not typically alone. It is neither life threatening nor progressive but persistence, focused attention and alternative care providers, rather than mainstream Western physicians, are often required to get it under control.
With the proper fibromyalgia support, those with diagnosis can live a rich and productive life.
Miryam Williamson, a contributing editor to SelfhelpMagazine, is a technical journalist and author of "Fibromyalgia: A Comprehensive Approach What You Can Do About Chronic Pain and Fatigue," published by Walker and Company, New York, 1996, ISBN 0-8027-7484-9. At bookstores or from the publisher at 800-289-2553.
Revised 4/25/10 by Marlene M. Maheu, Ph.D.
My strength is gone. I've always been a physically strong person. I'm half of what I used to be. I'm so tired. The pain, I can ignore most of the time. The loss of strength, loss of range of movement, exhuastion. I'm so tired and I cant sleep.
I have been dealing with Fibromyalgia most of my life and am now without healthcare, without work, without a place to live and most of my family and friends are tired of dealing with it. I can't sleep, can't get chores or errands done and am so fatigued and depressed. Even with the heavy duty pain meds I'm in constant pain. I don't have the energy to keep fighting for myself anymore, but apparently, according to the government, I'm good enough to support myself with a job?
I've had fibromyalgia and CFIDS for almost 9 years, but I think back and realize I have had symptoms since I was a child. In this day and age, you almost have to be a doctor to go to the doctor, especially with fibro because they just don't seem to know what to do with you. Except give out pills that don't really help, or their effectiveness wears off so quickly ... then there's the whole problem of becoming addicted or physically dependent on the drugs... I've gone through so many horrendous withdrawals I'm scared to take anything. But I do, because I'm scared of not taking anything -- I can't take it. Although I'm a woman, I am tough as hell and very strong. I don't understand why so many medical people think it's a "hysterical" syndrome, that women are so weak (physically and mentally) when we're the ones who have to deal with cramps and bleeding every month from the age of 10 (for me). I also had endometriosis (is there a link?) which is another b*tch of a painful disease. Which they also told me was in my head until they opened me up. By then it was stage 4 and I probably couldn't've become pregnant since I was 13, but it was just a part of life they said and I had to bear it. I bore it. Women endure pregnancy and childbirth -- we're the ones with the patience and strength to deal with all that biology hands us. I think the medical profession which is mostly still male dominated just don't know what it is, so they take the easy way out and say it's psychological.
I'm so tired of battling this disease, this incredibly excruciating physical pain, constant, yet always changing, minute after minute ... it gets so bad I've learned to "pass myself out" for just a few seconds of relief and the rush of endorphins, but then the pain registers in my brain again and it's so intense and so much pain I can't believe it; I can't believe how much pain is actually being protected from my conciousness by my brain.
What the HELL is WRONG? And SOMEBODY FIX IT, PLEASE!!!
I'm so tired of being so exhausted and depressed and the whole endless cycle of it all. I'm tired of not being able to plan anything because I have no idea if that day will be tolerable or not. I'm tired of having a good day or two and then paying for it with 2 weeks in bed for having been active.
I think of putting a bullet thru my brain every day. If I knew for certain that I wouldn't be penalized in the afterlife, if there is one, I would do it. If I knew I wouldn't hurt anyone by leaving this pain-riddled body behind, I would not hesitate to free myself.
I searched this topic so that I could feel that I am not alone as the thought of suicide is with me everyday--after 24 years of living in pain due to fibromyalgia, every day is a constant battle to pretend that I am a strong person who can put on a happy face and go to work everyday, come home and make supper and be there for the family when in reality I need assisted living at 51 years old. The stress of having to fit into society when we are exhausted and in pain and are unable to sleep at night is unbearable most of the time.
However, suicide will not get you into heaven, and I have had enough of hell on earth.
I suffer greatly from fibro. I have often thought of ending my life due to the continuous pain I am trying to endure. I have been prescribed a host of drugs that are not only harmful to my system, but make me feel horrible. I am doing everything I can to ward off the pain. I see a physical therapist, two counselors, a psychiatrist, and a primary care physician. My meds keep being adjusted, but nothing gives me any relief.
I have almost become homebound. Getting out to run a simple errand often results in being bed-ridden the rest of the day. I can't even go to the grocery store, because unloading groceries once I get home is so painful. I have the baggers pack the perishable items separately so I can leave the rest of my things in the car to unload as needed.
I have had to hire help to do most of my chores. I cannot afford it much longer. I may have to sell my home and move to a smaller place or possibly a place that will allow me to afford the care I need. It is an endless cycle of pain and depression. Someone needs to help us.
We need support with getting our chores done. We need help getting into a living situation that is healthy for our sensitive bodies. We need proper healthcare options.
As a person with Fibromyalgia, I appreciate your article, but I am angry that more people do not understand. We are not at fault for a neurological dysfunction that affects our nerves and our organs in response to external stress.
We are a demographic of women, often with no money, and no hope of getting any because our ability to work is very limited. We often are too sick to advocate for ourselves. Families and friends need to help their loved ones when they are suffering from fibro.
The alternative of suicide is a VERY REAL, very easy ending to our pain.