Good days and bad

[Mbuechel]

I am not sure if this is the right thread to post in, but I am frustrated. I will have a good day and feel energetic, get things done and then the next day can barely move or keep my eyes open. Then I feel good for a couple of days then crappy for a day or two. It’s general achy, random aches, hard to even think about moving or getting anything done. I feel like such a baby and don’t even mention it to people anymore. Thanks for listening.

 

[sleepytrex]

Hey, really sorry to hear that but I completely understand. Those little windows of feeling a little better make the subsequent crashes all the more hard. I think one of the 'mistakes' I make is that when I'm having a better day I try and cram in everything that I've been planning to do, which then creates its own problems. I always have to tell myself not to overdo it even on my good days. Hope you get some better days soon.

 

[Jemima]

I am not sure if this is the right thread to post in, but I am frustrated. I will have a good day and feel energetic, get things done and then the next day can barely move or keep my eyes open. Then I feel good for a couple of days then crappy for a day or two. It’s general achy, random aches, hard to even think about moving or getting anything done. I feel like such a baby and don’t even mention it to people anymore. Thanks for listening.

Hi Mbuechel,

You're not a baby at all - I think we all need to talk about this stuff sometimes. It's a lot to handle alone, especially if we just internalise everything all the time.

This is definitely one of the most frustrating things about fibromyalgia, and one of the trickiest to get a handle on. It's absolutely textbook that doing too much one day can trigger a flare of symptoms the next day, or even a lasting flare that punishes us for weeks just for having spent a short amount of time feeling somewhat normal! The absolute key to dealing with this is pacing, so being aware and committing to ration our energy on our better days - taking little breaks and not getting too carried away - so that we aren't wiped out afterwards. If you haven't read about it before, I recommend Googling Spoon Theory; an idea that describes this practice perfectly. Of course, even when we know what we should do, sometimes we still wind up needing (or wanting) to do too much It's a juggle that we're stuck with, unfortunately.... It sucks, so vent any time!

 

[sunkacola]

I am not sure if this is the right thread to post in, but I am frustrated. I will have a good day and feel energetic, get things done and then the next day can barely move or keep my eyes open. Then I feel good for a couple of days then crappy for a day or two. It’s general achy, random aches, hard to even think about moving or getting anything done. I feel like such a baby and don’t even mention it to people anymore. Thanks for listening.

Yep, welcome to the club no one wants to be in.
I have the same experience. It's not easy to get used to it.
But you are not a baby. If you could change this you would. And in fact there are many things you can try to see if you can make things better for yourself, and I suggest you do so. But it's not your fault. I know how this feels and I am not fond of it. And believe me I am no baby, in fact I am pretty tough and strong and this lays me low more of the time than I even care to admit to everyone here, who understands. So don't feel bad and come here when you need support.

check out my post pinned at the top pf the General forum, advice for managing fibromyalgia. something there might be helpful to you.

 

[JayCS]

Hi M, since you've had it for so long, I'm wondering what you've been doing for it so far and what has changed for you recently.
Had you been able to live fairly normally with it for a long time and now it's got very much worse?
Is accepting that you have a chronic pain illness what is now getting more and more necessary?
"The Ache" has always been my most challenging symptom. Apart from learning very carefuly pacing (working 10h/w, energy activities 2-3 x 1-2h/d), serrapeptase seems to be something that takes it away when more social than physical, still in testing mode tho. ("Chronic Fatigue" was a good place to put this thread btw.)

 

[Mbuechel]

JayCs, you hit it right on the head. I have been able to live a fairly normal life but seems lately it has gotten a lot worse. I am hoping once I have the knee replacement, that will alleviate some other symptoms I think might be due to the compensation.

Curious about the example you gave for pacing. I am not sure I understand. I am finding I have to pace more than I had to in the past and it is frustrating. Thank you so much!

 

[JayCS]

Curious about the example you gave for pacing. I am not sure I understand.

Sorry: Working more than 10 hours per week would generally be too much for me at the moment, unless my progress with the amino acids and esp. enzymes helps there, and I need to spread it out over 4 days. Then I've found out that in my case "actions" (sitting, lying, standing, talking etc.) cause various pains, which I can treat with exercises & acupressure and can prevent them with new habits (like a bar stool or twisting regularly while sitting). And "activities" cause the Ache (this can also be 'talking'). Maybe I'll be getting this down with supps. But if not, I need to watch out for the spoons as in the 'spoon theory'. Communicating etc. online isn't a spoon, for me it is resting. My main energy activities" are socializing, housework, gardening/yardwork, playing with my grandchild, work, table tennis & cycling for longer than 20'. Of these I usually do well to keep to 2 or 3 per day, each with a time limit of 1 to 2 hours. So on a bad day an hour of work plus an hour something else, on a good day 2h of work, 1h of table tennis and 1h of socializing or 2h of grandchild. Best with an hour rest between each. Or another example: A few weeks ago we went to friends an hours drive away. That already is an energy activity (just being driven, I don't drive). So first thing was lying down for half an hour. The rest of the evening was half an hour socializing, half an hour resting (using laptop and twist-sitting comfy in a corner away from the others). That way I managed 5 hours there and the hour drive back, with almost no repercussions...
Glad to give more examples if/as it helps, or give me an activity as an example and I'd write what I'd do...
(Away from home for 5 days, again an hours drive away, despite as much rest as I could, meant 2 days of pain there and 1 day of pain the back. Hard to pace that, but interesting. Did hardly anything that'd count as an energy activity, except a too long bike drive of 17mi on one day and a much too long walk of 5mi....)

 

[DebMarPir]

... I think one of the 'mistakes' I make is that when I'm having a better day I try and cram in everything that I've been planning to do, which then creates its own problems...

I think that's the mistake I make, too! My last flare was four days, my longest so far. And it's only been two days since the last one and yesterday was stressful, today I forgot a dose of my meds and I am so tired. Tired people are not going to be focused, surprise. But when I get energy on a good day, or later in the day, I start doing a lot. Or I plough through days where I have to "be." Afterwards I get a little scared another flare will hit soon, as in, did I do this to myself again? But one can only wait and see. I was not even able to figure out what caused the last one. Sometimes, they said, it is just lack of sleep. Oh no!

 

[Edit]

I am not sure if this is the right thread to post in, but I am frustrated. I will have a good day and feel energetic, get things done and then the next day can barely move or keep my eyes open. Then I feel good for a couple of days then crappy for a day or two. It’s general achy, random aches, hard to even think about moving or getting anything done. I feel like such a baby and don’t even mention it to people anymore. Thanks for listening.

Hi there! I am in very similar position, sometimes I am feel energetic for one day and after a very crappy next week or so. I think this is coming with the fibro . My specialist said to me , don't use that "energy" for overworked yourself (in the house or working out etc) because this energy if we overusing it get revenge for a couple days, and we feel really sick afterwards. He said if you feel you can work today all day, and you do it, tomorrow 99% will be down. I know it is a big temptation "ahh I feel so good, I clean today all the windows and do the ironing etc... because maybe I don't have energy to do it tomorrow. Do things just a half what you feel (that what he said) and take break, little nap etc. I did this because sometimes my "energy" gone and I was sick like a dog next days.