Hello. New to forums and diagnosis

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John M

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Apr 12, 2017
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DX FIBRO
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Country
US
State
Az
Hello. I just got diagnosed with fibromyalgia. Been having a lot of things wrong with me ever since I got back from my deployment when I was in the military. Was medically retired from the military. And recently got diagnosed with fibromyalgia. I'm not so much scared of the pain that comes with this. I'm more concerned with it affecting my family.
 
Hi John,

Thanx for your service in the military!
The most important thing with Fibromyalgia I think , is to keep your stress levels low. I know that sounds harder said then done, but try to.

If you can try meditation or relaxing some way every day that would help.And if you need help don't be afraid to ask. Men usually don't want to admit when they need help lol(directions) but with this illness the more help you have the better.

Try to educate yourself all about Fibromyalgia so you can help yourself too.Pacing is very important, because overdoing it physically can cause you to be depleted of energy and have a flare.
A flare is when u have increased symptoms.So you have to do a little at a time and take breaks.

Some days you might feel great,and want to over do it. Try not to,and just be aware of your body's limits

When I was younger, I think I had it all along and was never diagnosed. But I had a great life. And up until the last few years , it's been more difficult.



So don't think because you have Fibromyalgia that you can't live a happy life.Its like any other disease that has some restrictions and limitatations.

If you just started this journey I would say if you can avoid the stronger medications at this point , I would.Find a good doctor that specializes in Fibromyalgia.Because a lot of the internist just are not too familiar with it. If you have pain research the meds and fund the ones that work for u.

I know you are concerned for your family.But the best thing is for them to know how your feeling .And if your tired one day, then they'll understand why.

I wish u luck

Sagey
 
Thanks. I always overdue it. But lately I keep getting hit with not just pain but extreme exhaustion. It's like I have to take a nap 2 times a day. Pain I can deal with but mental issues tend to annoy me more. I just feel like I'm losing myself day by day
 
Sagey explains well...you do need to try and accept you have this condition which is really hard..we look the same..our skin hasnt turned green and its so hard to get your head around that internally we have changed with no obvious cause.

If you start to pace yourself now then long term things are less likely to progress and the exhaustion is a warning. To start with i had no exhaustion or muscle weakness now i am plagued and for me stress is a terrible trigger..so avoiding stress is very important as far as possible.

Its admirable you have fears for your family before yourself..we all worry about impact on our family and its a real pressure....i think for a guy very hard needing to feel like the breadwinner and tough guy and while im not from US well done too for your military service.

Without prying you dont have PTSD do you as there has been shown to be link between this and fibro..no need to answer if too personal..just i have read much about the connection.
 
Thanks for responding. When I first got back from my deployment I was diagnosed with PTSD, migraines, IBS, hearing loss.

The problem with taking it easy and pacing myself is that I'm afraid my wife will get tired of it.
 
Hi, and welcome.

family is sometimes the hardest people around a person who has fm to understand what the person is going through, it will take a while for you to totally understand the condition so family members may take longer.

I would just like to say keep communicating with you family (and friends) about how you are feeling on good days and bad, show your family sites like these so they can understand there are so many others that have this condition and how we all have to find our own ways of coping.

Hope that helps you and your family.
 
Hi John and welcome. It's hard hearing that diagnosis & can take a long time to sink in. It's hard too for family to understand when they've never experienced chronic pain or chronic fatigue. My husband deserves a medal sticking around this long but he doesn't understand at all, I feel like I'm so demanding like struggling with smells like spray deodorant & asking him not to spray it in the bedroom (I have asthma too and it seems to exacerbate my symptoms) i have mood swings that I have no control over, I'm a nightmare to be around sometimes but I think it's so difficult because I constantly feel like I'm a burden, I feel guilty for being this way & feel that it's my fault. I know how you're feeling, I was only diagnosed a few weeks ago but have had the symptoms for years and am still struggling to come to terms with it. I found a good page on Facebook thanks to sagey & I've started sharing some of the posts on my page so that family & friends can maybe try to understand fibro a bit more cos I'm rubbish at explaining things. This forum has been a great help too.
 
Welcome, and ....... Thank you for serving ! It takes a strong person from the military to adjust to physical problems, let alone to be diagnosed with fibromyalgia. I think you will find this network very benificial. I hope your family takes an interest in what your going through. I know Im not alone to add we are familiar and here for you!
 
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