I'm in agony

[juleandgary]

I'm in agony with my legs so i have to lie down and it takes a hour for the pains to pass as i can't get up while the pains are there is this normal?

 

[sunkacola]

Hi julieandgary, What is "normal" or not is not really a thing with fibromyalgia because, while some things are more common than others, we all have such widely varying symptoms that there's no one thing that is "normal" except feeling pain and tiredness.

What have you tried so far to help with the pain in your legs? Ice? Heating pad? TENS machine? More exercise, less exercise, walking around more or less, your diet? There are many things you can try that might help.

 

[juleandgary]

thank you for answering ive just ordered a weight blanket im getting it on saturday ive used deep heat cream the cream works for a bit then the pain is back

 

[sunkacola]

I recommend that if you have not already done so you read my post of advice for managing Fibromyalgia. something in there may very well help you if you give some things a try. Best of luck and ask any questions you may have.

My advice for managing fibromyalgia (especially for newcomers)

I am not a doctor or anything, just a person who has lived with fibromyalgia for several years now and has done a lot of research and trial and error experimentation. What follows is just basics. There are a lot of variations. You will find your own versions of everything I say, as this is not a...

www.fibromyalgiaforums.org

 

[Badger]

I've heard of weight blankets helping some, one thing they are recommended for is anxiety. Pain can certainly wipe you out and it feels awful to move again. Sunkacola's post re managing is a great place to start

 

[JayCS]

I'm in agony with my legs so i have to lie down and it takes a hour for the pains to pass as i can't get up while the pains are there is this normal?

Well - it is of course very normal that if we're in agony, that it will take a while of resting for pain to pass, if that helps at all.
And it is normal that rest can help pain. Not necessarily so, but normally so.
It is also normal for fibro that we can be (& are) in agony in certain parts of our body. But that doesn't mean it has to be the fibro. It can just as well be something else.
But whatever it is - being in agony is not normal, there is something wrong with our bodies, fibro or otherwise. Some people might believe as it's normal for fibro we can do nothing about it / just need to accept it. My own personal experience is that I can do something about every single sort of pain that I have by finding triggers & trying out tons of treatments. I've been able to stop 99% of local pains. The debilitating body ache is much more persistent & together with fast exhaustibility (my main sort of fatigue) etc. has permanently brought my activity down to 40%, and that only if I do a lot of things to keep it up that far - and I have tried >100 treatments and at the moment am doing 3-4h of self-treatments every day (some of these parallel and a lot while I am doing other things).
In the case of leg agony making us/me lie down, but getting better after an hour, the first thing I'd look at is overdoing something, mainly standing and walking. To overcome it, I first try putting my legs up. When that was tough for me I even did that on walks. I made sure we came to benches or walls on the way, laid down on them. Also everything sunkacola has suggested. To prevent it, I vary short or long breaks, and these in time, not when it starts hurting. Generally I sit on the floor most of the time, that's best for my back and also legs, I can change positions quickly and do all sorts of stretching exercises. Not on chairs. If at all on bar stools, so I can swivel. If I need to work etc. walking and standing, I need breaks, again sitting on the floor, or at least putting my legs up on some chair etc. Pre-fibro I stood to work. When fibro started I then got local pains in my legs, which I've got rid of thru various kinds of physio. And Ache & fatigue which I can improve a bit with supps. At the moment I've started doing an ambitious exercise called horse stance, for half to one minute, aiming to increase. That shows that my legs are still very strong. I've always cycled and on good days in good hours I still get energy bursts where I can cycle faster than anyone else. But fibro makes doing things longer than a certain time, i.e. stamina, very hard, despite my strength and short-term energy... So I need to keep under 3 minutes, or if I want to go really fast (20mph or more) better one minute. Without any discomfort at all. But if I go over that or at the wrong time, my whole body breaks down completely. I've learnt to judge that.
Some people with fibro (apparently), on youtube, websites and forums, claim we need to "push thru the pain". Like sunkacola I disagree: There are short times when that is fitting, but in the case of agony we need to stop and rest, just as you are doing. Just I'd do it early and in a way that you stick to the sweet spots, under a certain limit. For this if you're like me you may need some kind of alarm to remind you in time. That way you can keep track of how long you can manage without agony building up.

 

[Edit]

thank you for answering ive just ordered a weight blanket im getting it on saturday ive used deep heat cream the cream works for a bit then the pain is back

how this weight blanket is working?

 

[juleandgary]

it is ive got it on my legs now

 

[JayCS]

how this weight blanket is working?

it is ive got it on my legs now

Just to mention it here as well: Using my wife's for one hour resulted in a several severe long thigh stabs and minute long strong twitches...
So if you want to be on the safe side, try heaping up blankets and if that's comfy (wasn't for me) then a weighted one might help.
Even this hurts some (like me) while it helps others (like my wife, without fibro)...

 

[Emma74]

Hi. I suffer with chronic leg pain too but I do have arthritis in both my hips and knees. I'm learning that chronic pain will happen at any time on any part of your body x

 

[juleandgary]

im going on the sunbed as i have done for years it helps cos of the heat for a couple of hours then im in agony again

 

[JayCS]

im going on the sunbed as i have done for years it helps cos of the heat for a couple of hours then im in agony again

Interesting, just wondering how come I've not heard anyone else using a sunbed for the heat, even tho it seems logical.
Maybe just cos it's cheaper to buy an electric blanket or similar than to use or even buy a sunbed.
But of course quite a few people react well to heat and bad to cold, more than vice versa, still others have problems with both if it's too long.
I also think the various types of heat are pretty different - I do use an electric blanket when I have to, but I don't actually like that kind of heat, I prefer a hot water bottle which I move from one part of my body to another. Pre-CoV I went to a sauna, but 1-2x 4-8 mins was the max.

 

[Jemima]

I used to get what I thought of as "flash pains" in my knees that were absolutely excruciating and demanded I wait them out - sadly, I think this kind of thing can be "normal" in fibro, but that doesn't necessarily mean it's always going to be that way! Recently, I've found that stretching and even doing some light targeted exercises helps a lot with some of my specific pains. My trouble areas lately have been my hips and my deltoids (shoulders). Mobility exercises and stretches from YouTube have provided quite a bit of relief, so that might be worth a try. I imagine that the way these things can increase blood flow, provide muscle elongation, and trigger a little tissue repair may be helpful. I hope you feel better soon @juleandgary

 

[Badger]

It's a difficult balancing act working around the pain. Flares can bowl us over and tweaks can lead to some very long lasting pains. It might be very hard trying to be patient but it's worth staying the course. We may not be able to push through a particular pain and do more but it's important not to give up. I'd be interested to know if stretches can help me, I'm trying to work around pains gently to maintain the limited mobility I have since it doesn't seem to be improving.

 

[kasmaflower]

Most of my pain is in my legs. They ache so bad at times I want to cry. I find bathes used to help me, but now I live in an apartment with horrible water pressure so I don't get to have a good soak.