It's not all about the pain

[gypsydreams]

Firstly let me say thankyou for providing such a supportive and informative site. This is the best one I have found so far.

My journey with Fibro has been a bit of an unusual one.

Having 2 bouts of Ross River Virus left me with CFS which I had thought to have managed reasonably well. However 2 years ago everything started to come apart at the seams. It started with tingling in my face & hands, headaches, muscle weakness and a feeling as though someone had put a bandage around my chest to prevent me taking a deep breath. Then the woozy feelings started. I also had some minor muscle/joint pain & grating of the joints. And anxiety!!! The calmest person in the neighbourhood was loosing the plot!! Mental function, you need a brain for that. Luckily my friends keep me on track.

After 12 months of eliminating what wasn't the problem I finally got a diagnosis of fibromyalgia, which I had suspected all along. I was referred to a rheumatologist.
What I haven't been able to get anyone to understand is that the pain is the least of my problems. Yes I have pain but I am able to manage it at this stage 99% of the time. What I can't manage is the difficulty with eating, if I manage to eat without choking then I hope that the nausea doesn't set in. Some days I even choke on liquids. Also the breathing problems & wooziness is such a nuisance.

I am intolerant to medications that I need to take for any length of time.

So my solution so far is to try & stay positive( easier said than done sometimes), laugh as much as I can, eat as well as I can, surround myself with fun positive supportive friends, do what I love doing when I am able ( which is not often enough), pace myself, listen to what my body is telling me. What doesn't get done today will still be there tomorrow! Crosswords & other puzzles are helping to keep my mind sort of working.

I am attempting to train my cats to give me a massage. Only trouble is they think I am a pin cushion, and forget housework that's for the elves they recon. Even they are on strike.

I am seeking natural supplements to assist me however due to my swallowing problems this is proving difficult. I will find a solution however, just need to think outside the box. I am trying Noni Juice which seams to be starting to help at least with the energy levels so will keep persisting for the moment.

Thank you for letting me share some of my story, any and all suggestions are much appreciated.

 

[Forgetmenot]

Welcome to the site. For me it's pain and I go stiff, very stiff. I do know other people on this site have problems eating too. So, you're not alone there.

I know we often suffer from very low vitamin D. Vitamin D can give you a lot of problems. Saying this, I should probably get mine looked at.

If nothing else, I do hope we can be here if you need to vent or just have a chat.

 

[Trellum]

Hi there and welcome to the forum! Sorry if I might sound kind of nosy, but have you consulted a good neurologist? It's always good to consult a neurologist when you start experiencing that kind of symptoms. I hope you feel better soon! Please keep us posted and I truly hope you find this forum useful.