This is working for me

I wrote this to SaMac85 but thought it would be good to put it into a new thread so more can read it. I have gained a lot of tips from you all and appreciate it.

I recently found this forum and was comforted by all. It is frightening when our body has so much pain. Being alone in it was really hard for me. I thought at 50 I was too young to be stricken with pain and not able to do what I love. I hiked a lot in the forest living in Canada in the mountains. I can't walk on uneven ground now. My best friend and I worked together on a farm and hiked everyday. Now she goes without me and I mourn the loss of what we did together. Now we work hard together to find things that we can do to maintain our friendship. Some things I have done to help myself. I use medicinal marijuana in a candy form daily. I never get stoned from it as I take a very small amount. It is just enough to take the edge off the pain and I can manage to get around.

I take high doses of B12, regular dose of B-complex, 2000 ml vit D, Magnesium powder at night for sleep, along with a product called Sleep relax as this is herbal (I am an herbalist and nutritionist so happy to have non medical ingredient going into my body) it has; Passion flower, Hops, Valerian root and skullcap for pain) I sleep way better with this formula but am a bit groggy in am from the Valerian root. It passes in an hour from waking. This formula makes me drowsy during the night so when I wake up, the pain doesn't really register in my brain as much. I also take tryptiphan (spelling?) at night to help me produce more serotonin. More serotonin equals more sleep, more happiness and more pain killing hormones to turn off the pain message in the brain. I also take St.Johns wort, tryptiphan, vit D, and rodiola for depression. I take ginseng and Rodiola as adaptagins which help me adapt to the situation better physically and mentally. They help me rebuild after stress and this level of pain is stressful on the body everyday.
I started to take Malic Acid in a formula with Bromalain (anti-inflammatory)and Boswalia (painkiller). The malic acid helps me produce more energy in each cell. This is helping.

Mentally, I care for my mental condition by seeing a councilor once a month to have someone to watch over me and guide me with tools to handle the depression and the mental frustration of being ill. I use heat on hot spots. I drink camomile tea daily to remain calm. I walk my dog daily even if it is just around the block. I use a rubber band to exercise my muscles as they are atrophying and I am loosing strength. I recently went to physio to help me learn how to keep my body strong.

I removed some things from my diet: caffeine (chocolate coffee and tea) as it was a stimulant that I didn't need, it increased my pain by decreasing my serotonin levels, lessened my ability to go into deep sleep and left me jittery. Also do not drink alcohol and don't eat any form of sugar now for the same reason as caffeine.
The barometric levels affect me also. So on cloudy rainy days I am extra good to myself and don't ask a lot from my body.
I bought a memory foam mattress and that really helps with pressure points while sleeping. I have not found a way to ease the neck pain especially rough at night except heating pad. It helps but after I lay sleeping for a while I wake up with extreme pain in neck upon moving it and same with knees.
I manage my life trying hard to not allow any extra stresses. Stress robs me of being able to produce the hormones that strop the pain message to the brain.

I throw all this at this situation and it is helping.
Sorry this is so long winded but I see that if we share what we are trying others might find it helps them too. I am throwing the book at this situation...not really but do believe that many approaches are more helpful.

I also noticed that in the am if I have not sleep well I am more melancholy and more depressed. Sleep seams to be the solution to producing this natural pain killing hormones (Enkephalin) that we produce to tell the brain, thanks for the pain message,....we got it...you can stop sending pain messages now.

someone in this forum said if you are thrown lemons...throw them right back!

Thank you for this thread :)

"I throw all this at lt" really struck me. Isn't that what many of us do? I am in the fourth month after my episodes as I call them that brought on FMS full force and still trying different combinations to see what will help. This morning, for example, I am experiencing general feelings of being unwell and very weak legs with some pain. The pain is jumping around a lot, but usually on my right leg.

Its important for me to remember that this is a rough morning but that I will feel better soon at least for a little while.

Bella

See this is what I mean
There is something really important to have someone somewhere GET IT!!
Most people can't unless they feel it too.
Thanks so much for this forum.
cheers
Beverley