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Overdoing it?

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Posted 9/24/2014 12:35 PM (GMT 0)
Hi, I am new here. I just recently got diagnosed after waiting about three years or so for something to explain the hell I have been going thru. Since I got diagnosed I have been trying to just go about life like normal. Frankly cause my family acts as if nothing is wrong with me and I should continue to just take care of them. No one asks nor cares how I am feeling or offers a helping hand. Perhaps I have spoiled them all too much. Anyhoo, we had a fish fry on Saturday with our huge family, cleaned up on Sunday, started packing to move on Monday. Tuesday and today I am in bed with a major headache, stomach ache, arms and legs ache real bad,feeling fluish, extremely tired and very moody, very moody.

My questions are; 1. Am I being a big baby by missing work? 2. Is this a flare up because I did too much? 3. If I did overdo it, what do I do to undo it? 4. How do I recognize my limits so I know I am not going to overdo it?

Sick of feeling sick.
Thank you
Posted 9/24/2014 7:34 PM (GMT 0)
Hi, Lily's Gma, and welcome! Well.....a perfectly healthy person would feel the way you do after doing all of that! You are amazing! And, yes, you are overdoing things. We all tend to do that because we want to keep our life as it always has been but we do pay a price for it. You will have to learn how to pace yourself when doing things. My daughter is coming in a week and I started preparations two weeks ago...getting the house and gardens in order, planning meals, getting fresh bedding on the beds, etc. You will learn what you can and can't do because your body will let you know. I'm sure you will remember this fish fry and won't do it all by yourself again.

Start delegating things to family members. Sure, they'll let you do everything if you don't ask for help! I make mental notes of family members who don't help me when they are here for dinner. Then, when I'm at their home, I will just sit back and relax. LOL But I'm blessed with great adult children who help me every inch of the way. I've had health problems all my life so they grew up helping me when I needed help. I don't ask unless I do need the help or I'm totally exhausted.

Yes, you will get flares when you overdo. For me it means more pain and fatigue. You can't "undo" a flare. You have to ride it out. A Bed Buddy helps. You can find these at Walgreens and other places and you pop them in the microwave and they give off moist heat. Hot showers help me and just relaxing and letting the muscles calm down. You will recognize your limits as you move forward. You now know your limits with fish fries I imagine! I bet for the next family fish fry you will start asking people to help you. Do only what you can do and still not be exhausted. You will enjoy yourself and not end up in a flare.

I have 14 people here for Thanksgiving. I have people bringing side dishes, beverages, and dessert and I do the turkey, potatoes and gravy, dressing, a side dish, cranberry sauce, and a dessert. I make my dressing a couple of weeks ahead of time and freeze it then thaw it the day before Thanksgiving and I clean my house several days ahead of time, peel the potatoes the day before, and so on. That's pacing. Then, my daughter and a couple of other relatives who don't cook, will clean up the mess. yeah Now THAT'S using the old noggin! LOL

It's important to keep moving with fibro. If you sit or lay too long, you will be still as a board and have more pain. I walk every morning. When I started, I only could go four houses down and had to turn around but I didn't give up. I went out the next day and could go further and I worked myself up to one+ mile every morning. I don't like heading out the door but I have less pain and more energy by the time I get back home. Plus exercise helps raise serotonin levels so it helps with depression! Keeping the muscles flexible is important.

Many here have gotten help from a couple of supplements...magnesium malate and vitamin D3. I use these and they help with pain and fatigue. Unfortunately what works for one with fibro doesn't necessarily work for another. It's trial and error. I also use ibuprofen with food, Tylenol, and a muscle relaxer called Robaxin that has made a significant difference in my pain.

Be sure to read Fibro 101...the first thread on the forum. There are links to good info about fibro and you will learn a lot there. Good starting links would be A Thorough Explanation of Fibromyalgia and Symptoms. There are links about the supplements I mentioned and how they work in the body. All of Fibro 101 is good so do read it.

I'm looking forward to getting to know you better. Don't hesitate to ask questions because we are here to help you. Hope to hear more from you soon.

Sherrine
Posted 9/24/2014 8:13 PM (GMT 0)
Thank you Sherrine. I will be sure to remember to ask for more help and pace myself more often.

A person sure takes advantage of good health. I never would have imagined feeling this poor with Fibro. I can't imagine what people with cancer feel like.

I did start walking the day before the fish fry but haven't been able to continue since. You are a trooper for a mile a day. I hope to be able to do some more walking soon.

Thank you again
Posted 9/24/2014 8:27 PM (GMT 0)
You're welcome! Once you find what will help you control the pain and fatigue, you will have a full and enjoyable life in spite of this illness. I know I have. I've had fibro for 27 years and counting.

When you post, you only need to hit the Submit button once. If you hit it more times, it keeps posting the same post.

You have a good evening...plan on it! Keep a positive outlook and that will help you a lot.

Sherrine
Posted 9/24/2014 8:30 PM (GMT 0)
I am trying so hard to have a positive outlook but I just don't feel like myself lately at all. I feel different.

Have a good night
Posted 9/24/2014 8:34 PM (GMT 0)
It is so very easy to overdo. We all do it: newly diagnosed, the elder fibro-folk, and those with several conditions.

How to combat it--Be aware of what you are doing while doing it. Sherrine shared her parceling out her chores over several days. It is likely the best strategy. I generally pick one major thing to do per day. If I am doing laundry, that is IT. Eventually, the only way to figure out your limits is to exceed them a few times. You will figure out after a few of these events what your body is capable of.

It's sad, but true.

As for flares, time cures it all. At least, until the nest time.

It takes a year, more or less, to figure out how your body will respond to the condition, which combinations of medications-both prescription and OTC-work best for you, and how to modify life so that it doesn't hurt so much. Fibro can be managed effectively, but it takes a combination of approaches.

And, yes, tell others what you need them to do. It is not weakness--IT is strength to let others help you out.

For those of us who work, we need to be extra-aware. Realize that workdays will be your one big event. I'm not kidding.
Posted 9/24/2014 8:41 PM (GMT 0)
Thank you Myself 09, I do work and I know what you mean about a work day being one big event. I come home exhausted and get nagged at that "you're always tired". Tell me about it, I don't like it either.
I think I am going to have to make a schedule of chores in order to get them done without causing worse pain.

Thank you.
Posted 9/24/2014 10:09 PM (GMT 0)
I schedule like mad, but I always have. Don't be afraid to NOT do something. My kitchen floor isn't eat off it clean, and that's okay. Find the happy medium and the shortcuts, where possible.

The one time when I really knew my partner got it was when he was sick with the flu. He was achy and tired, and I told him how sorry I was, did he want the heating pad and tea? And then he said, 'I was thinking of fibro. This must be what it is like." Yeah, and it never goes away.
Posted 9/25/2014 2:37 AM (GMT 0)
Hi Lilly's Gma and welcome.

I really do not have much to add here,as you have been given great advice all ready!!! So......I just wanted to say definitely pace more. Geesh reading what you did made me hurt. LOL

So glad that you stay active though. That is one of the important things with fibro is to keep moving. I have had this for over 14 yrs now and I do NOT quit doing because of it. It may take me a little longer but whatever, it still gets done. I recently just got back from an awesome vacation from Myrtle Beach. I swam in the ocean boogie boarded walked six miles on the strip, went and visited a TV set that TLC films a show at. I walked all over South Port North Carolina taking pictures of where they film Under the Dome (a tv series) .

Earlier this year I took my mother to see Cyndi Lauper and Cher in concert and later this month I plan on going to an amusement park for Hallowed weekends, where I will ride Coaster after coaster and walk miles in the park all while facing the cold winds blowing off Lake Erie.

You still can have an enjoyable life with this condition. Never let it define YOU. Never stop searching for answers to help you. I wish great things for you on your fibro journey and hope you find minimal pain in the days to come.

Take care
Michael
Posted 9/25/2014 3:41 AM (GMT 0)
Myself 09 thank you for all your advice. I will try to schedule things at a slower pace yet still get some exercise. I was happy to hear our hospital has a Fibro Clinic that teaches all these things and how to eat right too but I can not get in until the end of October. So for now it's just maintaining and waiting for my depression meds to kick in. I guess it's hard for our spouses to understand unless they are going thru it themselves.

Michael thanks for sharing. Funny thing is I didn't think I really did that much. Ha! But apparently my body thinks differently. Sounds like you are very active. That is very awesome. I am hoping one day with the right diet, exercise and vitamins I can manage this all much better. The dr said that diet alone can sometimes throw you into remission. I am a little skeptical on that one but it maybe for SOME people. Worth a try though.

Thank you for all your help
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