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Posted 6/26/2009 1:43 AM (GMT 0)
I was a member here at HealingWell years ago, but haven't been here for a long, long time. I finally decided to crawl out of my hole and post! It's getting harder and harder to communicate with anyone, the fibro is just winning this war I think.

The last three weeks I've been in a flare that is the worst I've ever had. I can't get out. Nothing has worked to give me any relief. Normally, I can use all the "help" methods to relieve it some, but this keeps getting worse. I even went out for an accupressure book and poked all over myself trying to find trigger points to release tense muscles. I don't recommend this with fibro unless you can find those points easily... I was sooo sore after trying it.

Everything in my body is suddenly on fire. This constant burning pain that feels like a horrible sunburn in my muscles. I've started getting tension headaches everyday, and that never happened before. My eyes don't want to focus right, maybe the muscle tension. I'm having to have my family repeat almost everything they say to me, I just don't "get it" the first time. And my family is about all I talk to.. my personality dove into hiding with this flare. I've been diagnosed with fibro for five years now, and have never ever felt like this. Pain, "brain fog", muscle tension... I've had it all pretty constantly.. but nothing to this extreme. It's getting difficult to move.

My question is.. is this normal? I know fibro can flare badly, and I've read stories of how people just get slammed with it.. but I went to bed fibro "normal" and woke up fibro "extreme". I'm scared that I will be at this level for the rest of my life.

Any advice?

 

Posted 6/26/2009 2:43 AM (GMT 0)

Sarah,

I'm sending gentle hugs. My wife told me today she want's me back. Like you I have had a flare for a few weeks that has me just dropped down to nothing. My personality and comunication skills went into hiding as well.

The only advise I can give is some I need to take myself :-).  Talk to your family, even if the only thing you can discuss is how you feel (emotionally and physically). Laugh a lot; find joke or comedy sites on the internet. Try a craft, this helps me with concentration and fine motor skills.

I hope you get through this flare soon.

Bootknife

Posted 6/26/2009 5:43 AM (GMT 0)
Hi Sarah,
Nice to see you back. I"m sorry about your present flare. Several things can lead to a flare including hormonal stuff, changes at work, marriage stress, weather fronts and a host of others. Can you look over your food/exercise/rest plan and see if anything has changed lately. Are you under an extreme amount of stress all of a sudden? What are you using for pain relief? And finally, have you talked to your doctor about this? It may be time for a medication change or addition. Wish I could rub my magic lamp and make it all better but in the mean time I'll just send some prayers your way.
Posted 6/26/2009 5:54 AM (GMT 0)
Hey Sarah and welcome back! So sorry that your flare is so awful................ fibro can be relentless at times......... Jeannie and Bootknife had good advice for you, and unfortunately I have little else to offer you......... I would have mostly suggested the normal routines, anyway, and you've obviously tried those.
Please know that we care and we are sending good thoughts your way. Here's a gentle hug, too, just for you.....
Post again when you can and let us know how you are doing.
Shash
Posted 6/26/2009 2:14 PM (GMT 0)
Hi, Sarah!  It's good to see you again.  I'm sorry that you are having this problem.  Flares are pretty miserable.  Jeannie and Bootknife had some great suggestions.  Try not to stress over this.  That just makes everything worse. 

 

Have you ever had a gentle massage?  If you have a good massage therapist, they can find those knots and gently work them out.  Here is a good site to help you find a licensed massage therapist.  To be on this site, they have to continue to take courses on massage, so they usually are quite good.  You can find one close to  you, if you decide to try this.  The massages have helped me a lot.

http://www.amtamassage.org/

 

I hope you start to feel better.  Stop thinking about how you feel.  That just stresses you and doesn't change a thing.  Do something that you can focus on and I have found the pain fades some in the background.  Let us know how you are doing.  We really do care.

 

Sherrine

Posted 6/26/2009 2:28 PM (GMT 0)
Nice to meet you, and Boot.  I hear you loud and clear with this one.  When I get like this, and it happens, I would crawl right back to bed with my heating pads and try to relax everything.  Start at the toes and work your way up.  A nice soothing bath with epsom salts also helps a lot.  Sometimes we get into a flare and just forget what to do.  Hope something works for you soon.  You are in my thoughts.

Posted 6/26/2009 2:35 PM (GMT 0)
Hi Sarah I'm glad your back but sorry your having such a rough time. I went through a two week flare of the burning last June and I couldn't even think straight. I think mine was due to trying to cut back on the amitriptyline. I had never felt anything like it before or since and hope I never do again. When I told my doc about it he told me to never go through that again to come in or go to ER for help. That makes me feel better knowing if I get to where I can't handle it my doc will be there for me. The only thing that got me through it was my TENS unit. I'm not on narcotics. Sometimes we have to scream uncle and give in and get help. So I hope you have an understanding doc that will give you something for the pain if you can't stand it any longer.

 

Take care of yourself and I hope this ends really soon.

 

luv and hugs

Marlee

Posted 6/26/2009 2:49 PM (GMT 0)
Thanks for the replies everyone!! It really helps to know there should be an "end" to this flare. Unfortunately, at the moment, I have no insurance.. so no doc. I'm doing all my own treatment now. No meds... except for some lortab and percocets that I never took. I try those occasionally.. but they are not the best help for this type pain for me. I've used my massaging shower head so much that I need a new one..lol. Wish I could stand under it all day. My teen daughters are now into banging on the door.. "mom I have a DATE.. can I please have the shower???" LOL
We do have a junior college here that offers massage. I saw the sign.. the students get credit for doing them.. and they shouldn't be too costly, I'll look into that. It hurts to be touched, but maybe that will lessen a bit into the massage??
I take Benadryl in the evenings, to help with sleep and just tad of relaxation. Thinking of looking into other over the counter sleep aids. Maybe some of the natural ones.
I was taking Lortab, Klonopin, and Flexeril. I discovered that I was losing a lot of my short term memory while on them, so I tapered off and then lost my insurance. It's been almost four months since I stopped everything, so maybe it's a massive flare due to no treatment at all?
Thanks again.. the biggest help for me is just contact with other people who understand.
Posted 6/26/2009 3:05 PM (GMT 0)
Sarah, I'd think twice before I went to a junior college and had students working on me.  You could be even more miserable after that.  Deep massages are not good for fibro and these kids are just learning.

 

I use ibuprofen with food and extra strength Tylenol.  When I'm as bad as you are, I take 600 mg of ibuprofen every six hours.  (Do NOT take more than 2,400 mg a day.  Thats the highest safe amount.)  I will take 1,000 mg of extra strength Tylenol every six hours, too.  I take it in between the ibuprofen.  (Do NOT take more than 4,000 mg of Tylenol a day.  That's the highest safe amount.)

 

I also take malic acid/magnesium supplements that help with pain and fatigue.  They don't help everyone but many have gotten results with them.  There is a link on the Fibro 101 thread (second thread on the forum) all about them.  Also, many with fibro are deficient in vitamin D.  That can cause pain and fatigue, too.

 

These things might help you get over the hump.  Hope you feel better.

 

Sherrine

Posted 6/26/2009 11:40 PM (GMT 0)
Hi Sarah,

Nice to see you back again but sorry the pain is bad. Hopefully you can find something that will give you some relief. Come join our Koffee Klatches we have each day for a look at the lighter side of life. It helps to remember there is laughter out there and think about something other than our pain.

Take care,
Chutz
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