Some people can do more than others and gentle workouts can be very beneficial (we’ll talk more about that later). I just want to warn you that stressing your muscles can cause a very nasty response – and if you have any of the other associated disorders they may be triggered by the flare as well. Think about that dragon. It’s okay (and even good to do gentle workouts) but if you push it too far, you’ll wake the beast and face its fiery wrath.
Pain is one of the most talked about and problematic symptoms of fibro. One of these problems is how to treat the pain. I can’t count how many people have been discounted because they were in genuine pain and found it difficult to find relief. Fibro is cyclical in nature (I’m stressed so I don’t feel well, which increases the stress on my body, so I may feel worse, and that causes stress – and so on). The longer you struggle to find a treatment plan, the more serious your pain can get and the more problems you may have. Despite this difficulty, insurance concerns in a lot of places are causing physicians to put tighter controls on even the non-narcotic pain medications that are used to treat fibro.
There isn’t one right treatment regimen for everyone with fibro. It’s important to do your homework on the medications available and their side effects as well as how they interact with anything else you may be taking. I was given a prescription for a medication that had a potentially deadly interaction by one doctor and only realized it after I started taking it. I became physically ill. When I notified the doctor and asked for a substitute, the doctor prescribed a second medication with the same interaction. This time I was smarter and had looked up the medication first. When I contacted the office and told them my concerns, I was told I wasn’t a doctor and shouldn’t be second guessing him. He was my specialist. I called my family practice doctor and explained the situation to him. He agreed I shouldn’t be on the meds. I ended up firing the specialist.
It took a lot of work for me to find the balance of medications I have now. I don’t think it’s perfect, but when I compare how I manage and feel to how I was before, the improvement is remarkable. I think it takes a lot of patience from both you and your doctor. It’s also important to have realistic expectations. No one has discovered a cure for Fibro (or any of the associated disorders) as of this writing. We need to be looking for improvement and management, not a miracle cure.
There are also non-medication routes you can take to offer relief from pain. Some people experience better results than others. Many of these methods don’t have the clinical trials or safety regulations that protect consumers from abuse. Still, there are a lot of non-traditional remedies that can be helpful. I’ll share some of these in a later chapter. Whatever you decide to do, make sure you discuss it all with a doctor you trust. Then keep that doctor informed of any changes you make. Some vitamins and supplements can interact with medications (or cause problems with certain health conditions – like greater risk of bleeding, or raising blood pressure), so they’ll need to have an updated list of what you’re taking to avoid any problems. You should also discuss physical therapy, massage, chiropractic therapy, acupuncture, and anything similar in case it could aggravate an old injury and just to make sure that your doctor is fully aware of everything in case something goes wrong (or right). He or she will probably be thrilled that you’re trying methods that don’t involve prescriptions to manage your pain.
