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Post by putabuttononit on Jun 9, 2024 4:34:25 GMT
My best relief is heat. Microwaveable wheat filled heat pad, hot tub, etc. I can’t do anything. Literally everything I do lately is overdoing it. Pain energy is zapped - I crawl into bed mid day. Worked in the barn today. Paced myself and I’m still totally shot. Probably for days.
I’m sooooo discouraged. Summer is finally here and I’m a zombie and in a fog of pain and fatigue.
Used to take Gabapentin and May start again 😞
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Post by Sanibel on Jun 9, 2024 4:50:25 GMT
Gabapentin is the only relief I really get from the pain. Rest and naps help the fatigue and I can feel somewhat refreshed. Sudden temperature changes send me overboard.
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Post by ladyinpink1969 on Jun 9, 2024 7:49:53 GMT
I’m sorry to hear you’re having a flare. They do suck. Well, having fibro sucks!
I take Lyrica daily and use a hemp salve when I hurt really bad. I have a friend who makes it. It really takes the pain away. It seems there’s nothing to do for the exhaustion, except to rest. I hope your flare is short lived.
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Post by lesserknownpea on Jun 9, 2024 10:21:29 GMT
I take gabapentin every day. It really helps keep the flares down. I also make sure and rest. I don’t push myself. It helps that I’m retired.
When it still causes pain and other symptoms, I put on the softest clothes, snuggle up with a heating blanket and cancel plans. Unless I can’t. DD uses gummies, but I do not get good effects, sadly. And I can’t drink anymore because of migraine. So I just suffer until I’m home and can suffer and cuddle.
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Post by zuke on Jun 10, 2024 14:11:22 GMT
While living in the NE of the IS, I was always in pain until I started going for acupuncture. I got my quality of life back. I did that for about 3 years.
Then I had to cut back on my visits because they got too costly. My flare ups started again.
About a year later, we moved to FL. While down here, I have not had any more flare ups. When I travel north to visit family, they start up again. When I get back to FL, within a week, the flare ups are gone again.
In my case, I feel that the warmer temps have definitely helped me. A woman that lives to my daughter, also in FL, said she has the same experience as I do!!!
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Post by dewryce on Jun 11, 2024 12:08:56 GMT
I don’t have a job or children and a super supportive husband so I realize how fortunate I am and that not everyone is able to handle it this way. But what works best for me is to do everything possible to avoid making things worse. So much easier said than done. I know we can’t avoid some flares, but I can usually avoid pushing myself at all and making things worse and extending the issues.
Sleep. Sleep. Sleep. If I do not force myself to keep up with my sleep as much as possible everything feels so much worse, especially the pain. I have many health issues that affect my sleep including thyroid, fibro, mental health and this is really difficult for me since I have been a night owl my entire life and have had issues with severe insomnia since my late teens. Also, it’s stupid easy to change my circadian rhythm. But the more I do to get good quality, regular sleep the better off I am. And if that means sleeping in the middle of the day that’s what I do.
Rest and relaxation. I don’t really push myself unless I have to, and I stop before I get even more tired and the pain worsens. (are we ever not tired period?) But it’s like stopping eating before I get full. I’ve learned that just because I physically can (at this moment) doesn’t mean I should, I’ll pay for it later. It’s so difficult for me because between my physical and health issues when I am feeling even just a bit better I want to do all.the.things. But I can’t or my “good” time won’t last nearly as long. DH is great about encouraging and reminding me to do less than I think I can. And to break things up into small increments of time even if I don’t feel like I need to. I don’t clean the bathroom all at once. I’ll clean the mirror on one trip, the sink on the next, sweep the next. I break everything up like this.
We will be on a road trip and Disney vacation next month. We are already ready for my built in rest during the vacation, in between rest days and coming back to the room for many hours in the middle of the day, not trying to keep up with the rest of the family. And am just prepared to be pretty much bed bound living on the heating pad for a while when we get back. Same with when we travel to visit family just a few hours away. If I have an activity coming up, and sometimes this includes going out to lunch if I’m doing poorly, we build in a lot of rest before and after for a couple of days, I just don’t do as much physical activity and again, make sure I get extra rest. When I overdo it I shut down physically and mentally so I/we do everything possible to avoid that.
Avoid heat. It can help a lot with pain and I can’t avoid it sometimes, but it completely depletes my energy and often makes me feel sick. I have to shower with lukewarm water, keep the curtain or door open at least 1/3rd of the way, stick my head out to breathe periodically and never shut the bathroom door. And even then I have ice water next to me to drink during, and I frequently have to get out and sit on the toilet for a bit to catch my breath. Plus, standing in there hurts so much and takes me out for activity after. Same reason I can’t do a lot of cooking. I can often flit around the kitchen and help out, but I can’t stand at the stove or sink for 5 minutes at a time.
Accepting that my life has changed and I have to do less has been super difficult for me. But once I did it really helped. Also, accepting that I will always be in pain, the best I can do is mitigate and manage it. I am considering CBT for this very thing. In this example for you, if it were me even pacing myself wouldn’t be enough, I would have to reduce what I did, or at least how much as I did at a time. Maybe part before a nap and part after. Maybe take several days to break it up and work on it. Then hopefully I wouldn’t have the rebound paid and as much of a zap of energy. It seems like your body is telling you it’s too much for it to handle all at once right now and it sucks and I’m sorry you’re running up against that.
If Gabapentin helps you, I would seriously consider going back on it. Quality of life is so important. I had to stop because it made me gain weight and even following a strict diet I couldn’t really lose it. Being as I was morbidly obese I had to make a choice.
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