Fibromyalgia & working out

MelissaE27

I have Fibromyalgia also along with neuropathy and chronic migraines.. have disc and knee issues due to a car accident... so yes its very painful.. sadly Im so used to having pain and being numb that when I have a bad day everyone knows it... I cant hardly get out of bed..I have learned to hide the pain well... but people look at you and say well you look fine whats wrong with ya... just because you cant see someone is in pain doesnt mean their not.... something I have noticed is.... the more exercise the less amount of pain I have.. your body for the first month will think its dying and you will not want to get up the next day but the more you do the better... (for me anyway) I had more energy I could move more.. I could go up the stairs without holding on to the rails and doing one step at a time... best wishes to you

becoming_a_new_me

Fibromyalgia is soooo misunderstood, and I completely relate to you! I have fibro, degenerative disk disease, fractured vertebrae (thanks to my ever-so-delightful ex-husband), arthritis in the back and hips and knees and ankles. I would gladly give up the fibro to take on more arthritis. Fibro sends signals to the brain that there is pain where no injury, so it is hard to treat. I find that getting lots of dark leafy greens, taking care of myself both mentally and physically and drinking lots of water helps a ton.

conidiring

Just to let you know there are a couple of Fibro groups, so feel free to join us. Just go to groups and look up fibro...

kmbhoya2000

I don't have fibro, but I have a very rare autoimmune rheumatoid disease which attacks my muscles, tendons, and ligaments throughout my body. I haev had it since I was 15, I'm 33 now. I have been active all my life, and continued doing the things I loved most even after I got sick, even though it hurt so bad. As an adult, I have walked 2 marathons & completed a sprint triathlon...for me, goals are what helps me look forward and not inward, and even though I hurt during and after exercise, it's a better hurt than when I don't exercise...one thing that has helped me a lot in the winter is going to my local YWCA, they have an indoor pool that they keep at 90 degrees, and I swim. It makes me feel so good; I just saw that they have an Aqua Zumba class that I am going to try. I have tried Acupuncture and did find that helpful to a point. I wish you all the best, it's definitely a huge challenge going through life in pain when others can't really see or understand what it's like...

primpixie

Hi,
I've just started on here and was wondering if anyone else has Fibro - yes! I'm not alone. But so sorry to find so many of you out there.
It is hard making exercise part of our lives when it can bring on flare ups, but little steps at a time can make a huge difference.
Flexibility, done in small amounts each day will help to loosen up you back and soine, which in turn will help the nerves that radiate from your spine.
I was one of the lucky ones, who had 2 courses of physion at my local hospital, and along with my knowledge of Yoga, have learned a lot of exercises that have been dveloped from Yoga and Tai Chi to help us out.
I have a typed up version of these, that I will glady send to anyone who is intersted. You may not lose weight, but you will certainly feel more relaxed and in control of your body, and not be afraid of hurting yourself.
Yoga is greatfor breathing and releasing pent up exhaustion and fear, allowing you to be more mindful, I know some may think it's mumbo jumbo, but it DOES work.
All the best
Primpixie

memories1cp

I have Just Joined MFP I have Fibromyalgia too. I have been fighting it for 4 years now. I have 2 Children that are Very active in sports. I so want to be able to keep up with them. I have been fighting my weight since i graduated high school. Just recently I have stated to loses weight stating at 245 down to 219. I am So glad to see people that understand what i am going through. My husband says he understand but then tells me to working the pain will go away. but the pain is not an overworked mussel pain and he just don't understand that. He is the only one that i really talk to about it b/c of the way people react to it. This is the first time that i have ever posted or talked about it . Thanks for listing!!

erixitl

I about to turn 30 and also have fibro and a herniated disc (in my lower back though, not neck). I weaned myself off all meds about five years ago and, after about a year, got myself to a place where I could cope with the pain of doing normal daily activities that kept me relatively fit. THEN a year and a half ago I decided to go back to school to finish my doctorate...the move, total change of routine to an almost entirely sedentary lifestyle, and stress-induced crappy diet changes pretty much obliterated the balance I had developed. So here I am trying to fix that and become a healthy person again.

I definitely find exercising to be a challenge. I have trouble getting motivated to exercise because I know that when I do, I'll hurt afterwards. It doesn't seem like the most positive motivating force. What I've found, though, is that either entertaining or relaxing exercise routines are workable for me. For entertaining workouts, I have the Xbox Just Dance 3 game. I don't do a lot of it at any given time as some serious fitness folks might, but I can do 15-20 minutes at a time, have fun doing it, burn 70-75 calories, and not pay too much hell later. For relaxing workouts, I do a once-a-week hour-long stretch and strengthening class (kind of a yoga-pilates combo). I pay for that one a little more in the aches and pains my body gives me, but having a guided class setting, soothing music, and a thorough stretching of all my various tense muscles makes it worth it for me most weeks. If I'm having a bad fibro week, though, I'll skip out on all exercise and just try to keep my diet on track. (And sometimes even that's a challenge because I fell into the comfort-food-when-feeling-crappy trap years ago.)

It's definitely a daily struggle. I have really found MFP, several weight loss blogs I read written by just individual people, and my personal journaling to be helpful. The more I read and write about healthy diet and fitness and success stories, the more mindful I am of making healthy choices.

I'm definitely looking to add some friends here on MFP. If anyone wants to add me, please feel free!