Fibroymalgia

redmcgee1

Anyone on here have fibroymalgia? And if so what kind of workout works best for you in weight loss and how you physically feel?

zippyzeal

I have Fibro and I walk on days that I am not flaring. On my bad days I try to do some chair exercise but don't over do it!

beekuzz

Also have Fibro along with some other stuff. My meds are important. Besides that, my exercises include a stationery (recumbent) bike, a treadmill, and just walking the dog. I can say that I'm scared of trying push ups and strength training because I don't know how to get through or not cause more flares.

Maddi_InBetweenDays

I have fibro (and PCOS) I was diagnosed about 4 years ago - I had decided to not go the medication route, and just last year I started trying to treat it with excercise. It works! I was symptom free and in remission for about 4 months, somethings still set off "flare ups" in the last couple months, but trying to move, walk, stretch everyday is the most important. I find low impact exercises work the best as well as making sure I don't do cardio at a high heart rate. Walking swimming, stationary bike are all good. I have recently started the elliptical machine, and that seems really good. You just need to find what works best for you and what doesn't set you off.

AuddAlise

I swim, run and do strength exercises. It seems to keep my symptoms at bay.

I have had FM since I was 18 months old. I got viral spinal menegitis at 17 months old and was in a coma for a month. When I finally came out of it I got pnumonia and chicken pox. Once I got out of the hospital I fell 8 feet from playground equipment on to tan bark and broke my arm. The Dr's think that all the trauma (both illness & injury) caused the FM.

sunshine_gem

I don't have fibromyalgia but I do have chronic fatigue syndrome which is pretty similar. I've had it for a while so I've learned how to read my body and know when I'm overdoing it. I was really scared of doing anything at first in case I made anything worse so I started with pilates. It's really low impact and teaches you how to listen to your body more and be more aware of it. From there I moved on to some strength training and cardio. I currently use dvd's from The Firm. I just really like the instruction they give and they always have modified moves. I can understand being scared of trying things but if you start off slow you'll ease your body into it and become more aware of what it's capable of. Walking, if you can, is good just to get you moving. I sometimes only do 15 minutes but that's better than nothing. On bad days I don't workout. At all. And sometimes not for a couple of days after either. It can be frustrating but it's the long term that's more important. I still do my pilates as well because I really enjoy it and it's good for the days when I'm not feeling so good.

I've been seriously doing this for a couple of months and it was hard at first I'm not gonna lie. But the more I've been doing the more I've been able to do. I feel a bit stronger.

Like I say, start off slow and figure out what you're capable of. Try things out. If it feels too much then stop. You know your body better than anyone. You will eventually be able to tell the difference from workout pain or pain pain. Good luck. I hope any of this was useful :-)

wildrosejmj

I was diagnosed with FM a number of years ago but have had chronic pain in my joints since I was a child. As I gained weight the last couple years, the pain got worse and, in addition, I started having such terrible pain in my feet there was no way for me to walk for exercise (not that I did much anyway, but it was a great excuse to continue not doing it). I've also had back problems that have plagued me for several years (back went out 3 different times - and I'm only 39 now so not the age to be dealing with this, especially with little kids). Recently it got so bad it would wake me at night and sleeping was just a nightmare. Then, several months ago a friend of mine with chronic asthma and some other health problems that prevented her from doing regular exercise (including foot pain as well), told me about a thing called the "Cellerciser". It's a rebounder and this gal sounded like a real live infomercial!! I nodded politely and said, "good for you" but didn't buy into it one bit. Several months went by and I saw my friend at church. She looked FABULOUS! As soon as I got home I emailed her and asked her what she had been doing. She was just counting calories (Weight Watchers) and rebounding on her Cellerciser. I couldn't believe it! But, I looked into it. I ended up buying a cheaper one - Urban Rebounder - opened it up and gave it a try. The very first time i could tell that my back was better. Within a week, I was sleeping all night with NO pain. As the weeks went on, I realized that, for the first time in my life, I am completely PAIN FREE!! It is absolutely unbelievable and I wouldn't believe it if it didn't happen to me. I swear to you I have nothing to do with this product and don't care which rebounder you buy - go get a mini-tramp from WalMart if you want, just to try it - but GET ONE. I go on it for about 20 min (working my way up to 30 min) every day, but it's just gentle bouncing - my feet don't even leave the surface of the mat - just bounce lightly. I'm telling you that it will change the way you feel completely!

While on the subject, has anyone ever investigated a link between FM and chemical sensitivities? I've gotten to know several people over the years that have symptoms very much like those associated with FM but have figured out that they are triggered by chemicals in their environment (new paint or carpet, particle board, laundry detergents, perfumes, etc.). Just curious what you think.

Oh, and my friend I mentioned above, she hasn't had to take her asthma medication since Dec.!! She's been on meds since she was 3 years old and is now symptom free from her asthma!

Deo Juvante, Jen

lizraymer

I have FM - have recently started on the weightloss journey (lost 40pounds since having my baby; but stalled for the last year (mid-FM diagnosis and put on some - now starting again with another 40pounds to go).

I am finding that taking a multivitamin, VitD, calcium, mganesium and fish oil VITAL. Whenever I stop - it all comes back (and takes a month or so to recover again). I've learnt this the hard way, but am now sticking with it.

Am hoping that walking (then adding swimming) combined with light weights, and healthy eating will do the rest.

MFPBrandy

I do not, but my mom & cousin do, so odds are I have a predisposition, unfortunately. Am trying to do everything I can to stave it off. But anyway, the reason I responded is to bring up vitamin D -- I've got long-term muscle pain from an accident, and physical therapy, meds, foam roller, & manipulation have only gone so far (PT was a huge help, just not enough). My exercise physiologist sent me a few articles on false FM diagnosis due to vitamin D deficiency -- I had no idea vitamin D was so closely linked to muscle pain. Anyway, I'm not doubting your diagnosis, but if you're not already getting 5,000-8,000 IU a day, you might want to try it (read the research yourself, of course) and see if it helps any. I'll take any incremental relief in pain I can get. I've only been on it for a week, but the past couple days have been better. Could be psychological -- I don't care as long as I hurt less.

***ETA: oh, and I second the vote for Pilates or yoga. I LOVE yoga. The beautiful thing about it is that the instructors know so many variations of each pose, so can work around your trigger spots. You can go as hard or gentle as you want, too. I can't do impact exercise due to my back, but I have an elliptical that I can usually do without added pain.

LinaBo

I have Fibromyalgia, as well, and am currently off work, living back with my parents (for a few more months, anyway). November will be the 5 year mark, since I was diagnosed. I believe I developed it in part out of a motor vehicle accident I had a year before that (I was a pedestrian hit by a driver who ran a red light), because my injuries from the accident seemed to gradually morph into the aches and pains typical of Fibro. I now suspect that the MVA was just the tip of the iceberg, and my years of depression and anxiety and extreme stress and medications for all of those things took their toll on my poor brain, and something in there finally just... broke beyond repair. Fibromyalgia is, more and more, looking like a CNS condition, involving hormones/neurotransmitters/brain/nerves. It would also seem that there is something to a hereditary predisposition... as my cousin on my dad's side has just been diagnosed, after suffering with the symptoms for 13 years (I never knew this until she announced her diagnosis on FB).

When my symptoms were really bad, I started with just going to my chronic disease management classes at the local rec centre pool. They were covered by my local health authority. It really helps relieve the nerve pain (that burning sensation in the limbs) to be in the deeper water. We got to wear float belts, so knowing how to swim isn't required (just know how not to drown; don't breathe in water! You head is above water in these classes, anyway). I actually built a LOT of muscle in those classes, and the feeling of being weightless was so awesome that if I could live in the pool all of the time, I would. Even if you don't have classes available that are specifically geared to people with chronic illnesses, you can probably find deep water "aqua fit" type classes at most public, indoor pools. I highly recommend it, to start.

I have graduated back to land exercises (the indoor pool is closed, right now, anyway). I push myself to do serious weight training at the gym, with walking as my cardio (at 70% of my MHR, so that more of the calories I'm burning are from body fat). It can be tough to get going, but once I do the endorphins make me feel great, and the added muscle has done wonders for my joint and back pain, as well as overall energy. I get quite tired and need a lot of extra sleep when I come down from my exercise high, but while the endorphins are serving as a painkiller, I ride them out by using that time to get other stuff done.

Doing the weight training and walking, despite the flare ups of fatigue (it actually reduces my flare ups of burning pain and joint/connective tissue aches), is one of those things that makes you feel worse in the short term so that you can feel better in the long term. From what I've heard, plus some person experience, extra weight and poor health and diet make the symptoms so much worse. I hope that by buckling down and getting fit, I can beat it into remission, or at least bring the symptoms down to a minimum that is very manageable. I'm not one of those people content to coast through life. Whereas some people with this illness give up, I WANT to work and do something ambitious with my life.

Other tips that I have for reducing symptoms (and there are so many):

-I don't always practice what I preach, because I'm still trying to recover from food addiction, but I find that eating a lot of processed sugar really contributes to nasty flare ups of that burning nerve pain, as well as the joint aches.

-Invest in a freezer. Batch cook meals when you're feeling better, so you can grab something healthy to just heat up, when you feel like crap. That way you reach for less junk food.

-I avoid air fresheners, especially of the aerosol persuasion, as well as scented laundry products (unless they have natural fruit oils). I also avoid chemical cleaners, and stick with the biodegradeable kinds that are either fragrance free, or use natural fruit oils. In general, some people with Fibro also have multiple chemical sensitivities, and it's hard to tell which ones affect them and which ones don't. I just try to remove the harsh chemicals from my home, as much as possible. Standard house paint was a MASSIVE trigger for me, the week that my landlord was painting the suite above me (when I was living in Toronto, a couple years back). Read your labels, and research the chemicals as well as environmentally friendly alternatives. One to avoid for sure is formaldehyde. Western society is so used to practising paranoid overkill when it comes to cleaning, when items as simple as white vinegar and baking soda are reasonable cleaning products in all but the most high risk circumstances.

-If you have a big event scheduled, stockpile your sleep hours. Plan to get plenty of extra sleep beforehand, so that you are at your best and can last as long as possible. Right now, for me, it's mostly preparing for training... but also it is for bigger errands, like a large grocery shop. Sometimes I sleep for up to 14 hours (although the heat has made this difficult). I find it also greatly reduces my pain symptoms.

If anyone wants to talk to me further about Fibromyalgia, by all means shoot me a message or a friend request. Bear in mind, I strongly champion the strength training, and do not believe in the "avoid all movement" approach to dealing with this condition.

redmcgee1

thanks for all the input, I really did not know what to expect when I posted the question. I am one to always overdo it..it seems I will be feeling great for 2 days max so I will clean the house really good and exercise too much for one day for myself. I am still trying to recover from the day over a week ago that I overdid it. I have alot of flareups the fibro seems to be getting worse than better as the years go by. I plan on not overdoing it and just walking on the treadmill or do leslie sansone walk away the pounds and not pushing myself.

aqm22

My doctor thinks I do, but I never went back for a confirmed diagnosis. I'm in pain 24/7, but I'm at a point where I don't care anymore. I run, surf, dance, walk...and whatever else I want to. Some night I'm in so much pain I can't sleep, but it's better than sitting on my butt