Fibromyalgia Flare & illness

I'm sorry for your situation. You are not letting down yourself or your family. You are doing the best you can with a difficult situation. There is a fibro group here on MFP. It's not super-active but you still might find some support & help there.

I also have fibromyaliga. If you ever need to talk please feel free.

That's very uncanny. You have Fibromyalgia, as do I, you were an EMT for 11 years, I was a medic for 10 years, you have other incurable diseases, as do I. I've bern dealing with all this for 3 years and it's still hard to wrap my head around it. I have to find an excuse just to get out of the bed eveyday. Sometimes I feel like I'm living just to stay alive. All my diseases require a lot of time, effort and treatment. That's why it's hard for me to be as good as some of the others on here because dealing with T1 Diabetes can be overwhelming, especially if your using an insulin pump. I also have felt ashamed, guilty, lazy, and feel like I let MyFitnessPal friends down but they always have encouraging words. Nobody knows your conditions, symptoms, and your life more than you, so no one has a right to judge you, not even doctors, because only you have to deal with your situation. As time went by with me, I had good and bad days but the good days are rare at this time in my life. I happen to have some terminal illnesses. You may be different and stronger or whatever and get to a better condition. It's your health and no one has to cope with how you feel, so it doesn't matter if someone thinks negatively of you. I agree with every word that @Piperx222 wrote. Very good advice. I don't know if you believe in prayer, but we're stronger on our knees, rather than standing.

don't worry about mfp on those days. just do what you can to be healthy

i have an autoimmune called behcets with myalgia

I've also fought seasons of fibromyalgia and other health issues for decades now and understand how overwhelming it can be mentally and emotionally beyond the physical. I have learned that every person's journey with fibro is different, but it does seem that most people have increased flares as a result of something causing additional inflammation in their body and sometimes they learn their own individual "triggers" so to speak. Lack of sleep, finding out if you are sensitive to gluten, and/or lactose are often the "big three" and few doctors consider. When I was "accidentally" diagnosed with Celiac disease when routine bloodwork was done (I requested the test because my sister had just been diagnosed with Celiac, an auto-immune disease) my test came back ragingly positive. I eliminated gluten completely and experienced my first full fibro remission. When I would eat gluten, I was completely debilitated with excruciating body pain as if it had been turned on with a remote control. The gluten was creating the domino effect of the fibro flare. But this is just one example. Everyone has to learn their own triggers.

My personal triggers: chronic acute stress, lack of sleep, acute illnesses (flu, other conditions), hormone fluctuations, gluten, dairy, green peppers (watch out for nightshade veggies), beef, sugar.

After living with active fibro for a decade, I had actually been in remission for several years once I learned how to manage my diet, but life happens and a 1-2 year season of acute stress did me in and I developed T2 diabetes, arrhythmias, and have been in a horrible flare ever since (about two years now). I still watch my diet meticulously because it does give me an advantage over those "worse" days. I have really challenging days and my evenings are full of TENS units, medications, Toprinil lotion, and honestly, tears (and sometimes the mornings start that way too), but I get the victory during the day by learning my triggers and avoiding at all costs. (The life will of "I HAVE TO FUNCTION for my kids helps too I think - the adrenaline gives the extra boost maybe?)

Having a support system - people who will listen with compassion and help you avoid those triggers (like get your sleep or run an errand when you just can't... Or whatever you need), will help you manage your flares and find one day, you do feel better. ☺️

Please feel free to add me as a support if you'd like. Support is a good thing.

I'm a cancer patient . But I'm doing ok. Trying to be strong