I've had it since my forties (I'm 73), and I wish I had some advice for you. They say exercise helps, but I'm so exercise intolerant. I had a fairly long stretch of what felt like remission after I lost a significant amount of weight. I haven't gained much of it back, but as I've gotten older my flares have gotten worse. I've also been infected with Lyme and Babesia, so it's hard to know what's causing what.

The one thing that consistently helps my energy levels is juicing vegetables. I do it every other day. Magnesium is a valuable supplement for most people with fibromyalgia. Also, don't underestimate the importance of sleep. Sleep is when we heal.

PS: Roseberry, "Does anyone here" doesn't reveal what your post is about. I don't know why you didn't add "have Fibro?" but it would have given people a useful piece of information that might have resulted in more useful answers to your question.

Even though my numbers (inflammation checked via blood) aren't high enough for a actual diagnosis I suffer from all over pain often. I also have arthritis so I understand what you mean. My rheumatologist has me taking Meloxicam and it does seem to help a bit. You have to be very careful with this med and I have frequent blood work to keep track of kidney function. Also when on this med you can't take other pain meds. I think overall it has helped some. I also agree that very warm water does alleviate the pain some. Sorry you are feel poorly.

I have it too,have had for 25 yrs or so....the BEST thing to do,is put in a movie,relax,eat lightly,take Tylenol for the pain and REST

I don't have it....as far as I know, but my arthritis pains seem to come and go. I have often wondered if that is normal. I have been taking Ibuprofen for my hip, but I think it has made my tinnitus worse. I'm not taking over the recommended dosage....not even taking as much as when the doctor prescribed some for me once upon a time.

I'm not sure I have it (I avoid drs) but I do have pain and inflammation problems, especially lower back, and given the time, I can sleep for 12 hours a night after a day of what should not be too much activity. I just found this recipe via Facebook, and plan to try it--all the anti-inflammatory, anti-bacterial, etc stuff fermented into one jar. And as Alisande said, I hear juicing is helpful for many ailments. Pain meds will wreck your body and brain in the long run. Good luck to you, and I hope you feel better soon.

http://diystratosphere.com/powerful-natural-antibiotic-kills-infection-body/

Thank you for the advice Alisande, I'll keep it in mind about my intro to threads, ;0)

I do sometimes sleep 12 hours with no effort at all. At my age, I really hate wasting my time sleeping though. One never knows when we are going to expire. I don't have an expiration date stamped on my butt. LOL

Andrea, I wonder if I could leave out the chili peppers? Hot peppers and me jus don't like one another. But I do want to try the recipe, I have most of the ingredients already.

I've been in the whirlpool 3 times today. So, I really didn't do as much as I had planned. I do feel some better after the whirlpool, and then just keep moving.

I think Tobey is coming home early. He called me 3 times today. Tonight he asked me if I was feeling ok. Of course I said yes, I am just fine, but he knows me too well. Maybe he here's it in my voice. I will admit, I do miss the old goat. =0)

Yes, leave out the peppers. You reminded me to mention that all the nightshade plants are bad for arthritic / inflammation pain. Unfortunately. Tomatoes, peppers, etc. Look it up. The list includes all the foods I like, except cheeseburgers.

I wouldn't normally endorse supplements that I haven't used, but... our friend was diagnosed with fibro maybe 5 years ago. He was hit hard, and at one point was on 8 different meds. Somehow he heard of a supplement line called Plexus. He started using it, and after a year was off of all meds. He has been on it a few years and is back to his old self, med free.

It's one of those distributor things, which would annoy me. But I've seen the results in him. YMMV.

Roseberry, I have ME/CFS, which as you may be aware is closely related to FM. Although I'm currently bedbound/housebound, I count myself as very lucky indeed that pain is no longer amongst my symptoms. I used to have almost daily debilitating headaches, along with dementia-like brain fog, extreme weakness and exhaustion and an intense nagging aching that felt as if it was coming from deep within my bones. All that was cleared up with a course of individualised treatment and ongoing monitoring from a naturopath.

(NB: Here in Oz, since anyone can call themselves a naturopath one has to be very very careful who one chooses, but I happened to know this lady slightly and knew her to be a good person who was a fully qualified hospital nurse (physical and mental health) who had studied part-time for many years to earn a string of postgraduate qualifications and wide-ranging knowledge in natural health both before and after setting herself up in practice.)

She took a very thorough history and list of symptoms, and then used a 'Vega' machine to identify a range of foods and environmental factors that were incompatible with/irritating to my particular individual make-up. I thought it (the machine) was a load of old baloney, but the special diet modifications I was put on for between a few months and a year or two, along with a range of pills and potions, all or mainly based on ongoing readings from the machine, actually worked brilliantly, each element doing exactly what she said it would do, some very quickly and some gradually over time. If it was all a placebo effect, which I doubt, I don't care, since it made me feel so much better, and cleared up so many of my weird physical symptoms (eg big floating poo with holes in it!). On the negative side, all this positive stuff never fully cured my ME/CFS, and I had to stop seeing her eventually due to my diminishing financial resources. Later, after a series of stressful/high pressure life events, I unfortunately relapsed and my health went backwards.

The nutritional supplements I still use that seem to ward off any ongoing pain are Fish Oils and Magnesium, along with a top quality (not supermarket brand) multi-vitamin and mineral, zinc and vitamin C, probiotics and a number of others I won't go into, along with maintaining a general awareness of and care to avoid or minimise things I find I'm still somewhat sensitive to. For ongoing mental and emotional anguish relating to my circumstances, I've recently found mindfulness meditation (based on traditional Tibetan Buddhist teachings) to be absolutely brilliant; I would say the anxiety and depression/despair have for now at least completely disappeared and I feel much more confident/ able to cope.

For emergencies like occasional migraine-like headaches, I've discovered from consulting with several pharmacists that it's safe to take a combination of over-the-counter ibuprofen, paracetamol and codeine, which I find if taken at the outset usually knocks out the pain before it fully takes hold. The combination consists of the recommended maximum doses of each. I'd suggest double-checking with your own pharmacist if anyone wants to try this, and please note this is only an occasional, one-off, or twice in a bout, measure - NOT an ongoing treatment.

Sorry for the overlong post; I hope some of my experiences may be of some help to you and wish you every success in your quest for relief.

Comtesse :-)

Thank you so very much for taking the time to share all this information. It has given me another new starting point. I do practice a form of "Christian" meditation, where I go to a serene and quiet place to clear my mind, do some deep breathing, and just ask God for some of His healing power. That in conjunction with prayer, whirlpool baths, scent therapy, and a few other methods of relaxology. When Tobey is at home, he will apply warm scented oils to my legs, and arms and back where the hurting is the worst. That really does help as well. Rosemary and Chamomile essential oil mixed with coconut oil seem to work best, I love the scent of Lavendar, however I have an allergy to it, and so that just will not work for use on my skin. I take many of the vitamin supplements you mentioned as well.

I appreciate everyone's input.

Yes, pacing myself is something I have found difficult to accomplish. I am so used to going "full tilt" most of my life that it has become a habit. I started meditating several years ago, and the most difficult thing to learn was to just clear my mind. I would get quiet, breathe deeply, but my mind was still going at warp speed. LOL I began to take walks down our road and to a pretty creek with a small waterfall, taking a pocket bible with me. As I quieted myself, listening to the gurgling sounds of the water, and the singing birds, I would close my eyes and pray quietly and earnestly for His guidance. I know other folks reach out in other directions or strength and guidance, but mine is the Lord. It took some time to give over my thoughts to Him, but every day and little by little, my mind began to relax, and with that, my body also responded in kind.

I'd like to share something that was an amazing experience. During a hot summer day, I walked to the creek and by the time I got there, I was soaked with sweat. I figured since I was soaked already, I could maybe just lay down in the water and let the coolness drift over me. It was so soothing and cooling !! So I meditated right then there, and just let the flowing water wash the stress away. It was wonderful. I did that several times during the course of the summer. Now I use my whirlpool tub and that works well.

Oh, that sounds like a really lovely experience, Roseberry - thank you for sharing that, and your experiences with meditation and prayer.

When I still could, I used to get down to the beach where I live and just stand in the water letting the incoming waves run over my feet and legs, feeling the warm sand beneath my feet being sucked out and filling again as the water rolled in and out, the sunlight sparkling on ever-changing facets of water and foam...it almost sent me into a trance - so peacefully joyous and de-stressing, kind of letting my pains and worries melt into the power of those wonderful natural elements around me. :-)

Water, especially in its pure, natural form does seem to have some sort of special healing quality, I think, for both mind and body - no wonder it's often used in the Bible to symbolise spiritual refreshment and renewal...

I love the beach, and I know exactly, that cool feeling of the sand being sucked our from under your feet by the tide. It like a foot massage and exfoliating at the same time. I love watching the waves rolling in. Tobey and I will be spending the month of April in Florida on the Gulf coast.

April beachtime

I hope you and your beloved will have a wonderful, relaxing time there together in April - I'd imagine the weather might be quite pleasant and mild there at that time of year.

Thank you, Yes, We intend to send some time in a spiritual renewal of mind and body. My daughter and Son in law are coming down to spend time in which she wants to experience renewal with us.

my friend has it and she is always in pain. She takes hot baths for relief, plus meds.

Have struggled with fibro for quite some time and have discovered that yoga, Pilates, and aquatic aerobics make me feel incredibly better. Even during the bad times, I keep moving. Rest does not work for me......in fact, exercise is the most commonly recommended treatment.

I started out doing yoga from a chair. :-)

After a stress test yesterday I was strongly reminded this morning that for me, walking quickly often results in a fibromyalgia flare the next day. TIP: Try to be aware of what triggers your flares, and avoid those activities, foods, etc., whenever possible.

Rhizo, I'm impressed!