Finding the Balance in Fibromyalgia

1. Fibromyalgia as a hereditary disease/Fibromyalgia in children.

2. Things to help get out of the winter blues and into the swing of summer.

3. How to spot Fibromyalgia treatment/remedie scams vs. finding things you can do that could actually help with symptoms. (Non medicinal things.)

Love,
A.

I’ve just recently begun working on my blogs again. The thing is, I’m having a hard time thinking of articles to write for this blog. What are some things you’d like to see on here? Everything on this blog is meant to center around information and management of Fibromyalgia. Let me know what kinds of things you’d like to see on here in the near future. Medications? Tips and tricks? Research progress? Anything like that, just let me know and I’ll start researching and putting together articles. Also, if anyone else would like to write a guest article for this blog just submit it to me and I’ll go over it and get it on here asap.

Love,
A.

What would you like to see posted on here in the near future?

Hey everyone,

I’m SO sorry for being absent from my Fibromyalgia blogs for so long. Life has been really crazy and hard for me lately. Thank you all so much for being patient and keeping my blogs on your follow lists. Hello to all my new followers! Tomorrow I’m going to start updating both of my fibro sites again. I’ve got a new article written and nearly ready to post on here and a TON of confessions ready to go up on Fibromyalgia Confessions. So, tomorrow afternoon look for new things on both blogs. Again, I’m so sorry for the long absence and for not doing any kind of updates during it.

Love,
A.

Currently the exact cause of fibromyalgia is unknown. There are a few connections Doctors have made regarding the onset of Fibromyalgia. One of the most prominent ones is the connection with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). It’s estimated that over 50% of people with Fibromyalgia had PTSD prior to the onset of Fibromyalgia. This suggests that there is a connection between trauma or severe stress and Fibromyalgia.

The PTSD varies from patient to patient. There are cases of abuse, war, and death. PTSD is an anxiety disorder that is a reaction to a traumatic event. There have been studies that show evidence of PTSD actually changing the way the brain functions. The thought is that these changes in the brain could cause Fibromyalgia, as Fibro is thought to be caused by a brain function issue.

It’s proven that treating the PTSD can help lessen the symptoms of Fibromyalgia. PTSD, like Fibro, is incurable and simply must be treated indefinitely. It’s thought to be helpful to see a counselor or psychiatrist and to be put on some sort of anti-depressant or anti-psychotic.

All of this is also more of a reason to keep your life at a low stress level. The more emotional strain you’re under, the worse your Fibro will be. Ever notice that when you get really upset a flare-up often follows? This is something that is common in a large number of Fibromyalgia patients. So, do your best to stay calm, learn to relax, don’t worry so much, and de-stress often.

Love,
A.

I wanted to apologize for not updating in so long. Life got a little crazy for me a few months ago. My husband and I split up and I basically had to rebuild my life from scratch. That’s hard enough and as you all know Fibro just makes everything so much more difficult. I’m planning on starting regular updates again this week. I hope all of you are doing well. It’s almost springtime! Almost an end to those winter blues and extra bad flare-ups from the bad weather!

Love,
A.

Depression is common in Fibromyalgia patients. Some patients have some form of depression before their diagnosis and many patients develop depression due to their diagnosis. As a Fibromyalgiac, I know it’s hard not to get down sometimes-especially if you’re already prone to being depressed.

The winter months are approaching and with them comes daylight savings time and less and less sunny days. In a lot of you, this will lead to seasonal depression. Lack of sunlight causes melatonin production to become imbalanced in the body. This causes sleep disturbance, feelings of depression, moodiness, etc. Personally, I’ve had seasonal depression all my life. At first I didn’t even understand what was happening to me. But, as I learned more about it I started to find little things that helped control my symptoms and I’d like to share those things with all of you.

-The first thing is, try and get as much sunlight as you can. Get up earlier, open the blinds, and go outside in the sun at least once a day.
-Take vitamin D supplements*-this will help replace the vitamin D you are losing from lack of sunlight.
-Make sure you keep exercising. Even though it’s harder to keep up physical activity in winter due to bad weather and increased pain it’s still important. Exercise not only helps fibro pain but it also helps the body produce Serotonin and Norepinephrine-the hormones you need to be happy.
-Take melatonin supplements.* Melatonin is a chemical in the body that is produced while we sleep; it is also one of the chemicals that helps us sleep. Lack of sunlight can disrupt the melatonin cycle. The idea behind taking melatonin is to fix your sleep/melatonin production cycle. Your body needs to know when it should have more melatonin and when it should have less.

I’m not saying that these things will cure your seasonal depression but they definitely can help alleviate your symptoms. The worst thing you can do is do nothing. These things aren’t meant to replace any anti-depressants you may be on, if you do take an anti-depressant use these tricks in addition to your medication.

Many people, especially those who are prone to Depression or those who live in areas where winters are long/harsh may develop serious Seasonal Depression (Which is technically called Seasonal Affective Disorder, by the way, but I never use that term-Sorry.) If your Seasonal Depression is to the point that it is causing serious disruptions in your day to day life you should see a Dr. You could possibly need medication or light therapy.

*Before taking any vitamin supplement check with your Dr to make sure they’re safe for you to take. Also, check with your pharmacist to make sure they won’t react badly with any medications you may be on.

Love,
A.

I’m so sorry I haven’t been posting a lot of stuff on here lately. I’ve been in kind of a funk with winter coming and all. I’m going to start posting more frequently though! Also, thank you to everyone who messaged me and let me know the kinds of things they’d like to see on here. It was really helpful!

Love,
A.

Tell me what you want, I need some suggestions! Anything related to fibro; living with it, medication, treatments, Drs, research progress, tips and tricks, etc.

Put it in my ask: www.fibromyalgiabalance.tumblr.com/ask

Love,
A.