|
Freedom From FibromyalgiaYour Complete Guide To Pain Relief |
Coping With the Pain of Fibromyalgia
Living with chronic fibromyalgia pain isn’t easy, especially right after your diagnosis. It’s certainly not easy to go from being an active, productive individual to finding that you need to adjust your life just to cope with your fibromyalgia pain. In time, however, you’ll learn effective ways to cope with the chronic pain to again lead a happy, fulfilling, productive life. Fibromyalgia living doesn’t have to be bad.
First, understand you are not alone. There are millions of others who are in the process of learning, or who have had to learn, how to cope with fibromyalgia pain. It’s absolutely okay if, after your diagnosis, you’re angry, sad, or depressed. The key is not to allow yourself to remain in that mindset by finding active ways of coping with your chronic fibromyalgia pain.
Coping with fibromyalgia pain includes learning your limits. Sure, you might wake up feeling great one morning and decide you’re going to tackle that project - whether it’s mowing the lawn, taking a bike ride through the park, or spending a day out shopping – because you want to take advantage of that good feeling while it lasts.
In the beginning, it’s natural to want to make the most of every good day. However, you’ll quickly realize if you do too much or push yourself too hard, you’re likely going to pay for it the next day by dealing with a flare-up of fibromyalgia pain. Take advantage of those good days, but don’t push yourself. If you moderate your activity, you may very well wake up to another good day.
Alternately, you’ll quickly learn that coping with fibromyalgia pain means being flexible with plans. You may have planned a great day for tomorrow, but if you wake up in pain, you might have to postpone (note: postpone, not cancel) your plans until you feel better.
Not knowing how you’re going to feel when you wake up can be incredibly frustrating and sometimes depressing. Realize that it’s natural to feel mentally bad when you feel physically bad. However, find ways to cheer yourself up on those bad fibromyalgia pain days, especially if you have to postpone plans.
Keep your favourite movie nearby. When you have a bad fibromyalgia pain day, you can pop it into the DVD player and enjoy something you love. Call a friend who always makes you feel better when you’re having a bad fibromyalgia day, or take a long, therapeutic bubble bath. The key is to have things you love to do on those really bad fibromyalgia days, so while you feel bad physically, you’re not too bad mentally.
Coping with fibromyalgia pain might also include finding others who are also Freedom From Fibromyalgia. Your local hospital should be able to direct you to local fibromyalgia support groups. If you prefer anonymity or don’t like going out, especially when you feel bad, look for an online support group.
You’ll also want to consider starting a pain journal. Sure, you’re going to want to jot down the details of your fibromyalgia pain for each day. But, sometimes you just need to vent, to rant, and to get angry, and a great way to do that is to write in a journal. You can even start a journal on your computer or start a blog that you either share with others or keep private.
Coping with chronic fibromyalgia pain also means understanding that you’re going to have bad days. Weather is a big factor in flare-ups, so when you see it’s supposed to rain or be really humid, mentally prepare yourself just in case you don’t feel as good as you want. Be prepared for those bad days, and remember it’s okay to cry or feel depressed when you don’t feel good. However, if you find yourself depressed for an extended period, talk with your doctor about possible medications or therapy to help.
Of course, you want to be proactive in combating your fibromyalgia pain. You and your doctor have likely determined what type of medication and therapy are best for you at this point in time. Take your meds when you’re supposed to, and go into therapy with a positive attitude.
Ultimately, you can learn to cope with the chronic pain of fibromyalgia. It’s not always going to be easy, and you should expect to have bad days. But, in the end, with the right attitude and the right treatment, you’ll realize that you can handle the bad days because you know that behind every bad day, a good day is waiting.
© Health Research Today
Read the rest of this article in Freedom From Fibromyalgia!