Fibromyalgia Bloggers’ Top Tips

For the last couple of Fridays, I’ve been sharing top tips from some of the bloggers from Fibro Blogger Directory. Started by Lee Good, FBD is the place to find information about fibromyalgia and “get first-hand information from others going through the same experiences.” (FBD website)

This Friday, I’m sharing the final tips my fellow bloggers provided in our Facebook group. As I did with the tips last week and the week before, I’ve included links to their blogs, where they share even more tips, underneath each tip. I’m sure they’d love for you to stop by and visit!

Rachel makes such a great point here about finding the best doctors to help you. I’ve heard so many horror stories of people with Fibro who really receive almost no care at all. Finding a doctor who will work with you to get answers, who’s willing to experiment with different modalities to give you the best quality of life, and most importantly, who listens – is vital.

And that brings us to our next tip….

Donna goes on to say:

Too often physicians label someone with fibromyalgia because it’s the path of least resistance. But I would encourage you not to blindly accept your diagnosis. Here’s why: A Canadian study found that up to two-thirds of fibromyalgia patients have been misdiagnosed.The implications of that are huge. That means millions of fibromyalgia sufferers are living with undiagnosed conditions, some of which are probably treatable!It’s also important to realize fibromyalgia is NOT a disease in and of itself. It is a syndrome, which means it’s a collection of symptoms of unknown origin. It’s important to dig deeper into your symptoms with the help of a knowledgeable medical provider to try to find the underlying cause of your illness. Many things can cause fibromyalgia symptoms, including undiagnosed infections, mold exposure, thyroid dysfunction and others.

Donna Gregory, Fed Up With Fatigue

And once you’ve been through this process, Sue at Rebuilding Wellness has this tip:

She’s so right — the diagnosis is just the beginning. This is the first step in learning how to live — and live well — with fibromyalgia.

One of the most frustrating symptoms of fibromyalgia (at least for me) is Fibro Fog. The lovely Mandy from Mandy & Michele gives us a tip for dealing with this unwanted guest:

You know that old saying, “If you don’t use it, you lose it” and that’s why Mandy’s tip about using your brain as much as possible is so important.

I would add that paying attention to nutrition can also help with Fibro Fog. What we eat can impact our brains, either positively or negatively. If you’re interested in learning more about how your diet can affect your brain and feelings, check out The MIND Diet: A Scientific Approach to Enhancing Brain Function and Helping Prevent Alzheimer’s and Dementia by Maggie Moon.

Fibromyalgia can change your life. Having people by your side who can understand and support you is so important, and my friend Cynthia from My Inspired Fibro Life gives us a great tip for building that support system:

You know that old saying about not reinventing the wheel? That’s one of the things that makes plugging into those online communities so valuable. If you have fibromyalgia, you don’t have to figure this out on your own. There are people who have been where you are and are happy to help you navigate this ‘new normal’.

All the top fibromyalgia tips that were shared in our Facebook group are included in today’s, last week’s and the previous week’s posts, but I’d like to add one more: Get to know yourself. Learn what you need to be as well as possible.

For some people that’s learning to manage symptoms; for others it’s finding distractions; and for those of you who are wired the way I am, it might mean concentrating less on fibromyalgia and more on overall wellness. Be open to trying new things and discovering new ways to be as well as you can be – this is your journey.

I’m sure the bloggers whose tips I’ve included over these last several blog posts would love to “see” you, so if you can, please pop by their blogs and say hi!

Do you have any tips for living with fibromyalgia or other chronic pain? If so, please share!

Blessings,

~Terri

Pin for Later: