The Taming of the Great Fibro Beast/My Top 11 Holistic Fibromyalgia Flare Up Survival Tips

I wrote this about this time last year. Since then, so much has changed. But guess what? I still have Fibromyalgia. It didn't go away with moving and simplifying my life, or hunting down my 2 dozen food allergies. It didn't go away when I lost 112 pounds. It didn't go away when I started a holistic support group. It didn't go away, and I accept and surrender to the fact that it may be my dance partner for life. I still refuse the medication route. People call me nuts for that. Personally, I think being addicted to drugs so I can button my shirt...is nuts, and not where I am at, yet. So, once again, here are my Top 11 Holistic Fibromyalgia Flare Up Survival Tips. I'll be back next week with more recipes and menus...and hopefully less BLAH.

Shhh...we're hunting. What was that?! Look! Over there...on the couch! A FIBRO BEAST!!! OK ladies and gents, step right on up and see first hand the beauty of surrender to chronic pain with bursts of worse, the ferociousness of the long muscle groups in spasm. Examine her isolation induced depression! See the wasted days and nights! Feel for the Fibro fog! Where did her ability to take her own shirt off go?! Solve the mystery! Step right on up!

Yes. I DO feel like a circus freak. As my parched desert prepares for much needed rain, I start preparing for days of less mobility, pain x too much, swollen joints, and fatigue that makes Olympic training exhaustion look like the hokey pokey. The walk to the mail box becomes a marathon. The dog poop grows in the back yard, the dishes multiply in the sink, and the laundry pile becomes something needing it's own zip code. And NO matter what I do...It's coming for me anyway.

I have been through all of Kubler-Ross' Stages of Grief with the Beast. I got angry, I denied, etc. None of that helped...until the acceptance part. I have to accept this, find humor in it, find ways to comfort myself, and move through it. I have given it full control because I CAN'T CONTROL IT. All I can do... is CONTROL HOW I REACT TO IT.

The following are my Top 11 Holistic Fibromyalgia Survival Tactics.

1. Accept it. You can't make it go away by ignoring it but you can make yourself sicker, longer.

2. Don't over medicate it. You may mask another health problem...like gluten intolerance. Honestly, if I had filled all 10 prescriptions, not only would I be a zombie, but I'd still be eating gluten because I wouldn't have become aware of my body's signals that MORE was going on.

3. Stretch...all the time. Well stretched muscles have an easier time fighting off rigidness and spasms.

4. Talk about it. Out of whack emotions go hand and hand with the Beast. Emotional upset is enough to wake the Beast. Stress pokes it like a stick. Anger feeds it. Despair serves it dessert.

5. LAUGH as much as you can. The body doesn't know the difference between forced and real laughter. It releases pain reducing endorphins either way. Laughter Yoga...search it out!

6. Try a gluten free diet. I'm still getting flare ups...but they are not back to back, or one long endless one anymore. They are also clearly defined; from the weather, too much activity, or stress/emotions. They are not from eating a glutinous pizza, or the end result of bagel day anymore. I will not say I'm Fibro-less because I'm gluten free but damn, I'm so much better gluten free!

7. The following supplements have been the most useful to me: Mixed Omega's 3-6-9, coconut oil, ginger, digestive enzymes, food based vitamin B complex, magnesium, potassium, malic acid, food based calcium, and lots and lots of vitamin D. Malic acid is a fruit acid that enhances calcium and magnesium absorption, and encourages our muscles to release stored inflammatory hormones. (I am not suggesting anything, just sharing what I use)

8. Buy Epsom salts...in bulk. A hot Epsom salt bath really helps my rigid muscles. Don't spend extra money on scented products if you have essential oils. A few drops scents a 5lb. bag.

9. NO JUNK FOOD before, during, or after a flare up. High sodium and sugary snacks only make the Beast happy. Eat light and well. Use nutrient dense foods, drink green or coconut milk smoothies, and save the munchies for another week. I had been known to fall into the 'I don't feel good anyway' food loop. Salty chips and chocolate... just hurt the next day.

10. REST. Find a way. Be gentle to yourself. The only 'cure' for each flare up is time spent resting. I'll sleep for 14 hours and not feel like I have rested, but an hour with my feet up between dish loads makes a huge difference in my endurance, and the flare-up's.

11. Added 2/03/2011
Oh my goodness, how much do I love community acupuncture? Wow. I have been going for 3 months. It is my most effective tool against acute pain.  I am hopeful in time it will help further my healing, help my body enjoy more quality time between flares and perhaps, keep the Beast at bay.