What do mornings feel like when you wake up with a chronic pain disease like fibromyalgia? I was stumped when people would ask me how it “felt” to have fibromyalgia. “Not good?” Seriously, it is hard to explain. Some say like the flu, others like the flu with a sunburn. Some say it’s like being held under water while you have the flu… do you see a running theme here? I finally figured out three examples I can use to explain what it feels like to have fibromyalgia.
-Ever had the flu and been in bed for an entire week, getting up only to throw-up? Your body hurts! It feels like the day after you get over the flu. Knowing it could get worse, could get better… you are just unsure and still hurting from a week in bed.
-Ever ran track? It feels like the day after the first practice of the season.
-Ever played basketball, football, or volleyball? It feels like the day after the first practice of the season.
Fibromyalgia is basically a nerve disorder. Overactive pain signals are coursing through your body, and your brain’s response alerts you to feel pain. You are in pain, every minute of every day, only the degree of pain changes. Along with the pain are fibromyalgia’s little pain pals that show up uninvited. Backaches, headaches, vertigo, fatigue, nausea, restless legs, depression, and oh so much more! It’s like a fierce fibro gang hell-bent on reminding you that you are a member!!
Here are a few of fibro’s pain pals:
(~Pinterest)
So, a day with fibro begins in pain… as you wake up you feel like you’ve spent all night not sleeping but thoroughly planning and cleaning your house for a fancy dinner party that you will be hosting! The invitations have gone out, the RSVP’s have rolled in, and you have a three-course meal to prepare for twelve people. You are beyond exhausted and yet, you have to put on your party clothes and host this shin-ding! Hence, your day begins with you feeling like the party guests will be arriving any minute and you are too exhausted to even shower. Now, get out of bed…
Good Morning… Feelin’ fibro?
Live your best life!
~Kim
oh my, a dinner party………….i think i would pull the covers over my head and cry.
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Naw… you’d get up and host! We get out of bed every single day and face the guests, we are just really tired when we do. That’s fibro. 💜
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🙂 I have only have one party since I have been ill and i was so sick I cried until everyone arrived. Haven’t done it since………. God bless you my friend, you are so very awesome and strong.
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I read a report, only one that explained the fatigue a person with fibro feels. (I’m a stickler for finding 3 sources before I believe anything but…!!!) Doctors say that if a healthy person wants to experience the fatigue a person with fibro experiences, they’d need to stay awake for three days. THREE days! I’m blogging about that soon. So, Wendi, I’d have cried all day too… before my dinner party guests arrived. Just remember, Wendi You Rock! 💜😉
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I am laughing out loud, I am sitting here feeling as if I never went to sleep last night with another busy day ahead of me! Can’t wait to read your post about this.
Thanks for making me laugh this morning! You are totally awesome!
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😊
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Yep, that pretty much nails it Kim! I’m a morning person, but in some ways mornings are the worst because, like you said, “a day with Fibro begins in pain.” The good news in my case is that I usually start feeling better once I get up and start moving around. As you said, the pain is always there, but at least it can be a little more in the background sometimes. Sending hugs your way!
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Absolutely, we get out of bed and start our day, don’t we Terri. This is really phenomenal if you think about it. The strength it takes to begin a day with fibro… and yet, we aren’t doing enough, getting enough done, are not enough… we should be rewarding ourselves every single morning we DO get out of bed! There are days when we can not and that’s how it is. But the majority of days… we fight. Thanks Terri! You are amazing, you get out of bed and take on the day while being fatigued and completely “fibro’ed!” You rock. 😊💜
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You’re right Kim – we SHOULD be rewarding ourselves! Let’s at least give ourselves a pat on the back! You, my friend, are a rockstar!
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Ha! For us, my friend! 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👍💝
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Gosh so much pain. You are a trooper and you jest and make us laugh whilst you have all this pain going on. Amazing.
Stupid question… and forgive me for it in advance. So do the doctors discuss your vitamins and mineral levels? And discuss boosting things like b vitamins, magnesium etc ? Cause nerve pain and muscle pain are seriously reduced with these.
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Traditional medicine only covers the basics… any additional vitamins and supplements, we turn to other specialists. Yes, I think every person I know seeks out advice about ANY type of assistance with vitamins and supplements. We have to be extremely careful as we are usually taking much needed medication too. But there are vitamins and supplements every person with fibro needs to be on. Also, these pain related illnesses come with a host of coexisting conditions… those must be treated and alternative treatments, medications, vitamins and supplements are needing to be tried, implemented if the individual responds, and then the follow through… magnesium and vitamin B12 shots don’t work if you don’t take them… ha! Remember, fibro is basically a nerve disorder… meaning it doesn’t ever stop firing those pain signals. What we try to do is ignore those signals by staying busy and somewhat … detached (maybe not the right word)… we can find relief as the pain increases then decreases. The intensity of the pain signals varies extremely throughout a day. Your question was not stupid. I hope I’ve explained and answered your question? Please ask me anything. I need to hear these questions! Thanks, Bella! 😊💜
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I dont know much about fibro.. and i just thought b vits and magnesium may work…
Thanks for the through response.
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Oh! They do for most! I absolutely use magnesium and I take B12 shots! It helps me. It makes me less fatigued and in less pain when those levels are maximized. Yes! Bella. I didn’t mean to make vitamins and supplements seem unimportant! They are extremely important! Anyone not on at least those two things in addition to their medications should be! For sure!
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Good to know
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Scary.
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Every morning. Kinda IS scary isn’t it.💜
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It is. You go to bed with the pain and wake up with it…or by it.
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Touché 😂🤣😂
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This is a great deal of pain. You’re very brave to function through this.
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Thanks, Sadje. I never really looked at it like this but it is true, that’s what it feels like every morning. I’m used to it. I fight back and get up. Most days. Sometimes it wins but more importantly I win the majority of the time. That’s what counts.😊💜
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You’re welcome Kim. Stay strong! It is very inspiring to read your account.
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I hate it. I can never tell, is it fibro or something else that might be life threatening?
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Like the costochondritis??? feels like you are having a heartattack!
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I only found out the name of it a few years ago! I thought everyone’s rib cage hurt too.
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Another damn fibro pain pal…! 🙄
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For my mom, it’s like a really bad flu too. I compare it to feeling like I was ran over by a semi. But there’s so many different types of pain that comes with fibro because some days it feels like heat rushing up my spine & frying the nerves in my back, feet, & hands.
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Oh my! Yes, the type of pain definitely differs from person to person, definitely true Casey! And the pain we experience personally can (and will) differ through out the day! So hard to explain this illness. I stick with a whacked out central nervous system usually but am finding if I say, it’s a chronic pain, nerve disorder… people either get it or their eyes go out of focus and they pretend to get it! Haha. Hey, it is even tough for us to understand and WE have it! So glad you stopped by. Hope to see you again soon, thanks Casey!😊
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I’ve found most don’t understand it~
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Kim,
Every time I read one of your posts on fibro, I learn something new. I knew it had to do with overactive nerve endings, but how this manifests really is individualized to the person. That has to make it incredibly difficult just to get a diagnosis. I know you said it took you a long time. So what do they have to rule out in order to make this diagnosis — there’s so many different symptoms — symptoms I imagine that are similar or the same as other diagnoses? Is there standardized protocol or…? Mona
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Oh my! Well, it take a person an average of 2 to 5 years to get a diagnosis. They always test for Lyme… really mimics Lyme Disease then all the autoimmune disorders, then… they tell you you are making it up… send you to a shrink… etc. Fibro was finally recognized in October of 2015 when it received its own diagnosis code in the national classification diagnostic manual that the WHOLE medical world uses. So I was diagnosed in 2001, 3 years after the catalyst (car accident). Finally a little country doctor did a tender spot exam, the exam for fibro on me, because he had a hunch. And there are 18 tender points they press on over various parts of your body, if you react, it’s a positive for fibro… then I threw up for a day because he angered my body BUT I had an answer! These days, doctors are pretty knowledgeable about this test. But. Exciting news… there is now a blood test, covered by most medical insurance, that can tell if you have fibro! It’s called the Fm/a blood test. hurray! If you want specific info please look at the top of my blog at the menu, the symptoms and etc. are there and the list is long, my friend! I don’t blame doctors, fibro is hard to diagnose, or WAS in my time, but it is even harder to treat. This illness is a baby! 4 years old, really. There is so much yet to learn! The how’s and why’s? Different. The causes? Different! Each person experiences fibro uniquely. That HAS to be a nightmare to treat! Yep. So there is nothing standard about fibro but they are getting better methods for diagnosing it! I’m glad you learn new things, my friend! I like to hear that. Thanks Mona!😊💜
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Thank you for a very comprehensive description Kim. I wish more people appreciated what it feels like.
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You are very welcome Brigid. Maybe we can teach as well? If we can find the words, the descriptive words, we can share what we learn! Eventually, the message will be heard. 😊💜 (I will be able to tackle that award soon, will post as soon as I do!😉)
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Very interesting! Fibro almost sounds like what POTS and neuropathy feels like for me! Very similar symptoms.
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They really are, Lindsay. Funny how they can tend to mimic each other. And it can be annoying! 😉
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Hi fellow fibro warrior! You nailed that explanation! Sometimes I wake up feeling like just getting myself to the toilet will take as much effort as that 12 person, 3 course dinner party…
But we fight on. 💪
I’ve just started my blog on life with chronic illness and how I use art & craft to help, maybe you’d like to check it out? I’d love to see you there!
Either way, chin up and keep on fighting.
T.
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Yes, I’ll jump over and take a peek! Sounds great. I just started a little group, I use tangles and doodles to keep my mind occupied. I listed my group, its brand new and called, “Tangling With a Doodling Mind.” I know how important the arts and crafts are for fibro. Believe me! I’ll pop over later today. Thank you!
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Fab! I’ll have a look for it now, sounds great 🙂
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Nice ways to describe it! You’re right, it’s really hard to put your finger on a good description, I don’t feel like anything fully covers it, but then again, it’s not something I think you can ‘get’ unless you’ve actually got it and live in day in, day out. Then you get the unrelenting nature of it. I’d also say the mornings are like (at least for me this past year or so) waking up with the world’s worst hangover, so stiff you can barely move, and feeling like the walking dead. x
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That is what it feels like in the morning. It absolutely feels like a hangover. Some people have never been hung over… (how, I do not know.) but that is a good description. Caution, some who believe they have been hung over and still went to work? That’s not a bad hangover. Thanks, Caz!😊💜
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