Fibromyalgia Care – 5 Tips to Feel Better

• Tweet

• Tweet

Repetitive Strain/Stress Injuries (RSI) to the Hands and Arms:

Tip: Adopt healthy computer practices to avoid RSI.

Explanation: When using a computer, I recommend that you adopt the following practices:

• Do not bend your wrists to the side. Rather, keep your angers in a straight line with your forearm. Do not rest your wrists on the desk.
• Instead of hunching toward the monitor to read and straining your eyes and back muscles in the process, increase the font size on your monitor.
• Use a light touch on the keyboard. Also avoid gripping or squeezing the mouse.
• Use both hands to perform double-key operations to avoid twisting one hand to hit both keys.
• Take a lot of short breaks to stretch and relax. Pace and plan your computer work to allow time to exercise your neck, shoulders, hands, and back.
• Sit straight and do not lean forward to reach the keyboard.
• Adjust keyboard height so that your forearms are parallel to the floor.
• Keep your arms and hands warm. Cold muscles and tendons are more fragile and at a much greater risk for overuse injuries.
• Adjust your chair height so that your thighs are parallel to the floor.

How to Prevent Fibro Flares After Surgery:

Tip: Make special arrangements with your surgeon and anesthesiologist.

Explanation: Robert Bennett, M.D. suggests that prior to surgery, you discuss your situation with your health-care professional and request and do the following:

• The arm with the intravenous line is kept near your body, not away from your body or over your head.
• Wear a soft neck collar and minimize neck hyper-extension (especially if an endotracheal tube is anticipated).
• Be given a preoperative opioid pain medication about 90 minutes prior to surgery. Opioids are morphine or morphine-related drugs. The rationale for the preoperative use of opioids is to minimize central sensitization, which can worsen the widespread body pain that you are already experiencing.
• Have a long-acting local anesthetic infiltrated into your incision even though you will be asleep during the procedure. The rational for this is to minimize pain impulses reaching the spinal cord and brain, which in turn drive central sensitization.
• Most people with fibromyalgia require a longer duration of post-operative convalescence, including physical therapy in many cases. Some patients experience higher levels of pain and require a longer duration of postoperative pain medication.

Anxiety About Making the Right Decisions:

Tip: Trust yourself.

Explanation: When faced with multiple decisions in a short period of time, you might question whether you are making the right decisions. If you pay attention to your thoughts and feelings, and act on what you think is right, you will make decisions that are right for you. Become educated about the pros and cons of an issue, and then act based on what will make you happy or falls into your comfort range.

Others may give you their opinion, but ultimately the decision is yours and you must feel comfortable with it and the resulting outcome. Learn to listen to what your body is telling you and use that information to help make health-related decisions.

Facial and Jaw Pain:

Tip: Protect your face and jawbone from excessive use.

Explanation: If you experience facial and jaw pain, it might just be part of your fibromyalgia symptoms or it might be temporomandibular joint disorder (TMJ). Alert your health-care professional to the symptoms you experience.

To help reduce facial and jaw pain, do the following:

• Pay attention to the position of your mouth. Keep your lips almost together, but be sure there is no tension in the facial muscles. Do not clench your teeth together. Let the jawbone rest comfortably.
• When eating, try to limit the extent to which you open your mouth. Cut your food into very small pieces and chew with your back teeth. Do not bite into food with your front teeth.
• Until the pain subsides, try to eat foods that do not require a lot of chewing. Avoid chewing gum.
• Practice your relaxation exercises. With your eyes closed, breathe in through your nose, directing the breath to the areas that hurt. Then exhale, breathing out your tension and pain.
• Try sleeping on your back. Avoid placing the sides of your face on a pillow or mattress because it might put pressure on your jaw.
• Rest is an important aspect of eliminating jaw pain. Try to get a good night’s sleep; it helps in the healing process.

Migraine Headaches:

Tip: Avoid certain foods and environmental situations that can trigger migraine headaches.

Explanation: There are many types of triggers for migraine headaches: bright or flashing lights, certain smells or exposure to toxins, exhaustion, hormonal changes, changes in the weather, stress, and so on. A migraine headache can also be triggered by the foods you eat.

Here are examples of the foods that are thought to trigger a migraine:

• Chocolate
• Aged cheese (especially cheddar)
• Eggs
• Alcoholic beverages (especially ones containing sulfites)
• Caffeinated beverages (at times caffeine can be helpful in reducing a migraine and might he an ingredient in a migraine medication you are taking)
• Citrus fruits
• Nuts
• Preservatives, sweeteners, flavor enhancers, monosodium glutamate