Headaches and Fibromyalgia
 

My daughter was just diagnosed with fibromyalgia and one of her biggest problem is headaches. I am talking about the kind that sometimes sends her to the ER.Does anyone have similar problems? Any suggestions on what really helps with fibromyalgia?

I am friends with a pain management physician who treats fibromyalgia......he says the only true way to treat it is with cardio exercise. He says that water aerobics is best because it takes pressure off weight bearing. It is extremely hard at first, but has tremendous results. He recommends 30 minutes daily.

Please be careful about recommending exercise for fibro. Yes, it can help, but we are overly sensitive to everything and exercise should only be done in tiny amounts at first and the increase should be tiny as well. Say a 5 min walk every other day for a week or so. If that is tolerated try daily at 5 mins. After that I'd increase it by another 5 mins every other day and so forth.

The best bet is to help her find a good rheumatologist, they are the ones who treat Fibro. And make sure it's one who believes it's physical disease, not just depression. Many of us are depressed, but wouldn't you be if suddenly your world turned upside down and you couldn't get any sleep and everything hurt all the time and your brain refused to work the way it always has? Please don't allow her to try to overdo and "work thru it". Many of us feel we hurt ourselves badly by doing so. I've had it since '79, even tho I didn't get diagnosed until the 80's.

I take Maxalt(prescription) at the first sign of a head ache and t seems to work for me. She might also try keeping a diary of what foods/smells/activities lead to headaches.

Has she been checked for Lyme Disease? My daughter has been dealing with episodes of body aches and severe headaches and she is now being treated for Lyme Disease. They can have some very similiar symptoms. Hope things ok, good luck!!

My sister has Fibro not sure about the headaches. She has gone thru every med there is, for pain, depression, arthritis etc. She has tried natural remedies, and tried nothing at all and everything inbetween including keeping a journal. She has basically accepted what she has and learned to deal with good days and bad days. Currently she has found Cymbalta has really helped her with pain and the "depression" they say she is in. She just calls it hormones! lol She had tried this a good while back but couldn't afford the even to copays since it is a top tier drug. her doctor has agreed to keep her in samples for a year. so far about 6 months and it is made a major difference. BUT... the most effective thing for her is talking with others who have it!
A support group is wonderful! Even if it is only someone who can truly understand how you feel. Just try to keep your spirits up and be around people and things that make you laugh alot! Laughter has always been the best medicine! Good luck!

I also have fibro, and unless you have it there is only one way to explain the pain,remember labor pains? well that is kinda
like that fibro pain, starts out weak slowly gets stronger and when you think you cant take it any longer it slowly weakens but then starts all over again.
how is she sleeping? does she sleep in recliner ? we got 2 twin beds side by side then we each have control of our bed
(we have the kind that puts head up n or legs up kinda like hospital bed)we also got memory foam mattress,has improved on my sleep a bit, I wish your daughter the best

I also suffer from severe cases of fibromyalgia we've tried different treatments the only thing that helps me lessen the pain is narcotic pain management and Lyrica we tried the Cymbalta but that didn't help much. I have some exercises I can do with the big ball and when I can handle it I go to aqua water classes. Problem with treatment options is it depends on each individual problem there is no one answer to the question.

I wouldn't suggest any one particular exercise it all depends on what your body can handle, some days I'm great and can go out and walk around my neighborhood. Other days the pain is so severe I can barely make it from the bed to the bathroom. Like most exercise facilities will tell you always get your doctor's permission to start classes or training. I like crafty have a lot of pain at night with muscle tremors and shakes so again it's to meds to sleep.

Best thing for your sister is to see a doctor and get a referral to a pain management specialist.

Marvelous work is being done with fibro within the chiropractic neurology world. Yes it is with diet and exercise/oxygen. If you are serious about it and committed to being compliant, check out Dr Michael Johnson's work out of Appleton WI.

I also suffer from Fibromyalgia and what helps me is going for walks and practicing Taoist Tai Chi http://www.taoist.org/

It has kept me from having flares and so far has kept the pain under control. Just remember that things need to be done in moderation.