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My absence as of late has not been due to a busy schedule, quiet the opposite. Instead I have been experiencing the darker side of my Fibromyalgia, a disease I’ve had for over 20 years.

It started quite some time ago when I began experiencing the unpleasant side effects of one of the newer drugs I was taking to treat the disease. I kept in close contact with my doctor and eventually changed from this new SNRI (serontonin-neropinephrine reuptake inhibitor) to another anti-depressant commonly use to treat Fibromyalgia. When the side effects of this new medication began taking its toll on me, my rheumatologist and I decided together to see how my Fibromyalgia would react without the aid of any medication, something I hadn’t done in years.

Going off these drugs must be done slowly, stepping down week by week until you are off of them. Even though I’ve been treating my disease with these medications for some time I would still have flare ups, some of them for what I knew at that time, to be fairly bad. By the second and third week stepping off this last medication I could tell the changes that were happening to my pressure and trigger points was unlike anything I’d ever experienced before. The hardest hit ones were in my calves and thighs, although my arms and shoulders were also experiencing extreme pain, tenderness and muscle weakness. And yet I honestly kept thinking it would get better, that I just needed to rest more. When I could no longer stand or walk because of the pain and weakness I figured it was time to call the doctor to make an appointment and had my awesome husband Jerry take time off work to drive me in.

I have been with this rheumatologist for a long time, trust her completely and was happy with our next plan of attack. Rest, change of medications, for both my fibromyalgia and my rheumatoid arthritis and a short course of steroids followed by a checkup. Oh and patience. Plenty of that. I am very fortunate I don’t have to work outside the home. Like I said before I am grateful and thankful for my awesome husband, without him I could not focus on my health. I am going to get better, it may take me longer than I like, but I am focused on that positive outcome.

For those of you who are skeptic about my course of treatment or who believe in alternative therapies, or even have a whole different idea of how one should go about treating this or any other kind of illness I will just say this. To each their own. I have tried many other kinds of treatments. I do not believe in using pain pills alone as treatment for my conditions. There are many theories on how to treat this disease, please do not judge me.

For some additional home massage treatment I use the items shown in the photo above. The hand held massager is one I’ve had for years, it is a Homedics brand and has several variable speeds. I have tried several other brands over the years yet keep coming back to this heavy duty massager as my favorite.

The tennis ball may seem like a impossible massage tool but placed inside a sock it can become very useful. Hang on to either end of the sock, lean up against the wall with the ball against your back on a pressure point and dig deep. Sweet relief!

The S Hook Massager can be found on line or at your local Mother’s Market. While not cheap, they work really well at quick release work on your pressure points. Excessive digging with this tool will only aggravate your pressure points so do be careful.

The large dense white massage roll is an excellent way to work on your back while getting an arm workout at the same time. They are also good for IT Band massage or glute massage. These rolls can be purchased on line or at a larger local medical supply in your area. Instructions on how to use them can be found on line.

I hope that by sharing some of my story you can better understand what it is like to live with this frustrating and silent illness, Fibromyalgia. Coupled with several arthritis’s, and Sjogren’s Syndrome it can be challenging at times. What you see is not always all there is. Be kind and patient, take time to look beneath the surface and I believe we will all be better for it.