Just Diagnosed with Fibromyalgia and Feeling Sad

Hey there, I'm in my early '30s now and was only recently diagnosed (in the last couple of years), though my doctor and myself believe that I've had it since at least my mid-teens. TIPS: 1) Heat/cold (ice) are your friends. Some people react better to heat and some react better to cold when your various body parts are hurting. Personally, cold cranks my pain up multiple levels, whereas heat helps at least sometimes. 2) Topical lidocaine and tiger balm are even better friends than heat and cold if you can stand them. I tend to use lidocaine, but I used to use tiger balm before my skin decided suddenly that it would be allergic to it (by trial and error I found out that I am now allergic to topical menthol). Lidocaine numbs the pain because that's what lidocaine does, and tiger balm helps relax muscles. 3) Massages. Some people enjoy massages that you get from other people, but be sure to let them know your health conditions first and also be aware that sometimes it can make the pain worse. However, you can also get handheld massagers or massaging matt/seats. 4) Always make sure it's okay to take medications, even over the counter ones, before taking them (some over-the-counter medications as well as supplements and vitamins can interact with other medications). That being said, ibuprofen works really well for reducing inflammation. It doesn't always help the pain, but sometimes a reduction in the inflammation itself helps reduce pain.

hi babes!! i was in a similar boat, getting a late stage diagnosis after being in pain my whole life. it honestly takes time to come to terms w the fact that our bodies are going to be in more pain than the average person. it gets easier w time ❤️

It’s definitely a hard thing to hear and find out about even when you’ve been dealing with the symptoms for years already! I was diagnosed at 15 or 16, and the doctor didnt even want to call it fibromyalgia because I was “young”. You learn to manage it though! Rather through medication or your own tricks! Personally I see fibro as a little gremlin that shows up sometimes out of nowhere and starts pressing all the buttons, and I just let it run its course, lol.. maybe it’s just me but personifying my conditions sometimes makes them easier to deal with, and easier to live with in the long haul. You have every right to be upset and confused why this is happening at your age! It definitely doesn’t feel fair, when all you want to do is enjoy life like others your age, but it’s still possible! We climb a bigger mountain, but we get better at it along the way!

I just got my diagnosis 2 years ago at 26 after suffering in silence because whenever I brought it up no one believed me. It was such a relief because I finally had found a doctor that sat a listened to how I was suffering everyday

I remember how much of a gut punch getting that diagnosis was. I was in my mid twenties. One the one hand, I was glad to have an answer. I had been through so many tests. But on the other hand, knowing that this is it, chronic pain for the rest of my life, and no real understanding of why and no real concrete treatment methods. I would recommend looking into central and syndrome and the possible link with trauma response.