Monday, August 29, 2011

One Day at a Time: symptoms, age, and FM.

I have not seen data on ruthlessness of fibromyalgia related by age. However, I know a great deal of younger FM patients who have severe symptoms, so anecdotally, I would say, that age is not a factor in the harshness of this painful and debilitating disorder.

As a patient aging with FM, I believe perpetuating factors and other co-existing conditions such as arthritis, and spinal diseases, metabolic disturbances and other disorders associated with aging to play a role in overall coping. The presence of untreated myofascial trigger points in muscles that don’t have the ability to build do to aging also make it more difficult to call a truce with fibromyalgia. Though I do believe fibro and ME/CFS don’t know the meaning of a treaty at any age.

The key is to identify perpetuating and aggravating factors and bring them under control as best you can. Try to participate in a mild stretching program you enjoy, such as Yoga or T’ai Chi. These activities have no age barrier, they even make Yoga props for those of us challenged by joint disease, and movement meditation has shown to help with balance and with the loss of proprioception associated with FM and chronic fatigue syndrome, ME/CFS. (See Chapter Two “Communicating Your Healthcare Needs.”)

Proprioception = Your own sense of where your body parts are in relationship to your environment when moving.
All blogs, posts and answers are based on the work in Integrative Therapies for Fibromyalgia, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, and Myofascial Pain: The Mind-Body Connection by Celeste Cooper, RN, and Jeff Miller, PhD. 2010, Vermont: Healing Arts press are for educational purposes and not meant to replace medical advice. www.TheseThree.com


This question is based on my original answer as fibromyalgia expert at ShareCare, “Do fibromyalgia symptoms differ by age?”
http://sharecare.com/user/celeste-Cooper

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

I now have fibromyalgia I refused to take medication for the fibromyalgia. My doctor recommended daily exercise, and stressed the importance of getting enough sleep. He was right. When I don't sleep well, the pain is almost more than I can tolerate. I would rather suffer with some very painful days, than take medications that very well might damage my kidneys, liver or who knows what.

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