Coping Tips

[Guest guest]

The following are some things which help with the pain and/or the stiffness

from athritis, fibro, and other similar illnesses. If you would like more

information on any of them, just let me know. It's kinda long, so I underlined

the main idea so that you can skim through and see what you'd like to read.

Hope these help.

a.. Learn and practice relaxation therapies. When the body is relaxed, your

muscles and nerves will be more relaxed, so pain will be lessened as well as

stiffness. The following are some different relaxation therapies with a brief

description.

b.. Self-Hypnosis. This is my personal favorite. It combines slow, even,

deep breathing with techniques which take you to the most peaceful, relaxing

place you can imagine, where there is no pain and no stiffness, or any other

symptoms you want to alleviate. Once you learn it and practice it regularly,

you will be able to give yourself post-hypnotic suggestions that will help keep

the pain levels down for a while. It can also be used to help with sleep and

lots of other things, from stopping smoking to weight loss.

c.. Meditation. There are several types of meditation, ranging from clearing

your mind of all thoughts, to using a mantra, to mindfulness meditation. This,

like self-hypnosis, as well as all relaxation therapies, is based on slow, even,

deep breathing. It's what you do after you achieve that, and what you do to

achieve it that makes the difference between the different therapies.

d.. Guided Imagery. After achieving the desired breathing, you use a tape or

CD to take you on a journey. You might walk on a beach, swim with dolphins,

float among clouds - whatever works for you.

e.. Biofeedback. First, I would not recommend biofeedback for anyone with

fibro or any other illness which involves the muscles. Biofeedback also begins

with slow, even, deep breathing. Then you do a series of exercises contracting

and releasing muscles. When finished, you will have relaxed all the muscles in

your body. It also helps to increase the body temperature.

f.. This and the following are not relaxation techniques, but other techniques

which can help. Learn to modify your pain scale. First, if you don't have a

pain scale, you should make one. Ten is the worst pain you can imagine or have

experienced. There will be a day you'll wake up and think, today is a 14.

Well, you can't have a 14 because your scale only goes to 10. So the 14 becomes

your new 10. Your old 10 becomes a 9, and so on. This is a mind over body

technique which has worked well for me. After several years of practicing this,

what was probably a 10 three years ago is about a 6 now.

g.. Soak in a tub. Put on a relaxing CD, use candles or aromatherpy if you

like. For the best results, you should be in the tub for 20 minutes absolute

minimum, with 45 minutes the recommended time. Obviously, you'll be adding more

hot water from time to time. Get as much of your body in the water as possible.

Don't read, or think about problems or what you have to do the rest of the day.

This is YOUR time, your getaway. If a CD won't keep you relaxed for 45 minutes,

it's OK to use books on audio tape. But don't watch TV. Too distracting. You

should also try to practice slow, even, deep breathing.

h.. Physical therapy. For some reason, a lot of doctors don't prescribe

physical therapy, simply because that's not how they think. But if you ask

about going to physical therapy, they'll be more than happy to write you a

script for it. Before deciding where to go, first call and ask about their

program. Pick out a few places that sound good, and go take a tour. There are

incredible diffferences, and you want the one which fits your personal

preferences the best.

i.. Get regular massages. Research has shown that regular massage can help

improve fibro and also pain tolerance. Again, call and talk with the therapist

about the type of massage they do, and see if they will give you a 15 minute

trial massage. Once again, there are major differences between therapists, and

you want to one who will work best for you. There are also therapists who will

come to your home.

j.. Buy egg crate pillows to sit on. They help cushion the spine, which in

turn keeps pressure of the spinal cord, which in turn can help relieve pain

throughout the body. It also helps prevent stiffness from setting in as quickly

as it would without using one. Make sure to use on in your car. It acts as

extra shock absorption. I use 2 pillows to sit on in the car. In addition to

the extra shock absorption, it makes me " taller " so the airbag won't hit me in

the wrong place!

k.. Make sure you are sleeping on the right kind of pillow. You may love

super thick fluffy pillows, but they may not be the best for you. I have

several kinds of pillows, and have learned which one is best for me depending on

what's going on with my body. One is a tube shaped pillow which conforms to

your neck that my physical therapist gave me for when I have a certain type of

pain. I also have a memory foam pillow, which I use the most. And then I have

another pillow which is very flat. I don't like it much, but it's the best to

keep the spine straight.

l.. Make sure you're sleeping on the right kind of mattress. We bought a new

mattress recently, and in the store, it was great. It's one with a pillow top.

Well, after sleeping on it for several months, I realized that I'd be better

with a firmer mattress and no pillow top. Don't just try them out in the store;

ask your doctor what type mattress would be best for you. Then ask your

physical therapist the same thing. If they give the same answer, that's what

you should be using. I know mattresses are very expensive, so this is something

to save up for - it will pay for itself in the long run because you won't need

as many meds if you get the right night's sleep.

m.. Make sure you get a good night's sleep. It's best to try to go to bed at

the same time every night. Don't eat for a couple hours before going to bed.

If you eat a heavy dinner, try to eat it at least 4 hours before you'll be going

to bed. Don't be afraid to ask for something to help you sleep. There are a

lot of meds, such as Trazadone, which is a very mild anti-depressant and is also

used to treat fibro. If you take it about 45 min. before bed, it will make you

sleepy, and it will also help keep you from waking up a lot during the night.

Because it's not a sleeping pill, you don't wake up drowsy. Ambien is a good

medication to help you regulate your sleep. It was designed for use for two

weeks. You take it at the exact same time each night, and it's supposed to give

you 8 hours sleep with no morning drowsiness. But you should know that you have

to be in bed when you take it, because it works very quickly, and if you stay up

for a while, you won't be able to sleep at all.

n.. Laugh. Think about what makes you laugh. Whatever it is, do it!

laughter helps relax the muscles, and it also works as a natural

anti-depressant.

o.. Talk to your doctor about anti-depressants. They are being used more and

more as pain relievers. That's because they work on serotonin, which is the

" feel good " brain chemical. Narcotic painkillers are also central nervous

system depressants, and there is a direct connection between depression and

pain. There are some very new, very good anti-depressants which work well to

help alleviate pain. You may still need painkillers, but maybe not as many.

And, you'll find it easier to get through the day, and it's easier to laugh.

p.. Learn gratitudes. There are lots of people a lot worse off than any of

us. Most of us are in the top 8% of wealthy, education people in the world. We

have a roof over our head, a bed to sleep in, running hot and cold water, heat

and either airconditioning or fans, refrigerators with food in them, and know

how to read and write. We have doctors and medicines available to us. Instead

of complaining about your illness, be grateful for the things you have that 92 &

of people in the world don't have. Be grateful that what you have isn't some of

the horrible illnesses that you know are out there.

q.. Cultivate your spiritual side. It doesn't make any difference what your

spirituality is; what your beliefs are. Just work hard to be more spiritual.

r.. Learn how to let go. This will help you greatly in dealing with stress.

Check out coping.org on the web. They have some wonderful sites there and lots

of other tips on how to cope with various illnesses and symptoms.

That's about it for now . . . and probably more than you wanted!

Love, life and laughter,

Peace and prayers,

Health, hugs, hope and happiness,

Dix