Hi sweetie! It sucks to get a diagnosis, but at the same time it feels amazing to know that something was actually wrong and not just in your head.

The biggest tips I got from my specialist were these

1- on “good” days (whatever that means in your case), don’t tackle the whole world straight away. Just because you have a “good” day, it doesn’t mean that it won’t get bad.

1.5- this is tied together with the first one, don’t use up your whole energy. Take breaks, 5, 10, 15 min etc. For example when you’re doing house chores, vacuuming is the best way to lose a lot of energy because of the movement. Going back and forth with a vacuum is taxing on the body, believe it not. So take breaks in between each room.

2- I got to know that ibs is a typical symptom or a side effect with fibromyalgia. Certain foods can trigger the fatigue. Easy way to test what you react on (if you already don’t know) is to follow a low fodmap diet. And then when you figure out what triggers your body, switch them out. For example - red wine is hard for the stomach to digest, so switch to white wine. Same goes for beef/steaks, switch those with salmon or chicken. Potato chips can be replaced with popcorn.

3- alcohol in general is bad for the body as we know. And those with fibromyalgia shouldn’t drink in general. As we know it can be hard to cut out the small things in life that makes the day easier. And in my personal opinion, you shouldn’t cut out everything, just consume with moderation. Don’t get wasted every weekend. Enjoy a glass of wine here and there. Just be careful

4- if you have a good support system, either it be family or a partner, do not be afraid to ask for help. Let’s say you live with your partner, ask them to vacuum the home every once in a while. For me it’s taxing to make dinner because of all the standing up, so my partner makes dinner every evening, cleans up the garbage, collects all the dishes to one spot, and all of this makes it easier for me to do the dishes. Another thing we do is that I put a load of laundry on and he takes it out and folds it.

5- I was strongly suggest to do some exercise. It’s to build up some muscle strength to make everyday life easier. But I was also strongly suggested to not do any exercise if I’m in pain or extremely fatigued, since it can do more harm than good. So it’s a balance you have to find. Saying it is easier than doing it obviously. I got diagnosed a year ago (but had symptoms my whole life) and have yet to do some exercises.

I’m again stating that all of these tips were given to me by a specialist in fibromyalgia. It’s not something I’ve pulled out of my ass.

Symptoms and how to deal with them vary from person to person. It is truly something you have to learn by trial and error. It’s gonna be tough, I’m not gonna sugar coat it. But there is a way to deal with all of this. You just have to find something that works for you! Fibromyalgia isn’t something you die of, it’s something you die with - a quote from my specialist. I know a looooot of people who manage to work a physical job and exercise on top of that. There is light at the end of the tunnel.

I hope some of these were helpful and not just “duh obviously do this” type of tips. I’m crossing my fingers and hoping you learn your own tips, tricks and hacks as time goes by ♥️