Alright, let’s talk about this journey. It wasn’t exactly planned, you know? Dealing with both fibromyalgia and degenerative disk disease felt like getting hit by two different trucks at the same time, just slowly, over years.
It started subtly. Aches here and there. I thought, okay, I’m just getting older, maybe I slept wrong. But the “slept wrong” feeling just never went away. It turned into this deep, widespread ache, like my muscles were constantly sore from a workout I never did. That was the fibro creeping in, though I didn’t have a name for it then. Just felt exhausted all the time, like walking through mud.
Then my back started really acting up. Not just sore, but sharp pains, sometimes shooting down my leg. Getting out of bed in the morning was a real struggle. That’s when I finally started going to doctors seriously. Took a while, bouncing around. Lots of “maybe it’s this” or “try resting more”. Felt like they weren’t really hearing how bad it was.
Getting Some Answers, Sort Of
Eventually, got the x-rays and MRIs for my back. Yep, degenerative disk disease. The doctor pointed at the pictures, showed me the worn-out spots. Okay, so that explained the back and leg stuff. But it didn’t explain the everywhere-else ache or the crushing fatigue.
Finding a doctor who actually listened about the other stuff, the all-over pain and tiredness, took longer. Finally, one put the pieces together and mentioned fibromyalgia. It wasn’t a simple test, more like ruling everything else out and looking at the whole picture. Honestly, just having names for what was going on was a relief, even if the names sounded grim.
Figuring Out What Actually Helps
So, diagnosis is one thing, living with it is another. The doctors gave me some prescriptions, some helped a bit with the edge, others just made me feel weird. I realized pretty quickly that I had to figure out my own way to manage this day-to-day. It became my own little experiment.
Here’s what I started doing, trial and error style:
- Gentle Movement: This was tough because everything hurt. But just sitting still made it worse. I started super small. Just walking around the house. Then short walks outside, very slowly. Found a pool nearby and tried just floating or slow walking in the water. Less gravity, less pain. Stretching became crucial, but only very gentle stuff. Aggressive stretching was a disaster.
- Heat and Cold: Old school, but it works sometimes. Heating pad on my back for the DDD stiffness. Sometimes a warm bath helped the all-over fibro aches. Cold packs occasionally if something felt really inflamed.
- Pacing Myself: This was the hardest lesson. I used to just push through things. Can’t do that anymore. If I have a good day and overdo it, I pay for it for the next two or three days. Learned to break tasks down. Do laundry over two days instead of one. Rest breaks became non-negotiable.
- Sleep Stuff: Trying to get decent sleep is key, but also really hard when you’re in pain. Dark room, cool temperature. Tried different pillows – finally found one that supports my neck better for the DDD. Still not perfect, but better.
- Watching What I Eat: Didn’t find a magic diet, but noticed some foods seemed to make me feel more sluggish or achy. Tried cutting back on super processed stuff and sugar. Didn’t cure anything, but maybe helped with energy levels a tiny bit.
- Mind Games: Honestly, just accepting that some days will be bad. Trying not to fight it too hard mentally. Found that getting stressed or angry just ramped up the pain. Easier said than done, obviously.
It’s not a straight line. Some weeks are okay, others are rough. The combination is tricky because sometimes the back pain flares up, other times it’s the overall fibro fog and pain. You just learn to listen to your body each day and adjust.
So yeah, that’s been my reality. Not looking for sympathy, just sharing what it’s been like trying to navigate this stuff. It’s a constant process of figuring out what works today, because it might be different tomorrow. You just keep trying things.
