A to Z Challenge: J is for Joint Pain #atozchallenge


Trying to be good to myself and enjoy some of the warmer weather, I decided to take a short walk yesterday afternoon when I was out running errands.  Afterwards, and for the rest of the afternoon, evening and night (and still today) every joint in my body flared up.  Towards the end of the walk, which was only about 20 minutes, total, my legs and feet hurt so bad I had to walk really slowly.  This is "not me".  I don't like this one single bit!

Joint pain in fibromyalgia isn't one of the most prominently mentioned symptoms, but it is a symptom of fibromyalgia nevertheless.   "Morning stiffness" is cited, as well as pain that's felt all over the body.  I would normally say that it feels just like when you have the flu -- "body aches", but yesterday's pain was definite joint pain.  It didn't feel like that same old "body ache" that I've grown accustomed to.  This was joint pain in my toes, ankles, knees and hips.

Fibromyalgia is not considered part of the arthritis family because the pain doesn't cause damage to the joints, such as rheumatoid arthritis would.

The following articles have some good remarks about joint pain in fibromyalgia:


http://www.myalgia.com/Scientific%20basis.htm

http://www.health.com/health/fibromyalgia/

http://www.niams.nih.gov/health_Info/Fibromyalgia/default.asp

http://www.afsafund.org/fibromyalgia.html  <<<<  this is a really good article I never saw before!


The possibility of joint pain flare-ups can lead to exercise difficulties, lack of stamina, or just a lack of the willingness to exercise.  Would you want to go for a walk around the block if it was guaranteed you'd be in pain for 16 hours afterwards?!  That's what we're dealing with here.

What's your plan for the weekend?  How do you deal with the possibility of a flare-up of symptoms when you're just trying to enjoy life?  Tell us about it in the comments, and have a great weekend!






Comments

  1. Nice informative article
    I am bloggging for A to Z challenge at The Other Side

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  2. Good morning (5:40 a.m.) I just finished reading your post for today. I have a very good friend who suffers from Myalgia as well. Not I, but then, I'm nearly 81, so I have my own health issues. Ha. Bad ticker, and all that. I also skimmed yesterday's post of yours. I, too, have not slept a night through in years. But, then, during the day I can nap if I so choose (and can't keep my eyes open). I stay busy, with friends at church, quilting, etc. I hope some day they will find helps for those with diseases like Myalgia. God bless you. If you wish to visit my blog it is at Number 772 in the challenge list. "Blabbin' Grammy". Ciao! Best regards to you. Ruby

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  3. There was a time when I just could not walk or stand up unaided due to the sheer amount of pain I felt accross the whole of my body. This particular episode lasted 9 weeks and was a very scary experience for my family and I. Since then, I've had to accept my limitations and have learnt to adapt my life to my health. When I have few symptoms and feel little pain, I make the most of it without overdoing it too much and when I have flare-ups, I allow myself to do very little, rest, prioritise what needs to be done or just leave it if I'm able to! If there's something important I need to or want to do, I make sure I pace mayself and don't do much beforehand or after the event to avoid flare-ups. When the pain gets too strong and that my body seems to get out of control, the only thing that seems to work is to just switch off and go to sleep! Acceptation is very difficult though. It takes time, understanding friends and family and remains very much an ongoing thing for me...

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  4. I do pretty good as long as I stay stress-free. Some days I can walk on the treadmill for an hour; other days I can barely walk down the hall. The frustration for me is not knowing what I am going to be able to do on any given day; hard to plan:( Oftentimes a day of activity will mean not being able to do anything the next day and maybe the day after that!
    I am visiting from the A to Z Blogging Challenge.

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  5. Happy to find you. I think I have fibro...still in testing, seeing docs. it's very discouraging. My symptoms appeared overnight, literally. Just woke up with joint and muscle pain in Oct. 2013. Prednisone has been the only effective help so far, and I know I can't stay on that. Thanks for sharing all this. I'm here from the a-z as well.

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