As a follow-up to last week's blog about the things we use to manage our Fibromyalgia symptoms, I wanted to share some of the things I use to help me with my chronic pain.

​Lots of people with chronic illnesses like Fibromyalgia use modifiers to help make their lives easier day-to-day. Some use canes, wheelchairs, or other mobility assistance options, and lots of us have purchased items modified to make life easier, like laundry baskets with wheels, easy-open bottles, things like that. And more often than not, even our rooms are modified or set up in such a way as to be as helpful or comfortable as possible- like, pillows with arms and lap desks so you can use your computer in bed comfortably should you be stuck in bed for long periods of time. 

I personally have done this a lot (as in, all examples above except the mobility aids are things I have or I’ve done, as you’ll see), and I’m curious about what ways or tools or things others may use to help make life a little easier. 

I’ve talked about my love of crafting on this blog before, I’ve even talked about how I like to keep my mind occupied (usually by crafting) while I rest before, but considering “rest” was one of the more popular responses to our “how do you manage your Fibromyalgia symptoms” poll, I’m going to go ahead and repeat myself. I really like like that this community talks a lot about mental health in addition to physical health, and it’s something I want to sprinkle into this blog post, so bear with me.

So let’s talk about how I, like a lot of Spoonies, find myself resting in my bed every day. Sometimes, I’m so wiped out I’m there all day; sometimes I’m only there for half an hour, but despite being in my early thirties, I often find myself needing to go lay down and rest at some point during my day- which isn’t great for my self-esteem. Not to mention the fact that spending that much time alone isn’t that great either. Add pain, fatigue and other symptoms on top of that, and more often than not you’re going to need to take precautions to make sure you don’t go to what I like to call “the dark and swirly place.”

I personally, have used acupuncture in the past, and it did help lower the severity of my Fibromyalgia symptoms, so this is the next thing I want to discuss in our ongoing 'Ways to Manage Your Fibromyalgia' series. 

Acupuncture is a traditional Chinese medicinal treatment in which long, thin needles are inserted in strategic acupuncture points at various depths long the meridians or pathways of the human body to restore balance to our Qi (pronounced "chi") and allow the body to heal itself.

Now I personally, have a HUGE fear of needles, but there is so much information out there about the benefits of acupuncture for any number of illnesses, and I liked the fact that it allowed the body to heal itself rather than introduced something new into my body to attempt to mask a symptom rather than treat it, so I tried it- and I have to tell you, the first time did not go well.