Teens with fibromyalgia?

Question

I'm 18, and I've been diagnosed with fibromyalgia since I was 16. I'm working on a few non-medical ways of managing it, and I thought I would ask for second opinions of what works best.
Yoga, pilates, swimming, walking? Massage therapy or acupuncture? Clinical psychology? Magnesium supplemants? Diet? And is there anyone else out there who is under 25, and suffering with fibromyalgia? Most people seem to be in the 30s and above age range. Are there any online support groups for under 25s?

Ways I treat myself:

Medical: I see a sports specialist, who deals with a lot of people who have fibromyalgia. I'm on a type of antidepressant, mirtazapine, which also serves as a muscle relaxant.

Physical: My doctor suggested I try either massage therapy or acupuncture, to help with the muscle pain. I went for massage therapy, but I've since switched to acupuncture. I still see a massage therapist for relaxation, but I find that acupunture is really effective. I also try to do swimming and short walks regularly, and am just starting to learn yoga. I will also be starting pain management classes soon.

Mental: I was diagnosed with anxiety and depreesion (mostly circumstantial) earlier this year, and have been getting counseling and clinical psychology to help deal with the pain and feelings that come with it.

I'm thinking of starting up a forum for people with fibromyalgia, all ages. Please email me if you're interested!

Answer 1

I have several friends who have fibromyalgia. They have been taking a natural product called Reliv for a couple of months and are doing a lot better. One of them stopped using their cane after taking the products, another is now symptom free. Reliv has been featured in BusinessWeek, Forbes, Fortune, and others because it is giving so many people their lives back . I would be happy to tell you more, just send me an email.

Take care and God bless,
Michael
[e-mail]

Answer 2

Hi, there are many on msn groups, I think there is one run by a young girl in her early 20's, but why not start your own, I am sure there are others your age about with this.
I have had this since I was about 13, I am now nearly 33 so I do hope you find something that helps you.
I would suggest to you to stay as fit as possible, I know that is hard to do because of the pain that is suffered with this condition.
Swimming would be advisable and anything that is NOT a high in pact sport, so yes Yoga would be good as long as you wasn't going to get too ambitious for a start.
I have met many people on-line with this and no one seems to suffer the same symptoms, there are as you probably know over 70 symptoms and we all suffer differently with it, all I would suggest is stay as fit as possible, eat well, try to knock out caffeine and alcohol especially after 6pm unless you can get rid of it completely I found this helps, though do still drink on occasions, if you smoke try to quit as I did and found I felt better, maybe because you shouldn't smoke anyway, but I found I felt better regardless. Any toxins that you put in your body, especially with fibromyalgia will enhance you symptoms, try and keep them to a minimum.
Try out things but make sure you give them a good few months to make a difference, there is no miracle cure for this, unfortunately you just have to find what works best for you.
Another thing is to try not to gain too much weight, I put on a few pounds not long ago and found it makes life a lot harder, so try to keep it down if at all possible, I know its not easy.
I wish you all the best and hope you find something that works for you, I'm afraid its all trial and error. But please don't waste your money on gimmicks from the net that promise a cure, they don't work, medical professionals haven't found a cure yet.
Hope I have been of some help.

Answer 3

I've had pain in my knees and hips since I was 16 or 17 and finally at age 29 got a "diagnosis" of fibromyalgia. The exam the rheumatologist gave me to come up with this diagnosis was rudimentary at best. My GP says that fibromyalgia is basically a medical catch all term for joint pain that doctors don't really understand.

Here's what's worked for me....

Keep track of how your discomfort varies from day to day, what you did that day, how you felt, how much sleep you got, what the weather was like, and anything else you can think of that might be a factor. This will help you identify triggers, which will help with long term management of the condition.

Yoga!!!! My yoga practice has helped me learn good alignment and has helped me build strength in specific muscle groups that support the joints I have problems with. It is important to practice with an experienced teacher who is well versed in dealing with variety of physical issues and ready to spend time with you in class to help you learn and make modifications as necessary. Classes called classical, hatha, Iyengar, or gentle are good places to start.

I find wearing shoes with thick rubbery soles makes a huge difference for my knees. (Shock absorbers, I suppose.)

Don't let it rule you! For years I let my level of discomfort determine what I was going to do or not for the day. If you are patient and disciplined you can find ways to manage your condition instead of letting it control you. Never think that your fibromyalgia determines what you do or when you do it. I know there will be days as you try to figure out how to manage it that the discomfort will be too severe to do everything you want to do-- just remember that if you keep at it you will be able to find ways to deal.

Good luck!

Answer 4

I'm not a teen, I'm 23 and have been recently diagnosed with fibromyalgia. I'm a mother of 3 so this has been a bit difficult for me. I'm in the early stages of getting help and finding ways to manage. What do you do to help yourself?

Answer 5

I have no clue but I am 12 and was diagnosed with this 2 years ago when I was 10 so yes teens can have it even though I am not a teen (just yet).

Answer 6

check out fibrohugs.com it has a lot of info on it am not a teen but the sight even has a chat room so u can talk to others that have it and exchange info on it.