does living,and walking on concrete floors,and the dampness from them make fibromyalgia symptoms worse?

Question

for the last year i've lived in an apartment that has concrete floors
i also have a condition called fibromyalgia my pain is much worse since living here especially in my low back,hips,and knees is the concrete,and dampness making the condition worse?

Answer 1

Any stressor can make fibromyalgia pain worse, so yes - dampness and those terrible floors are going to cause problems for you!

Fibromyalgia is a neurological disorder of hypersensitivity. We perceive EVERYTHING more strongly than we should, on every level. So the tiniest things build up to be big deals, and big things can become crushing problems.

I was diagnosed in 1993, and my little girl (now 16) was diagnosed in 1999. What I've found most effective is to take control of absolutely everything I can in our environment, in order to let our bodies build up better reserves to deal with the stressors we can't control.

Of course, "environment" means everything from the air we breathe to the people we interact with. The place to start is at home, and you've already realized that the floors in your home are part of the problem!

Is there any chance of moving? You've been there for a year, so maybe your lease is up or about to renew?

If not, perhaps you could put down carpets with lots of padding? That's going to increase your allergy load if you have allergy problems, but you have to weigh which gives you more trouble and make a decision based on that.

If you can't afford to professionally recarpet the place, don't worry - join your local Freecycle list(s) (see http://freecycle.org/ . I see people giving away gently used carpet and rugs all the time! If you're not too picky about making the whole apartment match, you can at least improve the impact of the floors on your body.

I could (and have, elsewhere) go on and on and on about environmental control, but I don't want to bore you :-) I really hope that you're able to get some relief. Let me know how you're doing!

Answer 2

Lets start with the damp. Damp surroundings are gonna get you. Another trigger is any shift in barometric pressure. If you're in an area where it's fall heading into winter you're going to feel more pain. I know my support group friends and I are crashing due to the barometric shifts.

Second point. Concrete floors blow. They don't give and they wreck your knees and legs. I'd suggest some area rugs in fluffy fabrics. They'll probably help some.

Third point. Cold is bad. Very bad. Very Very Very bad. Avoid it at all costs. Wear nice warm clothes and keep your house as toasty as you can. Personally I can barely move my hands somedays in the winter. Yuck.

If you have other questions or concerns this is a FM/CFIDS support board. http://www.immunesupport.com/chat/forums/index.cfm?B=FM
Everyone on there is completely wonderful and forthcoming with any knowledge they have. There's also information stuff on other sections of the site. Good Luck and hope you feel better!

Answer 3

Yes. My mom has fibromyalgia and its definitely worse when she has anything to do with damp floors or a generally damp house. Even cold wet weather makes her hurt more.

Answer 4

I have Fibro--anytime the weather gets cold or changes it gets even worse-sometimes I cant even get out of bed the pain is so bad--I hope she has found a pain clinic that will treat her so she can have some quality of life......I will say wrapping up in an electric/warming blanket is the only way I can even survive the winter..

Answer 5

On a day to day basis its easy for most affluent people who had good parents to stay on the side of good as is pays well. Not so easy for others but thats when the good get to be bad to the bad?.. On a global scale how will we ever be on the side of good while we sit back and take advantage of a system that watches 10 million children starve to death each year.