Things that can cause a fibromyalgia flare-up

We all know that the worst thing that can happen to you if you have fibromyalgia is a fibromyalgia flare-up. A flare-up is when your regular fibromyalgia pain decides it’s going to make you feel the worst pain you have ever felt in your life. A flare-up can last from days to weeks to months and usually starts with increased pain.

What can you do to prevent a fibromyalgia flare-up? The first thing you can do is figure out what caused it. Here are some of the most common things that can cause a fibromyalgia flare-up:

Over doing it:

Over doing your activity is sure to throw you right into a fibro flare-up. You need to learn which activities are too much for you and cause a flare-up and which ones you can do with ease and without causing a flare-up.

Over activity is easy to do because you generally don’t get a flair until after you’ve already done them. This means you need to keep good notes of which activities cause a flare-up and which ones are safe to do.

Stress:

Stress can easily cause a fibromyalgia flare-up. Stress is difficult to decrease because pain causes stress…fibromyalgia causes pain…so it’s cyclic. You have to break the cycle so that you can minimize the flare-ups.

Changes in temperature:

People who have fibromyalgia are sensitive to warm and cold weather. You need to make sure you are ready for any change in temperature. Have a sweater ready in the trunk just in case you stop at a restaurant to eat. Restaurants are usually really cold to a person with fibromyalgia and cold can cause pain.

Weather changes:

When the barometric pressure changes or a storm front is coming through, those of us with fibromyalgia know it right away. That’s because we are sensitive to weather changes. Although there is nothing we can do about the weather, we can keep informed so we have a general idea of when a fibromyalgia flare-up is going to happen.

Illness or injury:

An illness or injury can quickly throw a person with fibromyalgia into a flare-up. These things cause stress in the body. Any kind of stress in the body will likely cause a fibromyalgia flare-up. When you first feel an illness or are first injured, get to your doctor as soon as possible. The sooner the treatment starts, the sooner the flare-up will end.

Insomnia:

When you just can’t get a good nights sleep, which is quite common with fibromyalgia, your pain level increases. Insomnia can kick in a severe fibromyalgia flare-up. If you have tried everything you can, be sure to tell your doctor if you have insomnia. Fibromyalgia itself causes insomnia, but if you let it go, you will end up with a severe fibromyalgia flare-up.

Traveling:

Traveling, whether it be by car, train or plain, will cause a fibromyalgia flare-up. No matter what the mode of transportation, the bumps in the roads, the altitude of an airplane and the loudness of the train will all trigger a severe fibromyalgia attack. The best way for someone to travel (from a fellow traveler) is to get a van with a fold out bed in the back so you can lie down during the trip. You can still feel the bumps but you won’t be sitting so the impact won’t be on your spine.

No matter what the cause of your fibromyalgia flair, you should keep notes on everything that causes one for you. Then you should avoid whatever activity gives you a fibromyalgia flare-up.

I know that’s not always possible, but if you have fibro. you just do the best you can.