Let me share some history about how Fibromyalgia Health got it’s name and tell you how you can have a fun life while dealing with it. The disease Fibromyalgia Health is something that everyone does not know much about.
In 1949, a chapter on the condition fibrositis (Fibromyalgia) was included in the medical text book called “Arthritis and Allied Conditions.” It states: “There can no longer be any doubt concerning the existence of such a condition (Fibromyalgia).
In 1592, French physician Guillaume de Baillou introduced the term “rheumatism ” to describe musculoskeletal pain that didn’t originate from injury. This term included fibromyalgia. Doctors eventually, used the diagnosis “muscular rheumatism” for fibromyalgia.
Chronic and Disabling Pain
Fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS) is now a recognized clinical entity causing chronic and disabling pain. For several centuries, muscle pains were known as rheumatism and then as muscular rheumatism. The term fibrositis was coined by Gowers in 1904 and then was changed to fibromyalgia until 1976.
Smythe laid the foundation of modern FMS in 1972 by describing widespread pain and tender points. The first sleep electroencephalogram study was performed in 1975. The first controlled clinical study with validation of known symptoms and tender points was published in 1981.
With this disease you can fill healthy one minute and then the next thing you know you can not even hardly get up to walk across the room. People don’t understand fibromyalgia and how it affects everyone differently. I have had it most of my adult life.
Good And Bad Of Fibromyalgia Health
On my bad days I just stick around the house doing very little because I hurt so bad. When I have a flare up in the spring and fall, I will spend most of my day lounging on the deck with a good book, my bible and a talk glass of ice water and a cup of coffee. It helps me to stay busy doing something so I don’t set around thinking about how bad I hurt and filling sorry for myself. In the summer, I love camping that is another thing I will do to keep from thinking about how bad I hurt. Then in the winter, is when I hurt the most, I tend to stay inside a lot trying to find away to keep from hurting.
Camping With Fibromyalgia Health Problems
I love Camping it is one of my most favorite things to do other than working with wood. Do you like camping but have a hard time doing it since fibromyalgia (FMS) or chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) became a part of your life? You might not be able to camp quite the way you used to especially if you were really into roughing it. However, if you give it some thought and plan carefully, you might not have to give up camping completely.
Determinations While Dealing With Fibromyalgia
After being diagnosed with fibromyalgia, my camping days were over I though. I started asking myself a lot of questions like these listed here and many more. Sleeping on the ground? You’ve got to be kidding me. Set up a tent, carry gear, and ride in a car for hours to get somewhere? Impossible, I think it probably was pretty impossible when I was first diagnosed. I had trouble going shopping in one store, and I was pretty much limited to half hour car trips. I also stopped exercising because I was afraid of pain, which made it even harder to get around.
At the moment, I’m definitely not “cured.” I still have aches and pains, and when I have a flare-up it is, very agonizing. On the other hand, I really want to make camping work, though. I enjoy it, and it’s a cheap way for someone living on disability income to go on vacation.
Sleeping in a tent gave me some serious chills
This picture shows trigger points that hurt the worst. I was a bit concerned with sleeping in a tent and possibly on the ground with my fibromyalgia. I have an active trigger point in my left hip. When I roll over in my sleep stabbing pain wakes me up. Sometimes, my muscles freeze when I try and roll over. You end up where the pain stopped me. I have to do relaxation techniques, in the middle of the night to coax my muscles to release the tension and allow me to get comfortable again and sleep.
I also know how much work camping can be. The set up when you get there, the constant prep, cook, fire tending and clean up for each meal. The only time to sit still, from what I remember, was at night when everyone is sitting around the fire. But, I have it much easier now I have a pull behind camper now that it is just me going and most of the time one of my family members book their vacation at the same time and they help me a lot with the set up and then help me with the take down if I am hurting during these times. I try to do as much of the work myself because I don’t want to depend on others.
ASK YOURSELF SOME OF THESE QUESTIONS?
You may be asking yourself, where would I lie down if my body gave out in the middle of the day? What would I do if everyone else went off for some activity and I couldn’t participate? Would I be able to enjoy it at all? Many of us have seen major drops in stamina since we became chronically ill, so even short hikes may simply be beyond us. You may be wore out before the car is even out of the driveway. The alternative, either you give it up while everyone else goes, or the people in your life also give it up so not left out. Neither alternative is exactly what you want, though, is it? That means it’s time to look for solutions.
Fibromyalgia Health and Your Patience
You learn a lot about yourself when you camp. When having this health issue, your patience will be tested. When setting up and taking down camp, or building a fire; you’ll see food from a whole new perspective; there are a lot of easy meals you can use while camping and you’ll understand that sleeping on the ground with little else than a nylon sheet protecting you actually feels pretty awesome. You can get all kinds of ways to go camping when you have a disability.
This article is for reference only, everyone’s bodies are not the same so work with your doctor or dietician
With so many people across the world affected by the pain, fatigue and brain fog of fibro. It is critical we raise awareness of the condition.
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