I was diagnosed last year at this time with fibromyalgia...

I have to admit I don't know very much about fibromyalgia, but I do know some people who have it and yes, they do suffer from it periodically. It seems to be exacerabated by stress. In any event, I have included a link to my friend's blog. This blog is just for people who suffer from fibromyalgia and other auto-immune diseases. Here's the link and be sure to check out her latest website www.fightingfatigue.org http://fightingfatigue.typepad.com/

My husband has Fibromyalgia. I do believe that the winter months are better for him. We moved to Alaska partially because the humidity here is minimal and some of his problems are not quite as severe. Low humidity makes it hard for the yeast (Candida Yeast) that grows in the blood stream of those with fibro to proliferate in the winter months. Yeast likes warm and moist conditions so as soon as the humidity rises, his rashes come back and he suffers bouts of uncontrollable fatigue. The pain gets worse but mostly the fatigue gets worse. He is on antibiotics right now for the rashes because they got so bad. One of the things the doctor told him today is that as it gets warmer he needs to increase the fiber in his diet (he has IBS that flares up along with the yeast too..and of course the antibiotics will exacerbate that too) But plenty of leafy greens and lots and lots of yogurt. Bathe in the stuff if you want too. Plain or vanilla yogurt works best (or acidophillus (sp) pills.) He hates yogurt but found that the Activa stuff actually doesn't taste too bad and gives him a dose of fiber as an added bonus. I was suprised he liked the Activa because personally I can't eat much of it. My guess is if you need what's in it...it tastes good to you :). He's not a big veggie eater unless they are raw so he doesn't mind eating salads. Lower your bread intake and up your veggie intake basically. This will give the yeast less to grow on and your body more to fight with basically. If you have rashes like he does (He gets them in some really uncomfortable places during flare ups). Even if you don't do much, do a little of whatever it is you are trying to get done. The flare up won't last forever. You can only do what you can and then rest. He really wants to start working again and it is so frustrating for him because as soon as he starts feeling positive about things and actively looking for work, the fatigue comes back. But, he rests for awhile when he gets back, sometimes he sleeps sometimes he doesn't. But just sitting down and relaxing seems to help. He has a hard time staying awake all day sometimes but I think he is sleeping better at night because he is taking fewer naps during the day. He tries to limit his activity to two hours at a time. Then he sits down, or if he has been sitting then he gets up and walks around for five to ten minutes. Any job he gets he has to have that particular "accomodation". His fibro developed after he left the Marine Corp. It started with a back injury while in the Marine Corp though. He injured his lower back while repairing a helicopter and over the course of the next 10 years his pain got progressively worse. He is rated unemployable by the Veteran's administration now. (That just means he can go to school and do something else other than what he originally went to school for really.) He wanted to build violins. He even started one before we moved to Alaska. He only had one year left of the program to get his certification as a violin builder and a stringed instrument repair tech. The pain became unbearable. It happened all at once. The humidity in the summer time nearly killed him where we used to live. I know it's expensive, but if you have an air conditioner my guess is it will do you a lot of good. Lowering the humidity everywhere you can is probably a good idea. I am positive that it will help you some. My husband can't even take hot showers. He takes lukewarm showers. Those are some suggestions that seem to work for him. Hope that they help you a little. We do not have air conditioning up here, but it rarely gets above 75 degrees in the summertime with 85 being considered a scorcher! It gets muggy here but not the 80% that we came from. Hope this helps a little :)

Although I do experience flare-ups caused by weather, especially damp or humid weather, I think stress plays a more impactful role to my symptoms. We are financially strained since I have been unable to work for the last ten years. I really want to help out financially but everytime I take that step to look for work I seem to get into a flare. It is almost like my body is telling me not to do it.... or I am trying to convince myself that I shouldn't. Fibromyalgia is an immune disorder as well as a central nervous system dysfunction. One doctor referred to it as Central Sensitivity Syndrome. We are all sensitive to different things caused by different things. No two people are alike. What affects one fibromite will not affect another. The discomforts we feel are also different. As I said, I developed fibromyalgia ten years ago. The first five years were the worst because I was going through a legal battle for disability. When that was over I was able to concentrate on managing my illness and have found much improvement in my health. But that doesn't mean I don't still have my flare-ups. We don't really have control over what affects us unless we learn to pace ourselves and learn our limitations. Acceptance is important and learning how to make yourself feel better is imperative. Exercise is one of those things. Not strenuous exercise. I like to walk outside in the sunshine. Others like Yoga or meditation. Do as much research as you can. Read a lot and then TAKE CARE OF YOU! Good luck.

FM is definitely not auto-immune, no doubt about it. There is no inflammation and no damage from FM. The vast majority of FM'ers do worse with repetitive motions because you're straining the muscles after a while. Try changing up your activities frequently. Garden only a little and then wash only a few dishes and then take a little walk. The longer you stay doing only one thing the more likely you are to overdo and worsen your flare. The flares always always always subside so patience helps, too. If you just wait it out and then garden you'll have much more success rather than pushing it to get it done right now.

Hi bonbon50. I also have fibromyalgia - I have had it for almost 6 years. I was diagnosed September 10th, 2001. Yep, that's right. The day before the twin towers came down. As for the times when the pain is worse, I find myself feeling worse during the winter and better in the summer. Of course, the humidity of the summer doesn't help. Ugh! Go ahead and friend me if you like. :) Sharon

I tend to have more flare-ups in the winter months. Granted I live in Massachuusetts so the winters can be pretty damp. Wet weather and humidity affect me the most. Today is raining and I woke up aching more than I had the last couple of days. Also, during the summer months my pool is open and I do get in the water and move around. Plus I'm more active walking and out and about. So summer is generally better as long as it doesn't get too humid. I have to be careful with exercise. I can't do anything that builds muscle because it causes me terrible muscle cramps. I can do things that lengthen the muscles and some aerobic. I stretch out everyday even when I hurt like hell. Stretching saves me from having lots of bad days in a row. Walking is helpful too. I have a treadmill that I use in the winter months and my doctor actually said walking on a treadmill is better than on concrete because there is more of a give. I agree, when I go to the mall and walk around I always hurt more. I've had fibromyalgia since 1990 and have had my ups and downs, learning how to live with it, not pushing myself too hard but not being too soft on myself either. I've been on disability for a number of years but now work between 8 and 12 hours a week, mostly at home. I still have flare-ups, overdo it and keep trying to find that combination of medications that will alleviate the symptoms more and make me feel better.

I suffer much mroe in the summer(heat/humidity) than in the winter.My OA does make me more stiff in the winter, but I can take that much more than my summer pain.