My situation is a little different, since I have Lyme, but I can relate to this quite a bit.
Mornings are often the worst for me, at least when it comes to stiffness. My rheumie told me that morning stiffness is a hallmark of inflammation, and this makes sense in my situation. If I even sit still for too long, I start to seize up and it becomes more difficult to start moving again. Sometimes, "too long" is just several minutes.
When I am able to, gentle (low impact) exercise and stretching in the AM can help with this. On worse days, that's not an option and I really feel the difference. It's a difficult choice each day to decide whether or not to try and exercise, and if the pay off will be worth the cost.
Hi ott,
I know that lyme patients who are on antibiotic therapy have cardiac symptoms as well. I also did when I first started my pathogen killing treatment. Since mycoplasmas have no cell wall, they can invade your tissues and even your organs ! And the treatment alone... will put some additional stress on your organs.
I also used to get acupuncture treatments and I was amazed at how much the acupuncturist knew about me (how I was feeling ! ) and how well some of the treatments worked. I think all insurance carriers should cover this treatment and I also think if everyone had access to these treatments, then perhaps they would need less medications and be less likely to get ill ?
Thank you for the information. I have had accupuncture before and do believe in its use. Unfortunately, my current ins. won't cover it...they consider it experimental.
I'm so happy to hear this is helping you. Take care and best wishes.
http://www.aboutfibro.com/neurotoxins.htm
I'm kind of thinking that I'm having some neurotoxin issues. I'll get a lot of perceived cardiac symptoms -- I've been billed as having a healthy heart by three cardiologists -- and I'm in the mindset now that it's neurotoxins created by the pathogens in my body or some herxing symptoms.
This morning has been a little rough. Anytime your heart flutters and you have chest pain to go with it, it becomes an unnerving process. I'm committed to kicking this thing though, whatever it is. An acupuncturist I saw for the first time last week complimented me for being persistent on trying to find out what I have from so many doctors. She said she deals with patients that have let symptoms go on for too long and recovery becomes very difficult.
Stiffness is worse in the morning. However, in general my other neuropathic pain symptoms seen generally relieved by sleep. They tend to worsen over the day. So overall, the morning is much better for me, despite the added stiffness.
Hi;
I was wondering what others are using to get relief from MORNING STIFFNESS?
I wake up off and on all night because my back is so stiff, and in the mornings I just want to lay in bed and try to sleep because I am so tired! But I can't because the longer I lay there the stiffer I get, and sometimes the the pain is relentless!
Most mornings I just sit in my reclyner with my heating pad for an hour or so... Then when I finally get some relief and am able to get to the shower, I take the hottest shower possible! I usually feel much better after a very hot shower. Heat really helps!
Any suggestions other than heat?
Help! Sonflower
Here in the UK if your to visit the Thyroid UK site it seems CFS/Fibro seem very similar symptoms as Hypthyroidism, but because different areas, down to different practices have different interpratations of the TSH levels in the blood.........The Tyroid UK ranges seem set in stone and thats what our Dr's should be going by High TSH > 2......under active thyroid should be considered.......to confirm FT4, TT4, TPOAb & TgAB (rT3)......if T4 & T3 are low rT3 could be raised and or Antibodies present.....defo Hypothyroidism My TSH has benn greater than 2 (.3.5) but this comes well within the range of my doctors chart so won't carry any further testing, went to see an endo 6mths ago who sent a letter back to my own Dr to say I was suffering deppression as I was tearful at the consultation, no testing was ever done no bloods no urine nothing at all....... So at the moment I can't get any more testing,My hair is awful dry and coarse.........One hope is my Gyny who I have regularlly seen for 20yrs, I don't have an appt until march but go armed with lots of research and info he will work with me.
I love the Einstein quote!!
This is going to be my new MedHelp signature soon :
“The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious. It is the source of all true art and all science. He to whom this emotion is a stranger, who can no longer pause to wonder and stand rapt in awe, is as good as dead: his eyes are closed"
~Albert Einstein
I remember a physician who worked with my mother in the '70's, He wasn't too popular among other western medicine physicians because he used to do acupuncture treatments on some of his patients. Although his colleagues laughed at him, he continued on. A couple of years ago I had heard that he was running his own business... dealing with aging and had written a book. He is very successful and also a very nice man. Now studies have confirmed what he (and some others) have known for years. Here is one of those studies:
Acupuncture Cuts Tension Headache Rates By Almost Half
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2005/07/050731232901.htm
I saw an acupuncturist today and she said my heart, spleen, liver, pancreas, and kidneys were all out of whack. I don't have the list in front of me but she tested me positive for some mycoplasmas and other co-infections through muscle testing. She then stuck me with some needles and gave me some herbal supplements to combat the infections.
Whether you believe in alternative medicine or not, it's an interesting topic and experiment. I had been seeing a holistic doctor from awhile that had his own form of muscle testing and it was very interesting today to see how his results compared with the acupuncturist's results. Very similar except that today's session was more in-depth.
I figure that no one else is telling me anything through practical medical channels except for terms like "idiopathic" so I might as well try other avenues. I figure the Chinese have been doing it for thousands of years, and still do it today openly, that there must be something logical to it. Acupuncture is also covered under medical insurance now so that has to mean there is some medical acceptance of the practice in Western medicine.
yes like most on here, my morning are the worst. i sufferd a lot of pain for over a year in all joint but for some unknown reason maybe cos i ive up stresfull job and relationships i dont have half the pain and stiffness now and i dont take any meds as the anti-depresents they give me last time made cfs a whole lot worse.
my doctors are rubbish and havent got a clue what to do for me!! so i just get on best i can with the knowledge from the lovely people on here, books and the web site. i have some pain and tightness in my chest latley but not to the degree of yourself. tell your doctor just to be on the safe side but it seams common place for lots with fm and cfs.
although we all have the same symptoms, some have problems that others dont? i get what feels like a electric shock in my brain say every 30 seconds when i start falling into sleep. i told my doctor about this and that i could hear this in my head when it happens, the shock goes from one side to the other???????? WTF??? he didnt know and wasnt interested anyway. and i havent come across anybody with this. my pain has gone from my body now what seems to be all in my head. i still get stiff and ache but i have huge waves of depression, exhaustion, unbeleavable migranes, insomnia but worst of all the mornings i wake up feeling drunk,brainfog. my ballance is now hugely affected my words jumble in conversation, i have started to stammer a little now on words. i have mind blocks and have to be reminded mid sentence what am rabbling on about!!!! lovely!!!!! i pray am not losing my marbles. its very much as barefoot puts it, learnig patents and staying peacefull is one of the best things for you. its hard but have faith, do the things you love in life.
take care zz x
I too have my worst pain in the mornings. I have to get out of bed at least three hours before I can even dress. Most mornings walking teeters right at the edge of possible and impossible. Some days the pain is severe until 2pm-- on those days the fatigue sets in after that (usually along with pain still present) and the whole day is given over to disease-- nothing more gets accomplished. However, at times, I will have a burst of energy and lessening of pain in the evening. I'm never sure what each day will be like. The part I hate the most is the uncertainty. I am constantly having to change plans that others are depending on me for and often have to even cancel doctor appointments from the pain being too great to even get myself dressed and there. Learning patience and staying peaceful seem to be the greatest of all the tests we face.
Mornings are my worst enemy. I get up at 5 am every morning, but I set my alarm for 4:30. I make sure that my cane is beside my bed, I have little faith in my legs. I stretch all parts of my body before I ever hit the floor. On bathroom runs at night I hobble and cringe all the way and back. After getting a little movement in me I get up and slowly start my day. As hard as I've tried to quit I still have to have a up of coffee first thing.
I really don't like life nor myself first thing in the morning, but as the day goes on I start feelng some what better, and then I go back through the ritual at night.
gentle hugs
Angel
Hey buddy ! I feel my worst in the mornings as well.... I wake up groggy & feeling like I hadn't slept in days. But it is getting better with treatment. I used to wake up very stiff and in pain... but that is going away as well.
My thyroid test is also on the low end of the range. I did great with iodine supplements... I followed Jernigan's recommendations on his website (with my physician's approval first). After I had iodine for a week, I noticed that my skin wasn't as dry, my muscle aches had improved and MY HAIR WAS SOFT ! (that was HUGE... LOL!)
The thyroid test that CFS & fibro patients ARE failing is the T3 REVERSE. Check out the health pages and it will give you additional information.
I do feel worse in the mornings, more of a crippling pain all through my body, (where I take diuretics I do have to get up fairly urgently first thing), some mornings I start to cry even before trying to get out of bed, my feet feel as though they have been beaten with a bar so I do hobble first thing til I get some pain releif in me! The chest thing though doesnt sound right. but why I replied was that in the last 10 days I have had 2 very bad episodes of chest pain, now I see the other day on here somebody else had asked if it was a sympmtom, so now I'm lulled into a false sense of security as I think other people are having it so it's ok!
Oh yes! I'm like the tin man until about noon.