elmhar

Pepperchick,

May I ask, was the Abilify rxd specfically for your fibro? That seems strange to me; definitely an off-label use & IMO, perhaps almost out of the ballpark. What aspect of your fibro is it helpful for?

Rx hormone supplements are impt for helping to keep my fibro at bay: I use bioidentical compounded Rx estrogen & testosterone. Also use thyroid hormone meds -- they help my pain & activity/ability level a great deal. My other Rx is a topical NSAID, very potent, which I use on rare occasions.

Other than that, I use vitamins, minerals, amino acids, & EPA concentrate fish oil, which helps both pain & low mood.

I have found that fluoride & chlorine are flare triggers for me, so I avoid them.

I do best with regular daily exercise. I walk and do range of motion / stretching. It's all very gentle, slow exercise, but things do go downhill if I miss several days in a row. When my flares are severe enough that I need to use my walker, I just do the stretching, usually under a warm shower or in a warm tub w/Epsom Salts & MSM added to the water.

I use assistive devices (cane, walker, raised toilet seat, reacher/grabber tool) as needed. When in the midst of a flare, these tools enable me to heal & prevent further pain.

My favorite comfort measure for pain is a microwaveable moist-heat pad that penetrates very quickly & can be easily moved around my body. I also use a hand-held shiatsu-type massager to take the edge off of painful areas. Not sure why it works; maybe gives the brain some other sensory input to process.