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Living with Fibromyalgia
Part Two - Searching for Solutions
By Jeff Durbin
Julia Baurichter knows the lure of seeking a magical solution to fibromyalgia.
Over the years, she has handled nearly every symptom it can dish out.
And fibromyalgia can do plenty, causing, among other things, widespread muscle pain throughout the body, sleep disorder, fatigue, headaches, and irritable bowel syndrome, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
She has also learned over a decade and a half of living with fibromyalgia that she can find her own solutions, based on her own hard experience.
In the summer of 2000, her body rebelled against years of taking medications. She suffered through days of severe nausea, and lost 20 pounds in a month.
That is when she knew she had to pare down her too-numerous list of medications. "I was emotionally addicted," Baurichter says.
Good Doctoring
With the assistance of her physician, she stopped taking all drugs. Her doctor also sent her to counseling for pain management, which Baurichter attended fof six months. She credits the counseling with showing her how she previously pushed through her pain using adrenaline.
"I started giving myself a break, giving myself permission to rest, not to do so many things," Baurichter says. "I feel like everything came together."
"That’s the main thing counseling taught me - give things a chance," she says. "I don’t have to have the answer today."
Staying Adaptable
Her physician also suggested she read a book by R. Paul St. Amand, M.D., called What Your Doctor May Not Tell You About Fibromyalgia.
Baurichter liked what she read and heard, and started to take guaifenesin. In the past month she experienced some rashes and itching, but plans to talk to her doctor about trying other brands.
"I’m willing to try this," she says. "I’ve has tremendous success with this."
Baurichter says she now sleeps fairly well, and her muscle pain is mainly relieved. For years, one of her core symptoms was extremely painful feet upon waking, but for last two and a half years that has disappeared. Another classic symptom, the inability to think clearly -fibro patients call it "brain fog" - has dissipated. "The brain fog thing is absolutely major," she says. "The fog for me is gone."
Baurichter has always exercised. Her husband, Steve, is a physical therapist. But she knows now to be more gentle.
"I would try everything full-blast," she says.
Getting Support
Baurichter walks regularly, and she started aquacising.
"I love it for the social reasons, I love it for stretching, but it doesn’t stop or control pain for me," she says.
Baurichter says she likes serving as a support person to people she knows with fibromyalgia. She herself has the support of her husband, friends, fellow aquacisers, and her sister, who also has fibromyalgia. More organized support groups are not for her, however. Baurichter says she would rather not dwell on her condition.
"If I sit around and talk about this all the time, it becomes paramount," she says.
Continuing Education
Besides visits to her physician, Baurichter stays current with fibroymalgia news by reading books or magazine articles. For her, the Internet is a minor but useful resource.
Baurichter does not subscribe to any special diet, just common-sense eating.
"We don’t fry stuff, we don’t eat fat things," she says. "I don’t drink coffee, seldom tea or soda. I cut down on that."
Helping Yourself
Baurichter says her age is a life milestone. Having a friend die of cancer has been another motivating force to take care of herself and her family. So she has set herself the goal of getting well this year, but her standard of recovery is as much psychological as being pain-free.
"At least I know in my heart that I’ve done everything I could even though I may have the same problem," she says. It’s expensive and time-consuming. Pain is not the question. Getting well is me doing everything I need to."
Baurichter, ever practical, is ready for anything.
"Nothing is going to be the magic savior of my health other than me making wise choices and listening to my body," she says. "If I get worse, there’s still things I can try. I can go back to herbs. I can treat symptoms as they occur. I can rest through it."
Part Three - Making a Life
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