Supporting a Loved One with Fibromyalgia

It’s hard to know what to do to help when a loved one is first diagnosed with fibromyalgia. It’s a difficult time for everyone involved to learn that this person has a very debilitating, incurable disease. You want to offer your support as they struggle to come to grips with their new reality, but you aren’t sure where to start. Actually the best thing you can do is to educate yourself as fully as possible about the symptoms and effects fibromyalgia can have. You can visit reliable websites, such as WebMD, for information, look for materials at your local library, and even ask your doctor to give you references for books you can read. In addition, you can do the things listed in the rest of this article.

Being a good listener is one of the best supports you can offer. The patient needs to be able to discuss the disease, his fears for the future, the types of treatments that are available, and the changes that are going to have to be made in his life. The worst thing the patient can do is to isolate himself from others and try to deal with all of the pain and anxiety alone. You don’t have to have any answers. Just be there to listen and let the person know that you’ll be there for him any time he needs you.

From there on out, if you don’t know what you can do to help, come right out and ask your loved one. The patient will learn that he will have an occasional good day when he’ll feel ready to set the world on fire. Unfortunately, these days don’t happen often, and they usually result in the patient overdoing it and wearing himself out. Too much activity will inevitably bring on a multitude of symptoms in the following days, and at that point he’s not going to have enough energy to take care of the things that need to be done. Let him know that you’re always there to help him when the bad days come.

One of the biggest things a person with fibromyalgia needs from you is patience. If he makes plans to do something with you and then has to cancel, understand. After all, it’s hard for him to make any definite plans, because he never knows in advance how he’s going to feel on a given day. It doesn’t mean that he doesn’t want to spend time doing things with you, so don’t take it personally. Be sympathetic with the fact that there will be many days when his symptoms are bad enough that he won’t be able to do the things he’d like to do.

A person with fibromyalgia will have a lot of medical needs. He will be faced with an unending number of doctor’s appointments as well as possible physical and occupational therapy sessions and counseling. If you offer to drive him to these appointments or even just to accompany him and lend your moral support, it will be greatly appreciated.

Always remember that the physical limitations fibromyalgia will place on your loved one are only half of his battle. He will also be dealing with a great many emotional issues, such as depression and mood swings. Don’t take these moods personally. Take them in stride and continue to offer your support.

As you can see, there are a lot of simple things that you can do to effectively help your loved one with fibromyalgia. Just being there for him will do a lot to help him deal with his condition.