Common Flare-Up Causes

Description –  A flare up is a peaking of, or extreme level of pain and or other symptoms, to your fibromyalgia condition caused by triggers and conditions that create an environment that flares your pain levels to higher than normal levels. This need not just flare your pain levels but flare you fibro-fog, your sleep abilities and more of the issues that are part of the fibromyalgia condition.

Disclaimer first – I am not a doctor or any medical expert at all

A flare up explained

All of the items listed on this page and quite a lot more that I have not mentioned here will all be things that fluctuate in their levels of intensity all the time.

However, a flare up is usually a combination of symptoms all peaking or reaching much higher than usual levels for a period of time.

In my case a flare up will only last a day or two, and I then get a day or two of slower days while I get back to my “normal” whatever that is.

A flare can be a 2-hour flare or a 5-day flare. The 5 day ones (or however long they are for you) are generally a combination of triggers acting up to deplete your immune system.

Example – Yesterday in my life.

I would have worked if I had the energy.

I got too little sleep. Not my choice.

I walked 5 KM. My choice.

I was “down” for 2 hours and slowly got back to Ok, but still unable to actually work.

It’s always OK, and it was a Sunday, so I watched motor racing and a movie or two.

List of flare up triggers

This page is here to try to show you the list of items I have either experienced myself or have researched as trigger points for fibro flare ups.

Please see the infographic and video above

Stressful events

This could be either physical and or psychological.

Plus, stress can be from change in a number of things around you. EG, moving, the weather, job items, clients and more. Where you live, your living conditions, your financial conditions and other similar enviromental situations will also be combined as part of what constitutes and “event” that becomes and issue an therefore stressful. It could be as small as an email or mail item in the post, or as big as a wedding or divorce in your life.

Things like someone raising their voice higher than normal in a conversation is more than enough to trigger the stress side of that sort of event, that will then be a trigger point to a possible flare in your fibromyalgia.

There are a lot of examples that are in the psychological side of this trigger.

Hormones changes

Menstrual cycles can trigger a flare each time, or medication and other things like diet can affect hormone levels.

These are your body’s chemical messengers. They travel in your bloodstream to tissues or organs. They work slowly, over time, and affect many different processes, including growth and development.

Metabolism – how your body gets energy from the foods you eat (see diet below) can also be part of hormonal changes that will lead to a trigger point for a flare-up.

Change in Schedule

See stress above. Routine is important to people for controlling fibromyalgia, change is disruptive. This can be a massive change like traveling or a simple change in you daily routine – like an unexpected visitor – that can cause a trigger point. Each person will be affected differently by all these trigger points. This one doesn’t affect me too badly.

Surgery

Surgery would be an extreme example, but any bigger than normal medical issue is likely to be a trigger factor.

This could include dental visits as all are part of a trigger point that we all live with as it is connected to our constant awareness of our health issues.

Accidents

This need not be big accidents but any small accidents could trigger anxiety levels and create heightened levels of stress. Big accidents are often what caused a persons fibromyalgia in the first place and people who were accected in this way will be far more susceptable to trigger-by-accident issues.

There is also the fact that we have limited physical capabilities and are aware that we can slip or drop an item far easier than normal people. (Now try holding a newborrn baby without feeling heightened stress)

Lack of sleep

A BIG one for me, any lack of sleep almost guaranteed a flare up for me. It is a cycle, body pains wake me, I get a flare soon after that – the next day – and that increases my body pains. I tend to drug myself to fix it.

Sleep is known to be one of the best ways to heal yourself. Lack of sleep works against you and will weaken your skills and ability to cope and leave you ripe for a flare or trigger issue.

Too little exercise

Low energy levels lead to long spells of inactivity and this leads to your muscles seizing up and more pain and then the flare up. This one makes a mockery of the “get more rest” solution.

Overdoing things (exhaust)

This covers exhaustion and the exhaust side of other aspects in your life.

Exhaustion

Too much exercise and overdoing the physical side of life is the biggest part of this and something we all do far too often.

So easy to do. We get some energy and try to do everything that has been building up. This includes simple stuff like a small shopping trip.

Exhaust

This is where you deplete levels of anything else that affects your energy levels and your immunity system.

Depletion of diet-related aspects come to mind here, lack of a certain vitamin or food type could exhaust energy resources and leave you wiped out and trigger ready for a flare.

Food ingredients

Red meat, Gluten, potatoes, tomatoes, green peppers, Caffeine, Eggs, Dairy and in my case sugar. Too much sugar really puts my system out of wack.

What you eat is a sure-fire way to either get better or lead yourself down a path to regular flare trigger points and more.

Note to self: Fix your gut-health.

Temperature changes or extremes

These have never affected me personally. Therefore when I research this and see people commenting about it on the groups it is fascinating, and something that keeps me awake at night wondering when it will be my turn.

If you are reading this and have a lot of issues with it, I would love to publish some information from you about it. Please contact me.

Weather changes or extremes

I am also seemingly immune to this causing change or triggering my flare-ups. See my comments above. 

For those who were looking for more information on this part of flares I apologize as I do not have much information on it.

Changes in your medication

Self-explanatory. If you are keeping a log of everything you do, this should show up as a trigger. It is often a trigger that we do not see coming as we change medication looking for positive change.

In my case, this change (of medication) can take weeks to both take effect and to hammer me in other departments.

If you are suffering from fibromyalgia, then you are very aware of the issues and pains that come along with the condition.

You will be getting most of the following symptoms

• Full body pain
• Muscular pain
• Fatigue
• Lack of energy
• Depression
• Anxiety
• Sleep issues
• Muscle and leg twitching
• Skin sensitivity
• Numb hands and feet and tingling.
• Headaches

 Final Comment in your quest for help

I can offer you help in a number of ways.

The first is to have you join this site and learn how to create a bigger income for you in your life with a measure of control that is finally in your hands. (This membership is now closed. However, I do offer a free one-hour help call for you in relation to helping you overcome income-related stress. You will need to use the contact page to email me and then we can set up a call time. This will be an audio call on Skype)

Removing financial and job stress is massive.

My training covers all that – and there is a 7-day free trial. (This membership is now closed. However, I do offer a free one-hour help call for you in relation to helping you overcome income-related stress. You will need to use the contact page to email me and then we can set up a call time. This will be an audio call on Skype)

The second would be that perhaps you are OK financially and are just looking for more information and other courses on self-improvement and more.

I have a growing section of that sort of course (In fact I have over 100 such courses, and lack the time to add them all, but will get to it sooner or later)

See that page here.

I wear a number of different hats every day.

I have Fibromyalgia – so I also have to work around this problem and all the issues that come with that.

I am a crafter or maker or artist (you can visit my site for that and decide for yourself)

I do online marketing in a number of different ways.

I teach people (including those with debilitating conditions – like Fibromyalgia) how to make money online. Full-time or part-time. A MASSIVE amount of my training is free too. Ask me how to get that training.

THE FIBROMYALGIA CLUB 

I help with a free consultation (one hour – once-off)

I help by sending you to the training that is free.

I help by sending you to the training that is paid courses – if necessary.

I have a Facebook group where you could communicate with others in the same set of life circumstances as yours.

I can do different levels of coaching. Pricing from $35 a month to $5000 a month (at this level I would be building your online business for you, or consulting a lot almost every day.)

Contact me if you have any questions.