Taking a vaction from my FibroMyalgia symptoms

Guys,

I've just come back from a two week vaction in the Mojave Desert (USA). I traveled there last year (to Arizona, Nevada and Utah) and experienced a similar cessation of my acute symptoms of FM.

I didn't really register the lessening of symptoms last year as I thought it was just a side-effect of taking a vacation in general! I've take a few trips away from my home environment since that trip to Utah and before this 'big' trip to the Mojave and not felt any relief of symptoms. So the re-occurrence of this shift in my pain, lethargy, muscle weakness, breathlessness, insomnia, appetite and 'brain-fog' really rang alarm bells for me.

I know that it was real as my partner commented on it immediately when we arrived and likened it to our trip last year; also on returning to my everyday environment my pain, lethargy, etc have returned to their 'normal' levels - it has taken me three days to get the strength together to write this blog up on the computer! Strangely though, my symptoms are no worse for having exerted myself so much whilst away!

Has any one else had similar experiences when traveling away from their everyday environment??

I have worked for many years with a Shiatsu practitioner who is well versed in immune-related/auto-immune/arthritic conditions and he has always told me that I have a cold/wet personality and that a hot/dry climate would help me. Being confined to the regional location that I currently live in I had always thought this to be a nice idea in principle but not very practical.

I had tried saunas and the obligatory hot baths that 'doctors' recommend for FM symptoms but never felt any relief with them. Now I really do think that there is something in environmental conditions that exacerbates my FM symptoms.

I am seriously looking into changing my physical environment for one that is more desert -like as a way of treating my condition. As you can imagine I have tired all the drugs, medical treatment plans and a lot of the alternative and complementary therapies recommended for FM symptom management - to NO good effect.

I don't want to suggest that FM is in any way a physical manifestation of unhappiness with ones environment or lifestyle. My vacation was far from relaxing - in fact it was physically and emotionally exhausting but I still managed to get up everyday, pack a suitcase, drive two to three hundred miles and hold sensible conversations with strangers and my partner for the entire two weeks - no sweat!

I think there is definitely something it this - and yep I am clutching at straws here. My life where I currently live SUCKS. I have no job, no social life, no prospects and a government check every two weeks to look forward to! But if I can feel even marginally better for moving a few thousand degrees south of my current location then I think I can invest in that - goodness knows I've spent enough already on 'cures' for FM on the internet and from suggestions from friends and family.

Why not give it a try if you can. Ascertain what your physical type is in orthodox Chinese medicine (easy enough to do on the internet) and, if you can afford it, travel to an opposite climate and see if there is any effect on your general health.

I would be interested to hear from anyone who has anything negative or positive to add to this and I am happy to debate it will all comers. I feel that strongly about my personal discovery.

Thanks for taking the time to read this and I hope that if it isn't at least interesting to you, you can take some hope from it that someone out there with FM was feeling a little bit better for a few days in their life without shots, drugs, psychotherapy or doctors and all their crap!

Peace,

Lee xo