Those of you who have been on the forum a while know that I have said over and over again how summer is the worst time of year for me. I'm usually pretty uncomfortable due to the high heat, humidity, and thunderstorms we get nearly every afternoon. I love storms and love watching them, but don't like what they do to my body.
Last fall I was put on a muscle relaxer. I only take half of what was prescribed for me and it really has made such a difference in my levels of pain. This is the first summer since starting the muscle relaxer and it has amazed me so much! My pain is under control and I even forget to take ibuprofen and Tylenol! Yesterday I only needed it twice...every 12 hours. Usually I take it every six hours and am still uncomfortable in the summer. The storms aren't affecting me as bad, either. They still affect me but I'm not miserable.
Today I went for my walk, put a load of laundry in the washer and made my breakfast. After breakfast I thought I'd work in the back yard for about a half an hour. Well, I worked for 1 1/2 hours! I have never done that in the heat of summer. I was pulling weeds, cutting out small oak trees that were sprouting in my hedges, trimming shrubs, etc. I didn't get sore at all! Usually pain is what sends me back in the house and it usually hits around the half hour mark but not today. I feel fine! I'm tired but that is to be expected because the "feel" temperature was over 90 degrees when I was working.
The muscle relaxer also helps me sleep much better so I have more energy and am not nearly as tired. That is a real bonus for me. I used to be up 3-5 times a night. Now, I am up once a night. That was normal for me before I had fibro. So, with the added rest, I was able to do what I did today. I even have dinner started. I just can't believe it!
The only thing different this summer is the fact I take the muscle relaxer. The one I'm on is caller Robaxin. This works for me but it might not work for you. There are plenty of muscle relaxers on the market but I asked for Robaxin because I used it back in the 1980's for low back pain and it helped me heaps then, too. I just wanted to share this information for those searching for things to help get their pain under control.
Sherrine