Stand in a corner, approximately 18 inches out, with feet slightly apart. Place palms of hands at shoulder level on each wall of the corner, approximately at shoulder width. You are essentially going to do "wall push-ups." Start with five--lean into the wall, hold for ten seconds, then come back to original position. Repeat five times. Then move your hands higher up on the walls, maybe about 6-8 inches higher than the first time. Again, lean into the wall, hold for ten seconds, then come back to the original position.

You can vary the location of your hands on the walls depending on the exact location of your pain. This has been extraordinarily helpful for me and has prevented many useless trips to the ER!!

*NOTE--BE ABSOLUTELY SURE THAT YOUR CHEST PAIN IS NOT HEART-RELATED!! SEE YOUR DOCTOR FOR ANY CHEST PAIN THAT IS ACCOMPANIED BY SWEATING, LIGHTHEADEDNESS, DIZZINESS, NAUSEA OR PAIN IN THE ARM (ESPECIALLY THE LEFT ARM), NECK OR JAW!!

This is from "Laura"--"I have found putting my feet on a hot water bottle at night, seems to help with the restless feet, not every time but a lot of the time..."

SUPPLEMENTS THAT WORK (FOR SOME):

"I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia in 1992. Living with this debilitating disease as we all know can and is very trying for those who have this. I have started a nutritional supplement on October 14, 1998, with the remarkable results which I want to share with everyone.

Week One: Within 3 days, the burning in my legs has eased up immensely. I use to have to hang my legs off the bed to get some type of relief of the agony of the pain. Now, I can lie there like a normal person. The stabbing pains in my body have decreased also about 60%.

Week Two: I have been able to climb up and down stairs on the average of 3 times a day which was utterly impossible for me otherwise. I am able to walk down the outdoor steps, without taking one step at a time.

Week Three: I have done an amazing accomplishment which I haven't been able to do for 8 years. That feat was vacuuming the frontroom floor. I was able to bend and clean off a plant stand, pack up some boxes in my dad's home for removal, clean up the kitchen like I use to do, and sweep the kitchen floor.

The question I am sure you are all wondering is am I still in pain. Yes, I am but, to a minimum compared to before, and able to function and not have to rely on everyone for normal activity is an wonderful thing. I don't know what is in store for me, however, I know I will keep taking these supplements. Also have new improvements daily. I am a much happier person, smile alot and have the strength to move on to other things I have been able to do before. My family is much happier and to have the confidence to do things like before is a miracle. For information on the nutritional supplements which I am taking, please feel free to contact me at my home phone number or you can email me too any time with your phone number and I can return your call. 1-815-932-9199 Central Time and thanks for reading. One of my fibro emails is as follows, if you would like to respond to this letter. mailto:fibro54@hotmail.com

This has been a very helpful product for me, not a cure. I just want to share this with everyone and pass it on. Please consider this. I have tried other things for help but this is the best that has helped me.

Gentle Hugs, Ree Ree (Marie)"

"Hi, I have found that limiting my meat intake to 4oz per day and increasing the fruit and veggies has helped me immensely. I also avoid preservatives and refined or bleached products. After being on Amitriptyline for a sleep disorder 4 yrs I started packing on the pounds. Once I went on this diet, started exercising everyday and got off the Amitriptyline I lost the 70 lbs I gained. I noticed a major increase in energy and a major decrease in pain. On the nights that I have trouble sleeping (few and far between) I use the herbal remedy Valarian. I have been in "remission" for six months! I will keep you posted if you are interested in my progress! I am a 44 yr old FULL-Time College student, this semester I am taking 19 credits!~Ethna"

MENTAL "EXERCISES" FOR FATIGUE:

The following was submitted by someone who did not want her name used. The technique was recommended to her by an Arthritis Foundation counselor.

When you are feeling fatigued all the time and don't know why, visualize your energy as marbles. You have a certain number of marbles for use each day and no more. There are some days that require more energy or certain tasks that require more energy and you have to "budget" for them. But budgeting is the key. If you borrow tomorrow's marbles for today's tasks continually you wind up flat on you back. And then there are some days that the fatigue wins out and you have to cash in all of your marbles and spend the day in bed.

I told a friend about this and told her that I was trying to learn to live within the quota of my marbles. So she made a visual aide for me...a pint jar full of marbles of different colors and types to represent my different roles and tasks. But importantly are the seven flat marbles in there that represent my need for rest and relaxation on a daily basis.

I am still working full time and I keep this jar on my desk to remind me that it is time to go home so that I have some energy left once I get there. It has helped me a lot in setting priorities for myself. It's all a matter of learning balance between too much and too little.