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Anyone using their fitbit to improve health through Chronic illness

I have severe ME and Fibromyalgia, I have been mainly housebound and sometimes bedbound for the last 5 years. I have bought my fitbit to encourage movement and improve pain levels by trying to improve my muscle health. I have to start very slowly and am working with Oxford Pain clinic to rehabilitate my body. I will never be "normal" but I hope to be able to control my illness and do the best I can to gain some strength back.

Is anyone else using their fitbit in a similar wayCat Wink

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155 REPLIES 155

Thank you Lorifran, you have just put my mind at rest on my sleeping issues, I never connected it to my epilepsy before. Think I might upgrade my Fitbit Zip to one with sleep monitor and Heart Rate monitor as well. Being widowed now, I have to absolutely on the ball where my health and safety is concerned.


@Lorifran57 wrote:

YAY other people who have gotten the Fitbit for more than just doing the gym life! I have epilepsy. Juvenile Myclonic Epilepsy which includes a variety of 3-5 types of seizures in its recipe so my health is of absolute maintained importance. I've had it all my life and turning 50 in August. Stress, rest, good diet important. I've been very active all my life but more so in my youth alot. Because of the activeness in touth I have been able to avoid the usual side-effects of bone loss, bad knees, liver damage, kidney issues, teeth problems, hair, skin, etc. Never even ever broken a bone in my lifetime. But over the years the seizure medicines have started to take a toll on my body tiring me out now and weight management. I see no reason to spend money on a gym when it is common sense to move. I decided to get the Fitbit One after my doctor because I am starting to have seizure break-through again (it happens again periodically cause it is never 100% 🙂 just recently prescribed another add-on medicine to a regime making total of 4 I now take altogether. The end result will be that I will possibly go from being my current weight of too much to dropping too much VERY fast as much as 30to 50lbs in coming 3months if I can't at least control/manage my intake. I saw that the Fitbit has ability to let you chart your foods and brands in database adjusts for height, weight, etc with common sense. Epileptics also have sleeping issues causing irregular sleep patterns if you have nocturnal seizures and yes I have the sleep moniter is turning out to be a great thing. I am learning alot from the device and hope to see what the summer brings me to the mstrengthening of my health and getting a new handle on the resurgence of the seizures. 


 

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Hi Snowdrop!

 

I'm very new to the FitBit community. I to have the same conditions and have had intermittent periods of being combinations of bed, couch, and housebound. I am hoping to use info from my device to manage and help. 

 

Two things: have you heard of Anthony Williams Medical Medium? It's kind of out there and not scientifically validated at all, but I was desperate (one particular night comes to mind if sobbing b/c I was alone and unable to open a jar of almond butter for myself and the energy I had taken just getting it down meant I just had to lay on the floor, with tiredness overwhelming my hunger, for hours till I could literally crawl up to bed). My mom kept telling me to go on Instagram and look at inspiring stories of people following the MM protocol and getting better. Amazingly better. It's doing amazing things for me and I can share more. But for now, if you're interested, try his latest book (ignore the fact it seems to cater to thyroid issues and just the whole thing- you'll find him describing "you" on the pages as you continue). 

 

The other thing I'm interested to try is from another post here is an online course for our conditions posted by GaretfulSarah. Google search CFIDSSELFHELP to find it. So excited to try. I just found that last night. I think the link for the discussion is this: https://community.fitbit.com/t5/Be-Inspired/FitBit-helped-with-CFS-Fibromyalgia-Symptoms/td-p/134976...

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Hello. I have Ankylosing Spondylitis, i am 36 years old and was diagnosed 18 months ago. It is a chronic autoimmune disease where the immune system attacks the joints and articulations of the body. Its main feature is that the spine become as rigid as a bamboo stick. Other joints are affected and there are a long list of symptoms, the main being inflammation of the joints, pain, arthritis, fatigue. 

It is important to be active as it combat the pain, slow the arthritis and inflammation, slow the joint fusion process and help maintain or regain mobility and flexibility. 

I spend the most of my adult life up to the day of my diagnosis being a potato couch and eating junk food. I was never overweight or anything but I was definitely not in shape. Oh and I was a smoker. 

The day I was diagnosed I changed all this and started being active, quit smoking and eat better. It took some time to be able to do sports as my conditions was too active. Once it was stabilised I work up a routine of going to the gym 3 times a week, a bit less than a year ago. At the same time I start paying more attention to what I eat.

i got an Alta Hr for Christmas, which is a great gift for me. I was so happy to see that in one year I have some results from quitting smoking (resting Heart rate is at 60). I hope it will motivate me being better. I now have back order an Aria 2 to monitor my body fat (it seems my macros are still out of balance). I am exploring all options to see how I can use it to help me on my way to fight Ankylosing Spondylitis. I will also try to be an active member of the community, I just started exploring the forum.

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I have been ill for over 10years.  Frequently passing out from fatigue lasting from a few minutes to hours.  While at work I felt ill and was rushed to the hospital. At that time I coded while in the ambulance. It was misdiagnosed as low blood sugar.  I continued to be ill until the present time.  Last year I finally found a wonderful doctor, who didn’t think I was making all of this up.  After blacking out twice on the table tilt test for a previous doctor, this new one took action. He installed a heart monitor.   I moved shortly thereafter and a third doctor took over.  It was Neuro Cardiogenic Syncope.

WIthin two months it was determined that I needed a pacemaker.  This didn’t startle me as I already suspected that.  

For almost 10 years I was misdiagnosed.  This is where my Fitbit comes in.

Last year my daughter bought me a Fitbit Alta HR so I could keep track of my heart rate.

Little did I realize how ill I really was!  My heart rate kept dropping down to 48-50 beats per minute, and as it dropped, I would pass out.  Had it not been for my Fitbit, no one would have realized how ill I was getting. I had started to think it was nothing as well.

I wear it every single day unless it’s charging.

I highly recommend this product to everyone who has heart issues. After surgery I found that a chamber of my heart was only functioning at 38%; hindering oxygenation of the heart and lungs.  The fact that it records everything on the dashboard was further proof.

My next purchase is a Fitbit with larger letters and numbers and of course the HR is a must!

My daughter and my Fitbit HR saved my life!

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I have been diagnosed with EDS for a while now. I have wanted a Fitbit for a while now and got one two Christmases ago. I want to gain muscle strength and am dealing with a separated shoulder right now. I am a normal person and go to school but dislocate something all the time. I hope you guys have fun with these I know I will. 🤓🤓

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My fit bit got stolen but when I had a fitbit, I used it in a similar way because I am homebound as wel.I hope you feel better. It stinks being home bound because people will tell you it's your fault and your lazy, but they don't have the brain to understand that you acutally can't change because you don't understand or get misunderstood or you don't have the support you need. 

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That is so true and sorry to here tha your fitbit got stolen.
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My first Doc would still have been keeping me on meds and no action taken, if it wasn't for a friend.  She recommended her group of doctors.  I still have no energy, and kept I was blaming myself for being lazy.  I realize that now with a pacer it IS a serious problem.Thank you for responding and please email me whenever you want to.  The support we give each other is so important and encouraging.Be well.
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Hi Snowflake,

 

I've also been diagnosed with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Myalgic Encephalomyelitis and Fibromyalgia. Apart from that my body also suffers from several chronic deficiencies such as vitamine D and iron. My body also produces way too much of the hormone cortisol. To be honest I could keep going but this is a short summary.

 

Where I live CFS/ME and Fibro aren't recognized as a physical disease but rather as a psychological one (a.k.a. it's all in your head). After my initial diagnosis the specialist said there was an option to get some guidance at a hospital that had more experience on the matter. However this 'guidance' was extremely expensive, involved physical exercise and psychological evaluations and happened during weekdays when I was expected to be at work. (Yes, I worked back then and still work full-time because I have no other option.) I could afford the 'guidance' if I kept working but then I couldn't meet the required attendances and if I quit my job then I could attend but not afford it.

 

Obviously no one is willing to help patients suffering from these conditions where I reside. Now I just drag myself along with no one but fellow patients understanding just how crippling these conditions are. I have to hear the same rude remarks every day. I have to bear the numbing pain every day. There seems no end to this and yet I have to keep on going without aid or anything that could remotely offer some relief. How can a modern country not recognize CFS/ME and Fibro as a physical illness that affects everyday life? This is beyond me.

 

Enough of my complaining though. I bought myself a Fitbit to try and monitor my health to degree. See how many steps daily I can still manage, see what my optical heartbeat does, keep an eye on my water consumption and eating habits. It is one of the small things I can do to motivate myself to keep going. It's nice to talk to others in the community who have to live life differently because of something out of their reach. I wish everyone here the strength to keep going, step by step. Remember to always be kind to yourself and others. You never know what they might be suffering from behind the scenes.

 

Have a nice day~

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@Siara,

 

I suggest you go to www.mcdougall.com and join the forum there. You may find some relief for your conditions.

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@GershonSurge

 

Thank you for the link but unfortunately all I get is 'Error establishing a database connection'. I'll try to view it on a different device later today to see if I have more luck there.

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@Siara,

 

Sorry, I gave the wrong link. It's www.drmcdougall.com.

 

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My mother is also affected by Fibromyalgia. And in France where she lives it is also not recognised as a disease, but as a “condition”. It is a **ahem** status that gives a few benefits but little recognition by the healthcare system. When I see how much she suffers it is beyond me.

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I would love to join your group if you set it up.  Although I am almost the bionic woman now with 2 new knees and 1 shoulder thanks to osteoarthritis, I experience chronic lower back pain.  That is caused by spinal stenosis which also often causes nerve pain and numbness in my leg when I walk.  I have found aqua aerobics to be very helpful, as well a riding my recumbent bike (while watching TV to take my mind off the tedium of riding to nowhere). However I would love to hear how others have managed to keep moving and enjoy it at the same time.

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Don´t worry you shouldn´t judge yourself by what other people think Be yourself
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Usually I just listen to music while I am either running or doing si-ups but kepp going.
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I am so sorry to here that.
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I am new to fitbit but I too have chronic health issues. 

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how do you cope? i go to church
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I go to church too. But I also exerciseto an extent.. It gets better
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