My Fibromyalgia Flare Survival Kit

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Two Decades of Writing. Sharing Helps Me Out

My Flare Survival Kit

Readers have asked for this, so here is my Fibromyalgia Flare Survival Kit! [Written in 2016. Updated September 2025]

Carrie Kellenberger - Living with the limitations of fibromyalgiaThe Limitations of Fibromyalgia

If you’d like to support me on my chronic journey, I have my own Amazon wishlist here.

Medications and Supplements for Fibromyalgia

These are recommended supplements that work for me. (Each person is different so this is not meant as medical advice!)

Magnesium
Vitamin C
Vitamin D drops
Probiotics
C0Q10
Calcium
D-ribose – This is one of my favorite supplements as it results in sleep improvement, energy, and pain.

Topical Pain Relief Alternatives in Taiwan — *Pain Relief Alternatives in Taiwan. These are some over the counter pain relief alternatives that can be found in Taiwan. – The Cost of Being Chronically Ill by MySeveralWorlds.com*

My Fibro Flare Kit for Travel and Hospital Appointments

My medical bag goes wherever I go, especially if I’m going somewhere overnight or in my carry-on luggage when I travel.

Foam pillow – It cradles my head and neck and assists by keeping my head in place. I rarely go anywhere overnight without one.

Bean bag pillow – I use stuffy pillows everyone. Bean bag pillows are great because I can stuff them under my arms if I’m experiencing muscle fatigue. I find these especially helpful in my wheelchair and at my desk when I need support.

A heating pad – I live on and under heating pads when I’m in a severe flare, especially during cold weather. Cold makes me unbelievably sick. I also keep hot patches in my bag if I can’t plug my heating pad in. Want to learn more about fibromyalgia and cold intolerance? Check out my article on it and read the science behind it.

Red Light Therapy – I’ve used red light therapy since 2011 and became a fan of it initially for my face. I used to go to a clinic for IPL treatments and noticed that my clinic was using light therapy on my face during my facials. It helped to break up pigmentation and it worked wonders on my inflamed skin. Eventually I purchased a hand-held wand which I have used liberally on my face and swollen joints. I got an LED mask that wasn’t such a great fit for my face due to its weight, but it was easy to sit it on top of my knees and let the light help with my joints.

Recently I got a red light belt which has been so much easier to use as I can strap it to my back, around my shoulders, and around my legs. RLT works to encourage tissue repair, and it’s said to have anti inflammatory effects which is why I use it on my knees. I have obviously seen great benefits with my skin and face. I’m hoping it continues working its magic on my back, shoulders, and neck. Learn more in my article at Red Light Therapy for Pain and Inflammation.

Ice packs – I use these during the summer in Taiwan when my joints swell up. They also help with migraines!

Pain patches – I buy my patches in Taiwan and I use them all the time. I use them mostly on my shoulders, neck, and back. They have enough topical pain medication in them to assist with tight muscles and fascia issues. The main ingredient in these patches is sodium diclofenac. You can see these in the photo below along with an assortment of topical creams that I use.

Various topical pain sprays and cream – Everything from magnesium oil and cooling spray to arnica gel, chile and black pepper cream, and Thai pain cream. I’ve noticed my North American friends find Asian products to be a bit too strong and hot, but I really love that heat and find them very effective.

I also love and support KaLaya Pain products!

For folks who tend to be sensitive to topicals and want products that are natural, paraben-free, sulphate-free, and never tested on animals, I recommend KaLaya products. They’re 100% Canadian!

Carrie is holding six KaLaya Pain Relief products featuring the KaLaya Pain Relief Massager, KaLaya Foot Cream, KaLaya Pain Relief Sativa Cream Travel Size, KaLaya Pain Relief Spray and other full size and travel size products. — KaLaya Pain Relief products are a ‘must-have’ product for flare-ups with chronic pain related to axSpA, arthritis, and fibromyalgia. It’s the best pain relief product you can get without a prescription.

KaLaya products are safe and natural. They’re paraben-free, sulphate-free, and never tested on animals. KaLaya is a medically directed, proudly 100% Canadian, health, wellness, and personal care brand that uses problem-solution based formulations.

My Fibro Flare Kit for Home – REST IS BEST

A firm mattress with lots of pillows – My husband loves complaining about how many pillows I have, but most fibromyalgia and AS patients I’ve met have told me they can’t live without pillows. I have them everywhere in my house and I have one that I take out in public if I need it. Yup, I’m that woman who enters restaurants with kitchen seat pillows to act as buffers for hard chairs.

When I’m lying in bed, I prop my knees up on a pillow. When I sleep, I keep a pillow between my knees because it helps to keep stress off my back. I have slept with four pillows and my husband for the last two years.

If we’re staying overnight at a hotel, I bring my own pillow. My husband also calls ahead to find out what kind of pillows the hotel offers. Most hotels offer soft pillows, foam pillows, and hypoallergenic pillows.

Soft sheets – These are a must. I have severe allodynia from my fibromyalgia. Soft sheets are a necessity for fibro friends.

Allodynia: Greek for ‘other pain’, occurs when pain is felt and is caused by something that does not usually cause pain like a sheet or pulling on a sock. This painful response is often unexpected.

Compression wraps – These help immensely for pain relief and I bring them everywhere. I wrap my legs when they swell during the summer and put the ice packs on top of my wraps to help with inflammation.

Blankets – I get cold quickly. The only way to describe what happens to me when I get cold is that I go into shock and I immediately get sick. I have soft, warm blankets all over our house. I also have light blankets for the summer if my husband has the A/C on.

Soft, comfortable pajamas – I have more pajamas than nice clothes. All of my clothes are bought for comfort.

Things I can’t wear anymore because it triggers pain:

No jewelry
Tight socks make my legs swell
Unfortunately, compression wear for my clotting disease has also become unbearable
Skinny jeans are a no-no
Nothing with tight ankle cuffs
Bras are torture – absolute torture – so I ditched them
No collared clothing or things with lots of buttons
No clothing with tags or heavy seams. If something has a tag in it, I cut it out
For day to day wear, I wear loose clothing in a size large or x-large even though I’m a medium. When you swell up and down every hour, it’s best to go loose and comfortable.
Loose socks are a must as anything with elastic tends to cause deep grooves in my skin

Comfortable sweatsuits – I love them especially if they’re matching or luxury sweats!

Magnesium oil – This is a must. My friend recently sent me a roll-on magnesium oil tube for my purse. It helps with muscle pain. It’s good for on the go.

CBD cream – This is a medical marijuana cream without the THC component that gets you high.

Cold-brewed tea – Cold-brewed tea is a comfort drink for me. I very rarely drink anything other than water, so I buy non-caffeinated fruit tea infusions to add some variety to my diet. I also like hot licorice tea (Aveda’s signature brand) if my stomach is upset.

Books – I am a huge, and I mean, HUGE reader. I have been reviewing books on GoodReads since February 2009 and I’m a GR Librarian. My average is 120. books a year, so my room is stocked with physical books and books on my e-reader.

TV – I don’t know what I’d do without TV shows and movies for distraction. I unplug it every night before I sleep because I can’t sleep with electronics in my room. Unplugging is great for good sleep hygiene.

Epsom salts – Epsom salts help ease muscle tension and help me relax.

Essential oils – I always add essential oils to my Epsom salt baths. I use jasmine, bergamot, lavender, ylang ylang and sweet orange for different things, such as mood enhancement and relaxation. I also use an essential oil diffuser in my room to help me relax before bed.

Coloring books and markers – I color a lot. I use coloring books as a distraction from pain and fatigue.

Relaxing music – I always listen to relaxing music just before bed. I also listen to music when I’m flaring because it helps to distract me from the pain. In the summer of 2015 when I was completely bedridden, I decided to learn more about classical music. That summer, I discovered all the classics, starting with Mozart’s Requiem.

One upshot to being in a flare is that I can use music and books as a distraction. I don’t think I’d have tried listening to classical music if I didn’t have these invisible illnesses.

Candles – Candles make everything better and the soft light helps me relax. I prefer non scented soy candles as some smells make me sick, but having candles around works wonders for my mood.

My fur babies – I believe in therapy animals. My cats are a constant source of comfort to me. They seem to know when I need them and always lie where I hurt most. (It’s also possible that I raised needy cats, but we need each other and that’s ok with both of us!)

Patience – I have to have patience with myself if I want to get through a flare. If I push myself too hard or don’t pace for pain management, the flare will last longer.

Resting isn’t easy but as the meme that’s been going around says I have to remember that when I’m resting I’m still doing something very important – I’m healing.

How do you handle your flares? Do you have a flare survival kit? Please leave me a comment and let me know how you cope and what you cope with!

I am not a medical professional. I’ve posted links to what works for me with Fibromyalgia, but you should check with your doctor, as always, before starting anything new. Readers of MySeveralWorlds.com should use this information as they would like, but shall not hold me or this site responsible for untoward circumstances.

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