Chronic pain & fibromyalgia
You want to join a birthday party, do something with your kids, or simply get through your daily tasks. But before you say yes to anything, you weigh it up. How much energy do I have? How much pain am I in today? And what will this commitment cost me for the rest of the day?
When you live with chronic pain or fibromyalgia, your world can slowly get smaller. Maybe you plan everything around rest periods. You cancel appointments or leave earlier than you'd like. Meanwhile, others often don't see how much it costs you just to be there.
At Back to Balance there is room for that whole story. For the pain and fatigue, for what you've already tried, and for the things you miss. Together we explore what kind of support fits you and where there is room to do more of what matters to you again.
That's one of the first questions I ask you. Maybe you want to have energy left for home after work. To work in the garden again, take a walk, or make it through a family day without having to leave halfway through.
A personal wish like that gives direction to our work together. We look at your daily life, your resilience, and the care you're already receiving. You don't need to know in advance how you'll reach your goal.
I know the impact of long-term complaints from my own life and from being close to my mother. That's why I want to understand what your complaints mean for you. Even if you've been searching for a long time and have become cautious about hoping.
My approach
We start with a conversation about how things are going for you right now. How do your days go? How do you sleep and eat? When does something work, and when does it become too much? What have you tried before, and what did it bring you?
From there we look at which parts of my guidance fit your situation.
Nutrition
With WILDFIT® we examine your nutrition and your relationship with food. You learn to recognize your habits and different kinds of hunger, and to make more conscious choices. We work step by step, with attention to what's workable in your daily life. The goal is a way of eating in which you feel nourished and experience more freedom.
More about WILDFIT® →At the practice
In addition, you can choose treatments at my practice. I explain beforehand how an appointment goes and discuss with you whether it fits your situation. During the treatment we tune the intensity to what's pleasant and doable for you. You can follow WILDFIT® and the treatments separately; a treatment is not a condition for starting WILDFIT®.
How the treatments work →
Along the way, we look beyond the scale. You might notice that you have room for something else after an activity, make more conscious choices, or gain more confidence in your body. We pay attention to what changes, and to what's still difficult. Even when a step asks too much, that is valuable information for adjusting the guidance.
Your GP and any other care providers remain involved in your medical care. Any changes to medication should always be discussed with your prescriber.
Your possibilities, boundaries and experiences remain the starting point.
Experience
My mother Ineke has lived with fibromyalgia for about 35 years. When she started, she had one very concrete wish: to be able to look after her grandson independently.
Below, she tells what changed for her.
Ineke, 70
“I've lived with fibromyalgia for about 35 years. I was in pain every day and used strong pain medication, including tramadol during the day and at night. Every afternoon I had to rest for an hour and a half to get through the day. At my daughter's wedding, I had to go home before dinner. My body couldn't keep going.
When I started WILDFIT® and treatments with my daughter Marja, my biggest wish was to be able to look after my grandson independently. A few months later he came to stay for almost a whole week. We gardened, went for walks and played games. I could handle it and enjoyed it fully.
By now I no longer need my fixed afternoon rest and I barely experience any pain. I've gradually tapered off my tramadol, in close consultation with my doctor and the practice nurse. Being able to join in the lives of my children and grandchildren again means so much to me.”
Ineke followed a combination of WILDFIT® and treatments.
Read Ineke's whole story →Frequently asked questions
My guidance focuses on nutrition, lifestyle, and personal support for what you experience in daily life. We discuss what you'd like to be able to do again and which guidance fits that.
During the introduction we discuss what you're sensitive to and what participation or a treatment asks of you. That way we can assess together whether my guidance fits you at this time.
With treatments, we adjust the intensity to your response. The WILDFIT® group programme has a fixed structure; within that we look at how you can make the information and exercises manageable.
That can't be ruled out in advance. That's why we discuss your situation before we begin and keep following how you respond.
Let me know if you experience more pain, fatigue, or other complaints. Then we discuss whether an adjustment or a break is needed. Discuss new, serious, or persistent complaints with your GP.
Tell me that during our introduction, even if you've had unpleasant experiences before. We look at what's achievable and which guidance fits that.
During our work together, we discuss how changes turn out for you. If something asks too much, we adjust the application or treatment where possible, or take a break. With the WILDFIT® group programme, we take the fixed programme structure into account when doing so.
No. Tell me what other guidance or treatments you're receiving, so we can discuss how my offering fits with that.
Always change or stop prescribed medication in consultation with your prescriber. If coordination with another care provider is needed, we discuss together how to arrange that.
The introduction
What would you most like to be able to do again? During a no-obligation introduction, we discuss what you're up against right now, what matters to you, and whether my guidance fits.
Plan a no-obligation introduction