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Good morning friends and followers. Today it is grey and there is snow everywhere! It's so beautiful, but so painful. Fibro sufferers really don't like the snow ,unfortunately, and this is just the beginning of the season. I might have to make a serious decision this year as to whether or not I can continue to live in Colorado during the winter months. I plan on taking a trip to Arizona and one to California to see how I feel in the warm weather as opposed to the cold here. Does anyone have any thoughts or experience with this? I'm very curious as to how much it would help really. I went to Maui about a year or maybe two (!) ago to escape the cold and to be honest, it was the best I felt since I've had this condition. I felt very close to being human!
This week, as you know, has been really rough. I haven't been able to swing by my work to pick up the kits I need to create and haven't been able to keep up with the cards I need to do because I feel like I have a constant flu. That is a very normal part of Fibromyalgia. It is very comparable to having the flu chronically. Basically, for those of you who don't know, you have aches and pains all over, your stomach is affected, you have chronic headaches and chronic fatigue, not to mention crazy sleep patterns and very bad insomnia. It changes your whole life and it is super important to try to establish routines and schedules. One thing I have discovered that helps me personally is to not schedule ANY appointments before 11:00 in the morning; even that is pushing it for me. I can no longer just pop out of bed and get ready. What happens is, you wake up, and it takes forever to get physically and mentally prepared for the day. I always set my alarm for 3 hours before I have to wake up because I cannot get out of bed for at least 1 to 1.5 hours after I have woken up. It's hard to explain, but my body just will not function! I have learned that rushing can really make you sick and make it so you are unable to stick with your plans. It was a hard lesson to learn! I used to get up as close as possible to the time it was to leave and then rush and try on a bunch of different outfits, etc., but I learned that by doing that, I will almost always get myself into a flare so that is why I allow myself so much time to get ready. If I need to change outfits, I pace myself. Otherwise I get overheated very quickly and that is the one thing that will instantly make me sick and I can't shake it if I've allowed myself to get overheated. So I have learned that and hope that little tip can help some people out there who aren't used to this.
The only real thing that I have heard from everyone in the medical field that is actually proven to help is mild exercise; however, having Fibro, it is the absolute last thing in the world that you feel like doing. I got a little bit of inspiration today as I turned on a TV show I haven't watched before called Dance School: Julliard. Watching all the graceful people on there just stretching and dancing looked so healing to me. I actually did get out of bed a bit and did about 5 minutes of yoga and it did really help. Felt so good to stretch out those super tight, sore muscles. It is rare that I actually am motivated to do this, but sometimes a visual aid is most helpful! I encourage you all to take a little time today and do a few relaxing (not difficult) yoga poses. I have a fantastic book that I would recommend called Yoga for Fibromyalgia. Normally I do better with videos, but this book is perfect for doing a few things here and there when you feel good enough to. It is written by Shoosh Lettick Crotzer and it's pretty inexpensive to buy. I think you can probably purchase it through my website actually! If you go to Barnes & Noble As a client of mine you will get special pricing and shipping breaks sometimes. Please check it out! I'd really appreciate it. :)
Well folks, I'm feeling a little bit (ok a lot bit) exhausted and dopey so I will sign off for now. I hope I've provided some help for you today. Please leave me a comment as it totally brightens my day and I love hearing from you all!
XO ~ Amy Jo
Thursday, November 11, 2010
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1 comments:
Hi Amy -
Thanks so much for sharing your day with fibromyalgia. Just to give everyone a little insight about me, I've had fibro for over 30 years and even back then the doctors told me there was no cure...how depressing is that?? But, back then I lived in Virginia and I found that I almost NEVER had any symptoms. I was almost in total remission. I was so blessed to not have suffered like so many others have. But last year I moved here to Colorado and within 3 days the pain started. There was more pain in my body that I've ever experienced in my life. As the winter continued so did the pain...getting worse and worse until I was forced to go to a doctor. He started me on Darvocet and after 7 months I've managed to control the pain most of the time. I know that my fibro is so much less than other...perhaps it's because I've had it for so many years. But, I do suffer from many of the same things as most others. I never know when my stomach will suddenly turn and I will be nauseous for hours on end. Sometimes I have to leave a restaurant for fear I will lose the meal I've just eaten. But thank God I don't suffer from the insomnia that so many others do. I do wake up in the middle of the night but manage to go back to sleep.
Having shared all of this, I would like to offer a shoulder to anyone who suffers with this horrible disease. If you'd like to just talk about how bad your day has been or share how good it's been, I'm here. All of us with this disease are a family - sharing one common thing...pain. If I can make someone's day brighter by just listening, I'd welcome it. Stay strong and remember that tomorrow may be a better day. You can find me on Face!
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