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Hi friends! As you probably figured, I have been busy playing with all my new toys! Was up all night last night and slept most of the day and here I am again on that same vicious cycle! I have a few deadlines to meet, but wanted to pop in and say hello and hope you all had a spectacular Sunday.
BTW, I sell the oxygenated water I was talking about. If you're interested, please contact me so I can tell you all about it, but in the meantime go to my website www.amyjrockstar.com and click on Amy'sWay. It's called Perfect water. Do a search for it and I promise you it's the best water you've ever had in your life. It's pricey, but for me, the health benes are way worth it!
Thanks for checking in. I'll have more to post tomorrow!
XO ~ Amy Jo
Sunday, November 14, 2010
Saturday, November 13, 2010
Retail Therapy - Cure for Fibromyalgia ;o)
First we went over to Joann's and then we went to Michael's. I was armed with coupons for Joann's, but didn't have my Michael's ones on me and the saleslady was sooooo awesome, she not only did a 40% on one item for me, but a 20% off overall! At Joann's I also got the 40% off and a 10% off overall! Talk about a fun day! We got out and about around 3:30ish and came home by 6:00. I even had enough energy to work on cards! (I will be posting one or two tomorrow.) I hope everyone had a great Saturday like mine. :)
I just had to show off my picture of all my fun stuff, but now it is time for a Vicodin, Lorazepam, and Opana cocktail and some more card making. Nancy, I read your comments and I have so much more to post, but have to use my energy tonight for card making deadlines so I will leave some comments tomorrow for ya.
Thank you all for following!
Hugs to all and sweet dreams!
XO ~ Amy Jo
Especially for Nancy
Hi there Nancy and all my friends and followers,
Nancy, I thank you so much for the comments you have left on my blog. I am so happy you found me! This is the beginning of a long and healthy friendship. :) I know EXACTLY how you feel. Lately I could just sleep forever and it seems like not enough. Then comes the guilt. I don't know about you, but I am normally an extremely active, hyper person. There are a million things in life that I want to achieve and when I feel like this, it makes me go out of my mind! I have a VERY hard time just resting and relaxing. I am used to holding multiple full time jobs at once so this is extremely difficult to adjust to. It does get better, then goes back to being bad, as this week has proven to be. I have an option to move somewhere warmer as well, but I LOVE where I live and would HATE leaving all my friends. I don't live close to my family, but I do live in the same state at least.
I have been through almost every type of treatment and I'll tell you the things that help me most are, painful trigger point injections, physical therapy with ultrasound and the TENS unit hooked up (electronic stimulator), and massage (although extremely painful). Chiropractic care helps too. Another thing that has REALLY helped me (when I stick to it) is a major diet overhaul. I (for the most part) live gluten, wheat, egg, soy, dairy (not so much now), and try to have as little soda, MSG, and high fructose corn syrup as possible. The other thing is sticking strictly to organic meats. I did really well on this plan for quite a while, but then it got to be too tough to follow so strictly. I know that I need to go back on it, I just need to be mentally ready. I have found some fantastic alternatives to many things so if anyone has any questions or needs any help with that, I'm very familiar with what tastes good and what works. Another huge problem for me are my vitamin levels. I am low on chromium, Vitamin D (severely deficient and I take a super mega prescription), and all my B Vitamins. I have some wonderful solutions to the vitamin B problem and the chromium problem as well and I will tell you all about it in another post. Diet is a HUGE factor in fibro. As far as anyone with it, I can suggest removing most of the top allergens from your diet and start that way for at least a good month, preferably three. Also, through this diet I have learned I am allergic to peanuts! I never would have known that, but following this plan, it's easy to figure out what works and doesn't work in your body. Peanuts are a huge trigger for me! Nancy, have you tried dietary modification? I can help you with that. Keeping a food journal is super important and a pain in the butt, but helps! Also, I tried oxygen therapy and have some insight about that as well. I have switched to oxygenated water so I don't have to do the hyperbaric chamber every week and pay a small fortune.
It's amazing how much you learn and how in tune you are with your body when you have this condition. I have learned more these past two years than in my whole life. I have read book after book and article after article. My doctors say I actually know more than them. I say, it's because I live it and have to know everything there is. You can't leave your care in someone else's hands because they will never care enough. You have to be your own medical advocate and with the help of a great support system, that is what I am.
Nancy, this is for you today and I hope it helps at least a little. Thank you for coming into my life and being my friend. And btw, no comment is EVER too long on my page. I LOVE reading them and please do continue!
XO ~ Amy Jo
P.S. I am not a medical doctor and can't prescribe a remedy for anyone, but I can tell you what I've tried and what worked and did not work for me. Please keep that in mind.
Nancy, I thank you so much for the comments you have left on my blog. I am so happy you found me! This is the beginning of a long and healthy friendship. :) I know EXACTLY how you feel. Lately I could just sleep forever and it seems like not enough. Then comes the guilt. I don't know about you, but I am normally an extremely active, hyper person. There are a million things in life that I want to achieve and when I feel like this, it makes me go out of my mind! I have a VERY hard time just resting and relaxing. I am used to holding multiple full time jobs at once so this is extremely difficult to adjust to. It does get better, then goes back to being bad, as this week has proven to be. I have an option to move somewhere warmer as well, but I LOVE where I live and would HATE leaving all my friends. I don't live close to my family, but I do live in the same state at least.
I have been through almost every type of treatment and I'll tell you the things that help me most are, painful trigger point injections, physical therapy with ultrasound and the TENS unit hooked up (electronic stimulator), and massage (although extremely painful). Chiropractic care helps too. Another thing that has REALLY helped me (when I stick to it) is a major diet overhaul. I (for the most part) live gluten, wheat, egg, soy, dairy (not so much now), and try to have as little soda, MSG, and high fructose corn syrup as possible. The other thing is sticking strictly to organic meats. I did really well on this plan for quite a while, but then it got to be too tough to follow so strictly. I know that I need to go back on it, I just need to be mentally ready. I have found some fantastic alternatives to many things so if anyone has any questions or needs any help with that, I'm very familiar with what tastes good and what works. Another huge problem for me are my vitamin levels. I am low on chromium, Vitamin D (severely deficient and I take a super mega prescription), and all my B Vitamins. I have some wonderful solutions to the vitamin B problem and the chromium problem as well and I will tell you all about it in another post. Diet is a HUGE factor in fibro. As far as anyone with it, I can suggest removing most of the top allergens from your diet and start that way for at least a good month, preferably three. Also, through this diet I have learned I am allergic to peanuts! I never would have known that, but following this plan, it's easy to figure out what works and doesn't work in your body. Peanuts are a huge trigger for me! Nancy, have you tried dietary modification? I can help you with that. Keeping a food journal is super important and a pain in the butt, but helps! Also, I tried oxygen therapy and have some insight about that as well. I have switched to oxygenated water so I don't have to do the hyperbaric chamber every week and pay a small fortune.
It's amazing how much you learn and how in tune you are with your body when you have this condition. I have learned more these past two years than in my whole life. I have read book after book and article after article. My doctors say I actually know more than them. I say, it's because I live it and have to know everything there is. You can't leave your care in someone else's hands because they will never care enough. You have to be your own medical advocate and with the help of a great support system, that is what I am.
Nancy, this is for you today and I hope it helps at least a little. Thank you for coming into my life and being my friend. And btw, no comment is EVER too long on my page. I LOVE reading them and please do continue!
XO ~ Amy Jo
P.S. I am not a medical doctor and can't prescribe a remedy for anyone, but I can tell you what I've tried and what worked and did not work for me. Please keep that in mind.
Friday, November 12, 2010
Weather is Better, but Fibro is not, New B-day Card Posted
Hello my sweet friends and followers. I hope everyone is having a fantastic day. I am still in bed, watching The New Adventures of Old Christine, episode 28. Love that show and this particular one really reminds me of my life right now! It's hilarious. If you can find that episode, be sure to watch it and you'll get a fun glimpse into some of the things that I go through such as weird effects from sleeping pills. Always a great little pick me up. When I'm feeling really crummy it's always nice to watch something to totally get my mind off of it. Laughter is definitely the best medicine in this case! The nausea just hit me and is overwhelming right now! I woke up with an awful headache today and it just won't quit! Anybody else out there having problems? Sorry for the complaining, not trying to be a total downer today! I was supposed to go to my friend's house to watch some Grey's Anatomy, but didn't even get there. My goal tomorrow is to actually get to work. Wish me luck on that one!
On another note, I made a sweet little b-day card last night and got to be pretty creative! Today my goal is to make a patchwork quilt birthday card. So far all I've gotten done are the squares! LOL - Absolutely need some motivation! Here's the one from yesterday. Most of the materials came from www.shopcapture.com - The little local store that I work at. I used stickles (pearl), Bo Bunny buttons, twine, a brad, colonial shaped scissors, and a fun stamp set I got for $1.00 at Michael's! Would love to hear your comments on this one. :0) The inside is just stamped "Happy Birthday" and has a couple of stamped hearts in white and green. I stickled the Happy Birthday with cinnamon stickles. For anyone who has never tried Stickles, you are missing out. Best product ever! I didn't think much of it until I started using it. You can purchase Stickles from my store, through partner store, Joann's. www.amyjrockstar.com, partner stores and services. Well, that's all I've got for now. Thanks for reading!
XO ~ Amy Jo
XO ~ Amy Jo
Thursday, November 11, 2010
Thank You
To my sweet friends and followers. I just wanted to say a little thank you for all of your kind words and your responses to my blog. You have no idea how much that just picks me up each day and makes me feel like I have a purpose, like I'd actually be letting someone down (besides myself) if I didn't write each day. Thank you from the bottom of my heart and keep those beautiful comments coming as I am going to take excerpts from them and create a beautiful Gratitude Journal as I am grateful for each and every one of you.
XO ~ Amy Jo
XO ~ Amy Jo
Weather, Time Mgt. Tips and Fibro Info
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
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
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