Like a lot of people, I traveled to see family for the Thanksgiving holiday. I flew from the rain and fires in California to the cold and possibility of snow in Detroit, Michigan.
This is required some preparation as I don’t don’t do well in cold, but so far wearing four layers seems to be working- but it’s supposed to snow on the day I leave so keep your fingers crossed for me! As much as I love to travel, it isn’t easy with Fibromyalgia. Being cramped in a plane and sleeping on air mattresses or sofas or lumpy hotel beds isn’t exactly ideal. Plus, there’s activities and lots of action you don’t want to miss out on, so you try to force yourself to do more than you generally would, but don’t want to overdo it because you have to get back to work and life after the vacation is over and don’t want to work yourself into a flare- it’s a difficult rope to walk.
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It's More Than Just a Lack of Energy - but That's a big Part of it (Plus Spoon Theory Explained)11/18/2018 Fatigue is a symptom I suffer with, and I suffer with it often, but for the last few weeks my energy levels have been lower than usual. I'm just tired after being tired, while being tired. With chronic illness, we’re constantly walking the tightrope between what we want to do and what we have the energy to do- and it's not a fun place to be.
I am one of those people that firmly believes in the importance of expressing gratitude, and I am very grateful to have been able to do so much lately. My brain fog hasn't been that bad so I've been able to read a lot, which is something I really love to do, and I've also been able to do some very much needed organizing and planning. My fine motor skills have been pretty good and my hands haven't been very shaky so I've been able to do some cool crafting.
Now don't get me wrong, I haven't been symptom free. My back pain and fatigue levels have been high, but I feel like I've been able to do some things I haven't been able to do much of in the last few months, and I am grateful for it. As a follow-up to last week's blog about the things we use to manage our Fibromyalgia symptoms, I wanted to share some of the things I use to help me with my chronic pain.
Lots of people with chronic illnesses like Fibromyalgia use modifiers to help make their lives easier day-to-day. Some use canes, wheelchairs, or other mobility assistance options, and lots of us have purchased items modified to make life easier, like laundry baskets with wheels, easy-open bottles, things like that. And more often than not, even our rooms are modified or set up in such a way as to be as helpful or comfortable as possible- like, pillows with arms and lap desks so you can use your computer in bed comfortably should you be stuck in bed for long periods of time.
I personally have done this a lot (as in, all examples above except the mobility aids are things I have or I’ve done, as you’ll see), and I’m curious about what ways or tools or things others may use to help make life a little easier. I’ve talked about my love of crafting on this blog before, I’ve even talked about how I like to keep my mind occupied (usually by crafting) while I rest before, but considering “rest” was one of the more popular responses to our “how do you manage your Fibromyalgia symptoms” poll, I’m going to go ahead and repeat myself. I really like like that this community talks a lot about mental health in addition to physical health, and it’s something I want to sprinkle into this blog post, so bear with me.
So let’s talk about how I, like a lot of Spoonies, find myself resting in my bed every day. Sometimes, I’m so wiped out I’m there all day; sometimes I’m only there for half an hour, but despite being in my early thirties, I often find myself needing to go lay down and rest at some point during my day- which isn’t great for my self-esteem. Not to mention the fact that spending that much time alone isn’t that great either. Add pain, fatigue and other symptoms on top of that, and more often than not you’re going to need to take precautions to make sure you don’t go to what I like to call “the dark and swirly place.” I personally, have used acupuncture in the past, and it did help lower the severity of my Fibromyalgia symptoms, so this is the next thing I want to discuss in our ongoing 'Ways to Manage Your Fibromyalgia' series.
Acupuncture is a traditional Chinese medicinal treatment in which long, thin needles are inserted in strategic acupuncture points at various depths long the meridians or pathways of the human body to restore balance to our Qi (pronounced "chi") and allow the body to heal itself. Now I personally, have a HUGE fear of needles, but there is so much information out there about the benefits of acupuncture for any number of illnesses, and I liked the fact that it allowed the body to heal itself rather than introduced something new into my body to attempt to mask a symptom rather than treat it, so I tried it- and I have to tell you, the first time did not go well. I talk a lot about managing your Fibromyalgia by listening to your body- and this body is asking for a break. I try so hard to pace myself, and as Spoonies well know, even if you pace yourself and take every precaution every minute of every day - sometimes you symptoms flare for no reason.
One of my favorite things to do is to walk around a botanical garden, and I recently went to the Quarryhil Botanical Garden in Glen Ellen, CA, and was stunned at how gorgeous it was - and how big. I immediately knew it would take me two trips to see it all, limited myself to less than two miles of walking, with frequent rest (bless places with a million benches to hang out at), and lots of water. I even stopped to read for 15 minutes under a pergola. When I came home, I rested, like, stayed in bed rested- and woke up with a tension headache/migraine combo. Great. I've been pushing myself pretty hard lately, and I'm going to take a hint and make sure to get some rest, so I will be pausing our 'Managing Fibromyalgia' series this week to get some good old fashioned R&R, and will pick it up again next week. In the meantime, you can enjoy some fabulous shots of Quarryhill, and you can always use the time to rest yourself, or if you're so inclined you can check our blog to check out any posts you may have missed. See you all next week! Gentle hugs, Heather, Fabulous Fibro-Fighter and FSC Founder In continuing our managing Fibromyalgia series, our next tip is using essential oils/aroma therapy to help manage your Fibromyalgia symptoms. I'm obviously not a doctor, and any new treatment method should be discussed with a medical professional, but there are more than 17,000 medical studies on essential oils that prove their therapeutic benefits for a number of health concerns—among these are chronic pain, depression, and stress, so it's worth discussing. Because each essential oil is different, you can customize your experience and combine specific oils to maximize the healing medicinal properties that you need to help battle the symptoms that you have.
Essential oils are essentially plant extracts, and contain the essence of an herb or plant. It is the healing properties of these plants that are infused into these oils, and it’s not the scent that can make you feel better- it's the herbal/healing components that you take in. Chemicals from the herb get absorbed, these chemicals eventually reach your limbic system — the network of nerves in your brain that controls your instincts and emotions- so using essential oils can alter your perception of pain and potentially improve your mood. After using, you can feel the affects in as little as 30 minutes, and the affects can last hours and can be easily reapplied as needed. "Listen to your body" is the mantra of the chronically ill. We say this to ourselves and to each other, we know it to be true, and yet oftentimes we feel guilty for resting when we need to or prioritizing sleep over other things. There is something about our culture that prides itself on long hours and never-ending to-do lists that leaves those of us who need the occasional respite from this "all go, no quit" world feeling like we're not quite doing enough. Because of this, a lot of Spoonies tend t0 over-extend themselves, thus making their symptoms worse and perpetuating the cycle, when pacing yourself, resting as needed, and getting more restful sleep will actually help keep your flares to a minimum.
"Different" isn't something humans deal with very well (to put it politely), and having different physical limitations is something a lot of people just "can't understand." But really, they say you can only understand something from your own perspective, so if you've lived a relatively healthy life, it makes sense that you wouldn't really be able to grasp living a life in which you never really feel your best, a world where you may need to rest after showering or doing another "simple chore." Now, I'm not saying this excuses the deluge of unhelpful and often hurtful comments that tend to come from these types of people, and I'm definitely not saying that having people like this in your life doesn't make things like the guilt described above even worse. What I am saying is that not everyone will get it, but those of that do get it are here to support you- and to back you up with some facts. |
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