I have learned many things so far on my path, and the one lesson that appears repeatedly is that this is a process.

Healing takes time, and although I am caring for myself better than I ever have, there is still an unpredictable nature to fibromyalgia I cannot avoid. Setbacks, sidesteps, and distractions are all part of the process. That is an important point to emphasis – they are PART OF THE PROCESS. They do not separate me from the process, but they do challenge me to redirect my focus and discipline myself to get back on track when the distraction has passed.

The retreat I attended took place at a beautiful desert center in the community of Joshua Tree – the same Joshua Tree that inspired U2′s fifth album. The setting was beautiful and serene and COLD! Each building at the retreat center was designed by famed architect Frank Lloyd Wright. Wright designed buildings in a way to bring the outside in, meaning there were lots and lots of uncovered windows giving a sense that we were sitting in nature rather than a in building. Beautiful and quirky yes, but the design also made the rooms drafty and cool.

Our first evening we settled in the great room by the cozy fireplace for a restorative yoga practice. I chose an unfortunate place to lay my mat, and within 5 minutes I began flaring up from the cold draft hitting the back of my neck. I moved my mat to a more comfortable spot closer to the fire and was able to really enjoy the practice, but the damage was already done. I was in a flare.

One of the things I love most about yoga is the gentle way it warms my body from the inside out.

It is like an internal heating pad! And for a person with a regulated central nervous system, this internal warming would have corrected any discomfort caused by the cold draft. But for me it was too late.

I lay in bed that first night unable to sleep because of the extreme pain in my neck and head. The house started buzzing early that next morning with energy and excitement so I got up to join in. In truth I was pretty miserable, but I did not want to shut myself off from the other amazing women who were a part of the retreat. I was drawn to the buzz of energy and sound of laughter.

The last thing I wanted from this retreat was to experience a flare while I was there, but I chose not to let it become the focus of my experience. Instead I tailored my experience around it.

I participated in the gentle morning yoga practice but skipped the active evening session. I made sure I had plenty to eat and drank lots of water to keep hydrated in the dry desert air. And I accepted the help when my massage therapist friend generously offered to work on my neck. Massage is something I have resisted for some reason, and oh how silly of me! The tension in my neck was so great from the cold draft that my left eye was twitching uncontrollably. She was able to release the tension and helped me to assure my flare would be shorted lived and that I would be able to enjoy my remaining time at the retreat. I also credit my regular yoga practice for decreasing my flares and recovery time.

Today I am in what I call the “hang-over” stage of a flare.

The worst is over, but I still need to be mindful not to over do it and re-trigger. I know the gentle yoga sessions helped me, along with the wonderful massage, but in truth the thing that helped me most was the friendship and community I felt there.

I had the option of staying in my room to rest and recover, but instead I chose to interact with the wonderful women there. Their kindness, sharing, and laughter restored me and helped me remember I do not suffer alone. I was the only woman at the retreat with fibromyalgia, but each woman there is dealing with her own type of suffering – depression, addiction, abuse – and their honesty and bravery inspired me. I felt safe and understood amongst them.

It was unfortunate that I experienced a flare while at the retreat, but in a way it opened me up even greater to the experience, and because I was open about how I was feeling and did not try to hide it,  it became an avenue for others to share their own pains and struggles.

It is so humbling and empowering to recognize that we are not unique in our struggles, and most especially to recognize that we are not alone. We all live with our own particular pains and suffering. It is how we deal with those pains that either separates us or brings us together.

I have been feeling pretty awful lately. I can always count on the heat of summer to bring on several really bad flares, or just one continuous knock-me-on-my-butt-and-suck-my-joy-of-life kind of flare. This summer had been kind, mild even. And then last week happened. Wouldn’t you know, it picked my birthday week to turn miserably hot. Blech!

Perspective: Regardless of my enthusiasm for turning 40 and the promise of a brighter future, I still have a lot of work to do. I still have an active and severe case of Fibromyalgia. I am still learning to manage my symptoms. I am not in control – yet.

When flares happen they also force me to prioritize. How important is it really if I am not caught up on the laundry? As long as there is something clean to wear, not very. Will my friend still love me if I cancel lunch on her AGAIN? If she is really my friend, then yes.

The biggest thing I have battled with during this flare is my commitments. I had a very big and important local support group meeting to coordinate when this flare was just beginning. I felt out of focus and disconnected through the entire event, but with help, I made it happen. It was a great evening attending by members of FibroHaven and also people in our community looking to understand and learn more about Fibromyalgia. I have the NFA to thank for the event, and plan to do just that in my next post. On my list of FibroHaven related priorities, this event was at the top.

My blog would be next on that list. Notice the lack of posts from the last few weeks? It is usually the case that I write less during a flare, but in this instance there is another reason I have not been posting – guilt.

Several months ago I made the commitment to write a post a week for Everyday Health.com. I felt it would be a great way to help raise awareness for Fibromyalgia and add some good articles to my writing portfolio. What I didn’t expect was how it would affect my writing on my own blog. I like to come here sometimes and just blurt stuff out, or share a random thought or two. I really have no rules or structure for this blog. It is purely me in the moment. Everyday Health is different. There I put on my serious and authoritative hat. My writing there takes a different level of commitment and energy from me, and last week I decided I was not up for submitting an article.

But that decision was not without consequence. I felt guilty for not following through on a commitment. And every time I considered writing a post here, the guilt of not writing one there kept me away. That is not what I signed up for. Bottom line, this blog is my priority. So I really had to take the time to consider where I went wrong and how I could correct it. Where I went wrong was in agreeing to writing there in the first place. It was my ego that fueled that decision. When they contacted me to be a featured blogger for them, I was thrilled by the compliment and it was that euphoria that motivated my decision. I did not consider how it would affect the work that I am already doing here and with the other components of FibroHaven.

Priorities: FibroHaven is my priority, in all its forms, and anything that takes me away from my commitment to it, or minimizes my experience with it is not beneficial to me.

I am no longer going to be writing for Everyday Health. I appreciate the opportunity they gave me, but I recognize that I have not given it my best, and I will not settle for doing anything less.

Perspective and priorities. I know you have heard it said, listen to your body. Pain is your bodies way of trying to tell you something. Sure the message with this flare may have been as simple as “it is hot,” but I’m choosing to believe there is a bigger message, and I feel confident that I focused on the right one. It feels good to be back!

I intended to write this follow-up post on my experience with Dr. Whitcomb and his Neurologic Relief Centers Technique last Monday, but have been sidelined by a bad flare-up. Yes, I do attribute my flare to the workshop and testing technique, but even so, I intend to give you a fair account of the workshop, although as with everything on my blog, it will be full of my opinions. It may be a lot to follow, so I hope I have managed to present a readable review.

The logistics of the day went like this:

I was initially invited to the workshop by a local acupuncturist who I will call “Dr. J.” The workshop began at 1PM on Friday, July 24. The local acupuncturist as well as several other local chiropractors actually paid for a training session with Whitcomb. They spent all of Thursday and Friday morning training to learn his technique. Then at 1PM on Friday, myself and the other patients whom each practitioner invited arrived for a lecture by Whitcomb. After the hour long presentation, we broke off with the practitioner who invited us to be tested to see if the technique would benefit us.

So What is This Technique?

The technique involves several minutes of firm pressure to either the anterior or posterior neck trigger points. The pressure is intended to release the tension on the nerves that travel through the meninges, and relive the pain and symptoms this tension causes. Whitcomb attributes most symptoms of FM to this compression. His name for this is meningeal compression, which he uses interchangeably with Fibromyalgia.

I brought three of my support group members with me. As you can imagine, given my impression of Paul Whitcomb and his clinic, I approached this event with a healthy amount of skepticism. Adding to my skepticism was the information one of my resourceful members shared with me about Whitcomb. He is still under investigation by the California Board of Chiropractic Examiners. There is still a possibility that he may lose his license for charges of administering “excessive treatment” and making “sensational statements which are intended to deceive the public.” He has recently closed his practice in South Lake Tahoe and is traveling nationwide to teach his technique. The reason he gave during the presentation for this move is to eliminate the need for patients to travel to him.

Whitcomb’s Presentation

The presentation Whitcomb gave was full of dramatizations: “Fibromyalgia patients are closest to prisoners of war.” “The Fibromyalgia patients who came to my clinic did not want to continue living.” “Eighteen percent of Fibromyalgia patients commit suicide.” I am really curious to know where he got that number, but unfortunately he did not allow for Q & A. He never once described Fibromyalgia patients as type A, as givers, or as overachievers, which in my experience is closer to the truth. Instead he painted a very bleak and desperate picture of us. Most of his claims were dramatic and over-the-top. He did not share anything about FM that I did not already know, but he did supply us with many statistics about his practice and the tremendous results he gets; such as 85% of his patients remain symptom free, only 6% lost the benefit of his correction and treatment after leaving his clinic. It makes me wonder why he would choose to close up shop.

As we moved on to the testing part of the workshop, we were all required to sign a waiver agreeing to let our test be recorded on video and used at their discretion. I refused, as did the other members of my group. I attended this workshop to research and share as much information as I could about Whitcomb’s technique. I would not agree to have my image shown in support of it and without my knowledge. Dr. J expressed our concern and they agreed to let him test us without being filmed.

I think because we were not being filmed, Whitcomb basically left Dr. J on his own, while paying closer attention to the chiropractors he trained and their patients who were being filmed. Also, Whitcomb unfairly sold Dr. J on training with him. He told Dr. J that “the test is the technique,” but then during the presentation he said just the opposite, because the chiros learning the technique also learned a particular adjustment that an acupuncturist like Dr. J is not legally qualified to perform. When I questioned Dr. J about this he said, “Yeah, I guess he kind of fooled me there.” So the “technique” that Dr. J paid to learn and implement into his practice is not complete. I really feel like Whitcomb snowballed Dr. J and any other non-chiro who paid to learn his technique.

And Now I Share Why I Have Been in a Flare

My first instinct was to not be tested, and I wish I had followed it. Instead I sat and watched many patients receive the technique and seemingly have instant improvements. One older gentleman with Parkinson’s had a noticeable reduction in his tremors. Another man was able to lift his arm above his head for the first time in months. I should note that we were not all fibromyalgia patients in the room, although the presentation was geared specifically to FM. After observing for some time, I was just too curious to opt out, so I hopped up on the table and let Dr. J proceed. After a short palpation he concluded I was sorest and tightest at the trigger points on the side of my neck below my ears. I concurred with this assessment.

He used metal rods with soft ends to place steady, firm pressure on my neck for five minutes. It did not take long for me to begin to feel nauseous. I tried to breath through it. Dr. J frequently check with me to see if I had a reduction in pain. I had rated my pain a 6 on the 1-10 scale, with 10 being worst. That day my neck, head, shoulders, upper back and hips were painful. I did not feel any change as I laid there. He asked me to focus on my hips. Laying still I felt no difference, but when I moved my hips, I eventually felt a reduction in pain. After the test, upon standing, my right hip was free from pain, and my left was improved. There was no improvement to my neck, head, shoulders or upper back.

I remained nauseous for sometime after the test. I had driven my members, and did not feel well enough to drive right away, so it gave us an opportunity to stay and talk about the workshop. The test had zero effect on two of my members, and two of us had a slight decrease in our symptoms. For one member the pressure was too painful to bear. Her pain level had been very low to start the day, and after her reaction to the test, Whitcomb remarked he wasn’t sure why she was even being tested if she had no pain. He told the second member who did not experience any relief that she was just being difficult. When I remarked to him that I did not experience any relief in my upper body he said I just needed to have the test performed longer. We all felt underwhelmed by the experience. It did nothing to change my opinion of him that his care for FM patients is motivated most heavily by his bottom line.

Conclusion

The proposed follow-up with Dr. J was to involve an initial consultation, and then three consecutive days of treatment, which would require three visits each day. After the three days of visits he would reevaluate and propose further treatment. It is expected to take weeks or months for complete healing, and then there is likely to be maintenance to assure the meningeal release holds. Given that I have been in a flare since receiving the test at the workshop, and that the improvement I felt in my hips lasted only an hour or two, I called Dr. J and told him I was not interested in pursuing this treatment. He then told me hed decided not to implement the technique into his practice, and that he too was underwhelmed by the experience. I have to say I think he made a very wise decision.

So there you have my experience and my opinion on the matter. I feel like a little guinea pig, but I am happy to have had this experience to share. When Whitcomb had his Web site up, there were a lot of testimonials of people who swear by his technique. One of my members who attended the workshop has personally spoken with several of his former patients who claim to be symptoms free. She was considering attending his clinic and did a tremendous amount of research. She was the most hopeful of us last Friday that his technique would benefit her, but unfortunately she was one of the two it did not.

If Whitcomb comes to your community to teach his technique, I cannot recommend that you attend his workshop, but as we all know, what works for one will not for the other. Even after this particularly bad flare, I still plan to keep an open mind about treatment options available and useful to us. But I most certainly will not be having my meninges released anytime soon!

NOTE: On Tuesday October 27, FibroHaven was moved from a WordPress domain to its own URL. In doing so the comments of each and every post have been affected. They are no longer chronological or nested (if they were a direct reply to a previous comment). It happened on each post, but because this particular post has been so active it is especially troublesome to try and follow the comments logically. I apologize for this confusion and we are trying to fix it, but it appears it may not be possible.

I can assure you no censoring or editing of comments has occurred. If you are interested and brave enough, feel free to read the comments and try to piece them together. I do warn you against taking things out of context as that has already happened. To avoid any more confusion, I am turning off comments on this post until the issue is resolved. If you have something you absolutely must say in response to this, feel free to email me at fibrohaven@gmail.com.

Cheers,

Dannette

10/28/09

Ever notice when you are sitting at the beach, or walking through a forest you feel more relaxed, more connected, more observant? Even simply gazing out a window onto a garden or nature setting is calming and soothing. Nature’s healing power is undeniable.

I am blessed to live in North San Diego County. There is a great energy and spirit here – magical really. It is hard to explain, but the land and the community seem to promote health and wellness. Just two miles from my front door is a beautiful lagoon and nature preserve Batiquitos Lagoon. I have lived in this neighborhood for over a year, but just recently began walking the serene nature path along the lagoon’s edge. What took me so long?

Walking is good for me. Right?

As we all know, walking, while it is touted as something we should all be doing, can often cause as severe a flare as high-impact activity. While yoga has become my new go-to exercise, I have shied away from walking very much because it is more problematic for me. But there are so many things about the lagoon trail that make it perfect for me, and now I look forward to walking it as frequently as possible.

The trail itself is a flat, easy, two mile walk one way. The lagoon is just off the ocean so even in the hottest time of the day there is a cooling breeze, and much of the trail is shaded by giant Eucalyptus trees. And if that were not comfortable and inviting enough, every tenth of a mile or so, there is a strategically placed bench welcoming trail enthusiasts to have a seat and take in the serene surroundings.

From Great Blue Heron, to the endangered Least Turns, there are birds a plenty to watch flying overhead or feeding along the shoreline. I have no idea what crazy kind of fish are in the lagoon, but it is impossible not to see them leaping up out of the water, taunting pelicans with their acrobatics. The habitat is beautiful and diverse. My favorite is the gigantic, pre-historic looking sago palms – 30-40 feet in height, I can just imagine what lives amid their great fronds.

I love the the Batiquitos Lagoon!

It is my new meditation spot and happy place. Serenity finds me each time I am there. I have walked more in the past month then I did all year, and for the most part, flare-free. What more could I ask for?

Plus, did I mention? Finley loves it too.

Last week I was happily munching on some watermelon while on twitter and I posted this: “Is watermelon good for me? It seems too indulgent to be healthy! Yummm…” It was meant as a lighthearted comment, but it created such a buzz of enthusiasm for watermelon I was overwhelmed. So many people responded with health info, recipe ideas and an overall love of this super-fruit. Just take a look at this great article someone sent me on the health benefits of watermelon. Good stuff.

On the 4th of July, my husband and I spent a fun and relaxing day with two other couples. After an awesome dinner we were treated to a heaping plate of watermelon. It stirred some lively conversations: Seeded vs seedless? Exactly where do the seeds go & how do you grow new watermelons if there are no seeds? How do you pick a great watermelon? What is the probability, knowing everything we now know about picking a good watermelon, that we will actually pick a great watermelon? (Two of our friends are math professors. After much computation, the answer they came up with is 40%. I chose to take their word for this). How many pieces of watermelon are too many? We had a lot of fun while we devoured that plate of watermelon and it fueled us for a great game of Taboo!

And then today I opened up the new issue of Costco Connection magazine and there it was again – Watermelon. Wally Amos (creator of The Famous Amos Chocolate Chip Cookie) writes an article for the Connection called Be Positive. Wally Amos is well known for being an inspirational speaker and for his positive attitude. In 2002 he wrote the Watermelon Credo, which has become the structure for many of his talks. According to Amos “it has been a guide that has helped others and me through rough times.” He shared his credo in the the Connection in the hope of helping us through these rough times, and now I would like to share it here for you:

Wally Amos’ Watermelon Credo

W – Whatever you believe creates your reality. Believe that life is a positive experience and it will be.

A – Attitude is the magic word. Your greatest asset is your attitude. Be positive regardless.

T – Together everyone achieves more. There are no limits to what we can accomplish together. I am more than I am but less than we are.

E -Enthusiasm is the wellspring of life. There is no limit to what can be accomplished with enough enthusiasm.

R – Respect yourself, as well as others. When you begin to respect yourself, your whole world changes.

M – Make commitments, not excuses. There is overwhelming power in the words “Yes I will!”

E – Everyday can be a fun day. Fun is the lubricant that keeps life moving forward. Laugh a lot.

L – Love is the answer. Whatever the question, Love is the answer. It is the greatest force in the Universe.

O – One day at a time. How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time. All of life happens in increments of one.

N- Never give up or become a victim. You are guaranteed to lose if you give up. Winston Churchill was right, “Never, never, never give up.” It works if you work it.

Watermelon is FUN, inspirational and a great reminder for us to always live life from our highest self. Do not allow yourself to be overwhelmed by events. Let watermelon remind you that you are larger than events. You have the power to create and change events by what you believe. – Wally Amos

Who knew watermelon could be so inspirational? The great and inspirational artist Frida Kahlo did when she painted this:

Viva la Vida

Last night I was on the verge of a flare-up. I was grumpy and frustrated and completely out of focus. Then my husband went to the kitchen and cut us up some watermelon. After chatting in the living room over our bowls of watermelon the next thing I knew I was feeling a little better. Maybe it was the health benefits of the watermelon, or maybe it was the change in my attitude. Maybe it was just coincidence, but somehow the flare-up was avoided.

After finding and reading the Watermelon Credo today, it is all seeming like more than just coincidence. I’m thinking we should all sit down with our loved ones over a bowl of watermelon tonight because T – Together everyone achieves more.

Fibromyalgia is such a bitch! Just go back and read my last post written on a good day when I was feeling lucky and supported. How dramatically different is this post. Don’t get me wrong. It is not that I am all of a sudden sad and hopeless, I am just once again humbled by the overwhelming nature of Fibromyalgia. I was just given a very firm and intense reminder of the unpredictable and debilitating status of my health.

Today is a new day, the start of a new week. The mirror is kinder and gentler today. Everything in my life that was put on hold last week is still here this week. My blog! Oh how I miss my blog on the days I am down and out. It is my lifeline. Those of you who left comments – even though I did not reply to them, they really helped me feel connected during my flare – THANK YOU!

So, now to regain my momentum. First thing, now that my brain is starting to function again, is to make a list of all the things I want to accomplish. Second, remind myself to take it day by day. No pressure, just keep moving forward and progress will happen. Third, honor my limits. It is so easy once you get on the good side of a flare up to try and make up for all the time lost. I am not going to do that. That time is gone, I cannot get it back, and trying to would only stress my body and possibly send me back in to a dark hole like last week.

Lastly, I am going to remind myself that I am so much more than my pain and fatigue. It is a part of who I am, not all I am. Fibromyalgia took last week away from me, but this is a new week. I will continue to work towards progress in all areas of my life, because yes, even though my blog is all about Fibromyalgia, my life is not. Seems weird that I have to remind myself of that, but then if you have ever been through a flare, you know exactly what I mean.

You were just an infant the day I had my accident that eventually developed into Fibromyalgia. What is one of your earliest memories of having an aunt with Fibromyalgia?

I remember that you were not always able to pick me up so much or do things together like I did with other people in the family, also I remember when we would go to places like amusement parks or Tustin Tiller Days you didn’t always go on the rides with me and C.J. (C.J. is her older brother/my nephew)

Your mom has always been very caring and compassionate about my health issues. Do you remember any advice or information she gave you about Fibromyalgia?

Yes, she always would tell me, and still does, “your auntie isn’t having such a good day so don’t be too hyper or be too much of a bug.”  and that always made me know that you were not feeling too well and I understood that it was your Fibromyalgia.

Even when I am not feeling well, we always manage to have a lot of fun together. What is one of your favorite memories of a time we spent together when I was not feeling well.

My favorite day together over all, and you were not feeling well was when we went to the beach and fed the squirrels and then went to Cabo Grill and met Bam Margera and Tony Hawk.

That was a good day! The very next day we went to the beach again and got caught in a rip-tide. It was very scary for both of us, but I hated not being strong enough to rescue you. Thank goodness we were both safe. You spent a lot of time with me last summer. How did it affect you when I was not feeling well?

I always knew when you weren’t feeling well, it would upset me sometime because I knew that we weren’t going to be spending so much time together or we wouldn’t do much or go places and it was summer so I wanted to but I always understood that when you don’t feel well that you say no to something like the beach and I would know that means no.

So on the days when I was not up for going to the beach and we stayed home we still managed to spend quality time together. What would you say is your favorite way to spend time with me when I am having a “bad” day?

I like it when we just sit around and watch tv but my FAVORITE thing is poker=] (I taught Dani to play poker several years ago, and she is a shark! If you sit down to play with her, expect to lose all your money.)

If you could use just one word to describe Fibromyalgia what would it be?

hmmmm…. painful

What advice would you give to a friend or classmate with a loved one with Fibromyalgia?

I would first of all tell them that I have an auntie with Fibromyalgia and I would tell them its a disease that controls your body and sometimes takes time out of your life because you are so sore from doing something the day before and I would tell them that whoever it is that has Fibromalgia wouldn’t be able to do the things they used to be able to do and I would explain to them some examples that happened between us and the family concerning your condition.

Do you think we would be closer or that I could love you any more if I had never been diagnosed with Fibromyalgia?

NO!!! I could never ask for anymore of your love because I know that you love me a lot and we are already so close I don’t think we could get any closer to each other. I love you so much and you are my favorite auntie and the best auntie a niece could EVER have and just the time I spend with you and the love we share is enough for me=]

How much of your participation in this interview had to do with the $20 I promised you?

Hahahaha well you just told me right now so I was just doing this because you asked me to and because I think it was awesome to do something like this. I don’t need money to tell you how I feel about you and your condition and I love you so much you don’t need to give me money this was something for fun.

You are a wise and loving niece Dani. I am a lucky and proud Auntie!

28/30

I have hit it – HARD!

On this side of my wall is -

Me

Pain

Fatigue

My icepack

Ibuprophen

My couch

And the last 3 episodes of Grey’s Anatomy

On the other side of the wall is -

My Brain

Energy

Motivation

Post #3 of my series on online support and information for Fibromyalgia

Look forward to seeing you again on the other side!

21/30

Comfort is key! That is what I learned after sitting at my old desk working from home for the past year. Although I love dearly the antique chair my husband surprised me with, it soon became clear that beauty and value do not equate with comfort. And my desk was entirely too small for the stacks of papers and books that I normally have spread out around me as I am writing. I cleaned things up a little bit for your visit today!

So this is my new office. Thanks to a great sale and a couple of coupons, we were able to purchase both the desk and the chair for $149 each at Staples. The filing cabinet was also on sale for $69, and the big beautiful armoire which is currently hiding my mess was free! A gift from friends of ours who had just purchased one of those ginormous televisions which take up an entire wall. Thanks guys!

I love the spaciousness of my new desk combined with the extra surface of the filing cabinet. I can really spread out and have everything I need easily within my reach, and still have room for a glass of water, a cup of coffee and the occasional cat. I am just as pleased with my chair. It is as comfortable as it is beautiful. I no longer walk away from my desk feeling worse than when I sat down. My new office is making me much more productive. I don’t think I would have been able to take on my writing assignment at my old desk.

I spend a lot of time at my desk, so it is imperative that it is a space I enjoy going to and that it does not cause a flare in my symptoms. The money we spent was an investment in my health and in my career. If my blog is my happy place, my office is the structure surrounding and supporting it. My new office might be the nicest thing I have ever done for myself!

17/30

Today is the day I ignore my phone, stay off the computer and catch up on my DVR. I will try not to get stressed over my lack of productivity and just give into it, because if I do, maybe I will only feel this bad for today. Maybe tomorrow I will wake up feeling a little better.

I will drink a lot of water today, even more than the A LOT that I normally drink. I have said this over and over to anyone who will listen – drinking a lot of water is the best thing I do for myself everyday. Today I need to do better. I feel especially toxic today. Water will help flush all that yuckiness out.

Is yuckiness a word? I make up words on days like today. Maybe I will start a new Fibromyalgia urban dictionary. Not today though. Maybe tomorrow. Maybe tomorrow when I wake up feeling better I will get started on it. It can definitely wait until tomorrow.

12/30