Over the years my sister and I have learned it is better and more fun to laugh about life’s predicaments rather than cry. We have numerous inside jokes, and fibromyalgia is fair game when it comes to our humor. Anyone who suffers from FM understands that your once fertile and competent brain becomes a mush of confusion and incoherence. The corresponding joke is that I “used to be the smart sister.” It is true. I was once her “go to” whenever she needed an answer on most anything. But since developing FM I have been reduced to the baby sister she feels the need to shelter and protect. I have … [Read more...]
Self-Maintenance and Moderation in Fibromyalgia Management
Living with Fibromyalgia means you constantly have to make choices, choices that can be the difference between a good day and a flare-up. Some days I have to choose between cooking dinner and doing a load of laundry. These are relatively easy choices. I check the status of Rob’s underwear drawer, and if I can see the bottom, laundry it is! It is true. Everyday is a balancing act, trying to measure the most I can get done against doing too much and exacerbating my pain. Self-maintenance and moderation are crucial to my daily success. But sometimes the choices are clear and easy and I still … [Read more...]
A Not So Gentle Reminder!
I have spent the past 8 days dealing with an awful case of hives, and the past two in a Benadryl induced coma to keep me from tearing my skin off. I had hives from my scalp and eyelids, all the way down between my toes. Maddening! Two other times in my adult life I have had similar outbreaks, and each time they have been brought on by stress. Do you think my body is trying to tell me that I do not process stress very well? Clearly I don’t, and I absolutely believe that my Fibromyalgia is also a function of this. Although it was a traumatic injury that caused the onset of my FM, I think … [Read more...]
Equilibrium
At the end of my post about our trip to Hawaii, I promised to post on how the universe has a way of making sure that for every “great” moment, there is an equal if not greater “oh no, I can’t believe that happened” moment. I already mentioned that our laptop died somewhere over the Pacific, well in addition to that we had several other “oh no” moments to keep us laughing (which kept us from crying). I will try to make this short, because who really wants to hear a bunch of complaints about a trip to Hawaii – really! My husband suggested I name the post “Planes, Pains & … [Read more...]
Magnesium Malate and Fibromyalgia
In a continuing effort to live well with Fibromyalgia I am going to be researching and trying new and different things to help maintain my health. I will report on my research and my own personal experiences, but I am not a doctor and therefore will not be telling anyone to try what I do. If you think you may benefit from my experiences, please check with your doctor to see if it is right for you. I have read repeatedly that Magnesium Malate may significantly reduce pain in people with Fibromyalgia by increasing muscle efficiency. But for me to try something new, it is not enough to read … [Read more...]