Friday, January 27, 2012

pain poem (from 9/10/2010)

I found this old poem in an old journal the other day.... It describes how it feels when my fibro flares and seem to take over me.... engulfed by pain, the fibro tries to claim ALL OF ME....

All of me
filled with piercing pain
the ever constant pounding
from my always predictable "friend"

Chronic Pain
friend or foe
everlasting
always and forever there

The sky seems dark
my Spirit bleak
I feel trapped
between two worlds

One, a world of isolation
of hurt, agony, and pain
A pain that will never leave me
always and forever there

The other world
I tip toe on the fringes of
never quite belonging
from the outside looking in

I will never be alone
for each road I travel
my constant companion is always with me
My "friend", my "enemy", my "companion"

Apart..... separate... an outcast
MY LIFE
'til death do us part
me and my pain
will remain as one

But when my sweet forever comes
and Jesus takes me home
Then I will be
Forever.... truly free! <3

spring is right around the corner

I can't wait for spring, It has been so hard this winter.... I knew I had bursitis in my hips, but I had forgotten how bad the shots hurt and how long it took to get well also.... I have to do baby stretches as the muscles that are bothering me, are too short, hence, the bursa... but I also know, I am feeling better in other ways and know that even though it will take time, I just have to ride it out... winter's been hard, but spring is right around the corner, and the days are getting longer, and I will get better!! NEVER GIVE UP!!

To my support group on facebook: I just wanted to pop in and say hi and hope everyone is having a pain managed day.... Spring is just around the corner, it's been hard on a lot of us lately, and I want you to know, I am so blessed with this group and pray for you guys.... Knowing I'm not alone is so helpful.... The holidays are over, and we can take a deep breath! Can't wait for spring, but know that even though I may "feel" this way today, I know it won't be like this forever.... hang in there everyone!! ♥

Tuesday, January 10, 2012

10 Things to STOP Doing to Yourself With Fibromyalgia & Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

*This is not my article, copied to share along with other fibro warriors!!  from the url:  http://chronicfatigue.about.com/b/2012/01/10/10-things-to-stop-doing-to-yourself-with-fibromyalgia-chronic-fatigue-syndrome.htm
When you have a chronic illness like fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome, you've got enough working against you - you don't need to make things worse for yourself!
It's hard not to, because by society's definition, something (other than illness) is "wrong" with anyone who isn't go, go, go, full speed ahead, all the time. We're expected to work long hours at stressful jobs, be amazing parents, have a perfectly clean house and keep up with the Joneses. If you can't, you must be horribly flawed!
Getting out of that mindset is difficult, but it's something that can really benefit us and help us improve. It takes work, though.
The first step is recognizing the things you do in pursuit of this idealized picture of who you're "supposed" to be. Here are 10 damaging things to watch out for:
  1. Overdoing it. Pacing is essential for us - we'll only get worse if we do more than our bodies can handle.
  2. Criticizing yourself. You know better than anyone else that you really are sick, so give yourself a break already! When you catch yourself, try replacing the critical message with something like, "I'm doing the best I can and that's all I can do." (It sounds corny, but it works.)
  3. Blaming yourself. It's not like you asked for a chronic, debilitating illness to come along and knock you right out of your life. No matter what some people may say, your illness is not your fault!
  4. Believing other peoples' negative opinions. It's always going to hurt when someone says you're "lazy" or "crazy" or "worthless," but you can't afford to believe them. Someone who keeps going, the best they can, through adversity is stronger and more capable than most. That's what you need to remember.
  5. Having unrealistic positive expectations. We tend to put all of our hope and faith in whatever treatment we're trying, and all that does is set us up for a major disappointment when we're not suddenly cured. Approach treatments with the attitude that any improvement is a success, and remember that we generally need to use multiple treatments to truly make progress.
  6. Having unrealistic negative expectations. On the flip side of the coin, trying treatment after treatment without success can make you feel like nothing's going to help at all, ever. That can prevent you from trying new treatments that might work, and it can also cause a reverse-placebo effect - it won't work because you expect it not to.
  7. Putting yourself last. A lot of us are willing to put all our energy into the people around us, our jobs, our responsibilities ... only to have nothing left for ourselves. It doesn't work. If you don't take care of yourself first, you'll have less and less to give until there's nothing left - because you'll keep getting sicker. Taking care of yourself is survival, not selfishness.
  8. Giving up too soon. When you try a new treatment or lifestyle change, it can take time for the effect to be felt. If you give up too soon, you can really miss out on long-term benefits. Give your body time to adjust to the change.
  9. Letting stress overwhelm your life. Our lives are full of stressors, and being sick only adds to them. The problem is, stress just makes our symptoms worse. Find ways to reduce or manage your stress so it doesn't keep driving you into the ground.
  10. Asking why. We all want to know why we're sick. Is it genetics? Your diet? Vaccines? Pesticides? Infection? Some sort of punishment? Why did it strike you and not the millions of other people like you? This line of questioning can lead to a downward spiral of self-blame, guilt feelings and increased stress. Instead of "why," we need to ask, "what's going on in my body?" That's the question that can uncover the causes ofsymptom clusters and lead to treatments.