Keeping a routine is crucial when you suffer from Lupus and Fibromyalgia.
It can take days to recover from a routine change when you have Fibromyalgia and/or Lupus. When your routine changes, the pain levels soar, energy levels decrease and cognitive issues begin. The first clue my body gives me when there has been a change in my routine is the way I think… or rather, lack of the ability to think.
Cognitive issues are real when you have Fibro and/or Lupus. Forgetfulness, like walking into a room and forgetting why you went in there is common, but how about losing your words mid-sentence? What about hunting the mind for words and definitions you have always used, but that day, you cannot remember what the word for an egg is. Your brain simply cannot on those days; it is a rough thing.
I am in my fifties and perhaps an element of what I described is due in part to age. But if you have Fibro, Lupus, RA, PsA, etc., cognitive issues may not be age related but are a part of these conditions. I awoke this morning and just knew today would be a difficult cognitive day. Just typing this has taken me 3x as long as usual.
Today, I keep forgetting where the letters on the keyboard are and what I was preparing to type. I keep typing words backwards, like my mind cannot remember the correct way to spell. It feels like my brain is a thick patch of mud and the words are being sucked under just as soon as I can get them out.
I am suffering from a routine change with cognitive and whole-body pains because last week I spontaneously decided to drive 3 hours round-trip to get my grandkiddos for a few days. For me, driving is always a bad idea as that will send me into a flare pretty quick. Having 2 children under age eight is a definite change in routine for me. I enjoyed them immensely, but my body was so done when they left! Thankfully, their parents came to get them, because if I had to drive them back again, it would have sent me over the pain-limit and energy threshold! Add a trip to the city for doctor’s appointments yesterday, and I have had no time to re-establish my routine and allow my body to rest.
The pain is so there…
Changes in routine might also be felt when you have somewhere to be, like a doctor’s appointment or the grocery store. These changes are anticipated changes and usually aren’t felt as much but still may cause a flare. Mostly, it is the out-of-the-ordinary changes that is rough on my body. The “extra stop at the store” just because you pass it and it’s convenient, justifying at the time that it’ll help you out later by not having to go out again. That’s a dangerous mind trick and a tactic used to derail me quickly. I try not to fall prey to that blunder and stay focused only on what I have to do that day. I know my body will thank me later.
Life can throw us curveballs. It is up to us to dodge them or catch them, but regardless, do our best not to get smacked in the face by them.
Routine is important for everyone, but for Lupus and/or Fibro sufferers, it is crucial for our well-being. Routine helps us stay the course and have smoother sailing as the days go by.
It is my hope and prayer that your day has no mishaps that may cause you a flare. We deal with enough pain on a regular day, don’t we?
God Bless-
~The Fibro-Lupus Momma and Ten
