Category: Living Daily with Fibromyalgia

Fibromyalgia Pain, Living Daily with Fibromyalgia

Just a Blog About Fibro

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Today I am just writing a blog about living with Fibromyalgia. 

What does that mean? 

It means that I am just a normal person whose life has ups and down same as anyone. Sad days, happy days. Emotional days and steady days. I am just your average Jolene who has a life she is trying to live each and every day. 

It just so happens that I also suffer from a multitude of  chronic pain issues.                               Like in every joint.

Today I am also suffering from eye problems. The whole time I am typing this my eyesight is blurred. I wear bifocals now and I am constantly moving my head up and down looking for a clear row to see through. Not every day is a bad eye day, but today is. 

Fibromyalgia sufferers can have problems at any time on any given body part.  From the head to the toes. Random pain. It can last for one minute or one hour…or longer. It is a part of the condition.  

How do I handle this?

Well, I was diagnosed in 2015. Click here to take you to my story. My life is busy. Unyieldingly busy. Is that even a word???

I have a husband with blood cancer, two sons in Marine Corp boot camp, one son in the Navy, and a family bluegrass band that is still kicking after the boys departure and  variety of farm animals to take care of. I home school, and have for over 22 years. I love my busy life! I have a great family! But I also have Fibromyalgia. 

Today is a wet, cold, dreary fall day. I used to love these days. I still do, to a degree, but the pains these types of days bring me is not lovable. 

On top of that, my basement began leaking (again) and the morning was spent using the shop-vac and trying to find the leak. Add that my girls are at their sisters and my hubby and I are the only ones home! 

My body aches! So does my husbands. His condition makes him tire way too easily and energy, for him, is scarce.

Let’s just say I wish the sun were out. 

Today I am living life. Today life brought me rain and a leaky basement. But, today also brought me comfort in knowing I have another day yet to live.

So, rain or shine-Here is to life!

God Bless-

~The Fibro Momma of Ten

Living Daily with Chronic Invisible Illness, Living Daily with Fibromyalgia, Plantar Fasciitis and Bursitis
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I try to keep my blog topics on the lighter side of pain…which is somewhat of a challenge since pain is my daily companion.

Take today. I am dealing with the pains from the past 72 hours of non-stop preparing for a double going away party for our two sons who have joined the United States Marine Corps and will be leaving in a couple of weeks. We had over 75 people on our property two days ago. It was a jolly time and the fellowship was sweet! 

I was an emotional basket-case that day…so many people who came to wish our sons farewell…my body felt like a broken ceramic pitcher that had been glued back together and had just sprung a leak!

Yes, the party was 48 hours ago. The day after the party my body just went Ka-put! Today I am mustering just enough energy to get through the day. 

My Plantar Fasciitis in both feet has me barely able to walk…one foot is in an air cast due to the torn fascia tendon from three weeks ago. 

I would do it all again for the sons I love and will miss desperately. My body may disagree, but that has been my chief complaint with Fibromyalgia…

What my mind wants to do and what my body is not able to perform doing. 

The day of the party we grilled over 20 pounds of BBQ plus sides and desserts (most of which friends brought to help! Thank you friends!!) However I still made the cupcakes in their honor but had to delegate the rest.

Speaking of delegation…am I the only one who hates to delegate tasks????

In my pre-fibro life, I did it all. I did it all happily and (without) complaint…(usually, but I was organized down to the crossing of the “t’s” and dotting the “i’s”.) 

Now I make lists…and forget where I left them. I have thoughts and cannot remember them. 

I have a white board in my kitchen for my thoughts and “plans” but I can rarely see them through without the extreme painful joints and daily exhaustion.

So. today my blog is not the most uplifting. Today I am just a “normal” Fibromyalgia sufferer who deals with the pains from doing something at the time she does it…and the aftermath of some 24-72 hours later. 

What will tomorrow bring?

Ask me tomorrow! 

Til then…I will keep on keeping on!

May the good Lord give me the strength to endure this daily life with Fibromyalgia!

~The Fibro Momma of Ten

Living Daily with Fibromyalgia

Exercise and Fibromyalgia

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Exercise is vital to everyone’s health, but when you have Fibromyalgia, exercise seems like a daunting task. The daily pains from Fibro make even the simplest of chores seem overwhelming. How does one make an exercise regimen when just getting up and going is a task all its own? 

This seems to be a real question and concern for many Fibro sufferers. When I was first diagnosed three years ago my husband bought me an Schwinn Airdyne stationary bike. I began to implement the daily use of this fine piece of equipment, but I struggled. 

I struggled because it hurt.

I mean, really hurt.

Not muscle hurt.

But bone hurt and joint hurt.

And not just as I was using it, but after when I could barely get off of it…

…And two days later when I could scarcely move.

If I used it daily, then you realize that means I could barely move every-day.

I’d like to tell you it’s gotten better.

It hasn’t.

I walk when weather allows and I walk more than I ride the bike because I’m not giving up. Joint and bone pain seems to be my daily companions but I still need to keep my heart healthy.

So if my body says I can walk, I walk. If it thinks I can bicycle, I ride.  And if I cannot do either that is okay, right?

Of course, right!

I refuse to give up! Fibromyalgia gives me pain on top of pain every day, but it cannot rob me of me.

And it tries to….

…Every-single-moment-of-every-single-day.

I choose to fight!

Do you?

Gentle hugs –

The Fibro Momma of Ten

Fibromyalgia Migraines, Fibromyalgia Pain, Living Daily with Fibromyalgia

24-48 Hour Fibromyalgia Delayed Reaction

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Today I suffered the typical what I call “The 24-48 Hour Fibromyalgia Delayed Reaction.” That delay is when our body reacts to what we did 24-48 hours before-hand. It’s a part of Fibro that is frustrating. Most Fibros will get used to this happening to their bodies and learn to live through it.

What does one react to? Well, it took me over a year to figure this out by keeping a journal of foods I ate, things I did, how the weather was everyday, stresses I encountered, chores I did, etc. Journaling helped me to understand how my body reacted as I became more “in-tune” to myself and my body.  It was quite the process, but worth it in the end. Sometimes we remember right away that we raked the yard two days earlier and the “flare” is the delayed response to that. But sometimes it is not that simple.

This flare I find myself in today, I fear, is self-inflicted from my Saturday of pruning when my back was hunched over pruning seedlings that did not belong in my flower beds. (see the post from August 5, 2017)

Yesterday was a very rainy Sunday (and we know how much rain and Fibro goes together *note of sarcasm*) and my family and I went to church to play music for a Homecoming Celebration. (My husband and children play in our family’s Bluegrass Band most weekends and we usually drive within a radius of 200 miles for each event. I’ve done the “Mom” thing over the years. ie; get them to lessons when needed, make sure their clothing colors are coordinated and clean-and still fit-haha, take the calls for bookings, keep our website’s schedule updated, pack food for the journey, make CD covers, take pictures, etc.)

Anyway, by the time we got halfway home, I had a migraine befall me out of nowhere-joint encompassing and all! I felt nauseous and knew there was no going back! I downed ibuprofen with a bunch of water and asked my son to rub my neck and shoulders as my husband continued to drive us safely home. Once there, I collapsed on our bed, covered up my face, and lay there trying to ride it out. Next came a very hot shower as my body began to respond to the meds.

This morning my lower back and hips decided to lock up on me less than twenty minutes into my morning. It was so intense that it brought me to my knees. Literally. I needed to enlist the assistance of two children just to help me up. I have tried moving from chair to bed and back again, doing school lessons with a heating pad in less than comfortable surroundings. Even ibuprofen has not eased the pain today or enabled me to move much at all.  I also feel very lethargic and groggy.

I tell you this to help you understand that this flare began last night with the migraine and continues on into today. How long will it continue? Well, that is the fun thing about Fibromyalgia! (note the positive tone in that last sentence???) You never know how long a flare will last, but what you do know is it won’t last forever!

So, was it the rainy weather? The Saturday chores? The long Sunday drive to play music? Or all of the above? Could this be a Lupus flare and not just a Fibro one? I do run a low-grade temp with this type of whole-body flare-ups. But, regardless, it’s here and I have to live through it. For all you Fibros out there-newly diagnosed or seasoned-it is your outlook that matters. I lean more on God on these rough days and try to have a positive attitude.

Just know, you can get through the flares and you are not alone!!

Living Daily with Chronic Invisible Illness, Living Daily with Fibromyalgia

Fibromyalgia and Myofascial Massage

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If you suffer from Fibromyalgia, then Myofascial Massage may work for you! Yesterday was my first day of PT for this. Before, I had tried water therapy via a pool where they had me walking and doing various legs exercises.  While in the pool, it was not so bad, but walking out….that was a different story! I felt the pains deep in my joints for days and days!

I saw my doctor the other day and told him that the pool PT only exacerbated my Fibro making it more cumbersome to get through my days and week. “Was there anything else we could try to help me GET THROUGH a week instead of making it worse???” I cried!

The doctor said that Fibromyalgia is one of those tricky conditions where what works for one person, may not work for another. He was willing to exhaust another option to help me find relief. So, heat therapy, strengthening my range of motion in my shoulders and myofascial massage were then ordered 2x weekly for the next six weeks. Well, I thought, I made it through the last six weeks of the pool stuff….however, it was at a real cost to my body. It made me feel worse (is that possible…???) for days and I never felt like it helped.

But I did try. That counts for something.

Next round of therapy-bring it on!

I arrived at 8:45am to Physical Therapy with renewed hope. Heated, wet towels were placed over each shoulder for ten minutes while I rested and tried to relax. When the time was up, the therapist came in and began to explain that she was going to run the muscular part over my shoulders and down into my shoulder blades.  Now, my pain has a trigger spot there that if hit in just the right way will send me to the sky! I tried to keep relaxed while she began. She used a long, flat, metal tool called a Graston tool. It felt like she was scrapping my muscle and skin (in a good way!). Sometimes it was intense but it truly felt like a good pain.  She said some Petechiae were beginning to show. This was a sign I was having trouble spots and that I was reacting to the treatment in a normal way.  When these tight areas are manipulated, they begin to break apart causing this rash.

She took this picture to show me what was happening. Wow, that looked pretty bad! However, I felt like my body was relaxing as she worked on each side of my spine. It was the first time in years I felt a little bit of relief. That was something…*sigh*

Petechiae spots on my shoulder

I was told to drink plenty of water for the next couple hours to rid my body of the toxins being released from the nodules and then we discussed improving my range of motion. I have noticed over the past year that lifting my arms over my head has become more and more cumbersome. I was taken to a pulley (no weights, no tension) and as my left arm pulled down it raised my right arm up. I had complete control as to how high I raised my arm. I admit the stretch felt rather good. I switched arms and pulled down, then repeated with each arm three times.  She gave me a pulley to use at home, daily.

This morning my shoulder joints are throbbing, but that is not a new symptom for me. Fibros know we run 24-36 hours behind what we do….(be positive, be positive, be positive…)

All in all, my immediate thoughts are that if you can find a therapist trained in the art of Myofascial Massage, it may be worth asking your regular doctor or Rheumatologist about. Perhaps you will be one of those who can find a bit of relief with this method. I am hoping to be one of them!!!  I have another PT scheduled for tomorrow and I am actually looking forward to it!

 

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Living Daily with Fibromyalgia

We Interrupt this Day for a Major Fibro Flare

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So, today I had a major Fibro flare.

See, I sewed yesterday with my ten-year old daughter who has been wanting me to teach her how to sew an apron. (It was on my summer “to do” list and well, it is summer, after all.) Of course that means I had to make an apron for myself so she could follow along. Six hours in a chair is WAY too long for a Fibro victim. (It was an intricate pattern with ruffles and gathers and cutsie-like)  She was proud as could be of her apron, though, and she decided to be head chef last night just to wear it! Fettuccine Alfredo was on her menu and it was quite good! I’d say it was a home-school home-economics success day!

This is where the Fibro flare begins. I awoke this morning and could scarcely move. Major Tin Man syndrome! Nonetheless, my pie baker and I decided it was a jam making day… (those darn berries and peaches just HAD to ripen today!!!) 20+ jars of home-made strawberry and fresh peach jam later and I cannot move my shoulders or hips for anything! I even had to walk outside to get into the upper level of our home when done. Stairs would not be happening today!! (Our home came with a canning kitchen in the basement. Great for canning, but not for Fibro stair climbing!)

Now my head is hazy and I have just awoken from a rest to which my joints are not finished resting…what did I do recently to cause this??? (Fibro fog)….oh, yes. Jam. We made jam (was that today???)…that means a lot of chopping and stirring (repetitious movements and Fibro don’t mix!) But the end results, well…that is something to smile about!

It’s just a normal day for this Fibro Momma…now I am craving a piece of toast with that fabulous peach jam…

 

Fresh Peach and Strawberry Jam we made this summer 2017

 

Living Daily with Fibromyalgia

Ripe Peaches and a Fibro Day

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Yesterday we drove just over 1.5 hours away to play music at a nursing home. As always, it was great fun meeting the residents and playing music! Then we all stopped at our favorite place-Cracker Barrel- for dinner. Does anyone NOT like that place? Seriously, it is the best! (Just saying!) Afterward,  we headed farther East to play music at a church. That was also a fun time! At 11pm we pulled into our driveway, unloaded four kids, two younger adults and two parents and equally as many instruments, sound equipment and other things from the day. At midnight this Momma lay down and waited for the pains to crawl out and eventually I drifted off to sleep.

At 6am this morning I groggily (is that even a word???) pulled myself up as those morning aches tried to overtake me. 45 minutes and a cup of coffee later, I was trying to get my mind to function when I suddenly realized our peaches we ready to be done! Needless to say, my day was now outlined for me and  that is how the day was spent! 2 Bushels of ripe, sweet, juicy peaches were put in the freezer. My thirteen year old daughter decided we just HAD to make a peach pie for her daddy before we could stop! (Maybe before SHE could stop! I think I never started!!!)  The mess got cleaned up and I collapsed onto the recliner for a 20 minute refresher (Did I just type refresher? One must be able to be refreshed to have a refresher. I will debate that later)….and as my body still screams at me to stay put, I am now headed to make dinner. My Basil is beautiful and I have been wanting to make this great Italian pasta dish with fresh Basil. Why not today? I feel like the Little Engine that Could. You remember that story? I don’t think I should wait to make this amazing dish…but my body says….NO and my tastebuds say YES!…now, THAT is a battle. The tastebuds win!

My joints say, NO WAY as up the stairs I trod…”I think I can, I…think I…can, I….think….I…can……I………thi….”

 

The peach pie my daughter made

 

“It’s just a constant battle: me against my body; my passions and my dreams and what I want to do with my life, against what I am now physically able to do.”

Living Daily with Fibromyalgia

New “Normal” Fibro Day

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Today was what I would call one of my regular “new normal” days. I awoke with the usual pains and stiffness while slowly making my way to the bathroom to begin my daily routine. I got my husband’s coffee and apple prepared for his departure to work. I poured my own cup of coffee, made our bed and helped get the kiddos off with our oldest on an outing. 

I did not go with them because A) It is an hour and a half away where they were going and driving would not be a good thing for me to do coming off a migraine day. B) I was told that today was set aside for me to do lesson planning and to enjoy the quiet house. However, my mind was not with it. *sigh*

We had a bit of a stressful situation prior to the kids departure and I needed to give it to God. So, a lot of prayer to recollect my thoughts, a walk to the mailbox to mail a bill before the July heat took hold and I was all set with a new view on my day. I fell right into planning! An hour later I took a break and rode my Airdyne Bike for 5 minutes. Stiff and sore from that I sat back down at the computer to research the Unit Study I was preparing for this coming school year.

The heat was getting pretty intense outside so I asked my oldest son who was still here to help me hang out a sheet cover over our straw bale garden. I was clad in floppy hat and sunglasses and we got that done. While outside, I picked a cup of green beans, came in and blanched them, then sautee’d them with fresh garlic and ate those for lunch. I then said goodbye to my son as he headed off to work.

Alone, I went back to the computer. Two hours later, all the kiddos came back home and we rested with a Magic School Bus episode. (I needed to rest my body from sitting at the computer, anyway, before I began the point of no return).

Then my oldest and youngest daughter and I went out into our pasture to pick our peaches which were ripe and sweet. After 30 minutes, it began to rain. We hurried. The wind began to blow a much-needed cool breeze. We went faster. One up on a ladder handing me peaches while I passed them to the youngest who placed them in the buckets. We hauled 2-five gallon buckets and a smaller pail filled with sweet peaches across 3 acres before (what looked like) the storm hit. (By the way, the storm never did hit and we hurried unnecessarily, pain and all).

Once inside, one daughter boiled the peaches, another peeled them, another sliced them and I put them into a fruit saver bath, then placed them on cookie sheets to be frozen and then bagged for future use.

During that time, I also mashed pinto beans that I had been cooking in the crock pot all day with yummy seasonings to make bean burritos for the evening meal. My body was aching by this time. I sat down to watch the evening news with my husband and wanted to melt into the couch. But, alas, I needed to get up, but could not get up without help. I was so sore I wanted to cry! I then staggered up the stairs and into the shower thankful for a productive day.

Now I write this with aching shoulders, elbows and hips, hands and feet. It is what it is.

Yes, this was my “new normal” type of day when my pain was not too terribly intense, just persistently there.

Living Daily with Fibromyalgia

Fibromyalgia Frustration

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What is my biggest frustration?? Well, it would be choosing how to use what energy I have to complete the things that need to be done in a day. Especially when there are so many things that need to be done.  If I break these down to the bare necessities then I am faced with the challenge of the evening meal. Do I start dinner this morning? Do I put dinner off until this afternoon hoping that I can still make it or will it become a quick meal like sandwiches because my body quit on me before I was ready? Well, my husband deserves better than a sandwich for his Hard Day’s Work and therefore if I choose to start dinner in the morning then that means I cannot lesson plan. (I am a homeschooling mother and summer is my lesson plan time). I have to choose how my energy is better spent. I have to decide what to make for dinner.

Now, I have two whole chickens sitting in the refrigerator. I can season them up, toss them in a crock pot and walk away and then this afternoon make some rice and vegetables and call it good. However, baked chicken is not my husband’s favorite thing. Okay, so do I cook down the chickens all day and make a nice broth and thicken that and boil some pasta and make creamy chicken and noodles? That will work except that I will have to de-bone the chicken after it’s cooked and I don’t know how I’m going to be feeling when that time comes to de-bone it. So then I think maybe I’ll just make individual chicken pot pies! But then, the cloud befalls my mind when I think of all the work involved in that and will I feel like I’m able to do that this afternoon????

So now I’m back to the baked chicken as it will still put out a nice meal for my family and cause me the least effort and hope my husband will still smile while he eats it. This might sound like a random problem…or not even a problem at all,  but for those who suffer with Fibromyalgia you know exactly what it is that I’m dealing with. I have always been a planner.  I would plan a day to time, then a week at a time, a month at a time, and even a quarter of the year at a time.  I had short-term goals and I had long-term goals.  My family is large. I home-school.  I have to do these things. But now I am literally to the tentative daily plan and “hope”  that I can accomplish what I need to do in a given day.

Today I am coming off of the 4th of July holiday.  It is also storming.  Needless to say, I cancelled my PT appointment for this morning.  Both the holiday and the weather are an unfortunate factor for me in getting through a day.  So here I sit, writing this down.  My immediate goal is what to make for dinner and do I use my energy on that or the lesson plans that I’m supposed to be spending my day working on? The frustrations of Fibromyalgia,  there are no words.  Well, there are words… But we won’t use those here. Now, where did I say those chickens were???

Living Daily with Fibromyalgia

4th of July

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I have Fibromyalgia and Lupus. I love holidays. The 4th of July is no exception! I love this holiday but holidays don’t always like me!

I awoke to the girls putting up decorations on our covered patio at 6:30am! I began to think about our son who serves in the U.S. Navy and is under the sea today making sure the freedoms we all take for granted remain. I try to remember what I am supposed to do today. (Where is that list…?) Well, I do try to be upbeat and happy on days like this no matter how I feel physically for the sake of my husband and children. It can be exhausting to stay that way, but I do my best.

So, I saw the kiddos off to the Independence Day parade with our 21-year-old daughter driving the herd, after french braiding two heads of hair, clad with ribbons and glittery star headbands. Braiding makes my hands hurt, but I do it anyway for my girls. My 13-year-old does her own hair, thankfully. All three have beautiful long hair which requires a lot of brushing. That, too, makes my hands hurt. It is what it is.

After they left, I pulled cupcakes out of the oven and prepared my home-made icing. Into the large icing bag it went and off my hands went…1, 2, 3,…12, …27…42…yes, I iced 42 cupcakes. They were beautiful to the eyes and great to the taste buds. But these hands of mine…oh, yeah…I am still trying to compete with my old self. You know the one…Years before being able to ice cupcakes in a single blow, braid four heads of hair, clean up the breakfast dishes AND go to the parade, all while walking and carrying a baby and pushing a stroller?? Now I can barely get through the morning. Did you notice this paragraph began with “After they left…”??? That means no parade for me today. No driving 40 minutes, no walking several blocks, No sitting in the sun…nope, not happening. Okay, I admit I am my worst enemy. The competition with my old self is genuine, I can assure you. I am at war with that old me every day. It is a battle to stay positive when my flares come and go throughout the day.

Here is a glimpse of my day today: Just walking to the bathroom upon awakening and my feet HURT. Like I mean to put pressure on them. Like they are gonna burst from pain.The mornings are the worst! Then my back began to scream at me while I was braiding head number one. By head number two, I wanted to cry. But I didn’t. Why? Because I am a warrior. This is my life now. Things must be done. I want my girls to have a mom who takes care of them and gives them happy memories. Each day will become a memory. I want it to be a good one. Okay, so they left, my hands ache from icing, my back still screaming at me while I cleaned up the mess I had made and I still needed to make the burgers. I was dying to rest, but I needed things from the basement to finish the necessary preparations. Up and down 4 times, I mixed and made 16 burger patties while my husband made 12 jalapeno and garlic brat patties. (His wrist is still recovering from the break and the many screws and plate surgery and he needed the exercise!) My back is roaring now…I sit down. Pain is bad. I lay down on the couch…it’s getting better, at least once the pain stopped sending waves of current like electricity throughout my body. 15 minutes later and the kiddos are home. My husband grills. We eat. I am hurting. I take three Ibuprofen. Two hours later, I am still hurting and am like “three Motrin and I still want to cry….now what???” I ask my 18-year-old son to rub out my back while I am (making a memory) playing a game with the three younger girls and fight the tears as I smile at the game and bite into a (You have to eat this, Mom) cupcake. Now they run outside to blow up firecrackers with their big brothers. Company is due here in 45 minutes.  I go lay down for 20 minutes with our very pregnant Dachshund and her sidekick in tow and manage to doze off with two dogs cuddled around me. Company arrives and I smile….has the Motrin kicked in…? Now it is time for food!!! Then side-walk chalk drawing contests! Later, I watched bubbles being blown and I heard firecrackers popping. Then, I am gathering the troops for pictures to be taken, more brat patties eaten and now….I…. am….spent! I sit in a chair outside…Whack! One dead mosquito. Whack!… Missed that one. Now I am inside.

Off go the kids to see the light displays in the neighboring town with our daughter and sons and my hubby and I are off to bed. I take a very hot shower, thank God for a nice day, grab my computer and climb into bed, all while my feet are throbbing and my back is hurting. Now, here I am writing to whoever reads this…yes, it was a good day! But a normal day of painful living. I look over at my handsome man and am so thankful for my life, no matter how much I hurt. The enemy cannot get to me today…Let’s hope that attitude sticks through til morning because I have P.T. tomorrow at 9:45 am…Oh, boy…

Living Daily with Fibromyalgia

Travel and Fibro Pain Don’t Mix

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Travel and Fibro always leave me hurting!

Well, this past weekend I traveled 1.5 hours away and celebrated 27 years with the love of my life. He is the best! We had a nice time. I was on Ibuprofen around the clock because I had another blessed PT appointment the day before. We ate at a sweet Italian restaurant Friday evening and on Saturday walked the waterfront clad in sun bonnet, sun glasses and sun screen (that is a lot of “sun” words for a person who is not supposed to be in the sun…) and then went antique browsing. (I am blessed with a hubby who enjoys this!!!) After a couple of hours, I was ready to drop! I was so exhausted, could scarcely move my feet and the pains were emitting from everywhere! We stopped in at Steak and Shake for a bite of lunch and a much-needed rest. (Remember that my hubby has a bone marrow disease and he gets fatigued quite easily, but thankfully does not have the pains I do!!) It was a nice afternoon spent together making memories, nonetheless, and then we headed home.

The next day we all went to church, came home, grilled, rested and watched the kiddos play.

Monday morning…well, let’s just say that I don’t remember much of it except that I could NOT get comfortable all night, I hurt so badly. I was freezing cold-and under two quilts! Finally at 5:30 am, I made myself take some Ibuprofen and fell back in bed. I awoke at 6:30am in a pool of sweat and pulled myself up only to realize that today would not be a vertical day! I told my husband goodbye and have a nice day, and he said “go back to bed”-I must have looked pretty bad, huh??? haha

The pains were EvErYWhErE-places I did not even know could hurt, hurt. I felt like I had the flu. Was it from the Anniversary sun walk? Too much sun or too much walk?? Or both?? The car travel? The change in the weather??…hmmmm, it was a lot cooler…The PT??? Oh, and I am sure I had a fever earlier that morning, too. Was this a Lupus flare? A Fibro flare? I did not even care… Pain is pain. What causes it is the question of the hour. Let’s not psychoanalysis it to death.

Okay, so I willingly obeyed my sweet man and fell back into bed and awoke on and off until noon. More Ibuprofen, more pain. MORE PAIN? Okay, so I finally made it back to the land of the living for a little while…well, til about 2pm and found myself waking up at 3pm.  Needless to say, it was not a good way to start my week. I changed my next PT appointment from Tuesday morning, to afternoon (remember my promise to see this through???) Today is Tuesday…in the afternoon. I do not want to leave. I still hurt. I am writing this in pain. If it were not for auto correct, you would not be able to read this.

Remember, this is supposed to be a blog about the day in the life of a Fibro Mom. That requires me to write DAILY about my life.  Thank you in advance for your assumed understanding that this will not be daily read. I am trying. Like my poetry page…which I do plan to add to….soon.

Living Daily with Fibromyalgia

Doing daily tasks when you hurt

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Today I hurt. This is not unusual since I have Fibromyalgia. I spent the past seven days living my life as wife and mother. With Fibro it is not as easy as it used to be *sigh*.

Last weekend, I made and decorated a cake for our son’s high school graduation party. After “writing” Congratulations with the icing bag, I thought my hand was going to never stop throbbing and would permanently stay in the fist-like position. I continued on with his name, only the letters were not as smooth as I used to write over the past twenty years of cake decorating! My hand shook uncontrollably and my eyes held back the tears of pain. I was determined to do this for my son as I have for every birthday he’s been alive to witness!! The letters now looked like zig-zag letters, Oh, well, I did try. These hands of mine would not cooperate!! Well, by this time, my hips, shoulders, back and elbows were screaming at me! I left the mess to be cleaned up by the graduate himself and slowly paddled my way down the hall. I was on a mission to find my daughter because I was in need of assistance with the shower!!! (My body was boldly proclaiming HOT WATER!)! I could not even unfasten my, uh…bra…YEP, I was in pretty bad shape! Wonderful daughter to the rescue! One might ask why did I not ask my husband?? Well, his left hand is still recovering from his wrist surgery (T-plate and seven screws) and he can scarcely button his own shirt, let alone help me.

Okay, so into the shower I went, fisted hand and all. We won’t talk about how I got dressed…
Graduation weekend was now over (cake was delicious and a success, or so I was told…) and the coming week looked L-O-N-G. I do try to rest, but life has a way of not letting you do that, haha- Piano lessons, dealing with the insurance guy from the car accident our other daughter was in, fighting off the migraine from the weekend on Monday…and again on Tuesday, succumbing to the pain in a frenzy of feeling the Ibuprofen fight with the head and joint pain…(which, for me is often worse) and sleeping it off hoping to wake up to it GONE.

Okay, back to everything life was doing while I was stalled out…music practice, watering the garden, oh, and of course, COOKING meals, doing LAUNDRY and taking a day to go shopping with my oldest daughter for fabric for the baby’s room… (and did I mention I will be assisting in the sewing of the bumper pads and curtains???) Sidebar: Now, I do love to sew, I am actually quite creative, but sewing does not like me anymore. My daughter knows this and now I have 5 months to work on it little by little. Good thing since the whole “push til you drop” philosophy just does not work for me anymore. It is our first grandchild after all, and I want to do this!!! End of sidebar.
And, to top it off I ended my week at the wonderful “stay in the system” checkup at your friendly neighborhood doctor’s office. I seriously feel hypochondriatic when I am at these blessed appointments. Nothing like speaking out-loud what you don’t even like to think about. *another sigh*…and then, More blood work. It seems like I am destined for continual pain. Life keeps going, we must go with the life. It is the current we are swept into…But I will try to go slower….I….will….try….

Living Daily with Fibromyalgia

Hello World! I think this Blog has taken flight!

fibropage1

Well, I think this Fibromyalgia and Lupus Blog might actually be getting off the ground!

Today was a rough day for me after coming off a weekend of watching the kiddos play music. We had driven 1.5 hours away yesterday. Driving is so hard on my body-even just sitting in the 15 passenger van while my husband drives wreaks havoc on my body. Our ministry is Bluegrass Gospel Music. We travel most weekends within a 200 mile radius. My Mondays are always hard-Tuesdays can be, too.

Most Fibros know the cycle of feeling the hurt 24-36 hours after. I have been keeping a journal for over a year and I think I am now to the point of knowing how my body reacts to what I do. Some days I cannot “do” much… *smile*… Today was one of those days. I did manage to get the living room de-cluttered before my body began to scream at me to rest. Needless to say, I fell asleep for over an hour in the afternoon! It was needed, though.

This blog is about writing about my daily struggles with living with Fibromyalgia and Lupus. You can read about this on my “About Me” page by clicking on the lines in the upper left-hand corner of this page.

I am a real person who continues to live life (in pain) because life never slows down, but I do. If you like what you read, please click the “Follow Me” tab on your screen.

It is for fellow warriors I tell my story as the days go by. You are not alone.