Category: Living Daily with Chronic Invisible Illness

This week I have been driving across 6 states.  As of today, I have one more state to go before I reach my destination. Recent blood tests show that I am in a Lupus flare. Driving with Fibromyalgia is hard enough, but driving in a Lupus flare makes things a "bit" more adventurous! The steroids… Continue reading Driving Across 6 States

Back in 2015, I was diagnosed with Fibromyalgia and then in 2016, I had a Lupus diagnosis with positive ANA and Anti-dsDNA testing, along with the classic Lupus symptoms, but I honestly decided that was more than I needed to deal with because, at that time, my husband had blood cancer and I was already… Continue reading When Lupus Hits Hard

Traveling when you are in pain is never easy. When you have a CPD, it makes it even more challenging.  As a sufferer of Fibromyalgia and Lupus, I can tell you that driving is a drag-even if you aren't the one driving. The seats are cumbersome, there is minimal leg room, getting into and out… Continue reading Traveling with CPD (Chronic Pain Disorder)

Recently my husband asked me how I was feeling.  I responded with "That's a loaded question because I don't want to come across as always complaining." He smiled a knowing smile of "trying to understand."  Then said, "Maybe you could come up with a phrase that would tell me how you feel.  For example,  'I'm… Continue reading What to Say

Chronic pain sufferers WILL to "do" must be strong each day. When a person lives with a chronic pain condition they have to be STRONG, too. They are their own cheerleader, their own motivator, their own boss. These traits MUST be there for suffers to keep going. Some people possess these traits naturally and some… Continue reading Being Strong and Having a Strong Will

Today is Memorial Day. A time for reflection on those men and women that served The United States and died for our freedom.  This day should not be taken lightly. Whether this day brings painful memories of loved-ones past, or just a silent gratitude of thankfulness, please take a moment of silence to thank God… Continue reading Memorial Day

Today I have been thinking about exercise.    Anyone who has Fibromyalgia, Lupus or other chronic pain issues knows that exercising is never easy for anyone, let alone a person with chronic pain.  Like many of you, I was once a very active human who bounced out of bed first thing, ready to tackle the… Continue reading Exercise??? Me???? Yep. You read that correctly.

April showers bring May flowers, or so the saying goes.  April showers can also bring the blues, especially if you are a Fibromyalgia, Lupus and Chronic Pain sufferer.  Today it is storming and pouring rain, which does affect one's mood. If you have Fibromyalgia, rain also affects your head, giving it a "hazy" sort of… Continue reading Rainy Day Fibromyalgia Blues

We have a Chronic Pain Disorder; Now let's talk about whether the loved ones around us can understand what we deal with daily. We try not to vocalize our pains or we sound like a hypochondriac.  We try not to over-do it, but then we look lazy. When we do things we shouldn't, we are told… Continue reading Do Loved Ones Understand our Chronic Pain?

What a typical day looks like for a Fibromyalgia sufferer...   *6am- wakes up stiff with joints feeling like they are on fire... every.single.joint. *Struggles with brushing teeth and showering, head may have that "far-off" hazy feeling of a pending "Fibro-type" migraine- (only a fellow Fibro sufferer knows what that means). *The left shoulder may… Continue reading A Possible Daily Scenario of a Fibromyalgia Sufferer

Are you perimenopausal? Do you suffer from Fibromyalgia, Lupus or another arthritic condition?    If so, you may have noticed your pain levels have increased during your cycle. Perhaps you have more severe migraines, more intense pain, etc.  People with Fibromyalgia get a different type of migraine than the usual kind. These migraines don't just… Continue reading Perimenopause and Migraines

Ringing in the ear affects many people who suffer from Fibromyalgia. The ringing usually affects one ear and make that ear feel full or heavy. The ringing may be intermittent or constant. It may occur a few times a month or several times a week. It may even precede a Fibro flare!! For the past… Continue reading Ringing Ears and Fibromyalgia

This website has been sorely neglected for a host of reasons...and I apologize for that. The sabbatical I had to take was mostly in part to my husband, who was diagnosed with blood cancer and underwent a bone marrow transplant in the fall of 2021.   Having to deal with my Fibromyalgia and the constant trips… Continue reading Drawing a Line

Don't you hate it when people who don't know how you really feel offer you advice on how to feel better? Or worse, they tell you everything they think you are doing wrong and how they think you should fix it...then you would not hurt so bad physically? If you suffer from any type of… Continue reading Advice You Dont Want About Fibromyalgia

I am a sufferer of Fibromyalgia...I have had a pretty crazy winter so far and this blog was not something I could keep up with. Let me backtrack... I am a mother of ten children, wife to a wonderful husband of almost thirty years. Last fall, my last two sons at home joined the United… Continue reading Handling Life with Fibromyalgia

For the past few days I have been visiting my Navy son in Florida. I was really hoping all this Fibro stuff would just melt off me like a dripping popsicle. Unfortunately it has not. In fact, I have learned that the south and I do not get along at all. From being overtaken by… Continue reading Traveling with Fibro

I awoke to a beautiful, crisp spring morning. The breeze was coming out of the NNE. I poured a cup of decaf coffee (I have a PVC Heart Arrhythmia which means no caffeine). I went outside to sit on my new wooden swing and took in the day! It almost felt like autumn! Here in… Continue reading A Beautiful, Spring Fibromyalgia, Self-Afflicted Pain Day!

My Fibromyalgia pain is always there, hovering, sometimes just on the surface, ready to become a flare at any moment. I have recently had a few weeks where my pain was manageable and getting through the day was not too bad.  About a month ago I had a flare that lasted 6 straight days. It… Continue reading Fibromyalgia Pain Waves

The amount of stress a person is under can greatly affect how they feel physically, especially if you suffer from Fibromyalgia. Emotional stress might be hidden beneath a facade of, perhaps, a smile and pleasant countenance, but underneath it is causing damage to your body. Emotional stress eats away at you until you suddenly split… Continue reading Fibromyalgia and Emotional Stress

I have Fibromyalgia. I also have the tendency to be ridiculously meticulous. Is it OCD?