{"id":1859,"date":"2026-07-15T00:54:08","date_gmt":"2026-07-14T21:24:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thefibro-lupusbutterfly.com\/?p=1859"},"modified":"2026-07-15T00:56:08","modified_gmt":"2026-07-14T21:26:08","slug":"fibromyalgia-and-recovering-from-family-gatherings","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thefibro-lupusbutterfly.com\/?p=1859","title":{"rendered":"Fibromyalgia and Recovering from Family Gatherings"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Recovering from a family get together when you have Fibromyalgia can take days.<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

That said, I am on day four of coming off of a 2-day family event. On Monday (day 1), I managed to move mechanically and slowly. As usual, I forced my mind to get up and do my morning stretches, weight machine and ride my Air Dyne bike… somehow, I managed to ride for 6 miles!!  After, I did my best to shower and then collapsed on the bed. Then, later, I sat in my recliner, leaned against my heating pad for 20 minutes because my spine felt like it was burning in pain. <\/h3>\n

(Sidebar) I don’t mind resting if I know I have done my exercises. It is a mental thing for me and one I embrace because at least I know I have done something to help my heart and muscles. I mean, I already feel run over and left as roadkill, so exercising just adds to that (sigh) and even though exercising doesn’t help with that run-over feeling, it does help my joints move a bit better. I can at least put on my underwear and Vionic walking shoes<\/a> easier…<\/h3>\n

Okay, around noon each day, I MUST sit with my back on the heating pad. It used to help me for hours and now I only get some relief while sitting and (maybe) an hour more, but it’s a time of rest that my body needs, so I try to adhere to this.   <\/h3>\n

Back to day 1… Immediately after lunch, I had to lay down to nap. I slept for 1.5 hours and woke up feeling black and blue. This is nothing new, however. I forced myself erect and came out to prepare dinner. After dinner, as per my routine, I walked. Walking after I eat aides in my digestion and helps with my mental clarity… so… throughout the day, I walk… a lot. <\/h3>\n

On Tuesday (day 2), I awoke and realized for the first time in months I had slept through the night. I must admit I was shocked at this. One would think I woke up feeling like I could rule the world! One would be wrong.<\/em> Instead, I felt like I had been run over by a semi-truck, and I knew I needed to still take it easy.<\/h3>\n

When you suffer from Fibromyalgia and\/or Lupus, sleep never makes you feel rested or refreshed.<\/h2>\n

So, I got up, exercised as usual (but could only do 3 miles on the Air Dyne) and then, I could not shower after. I had a much slower morning, paid some bills, prepared some chicken for dinner, etc. By the evening, and after a 2-mile walk and (finally) a shower, I needed to get horizontal, on a heating pad, and rest… again.  My daughter and I have started Downton Abbey, so that was put on for a bit.<\/h3>\n

By day four I began to feel like this “recovery-flare” was on its way out. So… I went out on a limb and did some sewing. I have lost a few pounds since spring and my jeans weren’t staying up… so, some darts were added and buttons moved over a smidge. (This is a good thing for me… I have tried so hard to lose weight!!!) Sewing is rough on my body, so I only sewed for 2 hours… <\/h3>\n

However, … the next day I needed to recover from sewing! <\/h3>\n

My life is a vicious cycle of daily rests after daily doing.<\/h2>\n

I hope this insight has been helpful to you. Mind-over-matter is my motto these days.<\/h3>\n

Take Care!<\/p>\n

The Fibro-Lupus Mom of Ten<\/p>\n

 <\/h3>\n\n\n\n\n\n

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Recovering from a family get together when you have Fibromyalgia can take days. That said, I am on day four of coming off of a 2-day family event. On Monday (day 1), I managed to move mechanically and slowly. As usual, I forced my mind to get up and do my morning stretches, weight machine… Continue reading Fibromyalgia and Recovering from Family Gatherings<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1859","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","without-featured-image"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t