Tuesday, July 31, 2012

Fibro is Real

This is a good article for people who have been accused of, or have accused others of, being a hypochondriac when it comes to the symptoms of Fibromyalgia.  Those of us who suffer learn first-hand that the physical symptoms that affect us are ask too real. We have read the research to support it, and do our best to live with these symptoms. We definitely do not need the additional burden of ignorant accusations.
Is Fibromyalgia All in My Head?

Tuesday, July 24, 2012

Letter to My Future Self

Wow, summer is just flying by! Where does the time go? I can't believe July is almost over.

I have been doing relatively well with fibro, being active, and eating healthier. I still have issues, like trouble sleeping and pain symptoms, but overall, I feel much better lately and have been using my (unpaid) intermittent FMLA time less.

One idea I had been thinking about doing for a blog post is writing to my future self. Many of us write in out journals and blogs about how things are going at the present moment, but even if we don't do it regularly, we may, someday, look back and read an old entry, for whatever reason. Why not tuck in a little message to our future selves?

My message to me, whenever it may be that I read it, and however I am feeling then, follows...

Dear Benia,
I hope you are well. I am doing much better lately. I've been eating healthy lunch salads from Whole Foods most work days, and doing Vinyasa yoga each Wednesday for an hour.

My new fibro doctor is very nice and reduced my medications to just one for fibro, Cyclobenzaprine (aka Flexeril). I am doing well as it helps with muscle spasms as well as sleep. (I take it at bedtime.)

I am currently off all supplements until I need them and doing okay. My IBS symptoms are under control, thanks to my realizing I was getting too much of some fat-soluble vitamins from my diet, and did not need additional supplementation.

Work is busy and a bit stressful at the moment, for both of us, actually. We are hoping to make some positive changes there.

The master bathroom remodel is mostly finished, though we are still waiting for a couple of doors to come in and get installed. The project started in April! I'm just glad it's almost over.

The weather has been extremely hot and dry this year. The summer weather started at the last week of winter, in March. We've never seen anything like it! Many if our native plants are blooming early this year. They are surviving, though, and the wildlife is happy to enjoy it, too. 

We have also been having a lot of freak thunderstorms - almost exclusively. They roll in, pour rain for a bit with plenty of wind, lightning, and even hail. Then they move on and it's back to hot, calm, sunny weather.

It's been a strange year, but I'm trying to focus on the positives. I am going to update my WRAP soon, since I have learned a lot about myself since I created it.

Hope you are doing great. I love you, and don't ever forget that!

Benia