Na'vi

Yes, I saw "Avatar" like the good sci fi/fantasy nerd that I am, the capitalist that Americans are expected to be, and the cinemaphile I pretend to be. I, too, am fascinated by blue people with pointy ears, prominent cheekbones tails, and a physical, tangible connection to their ecology. The idea of a species that co-evolved with nature fascinates me, and not just because of the screamingly obvious metaphor to Earth. And now for the Fibro connection...well, there isn't really one, other than the fact that my poor little nail beds are blue right now.

I unintentionally skipped the gym yesterday--forgot that I had a Girls' Wine Night, which made it impossible to hit the gym for weights and a swim in the evening, like I'd planned--whoops. However, apparently getting up early helped my sleep a tidbit. I was out like the Red Sox in the 2009 World Series (Go Yankees!) by 9:30pm. I remained dead to the world until 3:30am, when I woke up ready to start the day. After a short, less than kind, conversation with my body, we agreed to make an effort to go back to sleep. I'm not gonna lie--I rolled over so many times I'm surprised I didn't get dizzy. I forgot to take my melatonin before bed, though, so all-in-all I count that as a success.

It's getting colder outside, so the game plan is to run on the hamster wheel at the gym again tonight. I'm hoping to make it to the 7:30pm yoga class afterward, too. I miss going to the Hot Yoga class I went to for a while--it did wonders for my joints and flexibility and sweating out every available ounce of liquid in my body was very cleansing and relaxing.

So far this week has gone well, and I feel like I'm mostly battling to overcome the residual weakness and sniffling from my sinus infection, rather than fighting Fibro. Here's hoping it stays this way...well, not the sniffling.

Operation Rise N' Shine

Yesterday I resolved to get up at a reasonable hour, and as I indulgently breathe in the fragrance of my Pumpkin Spice coffee (I refuse to be restrained by seasonal traditions!), I proudly announce that I was out of my oh-so-warm-and-comfy bed by 8:05 this morning. Hooray me! I do have to admit that by 8:15 I was wondering just how long one has to stay out of bed before getting back in can be considered a nap. (Seriously, how long is it?)

I slept wonderfully last night, minus a late night interruption when someone came home from an impromptu guys' night. Although it did take me a little bit to fall asleep--maybe 20 minutes or so--once I did, I was out like a light. I count 20 minutes as a success! It seems that for the moment, the combination of a slightly later bedtime, melatonin and my normal workout routine are conquering the insomnia issue.

Score:
Me-1
Fibro-0

Take that, nasty disorder!

I do have to say that I'm not quite 100% after my bout with a sinus infection a couple weeks ago. I made it out for a trail run on Saturday, but for the first time, was not able to pull out the full ~9.5 mi. of the trail, having to turn around about 3 miles in and settle for a 6 mile run/walk. Yesterday I went to the gym to run on the hamster wheel (I'm not a fan of treadmills, you may have noticed) for a few miles. I managed a total of 4 miles, which isn't shabby, but my body was absolutely exhausted and I took far more walking breaks than I would have liked.

I have tentative plans at the moment to get an early morning run in tomorrow with a running partner, so I'm not sure what the distance will be. Saturday I'll be voluntarily plunging into the Chesapeake Bay for the Maryland State Police's annual Polar Bear Plunge, to benefit the Maryland Special Olympics. Did I mention that the forecast is calling for snow? I'm hoping to get a longer run in Saturday morning, pre-plunge, but at the risk of hypothermia, I may pass on intentionally drastically dropping my body temperature twice in one day. It remains to be seen.

P.S. If you would like to support the Maryland Special Olympics by pledging to support me as I plunge, email me (if you have my contact info) or leave a comment here and I'll let you know how you can make a secure, tax-deductible donation online. Even $5 or $10 makes a difference!

I dreamt a dream...

I stayed up late last night reading and mourning the departure of Conan O'Brien from the Late Show, as NBC re-aired Conan's first show as the Late Show host. I fell asleep pretty easily, probably as a result of the late hour, the third night I've taken Melatonin before bed, and a nice mug of hot cinnamon vanilla milk while I read. I woke up around 7:20, took a peek at the alarm clock (realizing that my cell phone, whose alarm was set for 7:30, was nowhere to be seen), and burrowed back into my fortress of pillows and blankets.

BLEEP bleep BLEEP bleep...BLEEP bleep BLEEP bleep...

Yes, I picked the most obnoxious ring-tone possible as the alarm on my cell, otherwise I'd roll over and sleep through it. Unfortunately, my blackberry and I have not yet developed a Bluetooth connection and I could not remotely tell it to SHUT THE HELL UP. Grumbling to myself, I rolled out of bed and tried to find my phone. Incidentally, it was under the blanket that had fallen off the foot of my bed during the night.

Finally blessed with silence again, I reset the alarm for 8, decided against it, and took up camp back in my blankets. The point of this post is this: Oftentimes I wake up in the morning, am fairly clear-headed and ready to get up and start my day. Against my better judgment, I reset my alarm clock, hit snooze or turn my alarm off altogether, inevitably resulting in sleeping far longer than I intended and waking up groggy and out of sorts.

The fact that I am drinking my first cup of coffee as I write this serves to underline this point. My plan for the day, however, is to be off to the gym to run 4 miles on the hamster wheel--I have nothing against Maryland winters, I'm just still hacking up a lung from the sinus infection winter so generously shared with me two weeks ago--and then to run a few errands before resuming my typical posture in front of my Mac to write again.

Resolution: Tomorrow I will be out of bed and functioning by 8:15AM...really...

Treatment Overview

While I have ups and downs with Fibro, sometimes the downs last too long and are too painful to endure. In October 2009, I was at my breaking point. I could not sleep, was always exhausted, had horrible sciatica, and in general was just a hot mess. I finally had a break-down and decided that despite years of protests against the medicines the FDA approved for Fibromyalgia treatment (largely antidepressants, which, in a nutshell, only block the pain sensors in your body and do nothing to treat the actual problem), I had to try something. I made an appointment with a doctor's office a friend had recommended, intending to ask about Lyrica (pregablin) En route, my car engine died, which has nothing to with Fibromyalgia, but serves to set the scene for the day.

My doctor was an excellent listener (which is often a problem Fibro patients run up against in healthcare professionals), taking into account the long list of my symptoms and suggested that I try Savella. Desperate enough to try anything, but very concerned about some of the negative side effects Fibro patients experience with Lyrica (worsened fatigue, drowsiness, etc.), I agreed to try Savella. My doctor gave me several triation sample packs of Savella and I slowly worked my way to 100mg/day (50 in the morning, 50 at night). Initially my only side effect was lack of appetite, but now that I've been on Savella for almost four months, I'm having more issues with insomnia.

I've listed my most prominent symptoms and a full list of my personal treatment regime below:

Symptoms/Issues:
Fibro Fog
Insomnia
Constant feeling of exhaustion
Physical fatigue after basic tasks (like climbing stairs)
All-over tenderness
Sciatica (most likely unrelated)
Muscle Twitches
IBS
RLS (Restless Leg Syndrome)
Inexplicable pain in deep tissue, joints and pretty much everywhere
Headaches

Treatment Regime*:
Rx Savella: 100 mg/day (50 in AM and 50 in PM)
Rx Nabumetone: 1500 mg/day (750 in AM and 750 in PM)- to reduce inflammation caused by sciatica and muscle spasms in my back
Rx Soma: 350mg at bedtime as needed- muscle relaxer to help with sciatica

Women's Daily Multivitamin
Fish Oil with omega-3 fatty acids: 1000 mg (in the AM)
Acidophilus Probiotic: 1 capsule (in the AM)
Vitamin C: 1000 mg (AM)
Calcium Citrate: 1 tablet (AM)
Magnesium: 250 mg (AM)
High-Potency Vitamin D (D3): 2000 IU (AM)
D-Ribose: 850 mg (1-3x/day for three weeks and then 1-2x/day I just started this)
Melatonin: 1 mg (before bedtime, to counteract insomnia)

*I've noted the prescription medications I take so as to avoid confusion between the supplements I take and the restricted, prescription-only medicines.

Introduction

My name is Brianna, and other than Fibromyalgia, I am a healthy 22-year-old woman. I am currently working as a freelance Communication consultant, writer and editor, following a brief stint as a college English Professor. I ran my first marathon with Team in Training to support the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society in June 2009. Completing 26.2 miles in the inaugural Seattle Rock N' Roll marathon was a victory in and of itself, as I'd had physical challenges throughout my marathon training. Despite tendinitis in my Achilles for the month and a half preceding the marathon, I still completed the race in 5:29--almost an hour slower than my original goal time of 4:30.

I am currently training for my first Ultra, the 50K HAT run in Havre de Grace, MD in March 2010. This time around, training has been more of a challenge, despite having more free time to devote to running and cross-training. My body is, as anyone with Fibromyalgia has experienced, rebelling against me, making training both frustrating and painful. Despite the challenges, I still intend to do my absolute utmost to run the 50K that is barely 2 months away.

Posts to follow will include my personal Fibro treatment regime (successful or otherwise), as well as (hopefully) daily updates on both training and life with Fibro.

Live, Laugh, and LOVE to Run,
Brianna