Fibro in the Tropics

I must apologize for abandoning my blog for a wee bit- I had many great reasons! The biggest reason is that I recently made a sudden move to the Caribbean (yes, really!). I don't have Internet access other than my iPhone yet, so bear with me for a bit.

We've been out running a few times since we arrived on Wednesday and my body has had mixed reactions. Overall, my body seems much happier to be back in warm, humid weather, but I have not been very good about taking my supplements since arriving. I'm doing ok on the runs, which gave been pretty short so far, but my body feels like lead when I'm moving. There are, admittedly, Tons of hills, which take their toll at times, but the fatigue is very obviously Fibro-related. I also haven't been sleeping very well, and I've been ready for bed around 9pm ( AST), but I think my body will figure things out when we're all moved in and I have a normal schedule.

Until then!

Beating the Clock

For the first time in a few weeks now, I managed not to wake up at 3am. I slept through until about 7, then dozed back off until 9:30 or so, one of the dogs on top of me. =)

I think my body's getting a little peevish at me for not having one much other than sit around in the snowed in house for the last couple days (and before that, fighting off my mean ole cold). I haven't been great about taking my supplements the last couple days, routine having been thrown off by the blizzard and all.

So...not much to say today. Back to J-Lo and "The Wedding Planner." (Believe it or not, I've actually never seen it!)

Cold Weather Blues

Yet again I have fallen victim to the woes of cold weather. I, my friends, was the innocent victim to that evil known as THE COMMON COLD (feel free to insert dramatic DUN DUN DUN sounds here). I made it to the gym on Monday, as promised, but was still feeling pretty weak and a little shaky/dizzy, so I kept my work-out to a minimum. I ran a mile on the treadmill at 10:20 pace (nice and slow), then did a hodge podge of lunges, squats, medicine ball ab-work, yoga, pilates, and upper body weights that amounted to all of 25-30 minutes of strength training. I then spent 15 uncomfortable minutes on the Steam Room, thanks to the hairy Italian man in a Speedo just feet away from me, sweating and oggling. ::shudders::

Regardless, Tuesday I took the day off, somewhat unintentionally, as someone reminded me last-minute that I was supposed to make an appearance at a Team in Training celebration happy hour event. Wednesday morning I woke up at 5:00AM and couldn't go back to sleep, finally resigning myself to tossing and turning for another few hours. By this point, my head felt like it was stuffed full of cotton, my nose was suspiciously pre-Cold stuffy, and my whole body was tender to the touch. The minimal work-out from Monday was not helping, as Fibro helped what should have been barely noticeable soreness into full-fledged agony.

Rather than give in to the desire for self-pity and something to knock me out for the rest of the cold's duration, I went with my boyfriend to help at the homeless shelter where he volunteers twice a week. Trying not to breathe on anyone and washing my hands almost obsessively, I was glad for the couple of hours of distraction that making and passing out lunches brought. I may have felt like death warmed over, but many people still have it worse.

I'm still feeling pretty beat-up physically and the slightest exertion makes me feel weak, light-headed, and likely to keel over, I'm sniffling, coughing and otherwise the typical portrait of a cold victim. A snowstorm is moving in today, though, and they're calling for 12-26 inches in the next 24 hours. A few of us are holed up together (3 of the 5 of us started our day with Alka Seltzer for our colds) to enjoy the fluffy white, good company, a warm fire, and plenty of libations. If you're up in this neck of the woods, stay warm!

Snowy Weekend

A few medical professionals and a number of people who suffer from Fibromyalgia have posited that the weather has an effect on the symptoms--ie: winters are worse, etc. While I'm not entirely sure that there is a correlation, I was just as happy about the 6 inches of snow we got this weekend as the kids I saw out sledding in it yesterday!

I did not mean to abandon you during the weekend, but things were a little chaotic, as Saturday morning was the MSP Polar Bear Plunge. Because of the snow, arctic temperatures, and number of people collapsing after the 2pm Plunge, the Johns Hopkins Medical Team canceled the 3pm Plunge, much to my dismay. I still danced around in the snow in my bikini, but it's just not quite the same as shivering in excruciating pain after exiting the icy (polluted) waters of the Chesapeake Bay. Regardless, the Plungers raised over $3 million for the Maryland Special Olympics.

A couple of interesting Fibro issues to note:
First, while I have not been particularly exhausted physically the last three days, I am incredibly tender to the touch everywhere. Not unbearable, but certainly one of my least favorite symptoms. Second, I'm falling asleep pretty easily and pretty early, but I'm waking up (routinely) 6 or 7 hours after I go to sleep, and sleeping fitfully after that initial wake-up. For example, last night I went to sleep around 11pm (was watching the Grammy's and reading), and woke up at 6am. I tossed and turned my way until the alarm went off at 8:30, by which time I was MORE than happy to get up out of bed--until I realized how cold it is!

I, by the way, am watching icicles and snow melt on my porch as I write this. Oooh, coffee is done. Well, that's all for now!