Some days...

Everyone with FMS has good days and bad days. Rarely can we predict when which will occur.

Sometimes, however, bad days happen and we have NO IDEA whether to blame it on fibro or something else entirely.

An update: I've been seeing a chiropractor who specializes in NSA (Network Spinal Analysis) and SRI (Somato Respiratory Integration) for the last month and a half. These practices, in combination, have proved incredibly healing for many people with Fibro, Chronic Fatigue, and a number of other issues.

Our bodies--no surprise--are a lot better at communicating their displeasure and unhappiness to our minds than our minds are at interpreting what our bodies say.

Just sayin'.

Peace,
B

Suntans & Steak

Love yourself, for who and what you are; protect your dream and develop your talent to the fullest extent.

Joan Benoit Samuelson

Sometimes I think that those of us who struggle with FMS forget to do what Samuelson's quote urges everyone to do. When your fingers are suddenly made of clay, you forget your phone for the tenth time in a day, or you suddenly want to cry because of the shooting pain coming from nowhere in your arm is too much--it's difficult to remember who you are, let alone love it.

I'm lucky enough to be surrounded and supported by loved ones who do their best not only to understand Fibro, but also to help me remember who I am.

Sometimes it still sucks. Just the other night we went to dinner and were seated at a high-top table (big pet peeve of mine, by the way). Within 10 minutes, my shoulders were tensed and my back was spasming. Yaaay sciatica. The steak was yummy, don't get me wrong, but I wasn't exactly focused on it, thanks to the pain.

Overall, however, I've been doing better back down in the sun.

Peace...

Beer Friday

The title really has nothing to do with the post, but it got your attention, didn't it?

So I've been off Savella cold-turkey since Saturday, six days. My back has been complaining a little, but I think it has more to do with my new job (sitting most of the day) and new bed than being off Savella. I'm still dealing with insomnia issues, but since I've been taking Soma to handle the back spasms...problem temporarily solved!

I haven't been running since this weekend since I've been getting used to my new schedule (you know, that whole working in an office thing). I'll probably get out Saturday and Sunday, and then hopefully figure out a routine for the work week after that.

So...I guess the boring moral of the story is that I'm feeling pretty decent, enjoying island life (I really am in the midst of Beer Friday, by the way), and not ready to leave the sun any time soon.

Cheers!

Pharmacy, Schmarmacy

I'm officially, permanently moved down to St. Thomas. In the midst of the move, I faxed a Hippa release to my doctor's office so that I would have hard copies of my prescriptions faxed to me. Result: Fail.

Problem? I ran out of Savella, oh, say, Friday night. My doctor's office is closed Saturday, imagine that. I have a cute automatic voicemail from CVS telling me that my "Prescription is ready for pick-up," but that CVS is in Maryland, and I'm pretty sure they don't ship prescriptions. Also, I must point out that I specifically asked my pharmacist to stop any and all automatic refills since I moved out of the country. Result: Epic Fail.

So, I'm about 36 hours into withdrawal from Savella. If you don't know anything about the medication, it's important to know that this isn't the type of medicine you just go off cold turkey. Oooooh, no. You have to wean off of Savella a bit at a time, just like you start the med by slowly increasing the dosage over time. Needless to say, I'm less than thrilled by the prospect of the many possible horrific withdrawal symptoms I may endure by the time I get the Rx refilled (or if?).

I've been feeling a tidbit fatigued and at the end of my run this morning (a measly 1.5 miles, and that's probably generous) my body did that fun thing where everything turns to lead and I feel like I'm going to fall over and pass out from sheer lack of muscle control. It's really quite fun, I must say.

In an effort to at least sleep all the way through the night last night (I've been waking up way too much during the night, due in part, I think, to the obnoxiously loud, yet ineffective, AC unit in the house that the landlord has yet to replace), I took 1mg of melatonin--instead of my usual .5mg--and a muscle relaxer. I took the Soma as much for muscle issues as for sleep, as my neck and back had been warning me all day of an inevitable spasm episode. Sleeping Beauty had nothing on the sleep I had last night, even including the 7:45AM potty break I took, before passing out again until 10AM. Mmmmm...bliss.

And now, I am hungry. Back to play with the doggies (who are still trying to figure out what would possess their normally caring and loving parents to move their very furry Huskey-Chow mix dogs to the Caribbean--the plaintive looks are something to be reckoned with!) and make some lunch with A for the rest of the lazy Sunday rain day. Oh yeah, it's raining today. Oh well, back to sunny paradise tomorrow, I'm sure!

Ciao

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!