I haven't written in this blog in a long time. I mean a really long time. One reason is because I have been busy. Another reason is because I have felt good and have been out doing things instead of sitting at home "wallering" in my own self-pitty. I actually didn't really start to feel bad until yesterday.
Yesterday was a stressful day. My husband had an interview for a teaching position that he was preparing for. I was preparing for a meeting at my church where I was in charge. I was trying to buy books for the upcoming college courses that I will start on Monday. I was nervous for my husband. I was nervous about my meeting. I was frustrated with the book buying process because something that was supposed to be easy was being a pain in the butt. My kids were getting on my last nerve. It was just a long day where I stayed in a constant state of stress. When the day had ended and I was lying in bed it hit me...I felt the beginning of a flare.
I woke up this morning to feel that ache that had left for a while back. Actually I got woke up to the sound of my son yelling, "Daddy, the toilet handle is broken and I can't flush the toilet!" Daddy had already left to go work and so I was the lucky one to go fix the toilet. It was after I told my son that I would fix it that I realized the pain was back.
It's hard to describe the pain of fibromyalgia to someone who does not have the pain of fibromyalgia. You always have it. Some days it might be barely there. Other days it might make it impossible to get out of bed. Either way, it never leaves. The last time that I can ever remember being pain free was when I had my youngest son via c-section and the anesthesiologist gave me my epidural. I remember thinking, this is what is going to be like in heaven some day. I had actually forgotten how pain free actually felt. The best way that I can describe the pain is that it feels like you have the flu. Not like the stomach flu where you feel nauseated. It's like when you get the real flu and it hurts to move any joint in your body. That's what it feels like when you are in the middle of a flare. You have most of the symptoms of the flu without the fever. Other times it feels like you did a workout with Jillian Michaels and you are in recovery mode. Your body is recovering from a hard workout. Except the downside is that your body doesn't really recover and you are exhausted almost the entire time. Then there are the few and far between times where you are almost well. You still have the pain points (the spots that they poke to determine if you have fibromyalgia) but that is really it. You can function pretty normal. You can start to work out and become strong again. You even have a bit of energy.
So as reality set in that the pain was back I knew that the headaches would soon follow. And they did. That is a simple annoyance that at least ibuprofen will take care of. I figured that I had approximately a couple of hours before the exhaustion set in and I needed to get as much done as I possibly could before it all set in. So I weed-eated my back yard cause it was horrible and I was tired of looking at it. As soon as I finished the exhaustion was there. After I showered I discovered that the joints were starting to stiffen and I could barely move my hands. The nice thing is that I know what it is and I can take the measures needed to fix it. Sleep, water, and warmth...all are great helpers. A great massage will be on the list as well.
So my advice today people is to monitor your flares. Know what triggers them. Know what to do when they start. Know how to prevent them as well. Prevention is the hardest but can be done. Learn your body. While Fibromyalgia is no fun to have, just like with any other chronic ailment you have to be careful and learn the treatments. Many times rest and anti-inflammatory meds are the best medicine for it. And in extreme cases where you know your body well, you can get some great weed eating done as well before the flare kicks in. It's an added bonus!
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