Oh, my aching back!

Too much driving and too little sleep has left me with aches in my neck, shoulders and back today--thank God for Therma-heat pads!

It's been a very emotional week; my father-in-law, who is EXTREMELY dependant came home from the nursing home Thursday morning; a friend from Church passed away and his funeral was Thursday afternoon; Saturday we had a memorial service for my Dad who passed away last week; the house has been full of guests and it's been crazy. We are leaving Thursday for vacation, and are very anxious to get away for awhile (not to mention the Florida sunshine will be great!) The travel day will be a bit painful, but a good night's sleep should help. I'm very much looking forward to seeing my daughter, son-in-law and granddaughter.

I don't know if I'll get to post while I'm gone so there may be a three week hiatus. One thing I've learned about myself is that if I can't be writing, my mind will certainly be busy thinking about writing!

Thanks for tuning in!
Linda

Sleep, blessed sleep...

One of the biggest (okay, they're all big) problems in dealing with the Fibro cycle is getting enough quality sleep. I probably spend more time in my bed awake, hoping to sleep, tha anctually sleeping. I take Ambien CR, which helps me sleep through the night, but I find it difficult to get to sleep. Regular Ambien puts me out like a light, only to awaken a few hours later--and I do mean awake. If I don't take anything, I cannot turn my mind off. I saw it described as "monkey mind" today; pretty good description. All that awake time gives me plenty of time to think. I keep a small notebook on my nightstand so I can jot down a "to-do" or a plot idea (I'm a writer).

Most days I try to take a nap; I used to avoid napping, thinking it would prevent me from sleeping at night, but I find no difference. Most people who know me know better than to call from 1:30-3:30, which is when I nap. I have to wait until 1:30 unless Young and the Restless is really boring. Got to have my daily dose of Genoa City!

I'm leaving for vacation next week; I'll be gone three weeks, so I don't know if I'l be posting or not because I don't know when I'll have internet signal. The first two weeks, hubby and I will be soaking up sun in Ft. Lauderdale, then I'm spending a week with my daughter in Miami. She does a lot of writing and I should be able to get a connection there.

If you're interested in reading my articles, I can be found at: www.helium.com/show/399818. I am so excited that some of my articles are highly rated and I've earned 5 whole cents so far! As you know, I keep a positive outlook on everything--that 5 cents more than I had last week, AND I can say that my writing has actually made me some money! I also have a store at Cafepress with some very cool stuff. www.cafepress.com/plus_attitude Check it out!

Thanks again for stopping by!

Friends and Family

When I was first diagnosed with fibromyalgia, I was so angry that it had taken so long to find what was wrong with me, yet I was happy that "it" finally had a name. There are so many people who know us and quite often a surprised to find that we have "it". They they start telling how that thier sister has it, a cousin of your aunt has it, and five people in your Church have it. It amazes me at how many people I know that has fibro or chronic pain sydrome. I'm a firm believer that we have "it" not because of something we've done, but something we have eaten, drank,lived next door to, or had a tooth filled with. I'm convinced that Aspartame is horrible for people--yet every person on the planet ingests it almost daily. I believe Fibromyalgia is an autoimmune disorder, I believe there is a virus involved and that not finding a cure is going to make the pharmacutical companies that sell Cymbalta, Lyrica, and all the drugs on the market to treat the various maladies associated with Fibro (sleep,depression,pain), are going to be very rich.

Okay, I'm going to get down from my soapbox (carefully) and go take a nap.

May 12th is National Fibroawareness Day-make sure you wear a shirt or pin or something to help others understand what we go through!

Thanks for tuning in!

Cold wintery Sundays

Yesterday we had a Maine Nor'easter, which dropped another 8 inches of the fluffy stuff in our yard. There's no way you could walk across our lawn right now--I'm sure it has about 4 feet of snow. It's March 2nd, for God's sake! Bring on the Global warming!

I have not, and will not venture outside today. There is a frigid wind blowing and it's only in the teens; I'm staying put.

I aggrevated my fibro yesterday. I was feeling so good, and with my obsessive, gotta get it done and done right now demeanor, I sanded the living room walls yesterday in preparation for painting them. Sometimes I amaze myself with my stupidity. I KNEW I would be in knots today, but I did it anyway. The pain is pretty severe so I've taken to my bed, my heating pad and my Darvocet (and laptop). A nap is definately on my list of things to do. I have faith that tomorrow will be better, partially because I have a p.t. appointment, an partially because that's just the kind of person I am.

Hey, I love this writing stuff, but I'd love some feedback/comments!