One of the first blogs I started was Living in a Fibrofog. Anyone who has fibromyalgia knows all about Fibrofog. It's an Alzheimer-type-emptiness-of-the-mind for anywhere from a moment to a day where you simply can not rely on what you thought you know, because right now, you can put a word or phrase to that thing you know. You can get lost on the road home; you can forget the way to the bathroom, and you can forget your dog's name. Yet, to others, I look just fine! I get in my car and drive off to do some shopping, but I may come home from a visit to the gym because that's where, when I got confused, I thought I ought to go, since my gym bag was in the car.
Fibromyalgia affects different people in different ways. Thanks to having insurance that pays for the meds I MUST take, good support and that I won my disability case years ago, I have little stress. Not everyone is so lucky. Take my friend, Emma Riley Sutton for example. She's suffering horribly because of her disabilities that keep her from doing so many things, but that she has not been able to win her disability case. PLEASE read her story at http://socialsecurityfight.blogspot.com/ and contribute if you can. She is a genuine, Christian mom who is desperate need.
I've avoided writing about Fibro because I have been trying to distance myself from it. My best buddy, through the past 8 years has been Darvocet and it's been taken off the market. I was so scared at the thought of having to let go of those big pink pills. What would I do to control my pain without access to Darvocet? Initially I decided I would just go with trading off Advil and Extra-strength Tylenol along with a heating pad. I tried Ocycontin but it gave me a horrible headache. It was time to learn what I could do to help myself.
Part of my mindset of getting off 8 years of painpills was that I needed to take control of my life. I needed to stop thinking of what I couldn't do and what I could do. If I was going to hurt anyway, I would join a Y and use some of my muscles. I need to let go of "can't" and jump on things that say "I can". Two weeks in a gym have shown me that I can do a lot more than I thought I could.
I do feel better, although I haven't lost an ounce yet. My clothes fit looser and I can see my belly doesn't have as many rolls. I sleep better when I've gone to the gym. I wake up in the morning and my hips hurt. Normally I would go through my day walking funny and trying to work with hips that hurt. I go to the gym because I'm gonna have some amount of pain with or without the gym--why not burn off a few calories?''
If nothing else, walk slowly on the treadmill for as long as you can. Can you do a mile? Maybe the eliptical is more comfortable--can you do ten minutes? Does the gym have a pool? Go to a senior's water exercise class. Do what you can at first and don't push yourself, but give it a try.
I am feeling so much better since I started getting some exercise. Ask a gym if you can visit their gym a couple times free just to see what you can do. My outlook on everything is better and I know it's because I'm getting out among people and getting some good exercise.
Don't start on a day when you hurt so bad you can't stand to brush your hair because it hurts. Pick a day when you feel pretty good, don't carry a lot of high expectations and go give it a try!
Fibromyalgia affects different people in different ways. Thanks to having insurance that pays for the meds I MUST take, good support and that I won my disability case years ago, I have little stress. Not everyone is so lucky. Take my friend, Emma Riley Sutton for example. She's suffering horribly because of her disabilities that keep her from doing so many things, but that she has not been able to win her disability case. PLEASE read her story at http://socialsecurityfight.blogspot.com/ and contribute if you can. She is a genuine, Christian mom who is desperate need.
I've avoided writing about Fibro because I have been trying to distance myself from it. My best buddy, through the past 8 years has been Darvocet and it's been taken off the market. I was so scared at the thought of having to let go of those big pink pills. What would I do to control my pain without access to Darvocet? Initially I decided I would just go with trading off Advil and Extra-strength Tylenol along with a heating pad. I tried Ocycontin but it gave me a horrible headache. It was time to learn what I could do to help myself.
Part of my mindset of getting off 8 years of painpills was that I needed to take control of my life. I needed to stop thinking of what I couldn't do and what I could do. If I was going to hurt anyway, I would join a Y and use some of my muscles. I need to let go of "can't" and jump on things that say "I can". Two weeks in a gym have shown me that I can do a lot more than I thought I could.
I do feel better, although I haven't lost an ounce yet. My clothes fit looser and I can see my belly doesn't have as many rolls. I sleep better when I've gone to the gym. I wake up in the morning and my hips hurt. Normally I would go through my day walking funny and trying to work with hips that hurt. I go to the gym because I'm gonna have some amount of pain with or without the gym--why not burn off a few calories?''
If nothing else, walk slowly on the treadmill for as long as you can. Can you do a mile? Maybe the eliptical is more comfortable--can you do ten minutes? Does the gym have a pool? Go to a senior's water exercise class. Do what you can at first and don't push yourself, but give it a try.
I am feeling so much better since I started getting some exercise. Ask a gym if you can visit their gym a couple times free just to see what you can do. My outlook on everything is better and I know it's because I'm getting out among people and getting some good exercise.
Don't start on a day when you hurt so bad you can't stand to brush your hair because it hurts. Pick a day when you feel pretty good, don't carry a lot of high expectations and go give it a try!
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