Explore the conditions associated with Fibromyalgia, their symptoms, and how to manage them for improved well-being.
“Everybody gets so much information all day long that they lose their common sense”, Gertrude Stein To write that I am frustrated, angry, and discouraged over the recent hoopla this week in the news from the U.S. Institute of Medicine (IOM) report on Chronic Fatigue Syndrome is to be putting it mildly. As is usual with someone who has CFS and fibromyalgia (FM) I awoke several times last night. During those wakeful periods, I wanted…
“What you resist, persists”, C.G.Yung I have brought on another pain attack- again! I have overdone it with social situations that have caused anxiety and resulted in overstimulation! This time the pain in my left foot is excruciating. The reason? I wore something other than the sneakers that are my daily companions. No, I did not wear high heels, but nonetheless, they were not my regular footwear. There are many times I think I have…
“The ear is the avenue to the heart”, Voltaire Just as I thought I had experienced everything unusual with regard to this annoying, frustrating, challenging dis-ease, fibromyalgia, I developed another aggravating symptom- VERTIGO! It all began one month ago, at night, turning over in bed, the room began spinning. It was very frightening. It lasted about 30 seconds followed by nausea. I had another episode the next night as well. The morning after the second episode,…
” Most of us have unhealthy thoughts and emotions that have either developed as a result of trauma or hardships in their childhood, or the way they were raised”, Steven Seagal It would seem that those of us with fibromyalgia have developed the condition at an early age which may have taken a tremendous shock, accident, or crisis to bring about full-blown fibromyalgia. Some of us have had repeated crises in our sensitive lives and…
” Our memory is in large part the starting point for how we think, how our preferences form, and how we make decisions”, Maria Konnikova Several weeks ago on CBC radio upon hearing an interview with Dr. Konnikova regarding the science of memory, I became intrigued with the ways in which she has based an understanding of neuroscience upon the brains and memories of two fictional characters- Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson. Being a Holmes lover and…
“The happiest women, like the happiest nations, have no history”, George Eliot I have based my unproven theory about why more women than men are diagnosed with fibromyalgia upon a feminist analysis of the political and cultural roles of women in societies in general- both historically and at present. However, now that gender is currently socially constructed and is much more fluid, it has indeed become a complex issue and not as straightforward as I previously thought. I have begun…
“Open your heart to your suffering”, Toni Bernhard There can be little doubt that those of us with fibromyalgia/chronic fatigue have challenges that have forced us to live life differently than those who have ‘health privilege’. Often thought of as malingering, hypochondriac, weak, attention-seeking, depressed people we often live in quiet desperation. By now we recognize that we have developed these conditions because of an over-stimulated nervous system that cannot sustain itself in a healthy manner…
“I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel”, Maya Angelou On June 3rd I heard a documentary on CBC radio talking about the mark of shame, the culture of shame, and how it makes one feel. There is so much about the visibilities of women’s bodies that cause us to hide perceived imperfections, in particular, the dyeing of our…
Having Fibromyalgia is like a roller coaster ride. Most days I just don’t know how I am going to feel. I try to have a positive mindset and I find it helps when I’m around others with a positive mindset as well. However, I realized that not everyone wants to hear or see positivity right now. Frankly, I can understand that – I use to feel that way too. I started to realize I have…
Fibromyalgia is such a complex condition. It affects you physically, cognitively and emotionally. Sometimes, if forces us to change who we are or suffer the consequences. This is where I have a hard time because I have dreams and goals and I’m not ready to give them up. Today I woke up feeling the weight of fibromyalgia on my body and my soul. Getting Out Of Bed Most people hate getting up in the morning.…