Tuesday, January 4, 2011
Step Two - Counseling and Emotional Support
People say we are losing our minds, if you can't see it, it can't be real. Well, we all know that the pain of Fibromyalgia is real. At times, it feels like we have no support
Step One - Where do I start?
DIET is the first thing I would recommend trying. There are so many chemicals in processed foods and our lives have become so busy with "stuff", we tend to rely on the fast choices.
Fast food - if you can drive through and get a meal in less than 5 minutes - you get what you pay for.
Junk food - cookies, candy, chips, snacks (small little bags of trash filling your ailing body with toxins)
Processed/Packaged foods - gotta love sandwich meats, who cares that they are full of preservatives that can last on a shelf for years.
These foods are reeking havoc on your central nervous system, which in turn is firing up those nerves, causing even more physical pain.
It's time to take a quick look at your pantry, fridge and freezer. You need to trade the processed stuff in for as fresh as you can get.
The switch to organic is an investment for sure. But aren't you worth the investment. Trust me when I tell you that you will spend more on drugs and lost wages over the years, than you could ever spend on "healthy foods"
My investment pieces were a juicer and a magic bullet.
The juicer can turn any fruit or vegetable into a quick to go drink (my favorite is apple, orange, carrot juice)
The magic bullet is just sheer heaven - it can pulse, grind and chop fresh ingredients into something delicious (comes with a ton of recipes and great easy to clean "to go" cups) I like to make healthy shakes and smooties.
I have also heard that the Montel Pressure Cooker is fantastic - you can cook a healthy dinner in no time flat. Many of my Fibro friends say it is a life saver (I bet it would pay for itself if you didn't go out to eat for a month) I don't have one (yet) - but writing this blog has prompted to think that I might need to get that one.
Fast food - if you can drive through and get a meal in less than 5 minutes - you get what you pay for.
Junk food - cookies, candy, chips, snacks (small little bags of trash filling your ailing body with toxins)
Processed/Packaged foods - gotta love sandwich meats, who cares that they are full of preservatives that can last on a shelf for years.
These foods are reeking havoc on your central nervous system, which in turn is firing up those nerves, causing even more physical pain.
It's time to take a quick look at your pantry, fridge and freezer. You need to trade the processed stuff in for as fresh as you can get.
The switch to organic is an investment for sure. But aren't you worth the investment. Trust me when I tell you that you will spend more on drugs and lost wages over the years, than you could ever spend on "healthy foods"
My investment pieces were a juicer and a magic bullet.
The juicer can turn any fruit or vegetable into a quick to go drink (my favorite is apple, orange, carrot juice)
The magic bullet is just sheer heaven - it can pulse, grind and chop fresh ingredients into something delicious (comes with a ton of recipes and great easy to clean "to go" cups) I like to make healthy shakes and smooties.
I have also heard that the Montel Pressure Cooker is fantastic - you can cook a healthy dinner in no time flat. Many of my Fibro friends say it is a life saver (I bet it would pay for itself if you didn't go out to eat for a month) I don't have one (yet) - but writing this blog has prompted to think that I might need to get that one.
The Medications - what do I chose?
Many of us trust our doctors to do what is right for our ailment. They are the experts, we are the patients - what do we know? On my journey to getting to the diagnosis, I was prescribed so many different drugs to mask the pain. Hydrocodone, Tramadol, Ultram, Darvocet, Tylenol 3- were just of few of the ones I tried. I was in so much physical pain, I was willing to try whatever the "dude in the white coat" prescribed. Diazapam, Flexerill - just a few that would relax my muscles.... Lunesta, Ambien - because I definately couldn't sleep through the night. Paxil to ease the anxiety about being bedridden and unable to work, or function in my home, and Lyrica to ease the nerve pain.
I had a night stand full of medications - each one with it's own side affects. Stomach ulcers, bloating, headaches, diarrhea - were just a few of the extra ailments I had to endure.
I had nerve treatments, pain blockers - so many tests that it was all a blur. You can imagine having someone knock you out with anesthetic, wake you up, jolt a nerve, and knock you back out so they can kill the nerve ending... and this happens 20 times per procedure.
The pain medication depleted my B12 - and the B vitamins help your body produce seratonin - seratonin produces sleep. So, needless to say, after taking pain meds for a few months, I had to take a sleeping aid to get any rest.
When they prescribe the pain meds, they forget to tell you that, besides becoming dependant on the pain medication.. and muscle relaxers, you will also become dependant on the sleeping aids. It is such a vicious cycle.
So - my medications were
Darvocet for pain
Ambien for sleep
Flexerill for relaxing the muscles
Paxil for anxiety
But trust me, my friends, your diagnosis doesn't have to be like mine. I have worked out all the "kinks" and I can help you find a better way to manage it all. My diagnosis came with so little information, you have Fibro - deal with it.
Hang in there as I continue to uncover my journey.
I had a night stand full of medications - each one with it's own side affects. Stomach ulcers, bloating, headaches, diarrhea - were just a few of the extra ailments I had to endure.
I had nerve treatments, pain blockers - so many tests that it was all a blur. You can imagine having someone knock you out with anesthetic, wake you up, jolt a nerve, and knock you back out so they can kill the nerve ending... and this happens 20 times per procedure.
The pain medication depleted my B12 - and the B vitamins help your body produce seratonin - seratonin produces sleep. So, needless to say, after taking pain meds for a few months, I had to take a sleeping aid to get any rest.
When they prescribe the pain meds, they forget to tell you that, besides becoming dependant on the pain medication.. and muscle relaxers, you will also become dependant on the sleeping aids. It is such a vicious cycle.
So - my medications were
Darvocet for pain
Ambien for sleep
Flexerill for relaxing the muscles
Paxil for anxiety
But trust me, my friends, your diagnosis doesn't have to be like mine. I have worked out all the "kinks" and I can help you find a better way to manage it all. My diagnosis came with so little information, you have Fibro - deal with it.
Hang in there as I continue to uncover my journey.
The Diagnosis
You have pain from head to toe. Every muscle aches, every joint feels like its on fire. You've been to several doctors and they have run tons of tests and you have spent thousands of dollars. And they come up with this crazy diagnosis - "you have Fibromyalgia"
There are so many questions - is it a disease, is it a disorder, is it treatable, is it curable, will I ever feel better again.
The answer to thos questions are
no - it's not a disease
no - it's not a disorder
yes - it is treatable
yes - it is curable
yes - you will feel better again
I have created this blog to share with you my story - how it began and how I am working every day to overcome the pain of Fibro.
There are so many questions - is it a disease, is it a disorder, is it treatable, is it curable, will I ever feel better again.
The answer to thos questions are
no - it's not a disease
no - it's not a disorder
yes - it is treatable
yes - it is curable
yes - you will feel better again
I have created this blog to share with you my story - how it began and how I am working every day to overcome the pain of Fibro.
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