In the past, I was on the go from the moment I left home to go on vacation until the moment I arrived home. After chronic illnesses entered my life, I began scheduling downtime prior to and following my trips. However, this was not enough after my condition progressed. In the past year, I haveContinue reading “Vacation Downtime”
Tag Archives: fibro
Living multiple lives.
Originally this post was going to be called “Living a double life,” but then I realized that I don’t just lead two lives; I live multiple lives. What I mean by this is that my life, when going through a flare, is totally different than when my Psoriatic Arthritis is in remission, and my remissionContinue reading “Living multiple lives.”
Starting the New Year a little later than I had planned
Happy New Year? What? Is everyone done celebrating the New Year? Unlike everyone who celebrated the New Year on the first of January, I wasn’t physically or mentally up for celebrating it until last weekend. Just before Christmas, my psoriatic arthritis started coming out of remission. At the same time, a few of my otherContinue reading “Starting the New Year a little later than I had planned”
Spoonies are like snowflakes, each has a different story to tell
Recently a fellow spoonie posed a question online. She asked if she should share the details of her struggle because some people have rudely questioned her disability. They say that she is just fishing for attention. Anyone who suffers from chronic conditions like Fibromyalgia, Psoriatic Arthritis, Lupus, Lymes, MS, Endometriosis, etc.… knows that the struggleContinue reading “Spoonies are like snowflakes, each has a different story to tell”
Why I would suggest Disneyland over Disney World to someone who suffers from chronic pain.
It is no secret that I love Disneyland. Besides the magical memories made with family and friends, Disneyland provides me with physical and mental therapy. Because of this, I never hesitate to suggest a Disneyland vacation to my friends that suffer from chronic pain. However, I am not as quick to suggest they go toContinue reading “Why I would suggest Disneyland over Disney World to someone who suffers from chronic pain.”
Doctor Appointments That Do More Harm Than Good
Whether someone suffers from chronic pain or not, I feel it is safe to assume that most people see their doctors for two reasons. The first is to stay healthy, and the second is to find answers and get well. The last thing we expect is to leave that appointment physically feeling 10X worse thanContinue reading “Doctor Appointments That Do More Harm Than Good”
Insult or Compliment?
When someone says “You don’t look sick“, do you take it as an insult or a compliment? Personally I take it as an insult and here is why. 1. “You don’t look sick” is an accusation, not a compliment. Those words accuse the person in pain of being a liar. If people who haven’t aContinue reading “Insult or Compliment?”
What they don’t see
After almost two weeks of suffering from my muscles attacking my spine and neck, last night I felt like I was finally on the upswing. I could feel my muscles relaxing and my joints popped whenever I moved my body. I sounded like a bowl of rice krispies. With less pressure on my neck, my brainContinue reading “What they don’t see”
Time-Out
It’s been a rough day. I was woken up this morning by intense abdominal, leg, and back muscle spasms. Tears rolled down my cheeks as each wave of spasms squeezed tightly. As the day progressed, their frequency decreased, which allowed me to rest. In addition to this, my stomach feels as though it is filledContinue reading “Time-Out”
My Abominable Abdominal Adhesions
Abdominal adhesions began wreaking havoc in my life back in 2004 after having surgery to remove a giant cyst. Some, myself included wanted to blame the type of surgery performed for the adhesions, being that prior to having laparoscopic I had two C-sections without developing adhesions. But in my case it wasn’t the type ofContinue reading “My Abominable Abdominal Adhesions”
The Pain Coma
Painsomnia has an evil sibling, the Pain Coma. Unlike a real coma, I am not completely comatose, but my physical and cognitive abilities are drastically reduced. In some ways it resembles a real coma as in no matter how hard I “will” my body to move, it won’t, it’s paralyzing. Then there is the feelingContinue reading “The Pain Coma”
What the rides at Disneyland have taught me about my conditions
This morning someone sent me an analogy on Twitter comparing having Fibromyalgia and riding Space Mountain. They tweeted that having Fibromyalgia and riding Space Mountain are the same as there are lots of ups and downs, tight curves, but no way to see them coming. This is spot on!! However it is how we choose to face those ups, downs,Continue reading “What the rides at Disneyland have taught me about my conditions”
Painsomnia, like insomnia but worse
We all know what insomnia is, but what is painsomnia? Painsomnia is when your pain(s) keep you from falling asleep or from reaching a restorative sleep level. With normal insomnia I would just get up and make good use of the time that should have been spent sleeping. UnfortunatelyContinue reading “Painsomnia, like insomnia but worse”
Sootheze Toasty Spa Friends Product Review
I was recently asked to review a Toasty Spa Friend from Sootheze. The Spa Friend I chose was the Smooth Kitty Collar. I chose this particular one for two reasons. The first is that I love cats and the second is that this kitty looks just like my cat Dr. Rocky. Disclaimer: “I have beenContinue reading “Sootheze Toasty Spa Friends Product Review”
When my mind and body are at out of sync
I honestly don’t know which is worse….. when my mind and body are both exhausted and useless or when my body is out of commission yet my brain is working overtime! Sometimes I prefer when my body and mind are both wiped out. Although nothing gets accomplished, at least I don’t become anxious about all theContinue reading “When my mind and body are at out of sync”
My favorite therapy
Therapy and chronic pain/illnesses go hand in hand. There is no way to go through life living in pain and not needing some type of therapy. We need physical therapy to strengthen our bodies to fight pain and illness. We need some sort of emotional therapy to keep from going mad from the pain thatContinue reading “My favorite therapy”
A fulfilled dream and squashed fears
Who says dreams don’t come true? Not me!!! It has been over 30 years since my first trip to the Happiest Place on Earth. Some people think I am crazy for wanting to arrive early when I do visit. But one of the things I love about arriving prior to opening is seeing which familiesContinue reading “A fulfilled dream and squashed fears”
The Year of Christmas
**UPDATE** October 31, 2016 While my friends and family are stressing over trying to figure out when they are going to have either or both the time or energy to put up their trees and decorate for Christmas, I am relaxed and ready to partake in loads of holiday fun! The year of Christmas hasContinue reading “The Year of Christmas”
Pets that detect illnesses
Meet Dr. Rocky. I am sure you have heard at least one story about how a dog or cat detected cancer or another health issue in their owners. I have three cats, and only one of them believes he has the power to heal me or point out where the source of pain is located.Continue reading “Pets that detect illnesses”
30 Things About My Invisible Illness You May Not Know
30 Things About My Invisible Illness You May Not Know 1. The illness I live with is: Psoriatic Arthritis, Degenerative Disc Disease, Fibromyalgia, nerve damage from surgery, and possibly MS 2. I was diagnosed with it in the year: I was diagnosed with Fibro at age 33, PA at 34, DDD at 44. Nerve damageContinue reading “30 Things About My Invisible Illness You May Not Know”