Tag: chronic pain

Lessons Learned in Diagnosing Chronic Pain

“Sometimes the curiosity can kill the soul but leave the pain.” ~Alice

Perhaps that title should read “Lessons Learned from Attempting to Diagnose Chronic Pain” since I still don’t have answers…  I haven’t written much lately due to some chronic neck pain/shoulder/arm that has been plaguing me for months. I come home from work exhausted and drained, and spending more time in front of a computer is the last thing I want to do.biscuits

Down the Rabbit Hole

Do you ever feel like the hassle and expense of getting to the root of a medical problem might outweigh the benefits of finding out what the problem is? For the last several months, I feel like I have gone down the proverbial rabbit hole in “Alice in Wonderland”, where everything is not as it seems!

Alice-Looking-Down-the-Rabbit-Hole-in-Alice-in-Wonderland    Live_action_reference_photo_alice_at_the_bottom_of_the_rabbit_hole_screenshot_blog

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How to Sleep Better

“Sleep is the Golden Chain that binds health and our bodies together.”

I have struggled for years with getting good quality sleep. There are nights where I just cannot fall asleep, and others where I just can’t stay asleep. While the ideal amount is between 7-9 hours for most, I still average about 6 hours a night. More than 7 hours of sleep, and I feel out of sorts. Lately I have been much better about sleeping through the night, since incorporating some simple strategies.

Those who suffer with fibromyalgia syndrome know how difficult it can be to get a good night’s sleep. In fact, sleep disturbances are one of the common symptoms associated with the condition, which then compounds the daytime fatigue. But allowing the body to rest and recharge at night is so critical to everyone’s physical and mental health, not just those with fibromyalgia.counting-sheep-1

“Sleep is the Golden Chain that binds health and our bodies together.” ~ Thomas Dekker

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Mindset and Fibromyalgia

I have fibromyalgia, but it does not have me.

I made a conscious choice a long time ago to not act like a victim and to deal with this illness known as fibromyalgia with positive attitude and healthy habits. But to be perfectly honest, some days it is tough to maintain the positivism when you absolutely feel like you have been hit by a mack truck. I am not going to lie and say I don’t have bouts of crying and “why me?” moments, but they are few and far between since a shift in attitude.Ihavefibro.png

So how do you cultivate a positive mindset when you are dealing with chronic pain?

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Endometriosis Awareness Day

I write a lot about my fibromyalgia and chronic pain, but long before I was diagnosed with those issues I suffered a different kind of chronic pain. And it was the first of several times I have had to convince doctors that there was something wrong with me. Really wrong with me. Endometriosis is somewhat of a hidden disease, since it coincides with a woman’s monthly menstrual cycle and will often be written off as severe PMS or dysmenorrhea. But here is the definition, from the Office of Women’s Health:

“Endometriosis happens when the lining of the uterus (womb) grows outside of the uterus. It may affect more than 11% of American women between 15 and 44.1 It is especially common among women in their 30s and 40s.” Continue reading “Endometriosis Awareness Day”