Bleh...

I'm not blogging! I'm in a slump. My fibro is flaring a lot lately since I can't schedule my regular "home days" the way I need to. I spend my time driving The Eldest around to her classes 4 days a week, which is super draining, and something is always coming up for the other days, including weekends, so I'm constantly on the go. I'm feeling swamped. It'll pass, though. Her current schedule will change at the end of the semester, and even better, she'll be driving herself around as of this summer. (WHEW!) Girl Scout cookie season has passed so no more cookie booths until next year. We have a lot of field trips coming up, including an over night, between now and the end of the month, but next month is looking a little easier.

When my schedule gets out of control like this I get flare ups; it's just part of it. I muddle through the best I can and look for the light at the end of the tunnel. It's not a permanent state of affairs; things will settle down. I'm so fortunate that I typically have more control over my schedule and the craziness is temporary. I hate feeling like I'm whining about things; that's not what I'm trying to do here. I want to explain so that anyone reading will have a better understanding of fibro.

I have a dear friend who is suffering with fibro-like symptoms. She's asked me about it, what it feels like for me and how I cope. It's draining, mainly. Although I try to not let it limit me, I do tire more easily than a healthy person should which is really frustrating. If I had to work full time for a paycheck it would probably do me in; I know I'd spend every second of time off trying to recover with no time to LIVE, so I'm thankful it's not an issue for me. I have sleep issues off and on. I have memory problems and "fibro fog" where I can't think clearly sometimes, especially when I am in a noisy or stressful situation or if I'm tired. As for pain/discomfort, I get sore like I did before I had fibro symptoms but now I don't recover for what feels like ages. Really bad flare ups feel like the body aches you get with the flu. I don't seem to have the classic tender points, although the rheumatologist disagreed when she diagnosed me. My back acts up, especially when I'm on my feet a lot and can't get horizontal a few times during the day.

As for coping, I am so fortunate that I have a fairly mild case and I can mostly keep it under control by living as healthfully as possible, eating right, watching my weight, making time to sleep as much as my body will let me, taking my walks every day, and not over doing things. Balance is really important. (I should take up meditation and yoga; they would probably both help.) When I have a big event to attend that will involve a lot of standing or walking I take my cane/seat thingy, which is a life saver. It got me through my trip to Europe and a lot of other places since then! The only medication I take is a daily Aleve to control inflammation. I've been to an acupuncturist. I can't say enough about how wonderful those little needles are for the muscle aches! (The only problem was the drive over to the office; that got to be tough to work in once The Eldest's classes started. It was one more thing on my schedule!) The kids help out. The Middle Child loves to cook so she'll frequently make dinner for us. DH is my knight in shining armor; he comes to my rescue all the time. His cuddles are my best sleep aid, and that's just for starters. I'm also letting things go like keeping up with housework. I still have our Christmas decorations sitting out in the living room, but I'll get them put away eventually. It's a little embarrassing when I have people over but I can't stress about it. When I'm flaring it's survival mode- only the essentials are taken care of. I'll get through it and deal with the fall out when I'm feeling better. In the meantime, I take as much down time as I can steal away from my crazy schedule and spend a lot of time reading! My silver lining- if I have to hit the bed more often than I'd like, at least I can have the pleasure of books while I'm trying to recover.