Some days I just get mad. Today is one of those days. Hell, I’m not mad; I am pissed. I need to stop censoring myself just because I don’t want to offend anyone reading this. I am pissed! I’m pissed that I still have hope – hope that somewhere inside me there is still a vibrant healthy person, but everyday I feel myself slipping further and further away from her. I am pissed that I cannot just wake up in the morning and take control of my day. I am pissed that I can’t always finish the laundry when it needs to be done or scrub the damn toilet. I am pissed that my head and neck hurt so … [Read more...]
Fibromyalgia-like Pain in Frida Kahlo’s Paintings
When Frida came out in 2002 I knew nothing about the artist Frida Kahlo. After watching the film I became haunted by her. For weeks after I could not stop thinking about the tempestuous woman who, despite living with an inhumane amount of pain, lived with extreme magnetism and passion. I think I was drawn to her because of her pain. I even mentioned to my husband once that I believed she might have suffered from Fibromyalgia. Frida’s pain began with a devastating bus crash at the age of eighteen. Here is an excerpt form Frida: A Biography of Frida Kahlo by Hayden Herrera, which … [Read more...]
Things I Love #1: Sudoku
This is the first in a series of post I am going to do about things I love. These are things that lift my spirits and help get me through my good and bad days. They are in NO PARTICULAR ORDER, so the fact that post #1 is not about my husband does not make me the worst wife on the planet! How I battle Fibrofog. Sudoku! For those of you unfamiliar with Sudoku, the object is to fill a 9x9 grid so that each column, each row, and each of the nine 3x3 boxes contains the digits from 1 to 9 only one time each. Digits cannot repeat in box, row or column. It is a simple concept but … [Read more...]
Flare-up Number ???
I have a headache. My neck is killing me. I hurt. I can't believe how much pain I am in. I have made these or similar other complaints to my husband so many times that I wonder if he even hears them any more, or if he just knows based on my posture and my mood and my tone of voice. I mean really, how many times can he hear the same thing without becoming somewhat numb to it, desensitized. But my pain still shocks me. It still surprises me. It still has the ability to make me wonder how can I hurt this badly and still be functioning? I am not functioning very well today. Whatever … [Read more...]
Fibromyalgia Pain Breakthrough: Qigong
Last week the Chronicle Herald published an article about the results of a recent Qigong trial done on people living with chronic pain. According to the researcher, Dr. Mary Lynch at Quenn Elizabeth II Health Sciences Centre, “their quality of life and their level of pain got better. And this is just through a simple series of gentle, dance-like moves.” What is Qigong? From the Qigong Institute: Qigong (chee-gong) is “Energy techniques” or “Energy Skills,” the ancient Chinese internal arts used for over 5000 years to promote health, emotional happiness and spiritual … [Read more...]