Fibro Fog T-Shirt

Fibromyalgia Awareness Day is coming and I'm bored with purple ribbons so I designed a T-Shirt with some sass. 
Fibro Fog T-Shirt

Gentle Yoga for Fibromyalgia

Lie flat on floor with a blanket or mat under you if needed. Then stretch arms back as far as you can reach while you stretch feet as far as you can reach. Then stretch like that but alternating right arm, left leg, left arm, right leg. Then pull knees up to chest if you can and wrap arms around legs or clasp hands to hug legs to body and rock gently from side to side. If you can't stretch that far to wrap a hug around legs, then clasp hands under/behind knees. The more snugly you can get yourself in a ball the more rolling and massaging action you will get. This is a yoga pose called "Little Boat". Imagine you are rocking gently on waves. Relax and breathe. This is THE one best exercise to give spine, hips, whole back and across tight shoulders a gentle massage and evening out and you will feel your core stomach muscles engage as you allow yourself to rock as far to each side as you can before you either capsize ( ha, ha! ) or right yourself. The thing is, do not force it like a work out, breathe and roll with it like a gentle boat ride for fun. Do it as long as it feels good, then stretch out and relax a bit. Do not sit straight up from any floor exercise - you can undo all the nice stretching and relaxing you just accomplished - roll to your side and get up slowly using your arms to help you.

Homeopathic Arnica Gel for Pain

Many years ago, before I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia, or even knew what it was, I began taking a self defense class with a friend of mine. Unfortunately, I had to drop out after the first class. One of the first lessons was how to block with the forearms and the day following the class, I had huge purple goose eggs that hurt right down to the bone on both arms. I had a low grade fever that I believe was my body's response to the injury on my arms. Oddly, my friend had no such goose eggs on her arms and was not even sore. Well, not so oddly, I think to myself now - knowing what I know about fibromyalgia.

At the time, I was working as a baker and chef in a health food store. I had left the traditional bakeries to work with alternative ingredients because I'd been changing my own diet in an attempt to feel better. As a added plus, I got a great employee discount on supplements, which I badly needed. In an attempt to improve my health, I was swallowing about $200 a month of supplements. Twelve year ago, that was a lot of money. Even today, it's a lot of money. But I was feeling so miserable with fibro that I was trying whatever I could. The doctors had no answers for me and nothing that helped.

Back to my bruises. My boss at the health food store looked at the goose eggs on my arms and walked over to a shelf and grabbed a tube of Arnica Gel. He told me it worked miracles on bumps, bruises and pain. I was skeptical, and skeptic that I am, I decided to treat just one arm. I felt immediate lessening of pain after applying the gel. I applied it a few more times during the day and before bed. The next morning, I kid you not, the bruise and lump were barely visible. The swelling was completely gone, pain gone and just a slight discoloration to the skin. 

Over the years, I have used it on specific sore spots and aching muscles and had much better results with Arnica Gel than with major brand name pain relieving rubs. Some of those rubs leave a lingering cold or hot sensation that drives me up the wall and only makes me focus my attention on the hurting area all the more. Arnica Gel goes on a bit cool due to a witch hazel base and then it is quickly absorbed into the skin and forgotten. Yes, it makes me forget the sore spot and pain. 

This stuff has become a must have in my medicine cabinet and gets packed on trips and outings, especially when kids are along. If you have kids, you know all about bumps and bruises and goose eggs on heads. The first thing I run for after the bag of frozen peas ice pack is the Arnica Gel. I have seen it work miracles every single time.

Besides Arnica Gel, Arnica also comes in a homeopathic pill form to be taken internally. The pills can also speed the healing of painful injuries and can even be taken before surgery to minimize trauma to the body and speed healing. That is particularly helpful for fibromyalgia sufferers who are facing a surgical procedure.

Homeopathy is a broad and deep subject of which I have only rudimentary knowledge, however, I have repeatedly been pleased with the safe and gentle effectiveness of homeopathic remedies such as Arnica and Arnica Gel.

If you add Arnica Gel to your medicine cabinet, you may also want to add Calendula Gel for burns and scrapes, blisters, rashes, skin irritations. I have just as many miracle stories about Calendula Gel and pack my tube, along with the Arnica, whenever I venture into the world with children in tow. As a baker and chef, I've had my share of burns. I've tried everything there is to try for burns and Calendula Gel has proven itself to be the only thing that has minimized or completely relieved the pain of a burn and sped the healing process.

EFT and Pain Relief

Emotional Freedom Technique is catching on big time. Now when I say EFT, people know what the letters mean. I just found a site that has an EFT program that is specific to pain. Now that is a good thing for everyone with fibromyalgia and any condition that contributes to chronic pain. 

Here's the link:EFT Pain Relief

Fogged In

This morning, the sky was overcast and the humidity was high. My ears were popping and I felt entirely disoriented and forgetful and scattered. I have already reversed half the letters in this sentence and misspelled most of the words. Thank goodness for spell check. I checked the weather forecast, and sure enough, a big green patch of precipitation is covering TN and headed my way. I just don't understand articles I read that claim the weather has no effect on people. I do not need to look at a barometer to know the pressure is dropping - my head and bones know.

I had a few productive, but physically painful days this week. I can ride pain out. What puts me at a stand still and makes me totally ineffectual and very dysfunctional is this damned fibro fog, which I swear is at least 80% weather related. So how can I change this? Any ideas? Anything work for you? 

Fibromyalgia and Driving

This morning someone asked the Facebook Fellow Travelers Group how they handled driving and long trips. After I posted there, I decided to post my thoughts here.

A person without fibromyalgia may consider a drive to be relaxing. They hardly consider it to be work or a tiring activity. Those of us with fibromyalgia cringe when we face a trip of a half an hour or more. 

The combination of sitting still for too long and the sensory overload can push a fibro sufferer right into the pain zone. 

If you have to make a long trip alone, it helps to be prepared before you set out. Have your directions at hand before you go, or program the GPS. Pack water and healthy nibbling snacks like nuts, dried fruit, cheezits or pretzels to keep yourself hydrated in the car and to help keep your blood sugar steady. It also saves you money and you may not be as tempted to indulge in fast food. A lunch at a burger joint can bring your energy crashing down just when you need it most to stay alert in midday traffic. Stop every twenty minutes and get out and stretch a bit. 

Take care of checking your tires, fluids and gas the day before you leave, if possible. The stress of doing these things last minute or wondering mid-trip if you need oil just makes things worse.  

Plan your trip to minimize stressful and overstimulating environments. An hour spent in a Walmart after an hour trip to a doctor visit can make the drive home feel twice as long and it lands me in bed the next day. I find making a list of what I need to do or buy and sticking to it helps me get in and out of stressful environments faster. 

Even if you are on best behavior during your trip, you may still feel the effects the next day. Plan your calendar, if possible to allow for a day of decompression and be gentle with yourself.

While traveling, and in general, drinking soda and diet soda is a big no-no. One of the most healthful and helpful things you can do for your body is get the water habit and kick the soda habit. I admit, I like pizza a whole lot more with a Coca Cola, but I rarely drink soda - I consider it a special treat. The perils of soda, regular or diet, are great and the price a person with fibromyalgia pays for drinking either regularly is enormous.

I know the blast of energy is a soda gives is tempting when you are on the road. Years ago, when I moved from NY to AZ, I used a product called Emergen-C and sipped it nonstop while I drove 12 hour days. It kept me alive. It tastes great. It is a great alternative to soda and canned energy drinks when you are on the road.

New Group at Facebook

My friend, Clarissa Shepherd, was slowly growing a fibro group on a ning based site. Many users began complaining of inconsistencies with overall ability to use the site, so Clarissa moved to facebook and the group is rockin'. New members joining by the minutes. Come and play with us. We keep it hopeful and loving.

Fellow Travelers