Fun with Fibro - adding it all up
Fibro doesn't really have a maximum setting. CFIDS doesn't either, and I suspect that other auto-immune issues are the same.
So, for those of you who don't know how this works, it's sort of like THAC0* math.
You start with base 0.
To this you add your base pain levels for whatever time period (Spring = 4 in my case).**
+1 for recent weather changes
+1 additional if those weather changes are extreme (sunny to pouring, for instance). These accumulate if there are frequent weather changes during the day.
+1 for any virus
+1 to 3 for levels of exertion the day before
+1 for every level of stress currently experienced
+1 for any adrenaline rush in the previous day before
+1d4 for random conditions not listed here that are difficult to determine and may be related to hidden substances in something you ate or drank at some point in the previous 3 days.
-1 to 3 for amount of medication you have consumed (add in -5 to dexterity for every pill consumed)
-1 for stretching 20 times during the day for the previous 3 days (whole body, not just one big stand up and stretch, but actually stretching all of the bigs of your body out)
-1 for eating exceptionally well (including high levels of protein, and getting all your vitamins, and consuming enough water to drown a horse***)
I am sure there are other modifiers I have forgotten, but you get the idea.
The thing about pain levels is that once you pass 8, you can't really escape it, it invades what dreams you have when you are sleeping. 10 or more and sleeping only really happens if you are so sleep deprived that you pass out. medications often don't so much make the pain stop as they make you care less about having it.
Some people might think that everyone would just curl into a ball and scream after you hit around 8 or 9, but really... what would the point be? It won't change that you still have to go to the bathroom sometimes. You still need to try to eat since a) you need protein and nutrients for the fibro to chill out, and b) 99.99% of the meds you can take for the pain require you to eat with them. And screaming just makes your throat sore and raw on top of the pain you are already in. Stoicism in the face of great pain is not about strength or valor or anything of that nature, it's about the choices not really being viable. Shit still has to get done. You still have to try to get better. And yeah, maybe what you *can* do during that time is extremely minor, but your brain doesn't stop because you are in extreme pain and you are exceptionally aware that you are trapped in the meat sack from hell. If you don't occupy your mind elsewhere, you go insane. This would be why a lot of people I know listen to books on tape, play video games, watch movies on dvd, read, or listen to music obsessively - doing *nothing at all* is not really an option.
Oh, and at some point, taking *more* meds just backfires and makes things even worse instead. Wheeee.
While I am, personally, hovering around 8 or 9 today for pain levels, I didn't write this out to say "oh woe, see my pain" but as a way for people who don't personally experience these things to understand a little better how it really works for those of us who do. Everyone knows someone who deals with chronic pain (obviously you all know me, but more than me), even if you haven't been made aware that they do. Using this math, you can anticipate when people close to you with these issues might be having an *extra* hard day, and cut them a little slack or step up to do lifting or more difficult chores. It doesn't go unnoticed, even if it goes uncommented.
*To Hit Armor Class 0 for those of you who don't speak old-school D&D
**Every season has a base pain level for most of the people I know. While the pain base levels vary from person to person, everyone has one.
***I swear it takes at least 150oz of water to make a difference.
So, for those of you who don't know how this works, it's sort of like THAC0* math.
You start with base 0.
To this you add your base pain levels for whatever time period (Spring = 4 in my case).**
+1 for recent weather changes
+1 additional if those weather changes are extreme (sunny to pouring, for instance). These accumulate if there are frequent weather changes during the day.
+1 for any virus
+1 to 3 for levels of exertion the day before
+1 for every level of stress currently experienced
+1 for any adrenaline rush in the previous day before
+1d4 for random conditions not listed here that are difficult to determine and may be related to hidden substances in something you ate or drank at some point in the previous 3 days.
-1 to 3 for amount of medication you have consumed (add in -5 to dexterity for every pill consumed)
-1 for stretching 20 times during the day for the previous 3 days (whole body, not just one big stand up and stretch, but actually stretching all of the bigs of your body out)
-1 for eating exceptionally well (including high levels of protein, and getting all your vitamins, and consuming enough water to drown a horse***)
I am sure there are other modifiers I have forgotten, but you get the idea.
The thing about pain levels is that once you pass 8, you can't really escape it, it invades what dreams you have when you are sleeping. 10 or more and sleeping only really happens if you are so sleep deprived that you pass out. medications often don't so much make the pain stop as they make you care less about having it.
Some people might think that everyone would just curl into a ball and scream after you hit around 8 or 9, but really... what would the point be? It won't change that you still have to go to the bathroom sometimes. You still need to try to eat since a) you need protein and nutrients for the fibro to chill out, and b) 99.99% of the meds you can take for the pain require you to eat with them. And screaming just makes your throat sore and raw on top of the pain you are already in. Stoicism in the face of great pain is not about strength or valor or anything of that nature, it's about the choices not really being viable. Shit still has to get done. You still have to try to get better. And yeah, maybe what you *can* do during that time is extremely minor, but your brain doesn't stop because you are in extreme pain and you are exceptionally aware that you are trapped in the meat sack from hell. If you don't occupy your mind elsewhere, you go insane. This would be why a lot of people I know listen to books on tape, play video games, watch movies on dvd, read, or listen to music obsessively - doing *nothing at all* is not really an option.
Oh, and at some point, taking *more* meds just backfires and makes things even worse instead. Wheeee.
While I am, personally, hovering around 8 or 9 today for pain levels, I didn't write this out to say "oh woe, see my pain" but as a way for people who don't personally experience these things to understand a little better how it really works for those of us who do. Everyone knows someone who deals with chronic pain (obviously you all know me, but more than me), even if you haven't been made aware that they do. Using this math, you can anticipate when people close to you with these issues might be having an *extra* hard day, and cut them a little slack or step up to do lifting or more difficult chores. It doesn't go unnoticed, even if it goes uncommented.
*To Hit Armor Class 0 for those of you who don't speak old-school D&D
**Every season has a base pain level for most of the people I know. While the pain base levels vary from person to person, everyone has one.
***I swear it takes at least 150oz of water to make a difference.