My friend Fibro...
I guess it's time I talked about this. About two weeks ago I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia. This did not come as a complete surprise to me, and actually was kind of a relief. At least there's a name for what's been wrong with me for several years now. It's not all in my head, and it's not going to go away with a vacation or a good night's sleep.
So what is it? It's a disorder of the muscles. Or brain. Or something. How did I get it? My don't know. No one *really* knows what causes it, what it is or what to do about it. One current theory is that failure to enter stage 4 sleep causes our bodies not to repair themselves while we sleep. Many therapies focus on this aspect.
Symptoms (of mine) include crushing fatigue, widespread pain both achy and stabbing, frequent migraines, a high-pitched constant ringing in my ears, highly sensitive skin at times (as in, can't stand having anything touch me), crippling stomach cramps, occasional bouts of forgetfulness and poor concentration, and did I mention crushing fatigue?
How bad is the fatigue? Instead of trying to explain, go read The Spoon Theory. It's written by someone with Lupus, but the analogy is apt for fibro as well. Go on, I'll wait.
In my case, the fatigue is easily the worst part. The other symptoms, while irritating (or debilitating like the migraines) are only intermittent. The tired is never-ending. I sound like a broken record, complaining about it all the time. No amount of sleep helps. So many times I've had plans for a day, and been flat unable to do it all. I hit a wall, and just drop.
So what now? I'm going to have to re-organize my life a bit. Now I know it's not going to go away, I need to make some changes. I may end up looking for another job. The work I do now is stressful, unpredictable and occasionally physically difficult (as in: Hauling computers about, crawling around under desks, etc). All of those things are very bad for a "fibromite."
I'm going to have to bite the bullet and exercise. I'll have to try to get out of my Curves membership, as my doctor says it's too high impact. Walking and yoga will be better.
Most of all, I need to learn two things:
1) Pace myself.
2) It's not my fault, and I can try to stop feeling bad about being so lame all the time.
So what is it? It's a disorder of the muscles. Or brain. Or something. How did I get it? My don't know. No one *really* knows what causes it, what it is or what to do about it. One current theory is that failure to enter stage 4 sleep causes our bodies not to repair themselves while we sleep. Many therapies focus on this aspect.
Symptoms (of mine) include crushing fatigue, widespread pain both achy and stabbing, frequent migraines, a high-pitched constant ringing in my ears, highly sensitive skin at times (as in, can't stand having anything touch me), crippling stomach cramps, occasional bouts of forgetfulness and poor concentration, and did I mention crushing fatigue?
How bad is the fatigue? Instead of trying to explain, go read The Spoon Theory. It's written by someone with Lupus, but the analogy is apt for fibro as well. Go on, I'll wait.
In my case, the fatigue is easily the worst part. The other symptoms, while irritating (or debilitating like the migraines) are only intermittent. The tired is never-ending. I sound like a broken record, complaining about it all the time. No amount of sleep helps. So many times I've had plans for a day, and been flat unable to do it all. I hit a wall, and just drop.
So what now? I'm going to have to re-organize my life a bit. Now I know it's not going to go away, I need to make some changes. I may end up looking for another job. The work I do now is stressful, unpredictable and occasionally physically difficult (as in: Hauling computers about, crawling around under desks, etc). All of those things are very bad for a "fibromite."
I'm going to have to bite the bullet and exercise. I'll have to try to get out of my Curves membership, as my doctor says it's too high impact. Walking and yoga will be better.
Most of all, I need to learn two things:
1) Pace myself.
2) It's not my fault, and I can try to stop feeling bad about being so lame all the time.