Fibromyalgia, cold winter and holidays

December 13th, 2008

” The last day of the old year was one of those bright, cold, dazzling winter days, which bombard us with their brilliancy, and command our admiration but never our love” , Lucy Maud Montgomery08-012

I am now on the west coast of Canada in beautiful British Columbia. Leaving Nova Scotia in the cold, I had hoped that Vancouver would be much warmer for my angry muscles. They just don’t like the bitterness of east coast winters. Alas! It is freezing cold here and it snowed, plus there is ice, making walking treacherous. Vancouver is close to the American city of Seattle so all you Canadian and American west coasters are suffering and I am in it with you too! Climate change and all the crazy weather patterns make for unpredictable weather, wherever we are. Added to this stress? The holidays, phew! Too much for those of us with fibromyalgia. Our emotional sensitivities are on high alert. The world has turned topsy turvy these last several years and it is difficult to be hopeful about the future. But, negative thoughts are not what we need as we approach ’09!

Read the rest of this entry »

No Comments »

Fibromyalgia and Buddhist Practice of ‘Tonglin’

December 1st, 2008

1577314417” There is a crack in everything, that’s how the light gets in”, Leonard Cohen

While I have read about and practiced (somewhat… and not diligently), mindfulness meditation, I have not often successfully been able to ‘let go’ of the pain messages from my brain, which seems to be from where anxiety and stress originates. Certianly there has been good success with mindfulness meditation for fibromyalgia (See the work of Jon Kabat-Zinn). Meditation is a life long undertaking and the practice itself is intended to be daily. Now I have been told of another way to facilitate bringing more peace into our lives and ‘letting go’. It is called Tonglin Practice. Although I am not a Buddhist, I do believe that there is much to be learned from Tonglin. It too appears to be another way to work with the breath and training the brain.

Read the rest of this entry »

7 Comments »

On Being Parented and Parenting: Overcoming Past Experiences Through Understanding Pain of Fibromyalgia

November 1st, 2008

“If you look deeply into the palm of your hand, you will see your parents and all generations of your ancestors. All of them are alive in this moment. Each is present in your body. You are the continuation of each of these people”, Thich Nhat Hanhbookcover-1

Since I am convinced that fibromyalgia is the result of a hyper-aroused nervous system, I wish I knew for certain if it is caused by early inadequate parenting by our parents and/or difficult childhood experiences in highly sensitive persons, or if we are born with highly sensitive nervous systems. I have my hunches, built upon numerous interviews and talks with many people (mostly women) over many years. In particular, my view is built upon my own experiences. Therefore, I will go out on a limb and suggest that we are not born with an easily aroused nervous system, but rather it slowly develops over many years as a result of our early socialization . Yet, even saying such a thing brings up the issue of children with fibromyalgia. Maybe, just maybe, they were born with the pre-disposition to this condition. What a dilemma! More questions than answers once again. Maybe it can be both nature and nurture. Parent blaming has become something of a modern day occupation. That is certainly not my intent. Who among us had perfect parents or are ourselves perfect parents?

Read the rest of this entry »

4 Comments »

Fibromyalgia and Other Pains: Living with Anxiety and Apprehension

October 10th, 2008

400000000000000054575_s4“It’s not the load that breaks you down, it’s the way you carry it” , Lena Horne

HAPPY THANKSGIVING WEEK-END!

Read the rest of this entry »

11 Comments »

Fibromyalgia: Suffering With The Itch You Can’t Scratch

September 7th, 2008

147414671“Once it is understood that sufferings cannot be compared, then it is possible to speak of different sufferings in the same story, because there is no comparison”, Arthur W. Frank

Here it is… one awful day, living with the winds and rains of Hurricane Hanna and my brain tells my body something unusual is happening. The neurotransmitters are in overdrive. The itching has returned; it is everywhere on my body and nothing relieves it…not the Epsom Salts baths nor the Aveeno Anti-Itch lotion. I can’t get comfortable and my nerve endings are on fire. Only by constant massaging of my body parts do I get some degree of relief. When the hurricane passes us by I know the itching will subside until the next stressful event or a dramatic weather change.

Read the rest of this entry »

124 Comments »

Fibromyalgia and ‘flare-ups’

August 15th, 2008

” So, like a forgotten fire, a childhood can always fla14739747re up again within us”, Gaston Bachelard

A flare-up, a word for an acute attack of fibromyalgia, can be very alarming if it seems to come out of the air without warning. Even after years of living with fibromyalgia I can become overwhelmed with anxiety about an episode that I can’t account for. Sometimes the flare-up is in a localized area of my body, for example, this year it is in my hip, while last year it was in my foot. Other times it is everywhere; my nervous system is on fire and pain and fatigue runs rampant throughout. When it happens I go through all the scenerios of the past few days and wonder what precipitated this new, intense attack. Elaine Scarry writes that “Physical pain has no voice, but when at last finds a voice, it begins to tell a story…” (p.3). This is my story:

Read the rest of this entry »

51 Comments »

Fibromyalgia and friendships

July 25th, 2008

“One’s life has value so long as one attributes value to the life of others, by means of love, friendship, indignation and compassion”, Simone deBeauvoirfriends

This week Estelle Getty died, one of the stars of The Golden Girls, a rather schmaltzy sitcom about friendships, the theme song words “thank you for being my friend” ringing clear in the hearts of some of us old enough to remember, even if we did not particularly enjoy the shows. However, it got me to thinking about the meaning of friendships among those of us with fibromyalgia, hence these following thoughts on the topic, in particular, friendships among women. While I might seem to generalize to all women and all men this is not my intent. I show here the results of years of observations, research and experience.

Read the rest of this entry »

No Comments »

Fibromyalgia and ‘Energy Medicine’: Trying to unlock the puzzling language and belief system

July 11th, 2008

voodoo-science “Get your facts first, and then you can distort them as much as you please”, Mark Twain

Given that modern medicine has been unable to find either a cause or cure for fibromyalgia it is little wonder that many have turned to an alternate way of viewing and discussing the body in order to deal with the many daily issues facing them. ‘Energy medicine’ is significant in that it has changed the discourse about the body and is the approach that is popular with those who are not mainstream health care practitioners, although, in fact, even some conventional practitioners embrace the paradigm, which continues to amaze me. Generally based upon therapies that evolved from Eastern philosophies, there is a great deal of confusion for someone sifting through the various ways in which energy medicine is presented. In most cases this belief system involves a ‘healer’, body/mind techniques and stresses self healing. It is believed by the advocates that it is a cure for many ailments, among  them fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue and environmental illness.

Read the rest of this entry »

4 Comments »

Fibromyalgia: Men/ Women/ Sensitivity and Empathy

June 23rd, 2008

“Men are from Earth, women are from Earth. Deal with it”, George Carlinp1010023

To-day one of my favourite comedians died. I shall miss his humour and while I obviously agree with Carlin’s view that both men and women are from earth, I cannot be quite so cavalier about dealing with many known differences. Sensitivity and empathy, for example, are human emotions that are often expressed very differently among men and women and both of these affect or may even be responsible for fibromyalgia.

Read the rest of this entry »

5 Comments »

Fibromyalgia and ‘playing’ the ‘game’ of bridge

June 20th, 2008

71ke5f3wjml__sl500_aa240_“Bridge is essentially a social game, but unfortunately it attracts a substantial number of antisocial people”, Alan Truscott

Those of us with fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue need fun, lightness, play time, enjoyable games that bring us good cheer and laughter. There are no better ways to relax those painful muscles and let us forget for awhile how easily it is for us to become overwhelmed with fatigue! We are advised to find ways to relax, think positive thoughts, spend time with nice, friendly people and let our minds focus on happy places and events that add joy to our lives. Of course it is also important to keep our brains active and alert even when we experience ‘brain fog’.

Read the rest of this entry »

10 Comments »

Fibromyalgia and the attempt to force it into a ‘disease’ category

June 12th, 2008

” Things are going to get a lot worse before they get worse” , Lily Tomlinweirdthings

I am weary. Try as much as I can, I cannot find many fibromyalgia researchers who are willing to stop this endless search for a medical cause of fibromyalgia! So many seem keen on trying to force the Cinderella slipper on the wrong foot! WHY IS THIS? It can’t be for research grants to enhance careers, but can it be that there is a naive hope of finding a ‘cure’. But, wait, I don’t mean to imply that all the researchers are cold hearted and don’t want to find a ‘cure’! Of course they do, who wouldn’t? But how about the ’cause’ question? Back and forth we go between cause and cure.

Read the rest of this entry »

11 Comments »

Fibromyalgia, Evidence Based Medicine and ‘Complementary / Alternative’ Practices

June 4th, 2008

“Question everything”, Maria Mitchellqigong

Frustrated that there is not much hope for relief from the usual medical system and its approach to fibromyalgia, many turn for help to practitioners who provide either complementary or alternative medicine (C/AM). The differences between the latter two is an artifical separation since they both entail using concoctions, therapies, herbs, or homeopathic remedies that are one and the same. The more interesting issue is how  they differ from the traditional scientific ‘western’ medical approach, or what has been known as ’allopathic’ medicine, or now commonly referred to as ‘evidence based medicine’ (EBM) of health care. However, within this discussion I do not refer to EBM as within the domain of CAM as many ‘alternate’ practitioners are prone to do.

Read the rest of this entry »

5 Comments »

Fibromyalgia and ‘Differences’

June 2nd, 2008

41xy6fs0j3l“It is not our differences that divide us. It is our inability to recognize, accept, and celebrate those differences”, Audre Lorde 

As I write blogs I am constantly aware that readers will be wondering where they fit in the scheme of things I am writing about. For that reason I believe it is important for me to point out where I am coming from socially and geographically, as well as a host of other ‘differences’ among all of us.

Read the rest of this entry »

2 Comments »

Fibromyalgia and Activities for Strength/Flexibility/Cardiovascular Health

May 28th, 2008

“Lack of activity destroys the good condition of every human being, while movement and methodical physical exercise save it and preserve it”, Plato one-to-one-001

The search continues for the ultimate regime that strengthens and improves our overall health. From the ‘pump iron’ mantra… to the videos about Pilates… to the parks filled with the Tai Chi practitioners… to the joggers on our sidewalks…to the yoga clubs whose numbers continue to swell, we are left in a state of frustration and confusion, particularly if we can sometimes barely walk! What is to be done?

Read the rest of this entry »

8 Comments »

Fibromyalgia and the Chronic Confusion over Cause

May 15th, 2008

highsenspers“I’m not confused, I’m just well mixed”, Robert Frost 

How sad it is that this invisible dis-ease that affects primarily women (although many more men and children are reported to be experiencing FMS than before) has led to so much continued confusion about causation. The theories about the cause of fibromyalgia have preoccupied researchers for the past several decades, partcularly as the numbers of reported cases have risen dramatically.

Read the rest of this entry »

7 Comments »

Fibromyalgia and Florence Nightingale

May 12th, 2008

“There is no part of my life, upon which I can look back without pain”, Florence Nightingale 13892932

To-day, May 12th is International Fibromyalgia Awareness Day. It is also the birth date of Florence Nightingale, born May 12, 1820.

Read the rest of this entry »

13 Comments »

Fibromyalgia and helping professionals: Massage therapists? Chiropractors? Physiotherapists? Osteopaths? Who to turn to?

April 29th, 2008

explain20pain20cover“Every person who has mastered a profession is a skeptic concerning it” , George Bernard Shaw 

After a diagnosis of fibromyalgia is made usually the search begins for someone who is expert in working with people in pain. Who is it to be? While it may be someone from the traditional medical system who is a certified professional, such as a medical physician or a physiotherapist (physical therapist), it could just as likely be an acupuncturist or a person skilled in Jin Shin Jyutsu, Feldenkrais, Qi Gong, or Therapeutic Touch who are often regarded as ‘alternative professionals’. Do we go with one therapist or a combination? A team? Will one set of professionals work with another or is there competition among many? What do we do when there are opposing views among them? How do we avoid dependence upon one or several within the groups available? Most importantly, to use the quote in the book Explain Pain, how do we avoid the “sea of endless professionals”?

Read the rest of this entry »

6 Comments »

The winter of my discontent: the spring of my hope for ‘fibromyalgia and the strengthening machines’

April 16th, 2008

“You gain strength, courage and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You are able to say to yourself, ’I have lived through this horror. I can take the next thing that comes along.’ You must do the thing you think you cannot do” , Eleanor Rooseveltone-to-one-002

So now has ended my winter of intense pain. It is spring time. A time of hope.

Read the rest of this entry »

No Comments »

Fibromyalgia and the changing seasons!

March 10th, 2008

“In the spring I have counted one hundred and thirty-six different kinds of weather inside of four and twenty hours”, Mark Twain p1010059

Well, here it is!  Only ten days until it’s officially spring! One would never know it living as I do in Nova Scotia. One day it is -10C and the next day it can go up as high as +10C. Then it snows again but the next day it rains. Some days there may be sun; often it is dreary and dark. Erratic weather like this is the worst for me and results in flare-ups of fibromyalgia. I can awaken in the middle of the night knowing that a storm is approaching as my body is quivering with pain and light-headed dis-ease.

Read the rest of this entry »

2 Comments »

The Stigma of Fibromyalgia, a Women’s ‘Condition’

January 20th, 2008

“Being a woman is hard work”, Maya Angelou. angelou

There can be little doubt that fibromyalgia has become very prominent as a serious social and personal condition that affects primarily women. In fact, it is said by some that it is an epidemic of great proportions. Loss of work, physical impairments and challenges, intense pain, decreased income for many, increases in medication consumption, burdens on the health care systems and family disruptions are among the many serious outcomes of this debilitating syndrome. The numbers of people, mostly women, often middle age-aged, who suffer from this condition far outnumber the numbers of those who suffer from such a horrific life threatening disease as HIV/AIDS, even though fibromyalgia is not in and of itself a threat to life. While I do not suggest that comparisons should be made,  or pitting one bitter struggle against another, nonetheless, both HIV/AIDS and fibromyalgia suffer from social stigma, as did the tuberculosis epidemic of decades ago.

Read the rest of this entry »

5 Comments »