More Pain Means Less Everything Else

I've been living with more chronic pain lately and it's starting to show.

My mother-in-law called the other day and asked my hubby, "Why hasn't Selena posted on her blog lately?  Is she OK?"  She wanted to talk to me, but I was in the middle of a task, so I asked if I could call her back.

That gave me time to really ponder her question.

The truth is, I've been in a fibro flare-up for over 18 months now.  I know how it started -- being involved in a car accident last year.  Because getting into any kind of accident when you have chronic pain is probably one of THE worst things that can happen to you.

But then I realized the chain of events that has kept my flare-up going since then.  Things like:

• ongoing dental work, in the form of crowns and root canals, that is causing me more pain. It seems like every 6 months I need another dental procedure! Next up...another root canal.
• an increase in doctor's appointments, which are using up a lot of my available energy. But I feel the visits are an important part of my "get better" plan.
• participating physical therapy, which unfortunately is increasing my pain and fatigue in the short run.  I am hoping that if I stick with it, it will be helpful to me in the long run. *fingers-crossed*

And let me not forget my post-accident anxiety about being in a car.  I am really paying attention to how other people are driving now and it is downright scary sometimes. I'm working on being less hyper-vigilant, but in the meantime, a ride in the car can be quite draining.

Here are some of the other things that a severe pain flare-up can do to us:

1) Any increase in severe pain mean you have less of everything else: less energy -- physical, mental and emotional, fewer good days, a decreased ability to leave the house, run errands and go places, and a diminished capability to get things done. 

2) Any time you have an increase in severe pain, you are forced to cut back on all your activities -- physical, mental and emotional.  The longer the duration of your increased pain, the more you cut back.

3) Deconditioning can be the result of a prolonged reduction in physical activity due to an increase in severe pain. Deconditioning is defined as:

...the loss of muscle tone and endurance due to chronic disease, immobility, or loss of function.

Deconditioning becomes another challenge to overcome on your path to recovery from a severe flare-up.

4) Ongoing pain flare-ups increase the other symptoms associated with your particular chronic pain disorder.  For me, this means more fibro fog, more painsomnia (pain-related insomnia), more fatigue and more numbness and tingling in my arms and hands.

So why haven't I been blogging more lately? 

Clearly my increased pain, fatigue and fibro fog all play a significant role.

But it is also my conscious choice to spend more of the energy I do have on the things that have the potential to help me get better in the long run, like treating my dental pain, seeing my pain management doctor and doing my best to participate in a gentle and graded physical therapy program. Because I want to get back to my baseline, to be a 30 out of of 100 again.  I've been more of a 20 for the last 18+ months and frankly, I'm not happy here.  (See the scale I am referring to here. )

I want to get back to container gardening, crafting, gaming and doing more of the things I used to be able to do a regular basis.  That includes achieving my goal to consistently blog and write too.

So while most normal, healthy people might recover from a car accident in 6 to 8 weeks, the simple fact is, for someone like me living with fibromyalgia, it takes more like 60 to 80+ weeks to recover.  It's the proverbial situation of "adding insult to injury."  When you live a life with chronic pain and/or chronic illness, it just takes more time to bounce back from any added severe stress, injury or trauma.

But I will get there, I promise you and I promise myself.  It is just going to take more time, energy and patience. What keeps me motivated?  Looking forward to less pain meaning more living my life.

Why I Blog About My Life with Chronic Illness

Me, blogging from my couch

I haven't thought about this subject for quite a while, but I am writing about it for a good cause.  When I am done, I will be submitting this post to a blog carnival over at Restoring Quality of Life: the official blog of the Partnership for Palliative Care.

I've done so much sharing here for over 6 years now.  While I was a bit hesitant when I first started, I honestly don't give this topic a second thought anymore.  In fact, when I'm not able to post as often as I would like, I actually feel like something is seriously missing in my life. And from comments I get, I know my readers miss me too when I post less frequently!

So with the power of hindsight behind me, I put my thinking cap on and uncovered 3 main reasons why I continue to share my struggles with chronic illness so publicly. 

Reason #1: To Connect with Others

Ten years ago, I was a very outgoing and social person.  I loved going out with my friends to concerts, dance clubs, restaurants and the movies.  I loved going shopping all by myself for hours at the mall.  I bowled with my hubby in 2 leagues at our local alley, meeting many new friends.  I was someone who didn't mind driving all around town to meet up with friends and visit interesting places!

Ten years ago, I was a clinical social worker with 11 years work experience.  I worked full-time and I interacted with lots and lots of people every day.  At my last position, I even volunteered for the events committee, planning workplace parties and other fun activities with and for my co-workers.

Then 2004, a trip-and-fall accident resulted in the chronic pain and fatigue of fibromyalgia, which took all of these things, and more, away from me. 

Now, leaving the house to do something fun with my hubby or friends is like running a marathon.  It makes my pain worse, it disrupts my fragile equilibrium and it often pushes me beyond my limits.  The unavoidable increase in pain and fatigue makes me feel physically awful and mentally anxious and irritable. In those moments of increased symptoms, I find myself cursing my chronic illness for the devastating effects it has on me.

So I decided to start sharing stories about my life with chronic illness through a blog and on Twitter.  Like a fisherman's net, I threw myself out there to see if I could connect with anyone.  And through the magic of the Internet and the act of sharing my thoughts, feelings and experiences in a search engine friendly format, I attracted others to my blog and Twitter account.  Over time, my posts and tweets became my ticket to the online chronic illness community. 

And just like that, I started meeting new people and being social again in ways that fit with my "new" life.

Reason #2: To Share the Illness Experience

When I began my "new" life with the chronic pain and fatigue of fibromyalgia, I wasn't quite sure what to do.  Initially, I looked to my medical providers to diagnose my illness and prescribe some kind of treatment that would get me back to normal.  As the weeks turned into months and the months turned into years, it started becoming clear that my doctors were going to be able to fix me. 

Thinking back to my cancer experience 16 years before, I realized that to live my best life with chronic illness, I was going to need the support, wisdom and guidance of other people living with fibromyalgia and chronic pain to help me figure out what to do next. 

In 1988, I was lucky to find a young adult cancer survivor group after I finished my leukemia treatment.  They helped me make sense of my cancer experience and find the strength and courage to put my life back together after it was so completely disrupted.  I learned that sharing about my illness with other people helped motivate me to turn life's lemons into lemonade.  And listening to the stories of others in similar situations to my own, about their struggles and successes, helped me to accept and master my own illness experience.  Positive peer influence and support for me are magical, life-affirming gifts.

So with this new challenge facing me, I started looking for an in-person support group.  Much to my dismay, I had no luck!  Then I realized that if other people living with fibromyalgia were like me, attending a weekly support group might be a nearly impossible task. 

Then a "healthy" friend introduce me to blogging, Twitter and Facebook.  Wanting to make new friends and new connections, I drove in and gave social media a try. 

Six years later, social media is a permanent part of my life.  I've learned how to ask for support and, in return, give support to others in these virtual groups and forums. I simply can't imagine my life without this unique way of sharing my illness experience.  I feel I am truly part of a community that is accessible, convenient and, most of all, caring.

Reason #3: To Give to My Hubby and IRL Friends Some Downtime

This might seem strange, but having multiple sources of support in my life not only makes my life better, it makes life better for my hubby too.  Because let's be honest: the people who live with us and/or interact with us the most really need to have a break from us and our chronic illnesses every now and again. 

Being the social person that I am, it is in my nature to want to share everything with my hubby and my friends.  I'm not shy about asking for a compassionate ear when I need a little understanding, empathy and support.  But since the illness I am dealing with is chronic, i.e. an illness that I will live with for the rest of my life, there is a real risk of burning out my support system from overuse.  I care about my hubby and my friends too much to let that happen.

With support needs that are sometimes big and definitely ongoing, I know I need more than just a few people "in real life (IRL)" to lend me an ear when I need one.  Thankfully I've found the extended support network I need in the virtual communities that social media is able to create and support.  I can access this support any time, quickly and easily, through my computer or smartphone.

Final Thoughts

As with all things in this life, social media isn't perfect.  I've encountered misunderstandings, miscommunications, hurt feelings (mostly unintentional), meltdowns and even the occasional fight.  Social media can be intimidating at first and there is definitely a learning curve.  I found it easiest to observe more and interact less at first, a.k.a. be a lurker.  But since most of the rules are literally unwritten, I found the "watch and learn" approach worked best for me.

That said, for the most part, I've found the chronic illness community to be wonderfully polite, supportive, accepting and caring.  But then again, most of us participating in this community have a shared purpose: to live our best lives despite chronic illness.  I think this really helps keep the conversations and interactions focus and helpful.

Now if only I could find a way to meet all my lovely new friends living with chronic illness in-person!

Love -- In Sickness, not Health

Happy Valentine's Day!  I can't think of a better day to talk about how chronic illness affects my most important relationship: the one with my hubby of over 15 years.

Robert and I met when I was a freshman at UCLA in 1984.  He and I were friends in 1988 when I was diagnosed with leukemia.  While he didn't see much of my day-to-day struggle with month-long hospitalizations and chemotherapy treatments, he also didn't vanish like some of my other friends and family members did.

In 1990, when he first told me he loved me and wanted to go out with me, I freaked out.  Between getting dumped by a boyfriend one month into cancer treatment and trying to cope with the changes life after cancer brought me, I wasn't ready to start dating yet.  So I politely told him no.

Luckily for both of us, I changed my mind 5 years later when we reconnected and rekindled our friendship.

Today, looking back on our 15 years of marriage, I've just realized that I've been living with chronic illnesses severe enough to make me unable to work for almost 10 years now.  So 2/3 of our marriage has been with my sickness, not health.

I told Robert when we started talking about marriage that there was a *possibility* that my health could get worse. We both knew I had chronic Hepatitis C infection, yet ironically, that's not what has disabled me for the last 10 years.

And not even a year into our marriage, I was faced with a new health concern.  I was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, which isn't causing me any serious problems at the moment, but does require a lot of effort on my part to manage it with diet, exercise, medications and follow-up medical care.

No, the big change happened in 2004 when a trip-and-fall accident started my journey with the constant, severe pain and debilitating fatigue of fibromyalgia.  That accident also worsened a pre-existing, but not yet diagnosed, condition that had been around since the end of my cancer treatment -- dysautonomia.  I've also developed new health problems, like sleep apnea, which is associated with fibromyalgia. Honestly, chronic pain makes all my other health problems worse, in various degrees, and makes managing them all more challenging too.

The other day I read a poster that said, "It's true that pain changes people. Not everyone knows this, not everyone sees this truth. Pain makes you let go of things you'd rather be doing. Sometimes it's OK that the only thing you did today was breathe. Pain changes you.  But it can also make you stronger."  Well, Robert's had an up close and intimate view of all the ways that pain has changed me...and he's seen a lot of unpleasant, undesirable and uncomfortable things in the last 10 years. 

Let me be frank and to the point.  I'm less frequently my cheerful self when my pain, fatigue and sleep-deprivation are at high levels.  I need more help now and Robert is the one around who can help me.  As much as I plan, pace, schedule, restructure activities and rest, my ability to participate in life's activities, from mundane daily chores to fun special events, is highly unpredictable.  No wonder my hubby gets irritated with me, or rather my chronic illnesses, sometimes.

My chronic illnesses don't just effect me physically; chronic illness affects my concentration and memory too.  Brain fog makes me forgetful, even when he just told me what he needed me to do.  Try asking for help when all of a sudden you can't remember the word for the object you need your spouse to bring to you!

If I fall apart, physically, mentally or emotionally, it is Robert who is usually there to witness it.  If I have a bad day, it impacts him the most.  If I am in a really bad mood, he's most likely to caught up in it.  If I can't do something, he's the one that will have to do it instead.

Yes, we have avoided being part of the statistic that shows 75% of marriages in which one spouse has chronic illness end in divorce.  But no, our marriage hasn't always been easy.  Ask Robert and he'll tell you we've had more than our fair share of bumps (or mountains!) in the road. 

How have we done it? I think being friends for 14 years first and then dating, getting engaged and married helps.

I try to always be polite when asking for his help and grateful for the things Robert does for me. I try to tell him thank you frequently.  I've learned to take a "time out" and retreat from his presence if I am really out-of-sorts.  And I take the time to explain what is going on with me, often multiple times, until he really seems to understand.

Between explanations and witnessing my behavior over the last 10 years, I think he now really knows what is up with me -- sometimes better than I do!

One thing I've needed in the past several years is his help driving me to doctors' appointments.  I have to say going to my appointments and being in the examination room with me has really been an education for him!  He is now very annoyed that all the medical doctors and all the medical specialists can't put his wife back together again.

Finally, one thing that is both endearing and frustrating to me is his insistence that I do as much as I can myself.  His urging is a good reminder that there are activities and better days when I can still do things without his help.  Of course, when I need his help and he can't see that, it's quite frustrating.  But I think it shows that he hasn't given up hope that one day I'll be the Selena he fell in love with again. 

I hope some day I can get better too, for myself and for him, because living and loving with chronic illness makes it hard for both of us.

Getting to Know Me, All Over Again, After Hepatitis C Treatment

While distractions might have gotten me through 2013, they also pleasantly postponed me from diving into the new personal health management work I need to tackle.

You see, I reached a new low point with my health last year.  Hepatitis C treatment in 2012 really took a toll, in expected and unexpected ways.  It's been over 16 months since it ended and I finally feel like I have a handle all the challenges treatment presented. 

The anemia-induced exacerbation of my dysautonomia symptoms resolved and my extreme sensitivity to the sun disappeared in about 3 months.  The extreme fatigue and overall weakness got gradually better with each month that passed too.  Within a year's time, I was pretty much back to my "usual" level of chronic illness related fatigue.  Oh, and a sore that developed during treatment finally fully healed at the 15 month post-treatment mark. 

Now I just need to conquer the small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO) in my gut to get back to my pre-treatment self.  Oh, and get a handle on new problem: high cholesterol.  That was a surprise.  Seems the only good thing about having chronic Hep C infection is that the virus keeps your cholesterol low because it uses the fats in your body during its viral replication process.

As for my diabetes, there's been no dramatic improvement in my insulin resistance or glucose control since beating the virus.  And in regards to my fibromyalgia and chronic pain, there's been no improvement there either.  I am disappointed on both accounts.  However, I did some more research when I didn't get the outcomes I wanted and I remain convinced that my 24 year long chronic Hep C infection played a role in the appearance of these two conditions.

I read an article by Dr. Mark Borigini, a rheumatologist at the National Institutes of Health, and learned that Hep C can flip a (metaphorical) switch and trigger fibromyalgia symptoms.  However, it appears that when the virus leaves, it doesn't turn the switch off on its way out the door.

The same is true for type 2 diabetes.  Science Daily reported back in 2010 that Hep C flips yet another (metaphorical) switch and causes people with a genetic predisposition for type 2 diabetes to develop this condition decades before their family members do.  My paternal grandfather developed type 2 diabetes is his 70's; I developed it at age 33.

Darn inconsiderate Hep C virus, causing damage and not cleaning up after itself on its way out of my body!

Want some good news? A repeat viral load test in October 2013 showed I was still undetectable, which IS good for me in the long run.  According to a new study from Taiwan, having Hep C increases the changes of complications from type 2 diabetes.  Successful treatment of Hep C infection in persons with type 2 diabetes reduced the risk of kidney disease, stroke and cardiovascular disease by roughly 50%. 

So successful treatment helped me dodge some potential future health problems.  I am grateful for that.  And I am sure as time progresses, science will catch up and learn more about what Hep C really does to a person's body, and I will be grateful for avoiding those long-term consequences too. 

In the meantime, I need to get focused on the present and finish my recovery -- from both treatment and 24 years of having my body hijacked and turned into a viral replication factory.  It's been 16 months since treatment ended and the truth is this recovery process isn't over for me yet.  Much like when I completed my cancer treatment 25 years ago, I now need to learn to live in a body that isn't quite the same as it was 22 months...and that is going to take some time. 

2014 is the year I will really start getting to know what my body is like without Hepatitis C.

The Stresses of Seeking Medical Treatment for Fibromyalgia

I got a very nice email from a friend the other day.  She said to me, "I hope that your pain is well managed.  It must be difficult to get doctors to not only believe but understand how life is miserable with pain."

What a great friend, right?

While I appreciate her support, I'm not sure how to reply.  You see, the awful truth is, despite all my attempts to reach this elusive goal, the bottom line is that my pain isn't what I would call "well managed."

I mean, I do the best I can do with my toolbox of self-help strategies.  Those include planning, pacing, problem-solving, activity modification and use of adaptive equipment.  Self-help techniques do provide me with a framework for living within the boundaries of my illness-imposed limitations.  They also can help with pain flare-up prevention, at least some of the time.  But is figuring out how to live as best I can with chronic pain really the definition of "well managed pain"?

I think not.  My idea of well managed pain would be a treatment program that over time:

• decreased my pain and fatigue levels
• improved my sleep
• allowed me to perform more activities of daily living
• increased my capacity for exercise and other activities
• allowed me to return to normal activities, like work, league bowling, long bike rides and walks, frequent travel, etc.

I truly believe that I am doing as much as I can to manage my pain.  So what is missing?

If you Google "fibromyalgia," you'll find links to many reputable health and medical websites.  One of the first things these sites will tell you about fibromyalgia is that:

• it is currently incurable
• your doctor's treatments combined with good self-care will decrease pain and minimize symptoms
• there are drugs in the research pipeline that may help this painful condition

It's 2013, I've lived with fibromyalgia for almost 9 years now and I know for a fact that fibromyalgia still isn't well understood by the medical community.  This ongoing lack of basic knowledge about fibromyalgia--what causes it, what parts of the body are involved, the exact nature of the bodily dysfunction it causes and how to reverse this dysfunction--all translate to a lack of medical treatments that can successfully decrease or eliminate pain and other symptoms for all who suffer from it.

The second thing they will tell you is that the key to chronic pain management is a multidisciplinary approach, a fancy way of saying that you should be treated by a team of medical professionals.

So do I have a team of medical professionals helping me manage my fibromyalgia?

Once upon a time, way back in 2006, I benefited from this approach for a brief six weeks when I attended an outpatient chronic pain and fibromyalgia rehab program.  I struggled to find the energy and transportation to get there, but it was well worth the hassle.  The program was staffed by a physical therapist, an occupational therapist and a pain psychologist.  This experience became the basis of my current self-help tool box.  It also spurred me on to pursue further study through the online CFIDS & Fibromyalgia Self-Help program.

That rehab program was a good start, but follow-up and ongoing care was lacking once I completed the program.  And the doctor who sent me to the program didn't seem have much else to offer me in terms of treatment.  Which seemed odd to me, especially since other participants in the program shared about the treatments their doctors were offering them, things I hadn't been given the opportunity to try.

So I sought out treatment from another pain specialist, who prescribed a new combination of  treatments for me. But when I tried these options and they failed to bring relief, my treatment came to a screeching halt.  My doctor threw up his hands (figuratively) and proclaimed, "I don't have anything else to offer you." which was delivered with a generous subtext of I'm ending this doctor-patient relationship since I can't help you.  That left me once again searching for a new doctor.

Over the past 9 years, I've simply lost count of how many times variations of this  scenario have played out...over and over and over again.

These multiple, discouraging encounters with doctors--specifically the rheumatologists, pain specialists, physical medicine and rehabilitation specialists and neurologists who claim they treat fibromyalgia--leave me scratching my head and asking:

Why is it O.K. for a doctor to give up and dump a patient when they encounter a medical problem that is difficult to treat?

Is it any wonder that my pain is not well managed when my biggest problem is finding a doctor that understands my pain AND is willing to treat me for the long haul?

Unlike those doctors, I can't just simply throw in the towel.  This is my life and I want and need to do all I can to get my fibromyalgia symptoms addressed and properly treated.  Unlike them, I refuse to give up just because life handed me a difficult medical condition. I know I need medical professionals to partner with me so I can obtain as much relief as possible, so I keep searching for the doctors and other allied health professionals that will help me accomplish this goal.

So what saves me from the ongoing stresses of seeking medical treatment for fibromyalgia? My personal rule to Have Fun Every Day and my written list of fun activities that I enjoy doing despite my chronic pain.

Feeling stressed out by your healthcare too?  Try my personal rule Have Fun Every Day and create your own list of things you love to do that can distract you from the stresses of chronic illness and bring some joy and happiness into your life despite your health challenges.

Life Can be Painful for People Living With Chronic Pain

One of the first lessons you learn when you start living life with chronic pain is that daily life--family, work, home and school--can make your pain worse. All those little things I used to do without much thought, like run errands, cook, clean, shop and socialize, became huge pain-inducing obstacles to overcome when fibromyalgia pain came into my life.

It took me several years to figure out which daily activities made my pain worse. I know for many of us, the list of these activities can be quite long. And because pain symptoms can fluctuate over time, I find myself constantly editing my list--adding new pain triggers and scratching off the ones that are no longer problematic.

Right after the trip-and-fall accident that triggered my fibromaylgia, I tried to continue with my "normal" activities. I constantly pushed my body beyond its new limits to get things done and wound up getting so flared-up afterwards I needed to spend days in bed trying to recover. When enough was enough, I changed my tactic and put off as many things as I could to avoid flare-ups. But that meant a lot of things weren't getting done, which was very discouraging for me.

Thank goodness for the practical pain management techniques I was taught at the Cedars-Sinai Chronic Pain and Fibromyalgia Program in 2006 and for the online classes and groups at the CFIDS and Fibromyalgia Self-Help website that helped reinforce what I learned.  I discovered that once you recognize and identify the daily activities that are your pain triggers, you can almost always figure out ways to minimize their painful impact.

Over the years, I've used these strategies to deal with pain-inducing activities:

• modify the activity to make it less painful, i.e. sitting down to do something instead of standing
• break an activity down into smaller steps that can be done over time vs. all at once
• find people who can help me do the things that are painful
• delegate the activity to someone else (usually my husband)
• say "No." and learn to live life without doing some things

Unfortunately no amount of planning or preparation can help with the things in daily life that are truly out of your control.

Now that I live with chronic pain, I cringe with fear at the thought of any kind of accidents happening to me. This fear is fueled, in part, by some mishaps that have occurred to me since fibromylagia: my shower bench breaking underneath me while I was sitting on it and breaking my foot while taking a big step down from our storage shed.

My biggest fear was realized a little over a week ago when my husband and I were involved in an automobile accident as he was driving us home from the mall.

The accident itself still gives me nightmares. The fact that my pain level has shot up to a 10/10 on several occasions over the last 10 days is quite a nightmare too.  And don't get me started about the numerous trips I've needed to make to the doctor's office and/or the Emergency Room to treat my accident-related symptoms.

My pain and my life have become quite unmanageable since the accident, which is equal parts frustrating, exhausting and frightening.

What concerns me most is that chronic pain can make it more difficult to identify physical injuries from accidents.  Pre-existing pain can mask the symptoms of new injuries and make it more difficult for your doctor to diagnose new problems.

As bad as the accident was, the SUV we were in (and our guardian angels) did a very good job of protecting us from severe injury.  On a safety note, I always wear my seat belt when I am in a car, even thought it can poke at my painy parts.  I know that the seat belt I was wearing literally saved my life. Unfortunately the "seat belt sign" injury I sustained is one of the reasons I'm now dealing with more severe pain.

I'm not sure what happens now.  Among many other things, I'm concerned about how long this extreme flare-up is going to last.

It's going to take all the self-help pain management techniques I have in my toolbox to get me through today.  I'll just have to wait and see what tomorrow brings. In the meantime, I do know daily activities that weren't particularly bothersome a fortnight ago are going back on my list of pain triggers.

I wrote this post because I'm especially interested in hearing from those of you who have been in a situation similar to the one I currently face. I want to hear your suggestions for coping with accidents and injuries that make your chronic pain worse.

The Bad News About Student Loan Disability Discharge

What the .....!

A few weeks ago I wrote about the challenges of chronic illness.  One of the challenges is financial hardships, from huge medical bills to a reduced income potential.  For me, personally, I am currently considered permanently disabled and unable to work due to the symptoms of my multiple chronic illnesses.

Despite my numerous efforts to "get better," I've been disabled for over 8 years now.

When I first became disabled in 2004 with the chronic pain and fatigue of fibromyalgia, I thought my former employer's short- and long-term disability insurances would kick in with disability income so I could keep paying all my bills.  I didn't know back then that the long term disability coverage would terminate after 2 years because it limited benefits for those diagnosed with fibromyalgia.

I appealed their decision, I went through the entire appeals process and was unable to get them to reverse their decision.

I found out the hard way that my safety net had a huge hole in it.  I went from earning a living to living on disability and taking a 61% pay cut. How to continue making my monthly student loan payments became one more boulder on a growing mountain of financial problems.

I was grateful in 2006 for the relief my student loan servicer offered.  I asked for a temporary disability forbearance, i.e., to be able to temporarily stop making my loan payments.  Back then I still hoped my situation might be temporary, that my doctors' would be able to get me back on my feet and working again.

To that end, I diligently followed my doctors' advice and complied with all the things they wanted me to do: take medications, go physical therapy, agree to trigger point injections, schedule deep injections and try acupuncture.

Time passed.  All those treatments my doctors prescribed failed to improve my symptoms.  I rapidly approached the 3 year time limit on requesting temporary disability forbearance. 

My next option with my student loan servicer was loan forgiveness due to total and permanent disability.  At first, I was almost reluctant to take this option, mostly because it seemed like a big declaration of "I'm not ever going to get better!"  But I felt like I had no choice; our budget was already lean and there wasn't any money for us to start making payments again.

This was a separate application process.  I needed to have my doctor complete a form verifying that I was permanently disabled.  Now that filled me with trepidation.  Have you ever needed to ask a doctor to put into writing that you are permanently disabled?  Because when you do, they look at you like you're asking them to admit they aren't able to help you.

Apparently doctors aren't good at stating the obvious.  My doctor initially balked when I asked her, despite the fact that there was absolutely no improvement in my symptoms or functioning over the past five years.  She only agreed after she asked if I was on Social Security Disability.  Somehow knowing I was on SSDI made it O.K. for her to say I was permanently disabled.

I got what I needed.  But to this day I just don't understand the moral dilemma my request presented her.

Now you don't get your loan forgiven overnight if you are totally and permanently disabled.  There is a 3 year conditional discharge waiting period.  Fortunately, student loan payments are suspended during this time.  

I was OK with waiting for 3 years, because if somehow I did improve and was able to work again, I would have gladly started repaying my loan again.  After all, it was my student loans that picked up all the school expenses that my part-time job didn't while I was in graduate school.  Those loans helped me earn a degree that launched my career in social work, a career that I really and truly miss.

At the beginning of last year it was crunch time.  My 3 year conditional discharge period was coming to an end.  There was some very important paperwork I needed to submit to my student loan servicer and I ran into some problems getting it faxed to them.  I needed to resort to snail mail, sent certified, to confirm it got to them.

After the anxiety of filing out forms, getting my doctor to say I was totally and permanently disabled and dotting the i's and crossing the t's on the final paperwork, I got word at the end of Spring 2012 that my disability discharge had been approved.  I thought my worries about my student loans were over.  Thank goodness!

Then I got a 1099-C form in the mail this past January from my student loan servicer.  I wasn't expecting it.  So I did some research and discovered that my discharged student loan debt was reported to the IRS as income.

I don't remember my student loan servicer ever telling me that my discharged loan would be considered income.

So we did our taxes early this year, cringing at the thought that we would owe the Feds and the state money this year.  Money we don't really have.

Sure enough, we have a whole new financial problem on our hands. We are straddled with a new debt, payable on April 15th, that will accrue interest and penalties if not paid on time.  So despite my best efforts, it feels like that mountain of financial problems only keeps getting bigger and bigger.

I guess the only "good" news is that my student loan debt is relatively small, at least compared to the woman featured in this article: New Jersey Woman's Student Loan Debt Creates Tax Nightmare.  And I am not alone in dealing with this; it's my spouse's income that will be getting us out of this latest pickle.

But what can all those other disabled workers with student loan debt like Kim do? How can they be expected to pay huge IRS tax bills when their earning potential is reduced and their savings are spent on medical bills?  Some of them don't even file a tax return because they now live below the poverty line.  Just imagine getting a horrid surprise from the IRS saying you owe taxes on income that, well, you didn't really get when your loan got forgiven!

I know the powers that be want to make defaulting on Federal student loans hard and painful.  In fact, student loans have historically been excluded from bankruptcy proceedings.  But I think you'll agree that when it comes to total and permanent disability there really needs to be some legislative reform on this issue.

This is completely unfair and burdensome to the disabled. (Yes, I know...life is unfair, yada yada, yada.)

At the very least, how about telling folks up front about the tax implications of loan forgiveness?  Or offering to help by spreading the "income" across several different tax years to make the tax burden more manageable?

My unsolicited advice for those of you going through this process RIGHT NOW: talk to a bankruptcy lawyer.  Ask them if you can get your student loans discharged through bankruptcy so you won't get hit with a huge tax bill you can't pay. Because I hate to say this, but depending on the size of your loans and resulting tax bill, you might be filing for bankruptcy anyway...  But hey, take this advice with a grain of salt, because I'm not a lawyer or a student loan servicer, so what do I know?

The Final Steps in My Hepatitis C Treatment Journey

I'm nervous.  Or is it anxious?  Either way I am out-of-sorts and, quite frankly, I just want the next 10 days to fly by as quickly as possible.

You see, I go for my six month post Hepatitis C treatment blood work this weekend and apparently I am all freaked out about it.

This is the big one.  These are the lab results that tell me whether or not the treatment I got worked.  When I get the results, I learn if I have achieved something called SVR, which stands for "sustained virological response."  With the new antiviral drugs, like the drug Incivek that I took, the medical community to starting to consider SVR as the marker for a "cure."

Now that's pretty heady stuff.

I don't expect bad news.  My three month post-treatment viral load came back undetectable.  Since that test is a good predictor of the six month post-treatment results, I expect that this next result will be undetectable too.

But I don't want to take anything for granted.

It's weird when you live with a chronic, active infection for 25 years.  Hepatitis C became part of who I was in a lot of ways I hadn't really considered until recently.  Not that I want to keep living with it--no way, no how!

I don't want to be contemplating the worse case scenario either.  You all know that treatment was really difficult for me and I certainly do not want all my efforts to be in vain.  I can't even think about having to do it again without feeling massively discouraged.

Becoming Hepatitis C free is such a HUGE deal...and I really want this so badly.

My body knows this is a big deal and I can feel it responding to my anxiety by overreacting.  This is nothing new to me.  My dysfunctional brain goes into overload mode in the presence of any ongoing stimulation, be it good news or bad.  That translates into increased insomnia, sensory overload, worsening symptoms, tachycardia and general grumpiness, physically, mentally and emotionally.  Which is really just another day living with the ups and downs chronic illness.

Which leads me to the next thing I want to share with you today...

I really want to be able to say to you that, since Hep C treatment ended, I have seen improvements in my health now that my viral load is undetectable.  That just hasn't happened yet, and frankly, I'm a little concerned that it isn't going to happen either.

Honestly, given how much hope for improvement several of my medical providers pinned on a successful treatment outcome, I feel tremendously let down.

I still live with chronic, debilitating pain.  In fact, I have more pain now than when I was on treatment.  Weird, huh?  I'm not exactly sure what that means, but I do know that at one time low dose interferon was considered a treatment for fibromyalgia.  

I still deal with chronic, energy-sapping fatigue.  Not sure if that just means my body needs more time to heal from treatment or if Hep C wasn't the cause of my fatigue.

My blood sugar is better, but I still have type 2 diabetes and probably will for the rest of my life.

Plus I've learned some disappointing information.  Seems Hep C can trigger things like fibromyalgia since the little buggers can get into your brain.  They turn on a switch that makes things like chemical reactions and neurally-mediated pathways go all wonky.  Unfortunately, getting rid of Hep C virus doesn't flip the switch off according to rheumatologist Mark Borigini, M.D in an article over at Psychology Today.  Rude little buggers didn't turn the lights off when they vacated the premises!

And I am still dealing with three treatment-related complications that need continuing medical attention.  Quite frankly, I am getting quite annoyed with these linger health issues and I am ready to switch doctors yet again in an attempt to get these problems resolved once and for all.

Oh, and I am having a hard time getting a follow-up appointment with my new internal medicine doctor.  She's the one giving me the the results of the lab work I am having drawn this weekend.  A scheduling snafu is one more aggravation I don't need right now.

Thankfully I do have another doctor (actually her nurse) who I can email and ask for the results.  Because I would hate to have to wait, and wait, and wait to get these lab results.  Any delay is going to make me want to tear out my newly grown-in hair.

Huh.  I guess I really do have a lot of reasons to be feeling stressed out and short-tempered lately.

I need chocolate and lots of hugs and kisses.  Good thing Valentine's Day is next week, which gives me the perfect opportunity to request increased quantities of all of these.  Thank goodness I have folks in my life who can give me chocolate, hugs and kisses.  So I guess my life isn't that terrible after all.

I'll let you know the outcome of my Hep C treatment soon.  (In the meantime, excuse my typos and incoherence due to sleep deprivation.)

Saying Goodbye to a Chronically Awesome Friend

"Live fast, die pretty."  That's what one of my chronically awesome friends used to say.  Used to, because she died this past Sunday from complications of her multiple chronic illnesses.

As I sit here trying to catch up via social media to find out just what went wrong, I see once again that she and I share two of the same illnesses: fibromyalgia and liver-related diseases.  These are the reasons we connected over two years ago on Twitter.

Then when I shared my adventures of going to the Mayo Clinic in Arizona for my dysautonomia work-up, she followed with interest because she was thinking of making the same trip to get her assorted illness worked up and her treatment better planned and organized.

In the end, we both agreed:  our illnesses sucked and the time and expense of traveling to the Mayo Clinic for a workup and recommendations was well worth it.

Now I don't want you to get the wrong impression--we were really just acquaintances.  I am not privy to the details of what lead to her recent departure. What I do know is that she had been in and out of the hospital during the last several months and receiving home health care in between.  A mutual friend shared that she thought she might have picked up an infection while in the hospital that, in the end, her chronically compromised immune system just couldn't fight it off.

Her close friends say that she died a fighter and a warrior, comforting her friends to the end.  I see the evidence in her social media footprint that she knew the Grim Reaper was close, but she managed to stay several steps ahead of him up to the bitter end.  She relished her wins against him.  And she relished her last birthday in November and the recent Christmas holidays, events she was able to enjoy despite his presence offstage, lurking about in the wings.

I know her friends and family find comfort in the fact that with her death, her pain and suffering have ended.  I acknowledge this as well.  But I am also upset that in life she wasn't able to find the pain control and disease management she needed to have an acceptable quality of life and to stay alive a while longer. I know that these were issues she struggled with for years.

Which leads me to ask demand: when will medicine truly alleviate our pain and suffering?  Because I know I don't want death to be what finally takes away my chronic pain, chronic fatigue and the assorted other symptoms of my chronic illnesses.

Before chronic illness destroyed her healthy life's plans, my friend was a honest-to-goodness, real life ballerina.  So today it gives me comfort to think that she is finally able to dance again.  Yes, she is dancing in heaven...

Goodbye my friend.  Rest in peace.

If I Could Wear My Pain Like Clothing #NHBPM

If I could wear my pain like clothing, this is what you'd see.

My Comfort Care Pack for Fibromyalgia #NHBPM

Wondering what to get your friend or family member who has recently been diagnosed with fibromyalgia?  Here are my suggestions for putting together a comfort care package that shows how much you understand and want to help.  It's filled with items that are useful, practical and helpful.

A Good Book

I know that one of the very first things I did when I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia was hit the book store.  There are many good books about this condition packed with practical self-help strategies that you don't often hear about at the doctor's office.

Here are my suggestions:
 

The first FM book: Fibromyalgia & Chronic Myofascial Pain	I Hurt Like Hell	How to be Sick
FibroWHYalgia	The CFIDS/ Fibromyalgia Tool Kit	Figuring Out Fibromyalgia

Perhaps the most awesome gift of all?  All these book loaded onto a Kindle!

Explore Books About Fibromyalgia at Amazon.com

Soothing Music

There are times when fibromyalgia causes your sympathetic nervous system to over-react, leaving you feeling wired and keyed up.  One powerful weapon I have found to combat this state is listening to ambient music.  Perhaps you've heard it too when you went to see your chiropractor, massage therapist or acupuncturist.  It is instrumental music that often features nature sounds like bells, babbling brooks and whale songs.

Pandora Radio has an excellent Ambient Radio channel.  Amazon.com also has CDs and MP3 music downloads.  I think an amazing gift would be an MP3 Player loaded with an ambient music playlist.

Liquid Mind	Brian Eno
Windham Hill	Deuter

Discover Ambient Music at Amazon.com

Comforting Heat

Nothing beats the comforting relief of moist heat packs when cold and damp weather makes your muscles ache.  I use the Bed Buddy line of products exclusively and highly recommend them.

Carex Bed Buddy Neck Wrap

Find Bed Buddy Products at Amazon.com

A Little Support

I find maintaining proper alignment while seated for activities helps prevent flare-ups of my fibromyalgia.  That's why I use a lumbar support pillow and a comfort neck pillow when watching TV, reading a book or using my laptop.  And they all have covers that can be easily removed and washed.

This can be used as a lumbar, knee and neck support

This IMAK Happineck pillow is one of my favorites.

The satin cover keeps your hair looking nice.

Find Comfort Neck Pillows at Amazon.com

Find Lumbar Pillows at Amazon.com

A Snuggly Throw

Fibromyalgia can also play havoc with your temperature regulation.  So it's always a good idea to have a throw around just in case you suddenly feel cold.  I recently discovered Cocoon blankets which are lightweight and very soft against your skin. Plus they move moisture away from your body to keep you both dry and warm.

Cocoon CoolMax Fleece blanket

Cocoon CoolMax Travel blanket

Buy Cocoon Blankets at Amazon.com

A Good Laugh

Laughter is by far the best coping strategy.  Having something funny to read, listen to or watch can also be a great distraction from pain and fatigue.  So why not give the gift of a comedy?  Here are some "sick humor" selections that I enjoy:

Sick Humor (CD and MP3s)

How Can You NOT Laugh at a Time Like This? (book)

Check out Carla Ulbrich, "The Singing Patient," at Amazon.com

So what would you add to my comfort care package? Let me know by leaving me a comment below.

Why Aren't There Any New Fibromyalgia Drugs in 2012? #NHBPM

So I was wondering just the other day why I haven't seen any commercials for new fibromyalgia drugs in a while.

A few years ago I thought we were on a roll.  After all, between 2007 and 2009 there were 3 drugs FDA approved for fibromyalgia: Lyrica, Cymbalta and Savella.

What got me thinking about this topic?   A visit with my new internal medicine doctor last week.  I handed her my "therapy tracker" spreadsheet, an impressive list of 42 different medications, from non-steroidal anti-inflammatories to psychotropics, that I've tried over the past 8 years to treat my fibromyalgia symptoms.  Sadly, the majority of these drugs have failed to help me manage my chronic fatigue, chronic pain and chronic sleep problems.

I asked my doctor to take a look at my list and see if there was anything new or different that I hadn't tried yet.  She said she would review the list but wasn't optimistic there was anything left to try.

Coincidentally, I saw new medications mentioned in the October newsletter from the National Fibromyalgia and Chronic Pain Association (NFMCPA) later in the week.  As you might recall, the NFMCPA is the group that took over the patient care responsibilities from the National Fibromyalgia Association (NFA) back in March of 2011.  According to the article, there are only 2 promising drugs in clinical trials: Effirma or flupertine and TNX-102, a sublingual tablet form of Flexeril or cyclobenzaprine. You can read more about them here.

They didn't mention an upcoming clinical trial that came to my attention this past summer.  Dr. William Pridgen in Alabama, while treating patients for a herpes simplex I virus related stomach disorder, discovered the anti-viral cocktail used improved fibromyalgia symptoms too. According to an article over at the ProHealth website, a phase II clinical trial is being planned for February 2013 to test the efficacy of this treatment in a larger group of patients with fibromyalgia.

Needless to say, I'm concerned those of us with fibromyalgia are lacking a highly-visible, nationally recognized and respected non-profit organization fighting for our needs. A clear example is the fact that National Fibromyalgia Day dropped off the National Health Observance calendar in 2011.  The NFA used to serve as the contact organization for this awareness day.

Pondering the state of fibromyalgia advocacy on the national stage got me asking questions that I probably will never get the answers to, like:

• Is it a coincidence that the NFA's heyday corresponds to the same time period during which the FDA approved the first 3 drugs for fibromyalgia? 
• What role did the NFA have in the development, FDA approval and marketing of the first three fibromyalgia drugs?
• Did the demise of the NFA adversely affect new fibromyalgia drug development?

Wow did I get off topic.  So much for my trip down memory lane.

Leaving the past behind, I'd really like to know more about the current state of fibromyalgia research and drug development.  I'm curious enough about this topic to considering making this my own personal research project, that is if I can't find another reputable source already doing this.

What do you think?  What impact did the end of the National Fibromyalgia Association (NFA) have on our fibromyalgia community?  Why do you think we haven't had any new FDA approved drugs for fibromyalgia in the last 3 years?  What do you think needs to be done to get this important issue addressed with medical researchers and pharmaceutical companies?  Please share your thoughts with me in a comment below.

Do You Know More Than Your Doctor?

Welcome to another edition of the Question of the Week.


As I am getting ready to start Hepatitis C (HCV) treatment, I've been running across some pretty interesting pieces of information that I think will make my treatment experience more successful. This information has come to me courtesy of the websites, Facebook groups, listserves and folks on Twitter I subscribe to or follow who review and report on medical research and medical news.   And I find myself feeling awfully grateful towards them for bringing these things to my attention.

With So Much Information, Can Your Doctor Keep Up? 

That said, I can't help but feel some disappointment that my doctors aren't the ones sharing this information with me.  But I guess their busy schedules don't leave them with enough time to keep up with their medical journal reading.  Or maybe it is the fact that, with communication advances like the Internet, there is just so much more information being shared from all over the world that my doctors just can't keep up.  Either way, it sort of leaves me in the awkward position of knowing more about new research findings than my doctors.

So today I want to:

• share a recent discovery, 
• talk about where to go to find illness and treatment-related information and 
• ask if you too know more than your doctor.

My Discovery About Vitamin D and HCV

Several years ago, I was diagnosed with a low Vitamin D level by my endocrinologist. Since then, I have been taking a Vitamin D supplement which has helped me get my Vitamin D level back into the normal range.  Along the way, I have found that I am getting sick from colds, flus and other bugs a lot less and, when I do get sick, the symptoms of those illnesses are much less intense.

Today I was alerted by a HCV group I belong to on Facebook about a research study on HCV and vitamin D.  About 84% of the HCV+ subjects in this study had a vitamin D deficiency.  The researchers gave vitamin D supplements to these patient who were all undergoing HCV treatment.  They found that boosting vitamin D levels back into the normal range (32 ng/mL) improved a patient's chances of getting a sustained virological response (SVR) to treatment from 42% to 86%.  In addition, only 8% of patients taking vitamin D supplements relapsed after treatment compared to 36% of patients with low vitamin D levels who were not taking a vitamin D supplement.

That sounds pretty impressive to me. So I'm taking a copy of this research article to my next appointment and discussing it with my hepatologist.  If he agrees with the findings, I am going to request that he monitor my Vitamin D level closely during treatment.

Finding the Information That is Out There

I know this kind of information is out there for other illnesses and conditions too.

In fact, I just read a book about cancer treatment (that I will be reviewing later in the week) that talks about using medications and supplements to synergistically enhanced the effectiveness of conventional cancer treatments.  According to the author, this "cocktail approach" to treatment has produced some pretty amazing results.

If you live with fibromyalgia, myalgic encepholopathy, chronic fatigue syndrome or multiple chemical sensitivities, a group called Co-Cure compiles this kind of information for you from a wide variety of reputable sources.  Visit their website and check out the research updates and reading room pages.  You can also subscribe to updates via email by going to the list operations page.

Besides books and trusted medical websites, another place to search is Pub Med.  Pub Med is the U.S. National Library of Medicine MEDLINE service that contains more that 21 million citations for biomedical literature.  Check out their Quick Start guide for video tutorials, FAQs and links to learn more about searching for information on Pub Med.

Sharing the Information with Your Doctor

Once you have the information, it's time to talk with your healthcare provider. You'll need their help and medical expertise to discern if these new medications and treatment approaches are right for you and your specific situation.  Be sure to take a copy of the article with you to share with your doctor.

I think it is a real litmus test of your working relationship with your doctor when you share information with them.  So don't let fear stop you.  You'll gain valuable information about your doctor's commitment to your good health and well being by sharing information with them.

When I have received a less than supportive response, I've taken it as a sign that it was time to find a better doctor.

So do you know more than your doctor?  What trusted resources do you use to keep on top of new medical information? Do you feel comfortable sharing information with your doctor?  Do you have any advice for others about sharing information with health care providers?

Please share your response on the Oh My Aches and Pains! Facebook page or below in the comments section.

Related articles

• Hepatitis C: The Facts (ohmyachesandpains.info)
• Bits and Pieces: Overwhelmed with Health Care at Day 12 (ohmyachesandpains.info)
• Why I've Decided to Treat My Hepatitis C Infection Now (ohmyachesandpains.info)

Help Stop the Global Crisis of Undertreated Pain

I just discovered a new documentary titled Life Before Death which discusses the global crisis of undertreated pain and wanted to share it with you all today. 

Please take a moment to view the trailer below.  Then head over to www.treatthepain.com to become part of a global effort to bring more pain relief to the world.  Plus you can help by liking Treat the Pain on Facebook, following them on Twitter or clicking the Do Something tab on their website.





I find this topic incredible relevant to me right now. As I have mentioned, I am looking for a new pain management doctor and I am legitimately worried about my continued access to opioid pain medications, medications that are making a real difference in the way I manage my fibromylagia pain. 

Before I started seeing my last doctor, I was never offered opioid pain medicine to manage my pain.  For 7 years I lived with severe pain on a daily basis and had to figure out ways to "grin and bear it," primarily through self management techniques.

I am grateful that opioid pain medication is now a part of my overall pain management strategy.  That said, it is only one piece of the puzzle and it certainly does not take my pain away, only reduces it.  No, I still need to keep employing all the other strategies at my disposable to manage my pain on a daily basis.  It is just a bit easier to do so when I have pain medications as part of my arsenal.

My situation is not unique.  Unfortunately, this is a hard, cold reality for many of us who are living with chronic pain:  we all are living with more pain than we should.  I would love to see that change in my lifetime.

Related articles

• Bits and Pieces: Overwhelmed with Health Care at Day 12 (ohmyachesandpains.info)
• Baffled by a Fibromyalgia Flare-up That Came Out of Nowhere? (ohmyachesandpains.info)
• In the Face of Pain: My Interveiw with Maggie Buckley (part two) (ohmyachesandpains.info)

Baffled by a Fibromyalgia Flare-up That Came Out of Nowhere?

Welcome to another Question of the Week.

Right now, a lot of us living with chronic illness are experiencing symptom flare-ups that seem to have come out of nowhere.  These flare-ups are sure making our lives miserable.

I've been struggling with new onset severe low back and hip pain since December 23rd.  It feels like it's turning into the pain that just won't go away!  So after I finished being perplexed and puzzled, I put on my thinking cap and started investigating it like a fibromyalgia scientist.

What?  You don't know how to be your own fibromyalgia scientist?  Here, let me show you:

My Observations

I had immediate pain after the scooter ride on December 23.  I underestimated that new pain and continued running errands later that evening.  I also spend the 24th doing all the Christmas tasks I put off until the last minute. That resulted in the pain getting much worse for the following two or three days.

On the 25th and 26th, I was in full flare-up management mode, resting more, cutting way back on my activities, taking my flare-up medications and using ice and heat to manage the pain.  With these efforts, the pain started getting a little bit better by December 27th.

Then the pain started getting much worse around December 29th.  On December 30th, I woke up with a sore throat and felt feverish.  I immediately cut back on my activities, started resting more and starting taking my flare-up medications again.  After a few days, I noticed that the pain started improving as I fought off whatever viral illness I had.

By January 6th the pain was much more tolerable: not completely gone but resolved enough that I started adding activities back into to my schedule.  I decided I was ready to help my hubby take down our low-altitude outdoor holiday decor on Saturday January 7th.  That night and the following day my low back pain came roaring back with a vengeance.

So, for the third time, I was back in flare-up management mode...

My Analysis

• Sometimes you have no idea that something is going to flare you up, like my bumpy scooter ride. The good news is you can take this new knowledge and brainstorm ways to prevent it from happening again.

• There are also some flare-up triggers that are completely out of your control, like getting a cold or the flu or the weather becoming cold, damp and miserable.  If a flare-up seems to come out of nowhere, these might be the culprits.

• Once you are flared-up, making the decision to push yourself instead of cutting back will definitely make your flare-up worse.  You have to decide if pushing is worth the payback AND accept the consequences.

• It usually takes longer to recover from a flare-up that we expect.  It is hard to be patient, but jumping back into the swing of things when you first start to feel better might result in a relapse of your flare-up symptoms.

My Conclusions

What can I say?  This has been the perfect storm of flare-up causes and exacerbators, some out of my control and some definitely within my control, all jumbled up together.

In retrospect, I could have made some different choices which might have gotten me out of this flare-up cycle by now.  Ah, but I live and learn.  So now my number one priority is to get this flare-up calmed down and under control in the next two weeks, barring any further complications out of my control.

(Two weeks might seems like a long time, but considering that this pain has been around for the last 17 days, maybe I should revise my plan to three weeks!)

What About You?

Now that I have shared my method for being a fibromyalgia scientist, do you have a new understanding of your current flare-up symptoms?

I'd love for you to share what you have discovered as well as how you cope with painful flare-ups.  As always, I welcome you comments here or over at the Oh My Aches and Pains! Facebook page.

If you are having a hard time implementing my suggestions, feel free to drop me a line using the Contact Me link under my blog header.  Perhaps together we can figure out the cause of your flare-up and some steps you can take to help you get back into control of your fibromyalgia self-care.

Related articles

• Painful Payback from a Very Bumpy Ride (ohmyachesandpains.info)