Energy - that thing that those of us with chronic illness fight to have enough of. Yet, I've found lately that I have more and more of it. Why? Because I've stopped giving away so much energy for no return. How have I gotten my energy back? It's not been easy, and it's a struggle, but the … [Read more...]
Why is it So Hard to Ask For Help?
Why is it So Hard to Ask For Help? Reading the book, The Art of Asking by Amanda Palmer, really made me question why I struggle so much to ask for help when I need it. This book really changed my perspective on the whole concept of asking for help and I believe it's helped me see … [Read more...]
The Importance of Social Support
Social support makes a huge difference in how we manage our illness. Too often, though, we push our support away and try to do it all on our own. The struggle is that our illness has taken so much of our independence away that we want to do anything we can on our own, often to our own detriment. As … [Read more...]
How you can help someone who has Chronic Pain and Fatigue
If you have a spouse or loved one living with chronic pain or chronic fatigue, you may feel useless at times because you can't ease their pain, you can't make them physically feel better. Often you want to do something or at least offer advice just in hopes that it might help them feel better. … [Read more...]
Fibro Warrior Wednesday – Interview with a caregiver – John
This week I'm sharing another interview with a caregiver; I'm talking with John Burris of Huntsville, AL. His wife Bev is a friend of mine. They've been together for 40 years. Give me just a few basics about you personally: I'm 57, spent pretty much all of my life in the building business in one … [Read more...]
Admitting You Need Help is a Sign of Bravery
"We are truly all fighting battles no one knows anything about." Everyone is fighting an invisible battle. It may not be illness, mental, or physical. It may just be the demons left-over from a rough child-hood. It may be any number of things, but we are all dealing with something. This post from … [Read more...]
Controlling Negative Thoughts: Why I Chose to Seek Help
After letting the chronic pain and related issues drag me down the last three months I decided I finally had enough and had to do something. I'd reached a point where I didn't have the answer and couldn't quite get a handle on what I needed to do on my own. I needed help controlling my negative … [Read more...]
How to train your dragon
Dealing with whatever is going on my back has been a pain in the butt. My myofascial release therapist thinks that it's probably something in my shoulder with my rotator cuff. At this point anything using my right arm from the fingers up causes pain. Typing causes pain in my shoulder, so I've been … [Read more...]
Fibro Warrior Wednesday – Kim
Kim Bell Schneider is another friend from my local Fibromyalgia Support Group. As you may have gathered by now, we have a really great and supportive group locally. When were you diagnosed? I was diagnosed with Fibromyalgia last year, but was also diagnosed with Dysautonomia, Mitral Valve … [Read more...]
Fibro Warrior Wednesday – Beverly D
Beverly D, is another member of my local support group. We have such a wonderful group of people in our group, with wide varieties of experience. She was diagnosed in 1998 What lead up to your diagnosis (symptoms, dr visits, etc)? I had severe headaches, joint pain, confusion, muscle pain, … [Read more...]
