I'm BACK!

It's been a while since I've posted! I have been getting all settled in at my new school with my new roommates, who by the way are FABULOUS!

I am officially a kinesiology major, and am soo ready to start taking classes that are actually associated with my major.

I promise from now on I'll be posting more often. 

So what useful information have I learned so far? It's been brought back to my attention how much I LOVE chiropractic.  It does wonders! I recommend that everybody try at least once.

My chiropractor is amazing, and has given me some great tips. 

I know I've talked a lot about eating habits, mainly about the gluten free diet.  He brought to my attention foods that are inflammatory.  I won't go into them all today.   (Just know that gluten was totally on that list of foods)  However, vegetable oil is a huge one!  I suggest substituting olive oil whenever you would normally use vegetable oil.  It's a bit more pricey, but you'll be feeling a lot better once you've cut it out of your diet. 

I'm also feeling very gung-ho about exercising and especially STRETCHING!

Stretch stretch stretch those muscles my friends!!!

My next post I'll recommend some great easy stretches and food ideas.  

I hope that you have all had a chance to check out the inspiration section.

Gentle hugs!!!

All about me

As I'm starting to get to know other people, I am realizing that I haven't posted much about me.  There's a little bit more to me that just fibromyalgia.  Fibro is a part of me, but it is definitely not who I am.

I'm a college student, studying kinesiology,which is the study of human movement.  From there I plan to go on to physical therapy.  I've had so many people help me over my lifetime, that I feel like it's my turn to give back.  There is nothing more satisfying than to know I have helped someone feel better.  

When I was younger I wanted to be a ballerina, and I was close on the path.  I danced for 17 years, and trained with some of the most prestigious dancers in the US.  I had to stop because of the fibro.  But I'm still convinced that the dance floor hasn't seen the last of me.  Every once in a while I try to go back to dance class, and a lot of the time I dance around the house.  You could say I'm a bedroom dancer. 

I have an amazing boyfriend, Julian, who has supported me in everything that I do for the last two years.  He helps me with my homework, puts up with my moods, does everything in his power to make my pain less when I hurt, holds me when I have a panic attack, plays games with me like a little kid when I'm bored, makes me laugh, takes care of me, and makes me incredibly happy.  I'll stop there before you all get nauseous. =]

I also have a wonderful family.  My parents have taken me to every doctor appointment, therapy, dance class, piano class, college, and on and on and on.  We're very close and I love them both dearly.  

I'm just all around a goofy, energetic, loving gal.  

I'd love to hear all about you and the things you enjoy doing even through your fibro!!

Gentle Hugs!

Muscle soothing

I had my weekly massage today.  I definitely needed it! My muscles were ridiculously tense, as I imagine yours are.  I talked to my massage therapist afterward and got some great home remedies for relaxing those muscles.

Here they are, just for you!

Emergen-C packs.  I take two a day, normally earlier in the day. 

Laying in the sun for some Vitamin D

Stretch

A hot bath with Epsom Salts

A hot foot soak, with Epsom Salts, Sea Salt, or even table salt, and a little bit of olive oil

(hot water is also great for swelling! I soak my hands in hot water when they swell up)

I plan on giving the foot soak a try today.  I hope that you'll try one of these remedies! They work wonders. Let me know how it goes.

Gentle hugs and happy muscles to you!

PS A lot of your nerve endings are in your feet! So if your whole body is aching, a foot soak, rub, or massage will help your whole body. So get those husbands and boyfriends of yours to work on your feet!! =] 

Inspirations!

Hi everybody!!  Today I thought that I wasn't going to post anything.  I decided I would just look around and read your blogs, to get to know a little bit more about how everyone else is doing.  As I was reading, I came across all these really,  kind of amazing, blogs.  They got me thinking about what's important, especially to people with fibro.  I guess before I always thought it's obvious, the most important thing is to stop hurting.  But I don't know how true that is anymore.  I think the most important thing is being happy.  So first off I want to thank all of you for inspiring me, and teaching me through your blogs, that happiness is most important.  I think it was Aristotle who believed that the whole point of people existing, was to achieve happiness.  So let's do that!

It all kind of started when I came across the Tilly Rose blog.  She has fibromyalgia, but when you are reading her blog, you barely know it.  She is so cheery and is so happy doing crafts. I told her that it inspired me to see somebody with fibro flourishing so completely in a hobby.  It reminds that it IS possible to be happy and to enjoy life even through the fibromyalgia.  

Karen over at My Fibromyalgia Journey posted this quote that fits perfectly.  

"We act as though comfort and luxury were the chief requirements of life, when all that we need to make us really happy is something to be enthusiastic about."
-Charles Kingsley 

 

I want to know, what is it that gets you out of bed in the morning? Is it your blog? Your family? A hobby? And if you don't have anything, find something that inspires you.  Something that makes you happy, and that helps you forget about your fibromyalgia!

Gentle hugs!!!

Back to School!

It's back to school season!!!! I hope that all you teachers and students and parents of students have a great school year!
As a student, and ex-school employee, I have some tips to make the school year bearable for all you fibromyalgia sufferers!
1.  Make sure your school knows that you have fibromyalgia.  Whether its your disability office or your teachers, they tend to be more understanding if you miss a day or if your homework is not written in the perfect handwriting.  Just don't abuse it! Don't fake a fibro day for a fun day!!!
2.  Don't let yourself get so stressed that you end up hurting even more and have to miss class.  It's OK to take breaks, or get a 95% on an assignment instead of 100% once in a while.  It's not OK to miss all your classes on a regular basis.
3.  Make sure you sleep at night!!! No sleep means more pain.
4.  Try to enjoy your classes!  I've realized it's pretty easy to feel even more pain and foggy if you're really dreading a certain class. 
5.  Make sure you are always taking your medicine!
6.  If your hands hurt as much as mine do after taking only a couple of little notes, find somebody reliable to help you out with notes. 
And most of all find time to enjoy yourself!!!