Fibro and Sleep

Sleep
If you find that you are sleeping poorly, you're not alone. With Fibro, pain and poor sleep happen in a circle. Each worsens the other. Fortunately, there is a lot you can do to help yourself sleep better. The National Fibromyalgia Association, the National Pain Foundation, the National Sleep Foundation, and other expert organizations recommend the following steps to help people sleep:
Stick to a sleep schedule. If you go to bed at the same time every night, your body will get used to falling asleep at that time. So choose a time and stay with it, even on weekends
Keep it cool. When a room is too warm, people wake up more often and sleep less deeply. According to the National Sleep Foundation, studies show that you're likely to sleep better in a room that's on the cool side. So try turning down the thermostat and/or keeping a fan on hand
As evening approaches, cut out the caffeine. Caffeine has a wake-up effect that lasts. It's best to avoid it well before bedtime. That includes not just coffee, but also tea, colas, and/or chocolate
Avoid alcohol before bed. That “nightcap” may make you sleepy at first. But as your blood alcohol levels drop, it has the opposite effect. You may find yourself wide awake
Exercise in the afternoon. Afternoon exercise may help you sleep more deeply. But exercising before bedtime can make it harder to fall asleep
Nap if you need to, but be brief. If you're so tired that you must take a nap, set the alarm for 20 minutes. Snooze any longer and you may have trouble falling asleep at night
Make your room a relaxing refuge. Treat yourself to comfortable bedclothes and snuggly pajamas. A white-noise machine or fan may help you fall asleep to a soothing background sound
Develop a relaxing bedtime routine. Reading helps some people fall asleep. So does listening to soft music. Do whatever works for you. But try to follow the same routine every night to signal your body that it's time for sleep
from the website www.fibrocenter.com

Shelter Under God's Umbrella

"Pain has a way of clipping our wings and keeping us from being able to fly....and if left unresolved for very long, you can almost forget that you were ever meant to fly in the first place.' Wm Paul Young

I pray that none of us will forget what God has for us.... We may not always know where He is leading us, but we do know that He loves us! And HIS love IS enough.... I pray that those in pain will feel His hand of comfort and peace, even in the dark, the storms, the winds are blowing.... HOLD ON THIS HIS HAND!!! Sometimes, life can be so hard, that having Him is what gets us through.... only His peace is real! Hang in there and I pray you will let God be your umbrella in whatever storm you are in!

heartbreak and free will

They say love worth the risk, but is it worth the heartbreak? I call upon the Lord for an answer and I don't know what direction He has? I thought I had, the the floor gave way from under me and I fell hard! And even now, I feel the breaks from the fall, I can feel the pain creeping in like on a cold, gray, misty morning. Heartbreak was my worst enemy, yet it grabs me and keeps my close like a best friend.

The Lord says He has plans for me, yet there is free will as well. What direction does He want me to go? What are His plans for me? Where do I go from here? What am I supposed to do? Pray, and sit quietly and listen.... easier said than done! I am terrified! Scared to death!! My heart can't getting broke again! Am I looking for an out? Can I just curl up in bed and stay there forever? I am so afraid of making the wrong decision. I think I have it right, and bamm! Life hits! Life hurts! And then I am back to heartbreak.... left alone with just my hurts and regrets.... regrets that I ever let them in to hurt me, regrets that I got God's will wrong, regrets that I should have done this or done that... regrets.... and then I give those to God... Only He can truely heal.... They say time heals all wounds, but without God I'd be bitter, only He has made me better...

With all my heart I believe I was put on this earth to be a mom and "break the cycle". Life is hard... not what I thought it'd be when I was little....but God chose me for this and I am thankful as well....

It's not just me to consider... The girls as well.....

Its me, I am scared to death! I am terrified!! I don't want to take the easy way out... I want to follow what God has for me, but I don't know know what or who He has for my life....

I know I have free choice and God has a plan for me... Is His plan based on my choices or are my choices supposes to be based on God's plan. But how do I know His plan for me.... I cry out to the Lord only to be met with silence.... I need a touch from God and show me what and/or who You have in store for me. My heart can't handled being broke again.... I have nothing to offer but me... and my babies come with me of course.... I know that I want to follow the Lord, but right now things are a little muddled and I need an answer... Gonna pray, pray, pray, pray.... and listen, listen, listen.....

Lord, help me first and for most to love You... may the decisions you put before me come from that... I know you only want what best for me... plans to prosper and not harm me... You love me with an Agape' love... In my best interest.... and now Lord, please show me what is in my best interest....Guide me and show me what is best for me... help me to make the right decisions for not just me, but for my girls as well..... in Jesus name, Amen


Aug.18 Thank You Lord for answering my prayer and giving me your peace! Gotta get some sleep, more later =D

Aug. 19 Thank you Lord for answering my prayer.... may you continue to guide me in all my ways and direct my paths, but also help me to just live one day at a time.... to learn to trust You, not just in the big things, but also the little things as well.... I pray that You continue to guide me and thank You for giving me Your peace and guiding me where You have... Please hold and keep me and my family close and safe.... and may we become more like You.... In Jesus name, Amen

let go and let God

Jesus said, all who are weary, come to me and I will give you rest..... sometimes it feels we are all alone and too weary to go another step, where is our rest sumtimes? It's only a prayer away..... and even if you have prayed once or 100 times, and even though seems or circumstances don't seem to change, He is ever there and always present!! Pray for His peace, cus with fibro or any other disease, it is the opposite of peace.... it is not fun and not fair!!! but God's peace can get you through..... not the worlds happiness or it's false peace, but His.... knowing you can't carry the burden alone and giving it to Him.... We are never alone and even when it doesn't feel like, God hears our cries..... He just doesnt answer on our time or even our terms sometimes.... sometimes you gotta just let go and let God!! =)

from the chronic pain support group on fb

THE GOAL AND LONG VERSION FOR MY CHRONIC PAIN SUPPORT GROUP ON FB: This is a group that is formed with and for all the wonderful facebook friends that suffer with chronic pain. I, myself, have fibromyalgia, I srtruggled with declining health from approx. 2001-2003.... just little stuff at first.... then from 2003-2005 I started really struggling with pain and fatigue, but especially pain, back, HIPS, shoulder/neck area..... had tried different treatment and such and doctored for a while.... and in June of 2005 I was officially diagnosed with fibromyalgia. Had a good doctor(s) and within a couple years was doing really well.... then I had a surgery go TERRIBLY wrong in nov of 2007 and was critical but stable and it was very scary..... The situation went from bad to worse, but after several surgeries and vanco, I recovered from that approx feb 2008.... at this point my fibro was flaring like no other, my doctor left, and I had NO HELP!! IT WAS THAT BAD!!! by the late summer/fall of 2009 I finally found a doctor and went on the patch.... It saved my life when I needed it! I also did sum non surgical treatments and while those were very painful, I did get much relief.... Now finally summer of 2011 I can say I am getting there!!! I was on the 75 mcg fentanyl patch, and now, down to 50.... less pill, and doing my treatments.... I have been so blessed with my wonderful, compassionate, and understanding doctor!! I can truely say I feel like we are a "health team" and she has my back!!!! I hope and pray everyone suffering can find good help, which is rare and hard to find..... but here is a safe place to vent and share and be uplifted and encouraged!!! Hang in there and God bless.....

Doctors, cruelty, and disability

THIS WAS ORIGINALLY WRITTEN IN A RESPONSE TO FACE BOOK ABOUT VENTING ABOUT DOCTOR EXPERIENCES.....
Doctors can be soooo cruel!!!! It seems like for every 8-9 bads ones, there are only 1-2 good ones.... and those are few and far between and hard to find and when you do, they are not taking patients cuz they r so good and work with people.... the last doc said I just needed to get off all narcotics and grin and bear it.... Really?!? Dont they think we want off them too? I am so thankful for my fentanyl, but I would give it up for a cure/no more pain in a heartbeat!!! The worst was the one that when I went for my disability (I got it eventually,yay,praise!!) ... I was telling him bout my pain, my trigger point injections, sum epidurals/blocks... and I said, no person wants this, but I hurt and need help... he said, "you would be surprised to see what some people will go through so they don't have to work".... I said, well, no sane person would want to go through this.... just cuz... working would be "heaven".... I wish I could.... hang in there everyone..... *I will say though, he did listen cuz he did write me a favorable review.... which social security said still wasnt enuf... so y did you send me to him? I got the obligatory denial letter and actually went to our state congresswoman with a "request to look into my case", I sent TONS of dr info and a letter that pleaded for help.... I got my approval 2 weeks after I wrote and did the paperwork to/for the congresswoman! Hope that helps anyone else trying for their disability..... hang in there everyone!!!
AND THEN I COMMENTED ON MY NOTE:
the pain somedays IS THAT BAD.... stress and not sleeping only make it worse and when they act like pompus jerks how do they think that effects us? My ABSOLUTE worse... a nurse practitioner told me it was all in my head and what was I teaching my children and how could i settle like this and have nothing... I never went back to that clinic again and called and complained like no other!! I seriously cried for like a week over her.... that was a few years ago, shortly after a surgery with horrible complications and I was soooo sick!!! It was bad and she made it TERRIBLE!!! Supposed to be there to help, but unfortunately too many times they only hinder people and make us feel crazy and like a loser..... were not!!! and we can't let other people have that power over us.... thanks again for another vent session!!! must be the heat making me cranky....
I do have to say though.... rite now I have a wonderful internist doctor (woman) who is very understanding and supportive and I see her monthly and feel like we are a team and she is on my side!!! I can honestly say I am doing better.... or I wouldnt have been able to go down to the 50 mcg patch.... b4 my screwed up surgery, I was down to 1-2 vicoden on my best day and 3-4 on my worser ones....I really do hope that I can be there again..... One step at a time to climb ANY mountain.... and at least rite now, I have a great guide... Thanks Dr. M!! :) your the best!

Running to Nowhere

It is nearly 4 am and I can't sleep.... at all!!! I find myself sinking into a pit of despair and depression, intermixed with times of mania.... I am having a nervous breakdown! Really, I am... and idk if its as much as me or my brain chemistry.... I should be happy, or feel more happiness than I do about things.... cus when I'm alone with my thoughts, they run deep and I am scared! Am I running away from something, too afraid to run into the new, or do I just feel stuck in the mire of indecision? Have I been running.... so angry.... fight with every last drop of blood I have, yet get me nowhere... nowhere except exhausted, hurt, bloodied, and bruised! Can I feel things I never thought I would? Am I beyond repair? What do I want? Where do I want to go/be? Am I fighting my own feelings? Are they real, guilt, fear, scared? Are my scars to deep to ever fully open up.... Is this God calling me? At my end with nothing, BUT GOD!!!! But God, it's also very hard!!! My confusion runs deep, I can't sleep, can't rest, hurts to feel..... I cried and cried and cried and...... that was tonight... yet I hide it from the world... even my girls.... only God and my tears keep me company tonight! I feel like an emotional mess inside.... but whats even worse, I hurt on the outside... The pain as I move, shoots and radiates up and I feel the effects of fibromyalgia today..... my old enemy yet is always with me, pain.... my foe or friend? how do you make peace with pain? but isn't ironic that what we all want is peace and to get along... yet we FIGHT to gain PEACE?!? hmmmmm....Its an all to familiar pain, managed, yet always present, and until I quit running and stop and deal, the pain will continue to linger..... until finally, I feel like I have been emotionally eaten alive! When will I stop running and deal with my emotions.... can I? how thick and tall are my walls? Is it too late? what do I have to offer? pain, hurt, failure.... or the moments when I am making it through.... nobody sees this side..... where I hate my life at times! I wish I didn't.... I miss feeling close to God..... Is it Him, His calling--is that what I am running from..... I am so scared of hurting that I run in place and get nowhere.... except more pain and more running and more fear and more pain and ..... the cycle won't stop until I stop and deal with my heart and my hurts....