March 10, 2010 - My Journey

After reviewing my notes from the past, I know I am feeling better and in a better place. I remember the days I could not get out of bed, the fatigue, and pain I felt every moment of my life. While my pain and fatigue has decreased, I am experiencing some of those unpleasant symptoms again.

I do not stick to a schedule unless I have scheduled appointments or plans. I think it would be best to set a waking and bedtime schedule to follow on a daily basis. When you have no work or school schedule, you tend to be more relaxed and maybe even lazy. I am speaking from personal experience, perhaps nobody else falls under this category. I plan to start tomorrow, letting my hubby know when to give me my wake-up medication. I am just not sure I want to commit to it. I have to get motivated.

Today, Jerry gave me my medication (Concerta ER 54 MG) and pain medication at 8:30 AM, so I could wake up, bathe, get dressed, and take him to his doctor’s appointment at 11:30 AM. While I was in bed, I completed stretching exercises by slowly moving my arms, legs, hands, fingers, and toes. This gave me time to gain enough strength to get out of bed and bathe. It seems after a long hot bath my body tends to feel a bit more energized. Prior to the appointment, I took time for meditation and prayer. It cleared my mind from any negativity.

My planned activities were stretching, prayer time, driving Jerry to his appointment, updating my blog, washing a load of clothes, and cooking dinner. I was successful and completed my planned activities. I feel fatigued and unable to relax when I lie down to rest. I will have to figure out a way to relax.

I ate small meals throughout the day, watched television, and snacked on popcorn (my favorite). I can make a meal out of popcorn. Try to remember that during meals you should reduce the amount of fluid you drink (prevents the dilution of stomach acids). Drink water throughout the day (I did) and eat small meals, snacking on something before and after lunch to help stabilize stomach acids. I am eating very small meals because I do not have an appetite. I need to build up my strength.

I practiced stress relief by breathing deeply from my abdomen, not my chest. I also took time out to stretch throughout the day. I still feel fatigued. I am still struggling with headaches, stiffness of the neck, nausea, and dizziness. That might be the reason I cannot relax, the pain in my neck is uncomfortable. I may end up having to call my doctor prior to March.

I am experiencing pain on the bottom of my feet, neck, and ribcage. My concentration is off because my neck feels so uncomfortable. Hence, the reason I can't figure out how to post my daily journal creation! I have tried exercises, a heating pad, and massage. My head feels fuzzy, my nose feels stuffy, my ears are ringing, and I cannot relax. This process of recording my activities, pain and fatigue may help me identify problems. It is a struggle, but I want to keep it up. Wish me luck.

Meanwhile, I hope and pray you did not experience pain and fatigue.

My Daily Journal

Hello Everyone,

I felt the need to create a daily journal to assist me on my journey. I would like to attach it to this post, just don't know how. If I copy and paste, I loose my design elements. I will have to think about this. Sorry for the delay.

Meanwhile, I am working on updating my journal and schedule. I hope to share it soon.

I pray and hope you do not have pain and fatigue today.

Our Journey to Wellness

Hello Everyone,


I invite anyone burdened by this illness to join me in working towards restoring his or her health. Allowing God in our life to heal us, touch our soul with compassion for others, and touch our hearts with his courage and infinite love for all. We can reach our goals by remaining positive in our mind with the wisdom and spirit God shares with us on a daily basis. Listening, requesting, and giving guidance to those in need during this journey leading us to acknowledging the life style changes we have to make in our lives and maintaining that level of awareness for everlasting results.

The most loving Heart of Jesus who brings us the strength will guide us in making the right decisions, plan our wellness program, and follow it on a daily basis. With the proper support, nutrition, and gentle exercise program, we can create a path to wellness.

You can choose to join me on my journey by creating your own wellness program. I recommend maintaining a journal. Write down your symptoms, thoughts and find a way to measure your pain. After a few weeks, once you re-examine your symptoms, thoughts and pain level, you will find you have made great progress. Please remember to focus on the physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual aspects of your life.

I will share my journey with you by posting my wellness program, journal, and progress. Read my next post:

I hope and pray you have experienced a day without pain and fatigue.

Comment Moderation/ Update on Health

Hello Everyone,

There has been some inappropriate information or comments left on my site and I would like to apologize for those individuals who felt the need to leave those comments. All future comments are subject to moderation.

Jerry convinced me to schedule an appointment with my PCP. Turns out, I have a sinus infection explaining my recent symptoms and fatigue. My experience with fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue lead me to attribute symptoms to my disorder. Previously, my ears were clear and there were no indications of sinus problems, simply fibromyalgia symptoms, hence, my reasoning for not visiting my doctor. There lies proof one can never ignore symptoms. The doctor prescribed antibiotics for my sinus infection that should alleviate some of my symptoms. The script called for two pills on the first day and one pill daily for four days. I took my last pill today and continue to have symptoms. Maybe things will improve in the next day or so. I have a follow-up visit scheduled in a month.

Fibromyalgia includes tender neck or armpit lymph nodes, sore throat, headaches of a new type, pattern, or severity, shortness of breath, sensitivity to temperature changes, nausea, dizziness, fatigue, numbness or tingling sensations, sleep disturbances, recurrent low-grade fever, sensitivity to light and much more. It seems next to impossible to find a method of determining whether to ignore the symptoms or schedule appointments with your doctor. It has been awhile since I have felt well; I want to avoid becoming a hypochondriac. These days I feel like I am regressing back to the onset of my illness, not good.

I have a plan. I am going to try to get some much-needed sleep tonight; tomorrow I will drink plenty of liquids, complete my stretching exercises, watch a movie, and force myself to rest more often during the day. I will feel better tomorrow. I refuse to let this health challenge get me down. I will remain focused on taking control of my health.

I hope and pray you have experienced a day without pain and fatigue.