Quiz

I seen this link on facebook and thought I would see what my name means... I do like to learn new things and continue to try and learn new things.... I am friendly, polite, and have solid values.  Pretty good guess there Mr Quiz! 

Find out what your name means here!

silence

banana?

The fatigue is still present but here comes the pain... swollen joints... muscle cramps... pressure headache... I've taken it easy this week, I've drank a lot of water and rested as much as possible trying to hold off this flare... but with the changes in weather, it is happening anyway...  

No matter what I throw at my fibro, this is how they respond.... 

So I have learned to accepted them.  

I rest and hydrate, and pray until it is over.

extreme fatigue

Ugh I'm absolutely exhausted today... its not being tired, its this bone deep extreme fatigue...  

I'm awake, showered, dressed, and at work.... and now I have to do something while I'm at the office? 

Ugh can I go to sleep yet??

Helpful Tip or Two

Is it just me or are most people obsessed with "life hacks"?  I'm seeing so many articles/pins about "easy kitchen hacks", "unforgettable life hacks", and even "easy spoonie hacks"!  I don't have any tips, tricks, or magic moves to make this life any easier.... But I do have a couple hints that I have found helpful along the way I would like to share with my readers. 

Tip #1:


One of the biggest things I have learned along the way is to contact the hospital, doctor's office, mall, hotel, etc and ask about any Guest Services offered.  I do this before any new appointment or any new location.  I don't mean something like fluffing my towels - but I ask about things like valet parking, guest transport assistance, etc.  If you aren't sure where to start with asking if these services are available, talk to your reception workers at the doctor's office.  Or call the mall's customer service professionals.  

I am extremely blessed that the facility where most of my medical appointments are located has valet parking (disability tags park free or your doctor's office can validate the card so you can park free) and it also has guest transport assistance (which means on those days I'm unable to physically walk to my appointment they have someone who will take me in a wheelchair).  It doesn't hurt to ask, all they can do is say that nothing of that nature is available.


Tip #2:

My other big tip is to really take the time to beef up your contact information on your doctor's in your cell phone.  I include things like the Doctor's name, number, specialty, address (in case I forget where they are located), what elevator/suite number, and sometimes the name of my favorite nurse at the office.  Here is an example of what I mean, it is for Dr Enjeti who is my Pulmonologist.  And yes, this is a real screenshot from my iphone! haha  I constantly found myself getting lost in the hospital or forgetting which elevator got me to which doctor, so by beefing up the contact information I am more prepared for each appointment.  

On good days I hate asking for help because I have to ask for assistance on bad days.  By beefing up the contacts, now I know exactly where I am going :)   

That's all I have tip wise!  Well except for the normal things... But that's another blog post.

Pinterest's Advice

Browsing on Pinterest this afternoon, I found a couple links that were interesting.  

• Lupus Survival Guide
• 31 Ways to Live Well with Lupus 
• 4 Steps to Overcome Chronic Fatigue

I don't really think I would have any "Survival Guide" style advice to give anyone, at least not today. 

Speak up please, I can't hear you clearly...

This has been all day, so much is going on around me and I can't help but listen in.... Asthma is so bad that I can't do much talking, but my ears are working fine...

Oh my what I have learned.... 

Prednisone Blues

For the last couple of days I've been having some major asthma issues.... I mean - extreme moments of "I cannot breathe, should I give myself a Greys-Anatomy-inspired-tracheostomy??" 

Thankfully, my other health issues went into a bit of a false remission while I was taking the steroids, especially the lupus and fibro pains.  Yet while I was taking this horrible stuff, my blood sugar was raging out of control!  That's ok though, because I would rather be able to breathe and just have to avoid certain foods while I'm on prednisone.  

The thing is, I become extremely emotional while I am taking Prednisone.  I cry easily and over things that normally I wouldn't bat an eyelash at... Then again, the exhaustion of fighting to breath every moment of every day is probably catching up with me...  I can't sleep at night and I can't get a break (of downtime) during the day.  Please keep me in your prayers, this asthma is no joke.

Exercising with Fibromyalgia

There are so many articles out there with advice on how to exercise with fibro.  This one, for example, and also there is this one,  But out of all of the ones I have read, this one is my favorite.  Giving actual examples of low impact exercises that definitely have a "beginners" level helps me more than any motivational "feel the burn" mumbo-jumbo out there.  Of the exercises it lists, I am curious about the following:  walking, swimming, yoga and tai-chi.  



I am the opposite of flexible, but I have had an interest in yoga for a long time now.  I've experimented with various youtube videos that claim to be super-easy, beginners-only, fibro-friendly, and even fatgirl-friendly... but I have had no luck in finding something that didn't make me stick out like a sore thumb.  And then, I read this article about the different yoga styles available.  


It gives me hope that I might be able to find the right thing for me.