Update 1/27/12

Last update of January 2013 I think...

I am going through another flare up...when do they stop?  NEVER!  I get to feeling good and go do something and end up wishing I hadn't.  What caused it this time?  I never know exactly what causes my flare ups and I think even if I did it wouldn't help me manage my health much.  I take my pills, vitamins etc like I always do, I try to keep the same sleep schedule, limit exercise (it exacerbates my pain issues), and eat foods good for me and it still flares.

I am really bummed out today cause last week I had a really good weekend and on Monday I went to an outlet mall in OKC with my daughter for a little shopping and looking fun.  I walked the entire circle of the mall...out a 15 minutes walk if you are healthy...in about 2 hours and participated in a little light retail therapy!  We visited the Coach outlet at the mall and I bought a couple handbags that were 50% off and then they gave us a coupon for an additional 30% off when we entered the door! 

Aren't they awesome!  I haven't bought a new purse in about 5 years...I know a long time for me or anyone.  I have a lot in my closet but I ended up tossing 5 in the recycle bag for Goodwill and another couple in the trash so that is my reason for not feeling guilty for spending some money on these purses.  They both cost $298 originally but will all the discounts I only paid $222 for both of them and a Coach zip ID wallet and key chain! 

This is awesome.  Has a key chain, wrist strap, pocket for money and debit cards and then a clear ID pocket for my drivers license and conceal carry card on the front.  I clip it to the front of the purse and if I don't want to carry the whole bag I unclasp it and take it with me.  

We went to see the move MAMA and had dinner out at Golden Corral that night so you can see it wasn't a stressing or taxing day...unless the excitement over getting my new Coach goodies were exciting stressful to me.  Now that would be the pits to have an exciting thing happen and you go into a flare up...

On Tuesday Heather took me to Weight Watchers...did I tell you that I went to the doctor a couple weeks ago and I had lost a whopping 12.6 # from my previous visit till now.  I decided I was doing so well I went and rejoined Weight Watchers.  Don't know why I quit cause I always feel better when I am eating WW and my gluten diet.  Anyway we went to weigh in and I had lost another 3#.  YAY!  WW has a gluten free friendly program now and most of the foods I am eating are in their data base so keeping up with the tracker is easy peasy.

Wednesday was a day of rest cause I knew I had a class to teach on Art Journaling at my LSS so I didn't do much of anything.  The Art Journal class was a not stressful and I actually enjoyed the people in the class a lot.

Friday!  Well Friday was a down day for sure.  I had a headache and nausea all day.  I got up about noon and was back in bed at 3pm trying to get the head better.  Stayed laying flat the rest of the day because if I got up my head and body hurt so bad it wasn't worth moving.  Even Chuck trying to pat my back caused a lot of pain.  I slept as much as I could and woke up Saturday feeling a little better but still having some issues.

Saturday Heather called about going to the crop at the LSS so I went with her about 5 pm and we did some crafting for a few hours, stopped by Ihop on the way home and today I am feeling like dog doo!

If you have fibromyalgia, CFS/ME you know what I am talking about here!  If you don't and you think I am a whiner then I hope you never are diagnosed with this disorder.  It is a constant pain and takes so much out of me on goods days that I dread the bad ones.  I hate feeling bad cause it tends to make me into a bitch and I am normally a reasonable person but...

Guess I will wait another 5-10 years before buying another handbag...takes too much effort!  Enough for me.  Hope you have good days my friends. 

Weight Watchers Day #1 4-10-12

Okay today is the day I start Weight Watchers again...I went to the meeting with my sister last night and weighed in at 224.6# or 16 stone or 101kg. OMG! I am happy that I hadn't gained back up to the 248# of a couple years ago but I was definitely on my way back up!

This picture is of me when Heather and I went on a cruise November 13, 2010. I had booked the cruise in February 2010 as a celebration for Heather and I because we both graduated from college with our bachelor's degrees...mine in nursing and hers in art. The year then went to hell in a hand basket and I ended up sick all summer and was finally diagnosed in October with Chronic Fatigue/Myalgic Encephalomyelitis and Fibromyalgia. It had all started a lot earlier (about 20 years before in 1990) but that was the flare up that showed me that I was not normal and probably better sit up and take notice of what was going on in my body...

In this picture I weighed in at 248# Chunky chica to say the least. I was having troubles getting around and thought it was the weight so I joined WW then so I could get to feeling better again. I got down to 219.6# in January of this year but I didn't notice a difference in the way I felt day to day.

I tell people I can tell FM pain and ME issues cause they are different then my normal day to day aging issues. I have knee, joint, and back problems just like any other 59-60 year old person and I take Ibuprofen or even a Lortab once in awhile when they get to bothering me. I think the WW weight loss will help with those issues. The FM and CFS issues aren't helped by the drugs unless the pain is so bad that I am so tensed up and the drugs help the nonFM pain and that relaxes me enough that the FM eases up. I have been really watching and following what my body is telling me and I suggest that everyone keep a log so that they can get a handle on what their body is telling them. What I learned from my log is to listen to your body and don't push it or you pay for it. What you used to do before FM CFS/ME is a lot different then what you can do now so live with it or not but if you don't you will pay for your inattentiveness. I do everything I used to do but not all at the same time or same day. I can cook 3 meals, do a load of laundry, make the bed and vacuum the living room in one day and be down in bed for the next 3 days. If I make the bed and fix a couple meals I am okay. I vacuum another day, keep a load of laundry going just about everyday. Wash today, dry tomorrow, fold the next day. Works for me and that is what my log did for me.

I still have a lot of cognitive dysfunction an it will take me 3 hours and sometime longer to get my brain awake after I get out of bed in the morning...usually after noon. The fibro-fog drives me nuts. I describe it best for me as a morning after hangover where I probably drank a gallon on sangria the night before and my brain is mush. I am slow on the uptake and the output. Getting an idea formulated in my brain is not a pretty sight. Confused and disoriented sometimes to the point I just pour a cup of coffee and sit down at the computer or TV (and hope I remember how to make them work) and surf till my brain wakes up. Some days I don't make it to 90% and I don't push anymore. I do what I can do. This is one of my qualifiers for SSDI is the cognitive issues cause who would want me taking care of time if I can't remember what I am suppose to do. Was really a downer to me till I figured out what what going on. I am a take control person so that didn't set well with me.

Okay that's all I am going to rant on today. I have a ton of stuff to do to day so I guess I had better get busy getting it done. I need to make a couple tags for a swap, get ready for a meeting tonight, cook some supper. THATS my idea of a ton of stuff now. Before I would have wallpapered a wall, cleaned house etc etc etc. Live and learn.