Nothing a glass of wine can't fix???

Does alcohol actually make fibromyalgia worse? If so, how?

According to the Mayo Clinic USA and researchers at Michigan University, low and moderate drinkers had better scores for physical function, ability to work, the number of work days missed, fatigue and pain, than people who abstained. Moderate drinkers who had between three and seven standard drinks a week seemed to have less pain than low or heavy drinkers.

Why? Aminobutyric Acid (GABA), an inhibitory neurotransmitter, which is low in our brains, is thought to bind with the alcohol causing lower perceived pain levels. But like any good thing, too much is going to hurt you. And when it wears off, the pain levels are likely to return.

Keep in mind, if you do if have intolerances such as fructose intolerance, you will need to limit your drinking to spirits or one glass of dry red wine depending on your tolerance levels.

How does alcohol affect your pain levels? Does it make it better or worse?

For details of the full article, read at: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/03/130315074615.htm

Surviving the big "C"

No, this isn't a post about cancer.

How do you survive this holiday season with your Fibromyalgia or other chronic illness?
If you're anything like me, this season probably brings more people contact than you can handle, more intolerable foods that you have to eat and more flare-ups that you can count...so is there any way you can minimise this??

Here's my top five tips:

1. Plan, pre-plan and pre-pre-pre plan
If you love doing things like baking goodies, then there is no harm in starting to make them from November, to give yourself time to slowly make them, rest and then start again. There's nothing worse than having to push yourself to get it all done in the last minute.

2. Buy them early, wrap them slowly
Same goes for pressies.. Try to get your shopping done early. It also helps to do your shopping online, that way you can do it in your pj's with a heatpack to soothe your pain. If you can afford it, pay a little extra to have your presents sent wrapped. Or else, try to do one a day or two, if you can manage it. Christmas is no time to forget your mantra - pace, pace, pace.

3. Two kiwis and a lemon
If Christmas finds you eating a whole bunch of unhealthy or intolerant food, that leaves you bloated or heavy or constipated, try a home remedy. Make sure you have two kiwis atleast a day. I also find that soaking a slice of lemon in water not only makes a refreshing treat but also triggers your liver into cleansing your body. Plus, as an added bonus, they're fructose free!

4. Enjoy, even if only for the moment
Make sure you do enjoy yourself. Have a laugh. Chat to some family. Remember, you are not your illness. Sometimes, it helps to forget for a while and remember what life used to be like. Have some cake. Have a glass of wine.

5. Schedule some recovery time
This is possibly the most important one. Anticipate that the season is going to be tough on you. Plan some time doing something that helps your body recover afterwards, whether that's a warm bubble bath, a good cry, a long nap or anything else that comforts your body. You deserve it!


Do you have any other tips that have helped you in the past? That are helping you right now? Please do share.

Most of all, have a wonderful Christmas and a blessed New Year!
Love to you all.. xo

These are my days...

(c) Chronic Faith

My Days © ChronicFaith

It hurts to sit

It hurts to breathe

I can barely move

I can barely see

Can’t look outside

Can’t run or hide

Can’t wake up in the morning

Or sleep at night.

Can’t feel my fingers

Can’t feel my toes

Yet the pain that never ends

I have in crores and crores

Can’t do my job

Can’t study or read

Even my Bible looks like

It’s in Aramaic and Greek.

This is my life

These are my days

Can’t wait until tomorrow

Can’t wait till today ends.

God, where are you?

God, where are you?

(c) ChronicFaith

I scream but no sound comes out

I beg but my pleas appear unheard

I’m desperate but my prayers disappear with the wind.

God, where are you?

I struggle and I fall apart

I am mocked & made a fool of

I cry myself to sleep,

God, where are you?

I am in agony and I sweat in anguish

Pain fills me from head to toe

I can’t breathe, I can’t move

God, where are you?

I am filled with grief

I have lost the one I love

I am alone & abandoned,

God, where are you?

When you pleaded, I saw your heart.

When you cried, I collected your tears.

When you were in pain, I held your hand.

When you grieved, I mourned with you.

  

I was never far, my beloved daughter.

I never left your side

If only you could see tomorrow, you’d understand

What I’ve done for you & why.

“As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.” Isaiah 55:9

God is never far from us & he is always working for our good, even when it doesn’t seem like it. Romans 8:28 says that “in all things, God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to His purpose”. Because we, as humans, are limited by so much: by time, by our experiences, by our lack of patience  & by peer & cultural pressure, it is very hard for us to see beyond the here and now. But God is outside of time & space and He sees these things. He knows what is best for us, today, tomorrow & each day after that. He is not only interested in providing for us now but for us in the future & for all His children, the same. As His Word says in Isaiah 55:9, “as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.” What a great & wonderful God we have who looks after us & provides for our every need and want. Let us learn to trust Him in all circumstances, knowing that our trust is placed in a loving God who prepares all things for us & for our good both now & into the future. 

Listen to your body..

Ever walk through a really busy street or stand in a really busy train? With people shoving you left, right and centre; where you feel like you're moving at snail pace or moving backwards against the tide? When all your effort doesn't result in you getting anyway except hurt by the people pushing you aside as they bustle around?

Ever feel invisible and ignored amongst a crowd; that though you are screaming for help and love, no one around you appears to hear or notice you? 

This is how your body feels when you push through to keep doing things. It feels ignored. It sends out tired and pain signals to alert you to the fact that it is in distress. If still unheard, it causes you to crash, in hopes you'll learn to rest and take care of yourself better next time.

If you talk to anyone who's successfully managing their fibro or chronic illness and ask them about their life pre-illness, they will almost certainly tell you that they've learnt to slow down over the years. They've learnt to pace themselves and not deplete all their energy stores overnight. They've learnt to listen to their body and hear it screaming for help.

Do you?

If not, perhaps now is the time to start. How about doing something simply for your body today? Get a massage or have a long luxurious bubble bath. Ask someone for a soft hug. Let yourself cry if you're feeling down or have a laugh otherwise. 


Trust me. It will make a difference. Even if you're not chronically ill, start today. Your body WILL thank you. 

   

Support National Pain Week!

To those of you struggling with chronic pain, who know others who do or who just plain believe that chronic pain needs to be addressed by the government, please consider supporting National Pain Week 2012.


Here's some practical things you can do to help:

1. Sign the online petition to the Senate to request them to address and take action on the issue of chronic pain in Australia.

2. Print out a copy of the written petition to the House of Representatives and sign it. Get your colleagues, friends, church members, family etc to sign it. Send it via post to Chronic Pain Australia.

3. If you struggle with chronic pain yourself, then please register on the National Pain Week page and add your face to the 10,000 faces of pain campaign. Show the government that we are not small numbers and that this issue deserves attention.

4. If you do have the energy, make an appointment to see your local MP. Tell him/her about the issue of chronic pain, the pain you feel, its impact on your life and work etc. We need to let the government know that is not a passive issue raised by a few but one that deserves attention as it involves the daily pain of many in our country.

5. Inform Chronic Pain Australia of which MP you've met with and when you discussed chronic pain with them so that they know how many local MPs have heard.

Click here to find out more details about the above.

Even if you can't do all these steps, please do as many as you can. Together, we can make a difference!
Together, we can be heard!