Morgan Freeman Discusses Fibromyalgia Pain and Legalizing Marijuana

Many of you may know that actor Morgan Freeman suffers from fibromyalgia, although from his words his pain seems to be more localized to the left side of his body injured in a bad car accident and hasn’t gone full body yet. That doesn’t mean his symptoms don’t cause havoc full body. It’s just my guess. Anyway, I stumbled upon this article where Freeman discusses his fibromyalgia pain and says that marijuana is the only thing that provides him with pain relief. He says it’s benefits are enough that it should be legalized nationwide. It’s an interesting article and a quick read so I thought I’d share it.

Morgan Freeman Shoots Straight: On Legalizing Marijuana and His Escape From New York – The Daily Beast

FibroGuide Resource

Thanks to Seeking Equilibrium, I discovered FibroGuide. FibroGuide has a modules with great information for those newly diagnosed and those of us who have had fibromyalgia for what feels like forever. You take a simple quiz and it points you to the modules you may find most helpful. Examples of modules are Understanding Fibromyalgia, Fibro Fog, Being Active, Communicating, Sleep, Pacing Yourself, and more. It’s got a lot of great information and I really like how it’s organized. With the quiz, you are quickly pointed to the resources you may find most helpful and don’t have to go digging through a ton of information for the tidbits that are the most relevant for you. I don’t know about you, but my attention span is short and my thoughts are easily scattered so I found the way this site is organized to be very helpful. Check it out!

Collateral Damage

Reposted from Seeking Equilibrium.

I liked this post and wanted to share it. The graphic is a great graphic for the invisible face of pain too, I think.

Why?
Societal pressure?
Weakness?

We are our own worst enemy. Every day we have to fight a war. War against pain, war against fatigue, war against an invisible illness that most don’t understand, war against indifferent doctors and war against pharmacies just trying to fill our prescriptions.

Why then do we turn the war on ourselves?

I’ve been to support meetings and read blogs and hear people talk about medication. Some even seem proud that they don’t and haven’t given in to prescription medication. That’s good if it works for them but to make anyone else feel less than human for taking them is wrong. Using medication that you might become physically dependent upon isn’t a sign of weakness. That is an unfortunate side effect of maybe feeling normal and productive.

We err on the side of the addict.

Maybe we’re trained that it’s greedy and selfish to want something for ourselves. All I know is every time I swallow a pill I feel weak.

And that, my friends, is stupid.

If we are responsible and knowledgeable about the power of the pills, if we “follow the rules” then there shouldn’t be any self-loathing about using narcotics or pills that help us get the restorative sleep we need. When did it become the norm that suffering is noble?

It isn’t.

We can do so much more when pain isn’t creating havoc in our bodies. If we can sleep then maybe, just maybe, we won’t be as stiff and sore in the morning. If that happens maybe, just maybe, we can get the exercise that we need. Don’t people get it? It’s a vicious cycle. We need exercise but it just hurts too much to start.

I think we need to like ourselves a little bit more and not look at medication as weakness. There are a lot of therapies out there and every one of us need to tweak them for our own use.  I don’t think we should feel bad for wanting to feel better.

We fight a war every single day.

And sometimes it feels like we should give up.

We can’t.

And we shouldn’t be one of the civilian casualties.

Quote of the Day – Champion

People who suffer from chronic pain are champions. We fight our pain — our own bodies — every day, but we don’t give in. We keep fighting on. We keep getting up every time we are knocked down. We are fighters and survivors.

Does your greatest teacher have fur?

I wanted to share this great post on the difference pets can make to people suffering from chronic illnesses. Sometimes they even have their own invisible illnesses that they heal from while they help us heal, like Pup in this post: Does your greatest teacher have fur?

Archie and I relax on a bridge above a koi pond during a hotel stay.

Like Pup, my dog, Archie, is my “therapy dog.” He’s a rescue too and I used to think I found him, but really he found me. He had Parvo as a puppy and almost died, so when I got him he had tons of skin problems, ear infections, and was skin and bones. It took awhile to get him on the right diet and get his skin issues cleared up. He still has some weird skin problems, I’ve learned. I changed his food last fall only to change it right back a few months later when the skin problems came back. He’s back to normal now. He knows when I’m really hurting; he snuggles with me and often positions himself on whichever hip or leg is aching the most to share his body heat with me. He knows when I’ve been sitting too long and annoys me until I get up and play with him or walk him. He motivates me to walk and exercise. I’m going through a divorce now and he’s been amazing. He comes running when I’m sad and licks the tears away. He’ll do something cute that makes me laugh so then he keeps doing it to keep me laughing. He doesn’t like when I cry.

When I was at my worst in February 2012 with my fibromyalgia, he literally knocked me on my butt and made me rethink how I was getting through the days. I let him out on a big leash and he dashed off after a squirrel so fast the leash swept my legs out from under me. I was bruised from my fall but it was the final straw and it led to me taking a 10-week medical leave from work so I could work on my health, nutrition, and emotional wellbeing and start clawing my way back from the sea of pain I was lost in. That leave from work was a huge turning point in my health and he was with me every day for it.  He always knows when he can push me to be more active and when he can’t. I don’t know what I would do without him. I know I wouldn’t be in as healthy a place now without him though.

Weather or Not – Fibromyalgia under Pressure

I stumbled upon this post from RebuildingWellness and wanted to share it. I’m on day 4 of a rain/storm induced flare up and am in dire need of some sunny, calm days to lower my pain levels. I wonder why we fibromyalgia sufferers are so sensitive to weather? My skull and jaw is where the worst of the pain and weather sensitivity presents. My skull feels like its being crushed by the pressure in the air and all the bones are grinding together. My jaw aches badly. How does your sensitivity to weather present? Please share your story here.

WEATHER OR NOT — FIBROMYALGIA UNDER PRESSURE (By Sue)

Do you experience INCREASED fibromyalgia (and/or other chronic) symptoms with seasonal changes?

For most of us — yes, symptoms do increase.

But … which ones?

Some of you tell me that fatigue flares to unbearable levels during the heat – especially if there’s high humidity to boot. Some say their symptoms of pain are overwhelming when cold frigid winds blow. And, symptoms such as migraines, sinus pain, and allergic tendencies can increase during stormy and unpredictable weather.

Of course, there’s also the flurry of symptoms that increase right before a significant weather change. Most of us have experienced that type of flare. We really are sensitive beings, aren’t we?

To read more about being a “sensitive type,” read this post about my Tuning Fork Analogy.

Some of us feel as if we could hire ourselves out as weather forecasters or gauges. It makes sense! We’re surely more accurate than a groundhog, right? (I’ll have to do some research about Punxsutawney Phil’s annual salary….) We can predict rain, wind, heat, or significant change by the accompanying pain and fatigue in various parts of the body. For some, the physical impact centers around areas of former injury (broken bones, torn muscles/ligaments/tendons, etc.). For others, it centers around areas of consistent pain such as particular joints, sinuses, or an overall generalized overwhelming fatigue.

In studying the correlation between symptoms and the weather, we need to fine tune the question. We should ask, WHAT symptoms change and WHEN do they change?

For me, change is the operative word. Even though my symptoms are now very minor (for which I’m very grateful), I still pay attention to the slightest physical twinge. I’m aware of incoming weather fronts because my symptoms CHANGE when the weather is about to CHANGE. It’s more than the temperature, precipitation, wind, and humidity levels. For me, a barometric pressure change can be felt throughout the body. The bigger the weather change, the bigger the symptoms change.

Do barometric pressure changes affect you? If so, where do you feel it first, and for how long? Can you mitigate changes by taking preventative action such as increasing certain supplements, drinking more water, and getting regular exercise?

I can’t wait to hear what you think! Jot down your weather-related experiences below…

Human Barometer Meme

I wanted to share this funny meme with everyone. Thank you Google for giving me this funny pic which sums up how I’ve felt the last few days. The rain finally came last night and it brought some relief to my pain, but I’m still having a bad pain day. The rain is supposed to be here non-stop through Wednesday, if you can believe the weathermen. Happy Monday everyone!

A Storm is Coming

A storm is coming. I can feel it. The weatherman said today was supposed to be perfect, not a cloud in the sky. He said rain wasn’t coming until late tomorrow night. Instead its been windy all day and cloudy for hours. I can feel its not just rain on the way but thunderstorms. I got a few days break from rain only to have storms on the way. My pain  rising the closer the weather comes. The weathermen have been wrong so many times the last few months, forget all their fancy doplar technology, they should just ask someone with fibromyalgia what weather is on the way!

I did manage a walk with the dog this afternoon. That helped with the pain for a bit at least and I enjoyed all the flowers in bloom.

Iris

The Stress of Chronic Illness

I love the posts of the Seeking Equilibrium blog. I wanted to share this one on the stress that having fibromyalgia creates for us. I feel like she took the words right out of my mouth!

HERE’S MY NUMBER SO I’LL CALL YOU MAYBE

 

The stress of chronic illness.

Where do I begin?

Chronic illness:  the invisible shackles that bind us. It’s been said that we “acquire” Fibromyalgia due to stress. What they fail to acknowledge is the stress that chronic pain brings along with it.

One of my favorites is agreeing to something social. Now, in the back of my mind I’m thinking, “should I put several caveats in the agreement so I don’t look like a no-show again?”

It seems that everything is a fight. Not a physical or verbal fight but a fight of circumstances. You feel like you are fighting against the immovable object.  I was driven, competitive and work obsessed. Then I got slammed and it all went out the window. When you have to redefine yourself….well, it isn’t pretty. We go from mach 2 to ZERO and that takes its toll. That alone brings all kinds of stressors. Most of the people I know define themselves by their work and I was no different.

I was in New Home Sales and loved it. It took a long time to get over the fact that I would never man a sales office again. There is a lot of climbing stairs, movement and memory involved. There are days that I still have a tough time dealing with it, not only because of the income, but I loved what I did.

So, back to feeling like cow plop.

When I have something I want to do it’s kind of a crap shoot whether I’ll go. If the pain level is manageable…of course I go….but on any given day….well, that’s up for grabs too. Weather seems to bother me and it’s been haywire lately.

We want to go away and the stress of traveling is just one more thing. When you can’t sit for more than 20 minutes and it’s a five hour flight……what do you do? I don’t love flying on the best of days let alone the worst of them. Just to get the bulkhead seats I had to get a doctor’s note and show medical records for a reason that I have to sit there. Then the humidity levels are much higher than they are where I live……I’m just hoping that I can sit my fanny on a beach and not care how much pain I’m in.

Did we say stress? It seems that everything has stress attached to it. It may not be overt but it’s still there. Why? Because we cannot fly by the seat of our pants anymore. Every little thing has to be planned out and accounted for……and even then it may not work out. I get so tired of being tired and in pain. I want to shake it off and have pain-free fun.

I want to get out and call people and enjoy life. Now, I’m afraid that I’ll be a big drag because I just can’t do what I used to do. Pain, fatigue and nerve damage…..did I say stress?

Gee…………

Everything revolves around me.

That used to be a good thing,

Now, it’s a pain in the fanny.

Notice I said fanny

Quote of the Day – Blessings

A friend had this quote posted on Facebook. I really like it. I’ve been going through a rough spot and this quote reminds me of the silver linings I keep looking for amidst the chaos.

“Our real blessings often appear to us in the shape of pains, losses and disappointments, but let us have patience and we soon shall see them in their proper figures.”
– Joseph Addison

Acceptance, distraction and cognitive therapy lowers pain intensity

Just stumbled upon this article about new research showing that acceptance, distraction and cognitive therapies do help lessen the intensity of pain for chronic pain sufferers. I have found this to be true in my own experience with fibromyalgia. Although I know that acceptance isn’t permanent and some days I won’t accept it and that distractions that work are different for every person. I wanted to share this article with you.

Benefits of cognitive pain relief methods.

Apr. 10, 2013 — Those who accept their pain condition are best able to tolerate pain, while distraction can be the way to lower pain intensity, according to research reported in The Journal of Pain.

A team of German researchers evaluated the most common short-term cognitive pain management techniques for acute pain — acceptance, distraction and cognitive restructuring. They noted that little is known about the relative efficacy of acceptance strategies compared to other cognitive approaches, such as distraction and cognitive restructuring. The objective was to explore the differential short-term effects of these methods in a sample of 109 female students exposed to thermal mode experimental pain stimuli.

As an adjunctive pain treatment, acceptance is intended to disrupt the link between thoughts and behaviors so patients are willing to tolerate pain. The majority of experimental studies have shown that acceptance strategies are more effective at increasing pain tolerance than other pain regulation strategies.

In the study sample, distraction was used to shift attention away from pain stimulation to lessen pain intensity. With cognitive behavioral structuring, patients are trained to alter their appraisals of pain dysfunction in order to improve their ability to cope with pain. Proponents believe that restructuring pain-related thoughts may affect disability-related behavior, such as avoiding work or recreational activities in fear of pain.

Results of the study showed that acceptance led to increased pain tolerance relative to cognitive restructuring and distraction lowered pain intensity compared to acceptance. No significant differences were detected between distraction and acceptance with regard to pain tolerance. The authors concluded that cognitive restructuring was no different from distraction for increasing pain tolerance. They noted that from a clinical perspective knowledge about cognitive pain management strategies can be useful in gauging treatment outcomes and for refining the treatment of chronic pain.

A Little Zen for Today

A little bit of zen for today courtesy of my yoga teacher. I have to remind myself to be in the moment and to breathe, both of which help me manage my fibromyalgia pain.

Look into this moment. You never know what will come next.

You may anticipate but you cannot control it.

Enjoy. Enjoy this moment.

And this one. Breathe!

Festive, Fun way to Relieve Pain

The holidays can be stressful, to say the least.  This season involves a lot of hustle and bustle and if you suffer from fibromyalgia or chronic pain, all the goings on this holiday season can spike your pain and sap your energy. I’m always looking for creative ways to manage my pain, instead of just relying on medications. Here’s one I bet you haven’t thought of:

Coloring!

My therapist turned me on to this and I’ll be darned if the pain just doesn’t fade to the background while I color. I find that I get the best result when I choose pictures that I could’ve colored as a child, not anime or new cartoons or anything else from the present. I get the best result using crayons too. Colored pencils and markers just don’t give me as much pain relief. I don’t know if it’s the smell of the crayons or that I’m tapping into my inner child who is still happy and untouched by pain and traumas, but whatever the reason coloring helps me manage my pain. And anything that helps manage pain is a good thing in my book.

I haven’t been up to much holiday decorating the last couple of weeks. I just put some lights on m Christmas tree last night.  It still needs ornaments, garland, and all the fixings.  I haven’t wrapped a single present from the daunting stack of things to be wrapped either.  So I’m killing two birds with one stone today. I’m coloring Christmas coloring pages. It’s fun to color them and get in the holiday spirit. It brings up lots of childhood memories of happy times at Christmas with my family and the excitement of opening presents and seeing what Santa left for us on Christmas morning.  The pain fades away while I color and when I’m done, I can tape the pages up on the walls in my house to add some holiday decorations and color to the house.

So before you work yourself into a flare up or crash from too much excitement and sugar, take a moment, breathe, and enjoy some coloring. Your body will thank you.

Merry Christmas!

Wishing everyone a very Merry Christmas and a happy holiday season! Best wishes for health and happiness in the new year!

Stress Less

Stress is bad for people with fibromyalgia and chronic pain. It spikes our pain. It wears us out. It drains us mentally and physically. Stress has always been a problem for me and I always work to reduce my stress levels however I can. I think my favorite suggestion on this list is “ask for a hug.” Sometimes I just need a hug and to feel small and cared for for a moment before I go on fighting.