Irritable Bowel Syndrome Message Boards

yeah, i don't know how she does it, either. well, actually i kinda do. like LS said- one sentence at a time. if she felt such a passion for it, then she'd be driven to do it no matter the cost. plus, you have to remember, so much of this is second nature to her - the explanations themselves and her coping mechanisms. she does say, though, that she has to budget her time which is why she can't reply to letters/emails from readers. she said as much as she wants to support others, she just can't do it! her book is her way of reaching out with the answers.

now, as far as the difference between fibro and CMP.... it took me probably 4 readings to "get it" and i'm fairly sure that's a better understanding than most doctors and therapists have. i said most, not all. most of the time in the things i've read, the two syndromes are lumped together if they're even called two different things at all!

when it comes to the frog, i have pushed past the worst of it. it seems like i got that at the beginning of this flare i'm in and i had it bad! after a while, the symptoms started to wane 'til i hardly noticed them. i still have trouble looking for words sometimes and i forget stuff at the store (when i have the energy to go!) but it's nowhere near as bad as it had been. i've said before, i had my times where a fashion magazine was "too complicated" and i couldn't make sense of anything. that was frustrating and scary. no one wants to feel they are losing their minds! i cope by writing everything down- i always have a list of stuff to do/buy with me on a sticky note. i put it on the desk while i work and in my wallet when i'm not here. when something crosses my mind ("pick up drycleaning" or "get tomatoes" or "send birthday card") i put it on the list. it's been invaluable! i tried a little notebook but it was too cumbersome. the note works better for me. i keep my purse near me all the time (not obsessively, but if i'm downstairs, so is it) so it's easy to go get the note- otherwise i'd just say "oh, i'll remember to add it later" and i won't! other than that i just put stuff in the same place all the time so i know where to find it. it's forced me to be organized- which i wasn't before!

for the last year i "lost" my keys so many times i ended up buying a little (bright orange) "rapelling hook" and i actually clip my keys to my purse when i'm not using it! still, i actually forgot to bring lunch and my ever-present bottle of water to work the other day.

guess i need a different note: bring lunch, get water, put on pants.

anyway, the upside is this: for me, at least, the frog gets less powerful as i work through my flare. this was the worst flare i've had (in retrospect i can identify other flares- didn't know what they were at the time!) and the worst frog i've had. as i went through the days of the flare, i got "smarter."

also: SLEEP HELPS FIGHT THE FROG! at least, it does for me! (all hail Ambien)

when it comes to doctors, i was lucky and had switched to a new doctor for other reasons and on my very first appointment she called it. she sent me to a rhumatologist who confirmed. then again, maybe that's not so "lucky" 'cause i've had it for years and years and was really fighting it the last year and a half and my previous doctors never made the connections... LS gave you some good advice- get a referral to a rhumatologist (i've heard neurologists can be helpful, too, though when i went to one years ago for debilitating migraines he just wanted me to journal for weeks at a time without medicating me. i think he was doing a study. i came close to sticking the journal somewhere unpleasant! so i'm a bit soured on neurologists!

)

and LS is the best fibro-guide ever! REST. definitely rest. and then rest some more. if you're not sleeping well, get some meds that can help. try heat (or ice- your preference) on your achies. i'm addicted to my heating pad (kinda literally!). and my next best advice is take a walk and do some stretching. ok, ok, you're exhausted. i know! believe me i know! i am still really exhausted, too. but i promise you this, if you stretch just a tiny bit every few hours and take even a 2 minute walk, you'll feel a little more limber and that really, really helps. i don't know if you read my post the other day, but i walked all of a block and a half on Monday. that's all i could do. but my back felt a little better for it! i am a lazy, lazy, non-active, non-physical person. add the fibro- exhaustion to that and i kept thinking "you're nuts! go for a walk!? there's NO WAY." well, i wish i had dragged my butt up earlier 'cause it's made a huge difference. just even go walk around the house... do whatever you can and build it up. it's good for your psyche, too- you feel like you've really accomplished something. (and you totally have!) i loathe the idea of walking and stretching, but boy am i glad i force myself. now my longer-term goal is to get back to the gym. i may not get there before the end of the summer, but i'm going to do it! (lazy as i am, i always did enjoy the circuit training. mostly it's cardio that makes me groan- a lot! i dread it!)

anyway, i hope i didn't write too much for your frog to comprehend! keep posting. and reread that book as often as you need to- i'm glad she wrote it but she's not the world's best writer. she could simplify a bit more and make us all sweat less!

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