Sunday, January 25, 2004
Laundry list...
...this was outlined in my previous blog, but probably not all in one post. Here are the principle players starring in most of my posts to come: fibromyalgia, hypothyroidism, chronic myofascial pain, Sjogren's syndrome, and probable celiac disease. All of these are lifelong and incurable, but all are also treatable. None are usually fatal, although there is a slight possiblity with the Sjogren's. All cause pain of one type or another, and all can cause fatigue. Each can vary in severity from barely noticeable to completely disabling. Each requires a different treatment regimen, ranging from medication to special diet to exercise to dietary supplements to lifestyle modification. The amount of symptoms stemming from these ailments is staggering; some people believe I'm exaggerating when I attempt to list them all.
I have in the previous blog outlined a few of these chronic illnesses and given my take on them. I will probably do that here on the ones that haven't been covered yet. And for those of you inclined to believe that focusing on my illness makes it worse, just try ignoring a broken limb the next time you have one. Pretending it's not there does not make it go away....believe me, I tried my best to tune out the pain and only succeeded in getting sicker. I find the best method is to acknowledge the problem, fix what is fixable, and then adjust to what can't be fixed. This is not to say that I don't use diversions in my daily life....indeed, that is part of the coping mechanism. Humor, music, movies, photography, literature and the computer are my favorite diversions. In fact, right now I'm listening to "Frankenstein" by the Edgar Winter Group.
I'm slowly learning what I can and can't do with this blog, and later on tonight I'll see about adding my "lost" entries so those of you who were reading the old one will be up to date.
Pain level: 7
Fatigue level: 6
Rave of the Day: "God is a DJ" by Pink. I downloaded it tonight (via iTunes, which is both legal and reasonably priced). Pink is not your average diva....I really enjoy the variety in her music and the quirky lyrics. Plus, I like the beat, and you can dance to it, heh heh.
I have in the previous blog outlined a few of these chronic illnesses and given my take on them. I will probably do that here on the ones that haven't been covered yet. And for those of you inclined to believe that focusing on my illness makes it worse, just try ignoring a broken limb the next time you have one. Pretending it's not there does not make it go away....believe me, I tried my best to tune out the pain and only succeeded in getting sicker. I find the best method is to acknowledge the problem, fix what is fixable, and then adjust to what can't be fixed. This is not to say that I don't use diversions in my daily life....indeed, that is part of the coping mechanism. Humor, music, movies, photography, literature and the computer are my favorite diversions. In fact, right now I'm listening to "Frankenstein" by the Edgar Winter Group.
I'm slowly learning what I can and can't do with this blog, and later on tonight I'll see about adding my "lost" entries so those of you who were reading the old one will be up to date.
Pain level: 7
Fatigue level: 6
Rave of the Day: "God is a DJ" by Pink. I downloaded it tonight (via iTunes, which is both legal and reasonably priced). Pink is not your average diva....I really enjoy the variety in her music and the quirky lyrics. Plus, I like the beat, and you can dance to it, heh heh.
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