Monday, June 24, 2013
Inspiration for the Day, June 24, 2013:
"When I have a terrible need of - dare I say, 'religion'- then I go outside at night and paint the stars."
- Vincent Van Gogh
- Vincent Van Gogh
Thursday, June 20, 2013
Inspiration for the Day, June 20, 2013:
Wednesday, June 19, 2013
Inspiration for the Day, June 19, 2013:
"The best portion of a good man's life: his little, nameless, unremembered acts of kindness and love."
- William Wordsworth
- William Wordsworth
Tuesday, June 18, 2013
Inspiration for the Day, June 18, 2013:
"Sometimes the break in your heart is like the hole in the flute. Sometimes it's the place where the music comes through."
- Andrea Gibson
- Andrea Gibson
Monday, June 17, 2013
Taking brain fog seriously.....
Came across this excellent article tonight on a fibromyalgia Facebook page. It is lengthy but worth reading:
Cognitive impairments associated with CFS and POTS
Cognitive dysfunction is second only to severe exhaustion as the cause of my inability to work. It is also very rare to get anyone to take it seriously. I had a neuropsyche test done in 2004, and it showed measurable deficits. But the guy who had administered it tried to blame the results on depression when I was not depressed. Depression does not cause problems like inability to recognize faces or loss of IQ. I hope a lot more research is done, especially regarding the impact of cognitive dysfunction on our quality of life.
Cognitive impairments associated with CFS and POTS
Cognitive dysfunction is second only to severe exhaustion as the cause of my inability to work. It is also very rare to get anyone to take it seriously. I had a neuropsyche test done in 2004, and it showed measurable deficits. But the guy who had administered it tried to blame the results on depression when I was not depressed. Depression does not cause problems like inability to recognize faces or loss of IQ. I hope a lot more research is done, especially regarding the impact of cognitive dysfunction on our quality of life.
Inspiration for the Day, June 17, 2013:
'Music is what life sounds like.'
- Eric Olson
- Eric Olson
Sunday, June 16, 2013
Inspiration for the Day, June 16, 2013:
'Love is a friendship set to music.'
- Joseph Campbell
- Joseph Campbell
Saturday, June 15, 2013
I want patience, right now.....
Another Toni Bernhard article. I am finally caught up now on all the stuff that had piled up on my browser:
Impatient? Why and How to Practice Patience
This is something I need to be reminded of on pretty much a daily basis, heh heh. Most of my impatient episodes occur when my pain level is higher than usual, like when I have been cooking but something goes wrong and all I can think about is how much I want to sit down and not deal with it. Or when people wander in front of me on the highway going much slower than me, very common in Sioux Falls. Of course, it would probably help if I wasn't constantly running late and stressed about that already.
Impatient? Why and How to Practice Patience
This is something I need to be reminded of on pretty much a daily basis, heh heh. Most of my impatient episodes occur when my pain level is higher than usual, like when I have been cooking but something goes wrong and all I can think about is how much I want to sit down and not deal with it. Or when people wander in front of me on the highway going much slower than me, very common in Sioux Falls. Of course, it would probably help if I wasn't constantly running late and stressed about that already.
An anti-oxidant you might not have heard of....
This has been parked on my browser for some time. It most likely came from a fibromyalgia Facebook page:
5 Reasons to Take Astaxanthin Every Day
I didn't know most of stuff in this article. I don't mind having more reasons to eat shrimp and lobster, heh heh. Supplement form I would have to think about, though: I am already spending a fortune on supplements each month.
5 Reasons to Take Astaxanthin Every Day
I didn't know most of stuff in this article. I don't mind having more reasons to eat shrimp and lobster, heh heh. Supplement form I would have to think about, though: I am already spending a fortune on supplements each month.
Inspiration for the Day, June 15, 2013:
'Music in the soul can be heard by the universe.'
- Lao Tzu
- Lao Tzu
Friday, June 14, 2013
Inspiration for the Day, June 14, 2013:
'Music is the universal language of mankind.'
-
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
-
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
Thursday, June 13, 2013
Inspiration for the Day, June 13, 2013:
'Where words fail, music speaks.' Hans Christian Andersen
Wednesday, June 12, 2013
What have YOU learned?
This is an EXCELLENT article from Toni Bernhard. Courtesy of a fibromyalgia Facebook page:
12 Tips from 12 Years Sick
I especially agree with #10, about falling into the trap of believing you have to be 100 percent positive 100 percent of the time. I find when the negative emotions show up I am able to rid myself of them quicker if I acknowledge their existence. Because it's delusional to think life is always fair and that no one is ever gonna rain on your parade. But while it's raining, remember that the sun does usually come back out at some point.
12 Tips from 12 Years Sick
I especially agree with #10, about falling into the trap of believing you have to be 100 percent positive 100 percent of the time. I find when the negative emotions show up I am able to rid myself of them quicker if I acknowledge their existence. Because it's delusional to think life is always fair and that no one is ever gonna rain on your parade. But while it's raining, remember that the sun does usually come back out at some point.
Shedding some light on lights....
Have had this sitting on my browser since March. Probably got it from a fibromyalgia Facebook page:
Migraine Patients Can Now Buy Legal Incandescent Lights!
I think this is great news. Dan and I both have problems with chronic migraines which are adversely affected by fluorescent lights. Sometimes I have to wear sunglasses inside Walgreens if I have to go there to pick up a prescription when I already have a headache because the lights are so awful.
Migraine Patients Can Now Buy Legal Incandescent Lights!
I think this is great news. Dan and I both have problems with chronic migraines which are adversely affected by fluorescent lights. Sometimes I have to wear sunglasses inside Walgreens if I have to go there to pick up a prescription when I already have a headache because the lights are so awful.
Inspiration for the Day, June 12, 2013:
"Music acts like a magic key, to which the most tightly closed heart opens."
- Maria von Trapp
- Maria von Trapp
Tuesday, June 11, 2013
Become your own researcher.....
Another Toni Bernhard article. In this one, she interviews the author of a book about taking daily notes about your medical condition to chart what helps, what doesn't, and what progress you have made:
Use “Paintracking” to Help Manage Chronic Pain
I did this for a few years after I was initially diagnosed; in fact, if you go to my earliest posts on this blog, they include daily ratings on pain and fatigue. I no longer do this because I have been sick enough years to generally be able to predict what these levels will be based upon factors such as how much sleep I got, whether I leave the house that day, whether I attempt something I don't tolerate well like housecleaning, or excessively cold or hot weather. But even after 16 years, I still learn new things about myself like, if I overdo it physically resulting in muscle spasms, I might be able to prevent or at least reduce the severity of a flare by putting ice on the affected area immediately. I have also learned that this only works if I refrain from repeating that excessive activity for at least three days.
Use “Paintracking” to Help Manage Chronic Pain
I did this for a few years after I was initially diagnosed; in fact, if you go to my earliest posts on this blog, they include daily ratings on pain and fatigue. I no longer do this because I have been sick enough years to generally be able to predict what these levels will be based upon factors such as how much sleep I got, whether I leave the house that day, whether I attempt something I don't tolerate well like housecleaning, or excessively cold or hot weather. But even after 16 years, I still learn new things about myself like, if I overdo it physically resulting in muscle spasms, I might be able to prevent or at least reduce the severity of a flare by putting ice on the affected area immediately. I have also learned that this only works if I refrain from repeating that excessive activity for at least three days.
Inspiration for the Day, June 11, 2013:
"Music expresses that which cannot be said and on which it is impossible to be silent."
- Victor Hugo
- Victor Hugo
Monday, June 10, 2013
Inspiration for the Day, June 10, 2013:
"Music says it's OK to be human, OK to ask questions, OK to feel things deeply."
- Twloha
- Twloha
Sunday, June 09, 2013
Nostalgia for your own life....
Toni Bernhard wrote this a few months ago. Just now getting around to posting it:
8 Things I Miss Most as a Result of Chronic Pain and Illness
I miss the mountains, not just because I no longer live near any, but because I'm not well enough to go visit them on my own even when they are in view. I am trying to plan a weekender to Minneapolis sometime this summer, and it is proving to be an exercise in torture. It is four hours from where I live, no big deal to most people who can just hop in the car, drive right over and then go do something really cool that very same day. But for me, the drive is all I can handle the first 24 hours; any sort of outing must wait for the next day and even then generally has to be three hours or less. I cannot spend too much time out of doors, or away from a restroom, or without medically necessary food and water and medications. Anywhere I go has to be handicap accessible. And because I can no longer work and most of my disability benefits go to my medical care, we have the financial limitations to deal with too.
8 Things I Miss Most as a Result of Chronic Pain and Illness
I miss the mountains, not just because I no longer live near any, but because I'm not well enough to go visit them on my own even when they are in view. I am trying to plan a weekender to Minneapolis sometime this summer, and it is proving to be an exercise in torture. It is four hours from where I live, no big deal to most people who can just hop in the car, drive right over and then go do something really cool that very same day. But for me, the drive is all I can handle the first 24 hours; any sort of outing must wait for the next day and even then generally has to be three hours or less. I cannot spend too much time out of doors, or away from a restroom, or without medically necessary food and water and medications. Anywhere I go has to be handicap accessible. And because I can no longer work and most of my disability benefits go to my medical care, we have the financial limitations to deal with too.
Episode 3 - even cuter and funnier....
An exercise in futility?
Have had this sitting on my browser for months. It came from one of the various fibromyalgia Facebook pages:
Owning Your Emotions: 4 Ways to Deal with People Who Don’t Care About Your Medical Conditions
I was reminded of this tonight. Being on a rather limited but medically necessary diet, it is particularly frustrating when a restaurant screws up my order on the rare occasions I get to eat out. Tonight, they had something on my plate that wasn't safe for me to eat, and because it was touching the other foods, they had to start my order over from scratch. I don't get to do the salad bar or bread or other appetizers, so I had to sit around and watch everyone else eat for quite a while; mine showed up just about the time the others were finishing.
Owning Your Emotions: 4 Ways to Deal with People Who Don’t Care About Your Medical Conditions
I was reminded of this tonight. Being on a rather limited but medically necessary diet, it is particularly frustrating when a restaurant screws up my order on the rare occasions I get to eat out. Tonight, they had something on my plate that wasn't safe for me to eat, and because it was touching the other foods, they had to start my order over from scratch. I don't get to do the salad bar or bread or other appetizers, so I had to sit around and watch everyone else eat for quite a while; mine showed up just about the time the others were finishing.
