Fibromyalgia

This post is dedicated to all of you living with the diagnosis of fibromyalgia. It was 2009 and I found myself in bed with massive mucus drainage, body pain and eventually I couldn’t get out of bed. I was scared so I went to the ER (I was so sick I don’t even remember how I got to the hospital). All I remember is that it was 9-11, and the TV in the ER room was full of tributes to the survivors and victims of the tragic incident. At some point Dr’s find a mass in my chest and warn me that it looks like lymphoma and that I should start to make plans for my 5 children because I wouldn’t live much longer. I called my best friend, Dannette and asked her if she would take my kids and raise them. She said of course. She and her husband discussed building a room on her house to accomodate the kids. The Twins were 3 and my oldest was 13. It was a rough 10 days. My cousin Kahlil had come to visit me, I had talked to him about our future and how he could become a lawyer and practice together. I had an eerie feeling during our time together, that maybe I wasn’t going to live much longer. Little did I know he would leave me just a month and a half later...

The Dr’s ran several tests which were inconclusive. My blood cell count was off, blood pressure was off the chart, so the last test was a Pet Scan to test for the cancer in my body. Shortly before going to the test I got a visit from Jan Roberts from my church. I remember thinking or saying- I’ve been through enough. There is no cancer. She looked so worried, but by this point I was getting back to my jovial self. I was wheeled down to the basement to do the test. I found out later that this test costs about $20,000 and for many middle class Americans it would not have been an option. I was a full-time graduate student on Medicaid at the time so I was given the test that would determine my fate. Where they expected the image to light up to show cancer, nothing lit up, not even the tumor in my chest. There was no cancer. So that led to my discharge with no diagnosis.

Several months later, still experiencing widespread pain, I saw a rheumatologist who finally diagnosed me with Fibromyalgia. I’d been having these pain flare ups since I had 2 car accidents back-to-back in 2003. I even suggested to my Dr at the time that maybe I had Fibromyalgia but he told me I was too young. My flare ups never lasted more than a few days and were often triggered by intense physical activity so I thought it was normal sore muscles.

Life with Fibromyalgia is no joke. I read several books on inflammation and decided to tackle my symptoms through dietand exercise. Anytime I eat poorly, I experienced exacerbation in my symptoms. I think lower carbs and sugar or do a Master Cleanse fast and I experience a remission of my symptoms. Stress also can make symptoms manifest.

So right now I’m experiencing symptoms of Fibromyalgia. I had a stressful few months at work and my kids are always on my mind. Mindfulness, yoga, writing and reading along with lazy keto are all tools that I plan to keep the pain and aches in check this year. Fibromyalgia can rob you of time, experience and precious memories that you miss out on home in the bed or the couch. Not this year!

If you have Fibromyalgia please share how you cope and what your triggers are. If you don’t know your triggers, keep a Fibro journal of what you eat/do and then what level your pain is each day. Let’s keeo each other uplifted!

Day One

Today is the first day of the rest of your life! Weight continues to be an issue and I’m trying to look at this for shat it is: a food addiction l. More specifically a carbs and sugar addiction. When I eat a diet low in carbs and sugar I’m not swollen when I wake up in the morning, I have more energy and less body aches and joint pain. But forsaking the foods I love is just a struggle and holidays are the ultimate trigger. So after Thanksgiving I lost 16 pounds and over Christmas I gained half of that back. I have to get a handle on the maintenance plan that will ensure that once I take the weight off I will keep it off.

Today I start a combination of Keto and HCG drops. My food choices today will consist of 2 sources of protein, 2 vegetables and 2 fruits.

The other thing that is a must is drinking water. Today I must drink 64 plus ounces of water. This is a marathon, not a sprint so I’ll keep you posted with pics, weight loss updates, tools and motivation. We can and we will do this!!!

Starting from Scratch

I don't like to lose, but when it comes to weight loss, most of us who lose weight will gain it back. The thing most feared has come upon me. I have gained back all the weight I lost in 2015/16. I could use my unplanned pregnancy/miscarriage and back injury as an excuse but the truth is I stopped doing what I did to lose the weight. I got sloppy with my food choices and portion sizes and went months without exercising so here I am. I've attempted to lose weight doing the 10 Day Smoothie Cleanse and HCG drops and even a modified Master Cleanse but nothing has worked. I still weigh the same amount as I did at the beginning of the year. So I'm doing a full Master Cleanse from now until my birthday. I figure, if I'm seriously considering weight loss surgery, I will have to go on a full liquid diet before and after the surgery so why not do it now and avoid the surgery? June from Honey Boo Boo (what a reference!) just had Gastric Bypass and she was on liquids for TWELVE WEEKS after the surgery! 12 weeks is a long time. I'm talking about 20 days. And my goal is to work out 3 times a week for 30 minutes. I know I can do it because I've done it before. I'm blogging to hold myself accountable and to be transparent. 

Day 3 and 4

Day 3 was uneventful! It was so good to be without a headache all day! I hurt my knee some kind of way so I tried to take it easy all day after work. Today is Day 4 and the first think I noticed when I woke up- the Fibromyalgia pain is gone!!! What a relief! I feel so much better in my skin! Now to see this thing through to the end! I have been eating a sensible meal for dinner because of my headache. So I need to decide if I will continue that or if I will do the full Master Cleanse. Right now I'm hydrated and listening to my body! 

Day 2

Day 2 was rough... Goid news is I'm down 4 pounds. Yesterday evening I was bloated and I felt like a bag of ricks. I urinated constantly through the night and woke up 4 pounds lighter. I also woke up with a headache. This headache lasted all day long. So what was supposed to be a productive day ended up with me just being loving and kind to myself through the pain. 

Day One, again and again

I wrote today on my Soaring Through the Storms blog about the importance of getting back to basics. Part of my getting back to basics physically includes doing the Master Cleanse. Last year I got down to 206, the lowest I'd been in 18 years! However, this year brought marital issues, an unexpected, unplanned pregnancy and an unfortunate miscarriage which all resulted in me slipping back into poor eating habits, NO exercise and I am back up to 242 pounds this morning. I am officially ready to get back on the wagon, however, I am going back to what always works for me: The Master Cleanse. Most people are familiar with the Master Cleanse. It is a 10 day cleanse that works to purify the blood and kidneys and helps to lose weight. Some feel that it is extreme or a fad diet, however, I have discussed it with my Doctor and gotten the green light to do it several times a year. I know when I need to do a cleanse because my fibromyalgia will begin to act up. Fibromyalgia is am autoimmune disease that causes severe pain and achiness. I was diagnosed with Fibromyalgia in 2009 but I probabaly started suffering from flare ups as early as 2003, following a bad car accident. I describe fibromyalgia as feeling like you just worked out the hardest workout of your life and you wake up the next day and can barely get out of bed. That is how my body feels when I am having a flare up.

For whatever reason the Master Cleanse helps to calm the inflammation response in my body and helps to end the Fibro flare up. It also helps to clear the mind and calm the emotions. I am excited to be starting the cleanse today because it has helped me so much over the 10 years since my co-worker, Denise, introduced me to it. It is my go-to when I am tired and overwhelmed and in pain. I will keep you up to date on my weight loss plans and goals but today I am going to make sure that I drink 64 ounces of water, 64 ounces of lemonade and that I am kind and gentle to myself.

The Master Cleanse (also known as the Lemonade Diet) info:
http://themastercleanse.org/

Fibromyalgia info:
https://www.fibromyalgiapatienteducation.info/what-are-fibromyalgia-symptoms/?gclid=CJihtsbbqNACFQuSaQod4L4CnQ

Anit-Inflammatory Diet Info:
http://www.drweil.com/health-wellness/health-centers/aging-gracefully/dr-weils-anti-inflammatory-diet/

Define Happiness

Week 2, Day 4. Define Happiness. So many people if I asked them what's wrong will talk about being unhappy. But why? I believe many people have failed to define happiness for themselves. They are using unrealistic definitions of happiness that they've seen on a movie, in videos or on someone's social media site. But true happiness, or joy unspeakable comes from within, not without. If you think happiness is found in "stuff" google people who were rich but still took their life. Money and status does not equal happiness. What is happiness? Well to me happiness is living life on my own terms. Graduating when people told me to drop out; giving birth to what I was told to abort; leaving a relationship that looked perfect on the outside but was torture on the inside; marrying a man people warned me about; leaving a potential law career to follow my passion; and the list goes on. You have to define happiness for yourself but happiness for me comes from not having to wear the mask, being able to be fully myself- good, bad or otherwise. It is found in the loving relationship I have with my kids, husband, coworkers and friends. It is in knowing that anything I do- I give it my all. Are things perfect? No. Are there things I hope to improve? Absolutely. But the power to do that is in my hand. I am the captain of my ship, the master of my fate- and for a long time that was not my story. So today, take a few minutes and define happiness for yourself. When you find it. It will be better than any Disney Happily Ever After!