It’s in the Details, Healthy Eating and Fibromyalgia

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A couple of posts ago I told you that I was making changes in my diet and that I am feeling much improved… it’s true and I am still at it. I thought you might per chance be interested in some more details. If you’re not, well then… you know, you don’t have to read! =)

First of all, back in the beginning to middle of March, I began to be much more conscious of my food choices. I started noticing how much pasta and things that have not so much nutritional value were in my diet. I wanted to make different choices but I really wasn’t exactly sure how or what to do. I felt overwhelmed by the idea of cutting out bread completely or cutting anything out completely, but I knew that I would have to on some level to really get a sense of what makes my body feel better.

Around the third week of March I began to eat nothing but 100% whole wheat when I eat bread/grains. If it is pasta or bread related, I only have it if it is 100% whole wheat. I also eat oatmeal, quinoa and Kashi Go Lean cereal (in moderation and by following the package measurements for one serving). I added more vegetables and fruits to my diet. I just did it. I made the change. When I eat meat, I eat very lean and small (normal sized, the size we are supposed to have, about 4 oz). I use egg whites for making scrambled eggs, it’s not the same, but it does the trick with a little salt, pepper and on a piece of plain 100% whole wheat toast. You know, I’m just doing all of those things that we hear about over and over again.

I’m drinking LOTS of water. If it isn’t water or tea, I don’t drink it. I don’t eat sugary foods, at all, right now. I don’t use butter or margarine. I use olive oil sparingly and I measure it and keep track of how much I’m using when I do use it. I use the MyFitnessPal app to keep track of my calories, not as a stringent rule, but to keep me within guidelines and to keep me in a general state of awareness. These are all things I have been wanting to do for so long, but for some reason I just couldn’t make the switch. And now… I’m doing it. (I have to tell you that a lot of the inspiration for making these changes came from Sue Ingebretson and her book FibroWhyalgia.)

I tell you what I am doing just to share, not as a suggestion that it is what you should do or what is healthiest for you, but just because I can’t believe that I really am in so much less pain. I always knew that it would probably help a great deal, but wow… it really is making a difference for me.

I used to take a large amount of ibuprofen and naproxen sodium daily. I rarely have to take it these days. A typical day prior to this diet change would come to a close in pain, if it didn’t start out that way already. My legs would be aching (quite often really painful), headaches very common, feet tired and sore. Now, I feel about the same at the end of the day as I did at the middle or beginning of the day, just more tired. I am still battling fatigue, but not at the same level I was before. It’s only been a month since I really put change in place … but I recognized the difference in my pain level about two weeks ago.

A major bonus as well as a desired effect is weight loss. I have a goal and I am working towards it. My goal is to be a healthy weight, not skinny or perfect, just what is healthy for me, what feels good and what is going to be beneficial to my health in the long run. I have already lost 10 pounds. I can’t really tell too much, but the scale keeps saying that it’s so… and I am happy about that!

A big part of me sharing this here on my blog is because I feel it’s important to acknowledge that I have a fear of failure, especially once I make it known. I want you all to see the change in me, too, as I become healthier and put my efforts towards a healthier lifestyle. I want to lead by example. Honestly, I am tired of watching other people do it, it’s my turn! But most important, if it might inspire you to put a little bit more awareness into your food choices, then that really makes me happy, because no matter what, our bodies need us to take responsibility for what we put in them.

By the way, I am dealing with muscle spasms in my back this week. So, I don’t want to imply that all of my troubles and fibromyalgia challenges have magically disappeared, but I do believe that I am in a much better place than I was 4 weeks ago. I also feel empowered by taking my health into my own hands in this way, even if it only takes me so far… it is much closer to where I want to be!

 

*Please do not take any of the above as medical advice, this is what is working now, for me. I am not an expert on diet, nutrition or weight loss, and I do not claim to be one. *

Related Articles

• Post Secret: One thing you didn’t know about fibromyalgia (Hint: The Big O) – #HAWMC Day 10 (chronicbabe.com)
• Can Diet Really Help ME/CFS & Fibromyalgia Patients’ Symptoms? (fightingfatigue.org)
• Parenting When You Have Fibromyalgia (psychologytoday.com)

Oh, the changes I’ve seen…

I couldn’t help but make the title a little bit dramatic, because although I am seeing great changes in myself, they are not really all that dramatic  or noticeable to any bystander.

While we all have stress in our lives, all of us, I am going through one of those monumental kinds of situations that bring upon great levels of stress. But, despite that, I seem to be holding up quite while. This alone is truly remarkable.  Not only am I holding up well, especially compared to most people’s expectations (and my own), but I am making positive changes in my life, in the way I take care of myself. (Don’t get me wrong, I have my moments!)

We talk a lot about self-care in the mental health community and also among those who suffer chronic pain. It’s of the utmost importance. And most of us try really hard to implement as much of that as we can. But there comes a time when you finally say, “I’m doing it, I’m really going to do it. I’m tired of living this way, I am going to make the changes that I have been putting off for x amount of time.” I can only speak for myself, but there have been many things that I knew I “should” be doing that could greatly benefit my health that, for whatever reason, I was not able to make the choice to put into practice. I know many others who struggle with similar battles. It’s the giving up of a certain food, or adding in exercise, setting up a bed time routine or taking medications on a regular basis. It can be little things that inside we know will make a difference, but for some reason we just don’t do it.

Well, I finally did it. I finally said, I can choose differently. I drew in a sense of power from a source not of my own and I have completely redesigned the way that I am eating. I am doing this for my mental health. I am doing this to help with the fibromyalgia symptoms. I am doing this because it is what my body needs from me and it is what I need for my body and mind. I don’t know how to explain the exact moment that I knew I could do it, but it happened and I am eating healthier than I imagined I ever possibly could. I doubted my ability to make these good choices before, but now I see that I can. I know that I have that power within me. It’s a great feeling.

While it’s only been a couple of weeks, I can tell my body is in less pain. I take far fewer pain relievers such as ibuprofen and naproxen sodium. That alone is a huge sign of change. I am still quite fatigued, but hey, it’s just the beginning. My mood is more level and my ability to cope with the challenges before me seems solid the majority of the time. These are all great indicators of better health and ignites the hope within that even better is to come.

What have you been waiting to change? Have you been putting off a certain lifestyle change that you know could really make a difference in your health? I encourage you to begin looking at how you might be able to finally make that change!

 

Related Articles

• I Haven’t Forgotten You Depression (unavitabella.com)
• How to make money off the mentally ill (kevinmd.com)
• When Fibromyalgia Painkillers Stop Working (everydayhealth.com)

I Will Live

About a year ago (or more?) I purchased a book, that I had eyed for many months prior, because just the name of the book itself embraced everything that I am about and want to be about. It is titled: I Will Not Die an Unlived Life (Reclaiming Purpose and Passion) by Dawna Markova.

This alone could be (is) my mantra for daily living and perhaps I will work harder to remind myself of it! But what I remember clearly is the gift that lies inside the book at the very beginning and I want to share it with you here. It inspires me greatly, touches my heart and soul and speaks through me, hopefully to you as well.

 

Living Wide Open:

Landscapes of the Mind

I will not die an unlived life.

I will not live in fear

of falling or catching fire.

I choose to inhabit my days,

to allow my living to open me,

to make me less afraid,

more accessible;

to loosen my heart

until it becomes a wing,

a torch, a promise.

I choose to risk my significance,

to live so that which came to me as a seed

goes to the next as blossom,

and that which came to me as blossom,

goes on as fruit.

-Dawna Markova

 

Home

I’m home, after a trip to sunny Florida, and I find myself feeling like I have no home at all. It’s a very strange thing to leave one day and come back to a completely different life 7 days later.

At moments I feel panicked, but at others, a quiet peace knowing that what my response to so much change can be is that of a person rolling with it. I don’t have to absorb all of the shock, I can let some of it go. When I feel overwhelmed with fear, I can take deep breaths and know that “This Too Shall Pass”. (That phrase really cannot be used too much.)

While my life is filled with upheaval at the moment, and will continue to be on some level for the next couple of months or more, I find a sanctuary in the pockets of love that surround me. A special friend who puts her arm around me, a text message from another to tell me that I am loved, a phone call or text from a family member to check on me, an extra blog comment… all of these things mean so much!

And more pockets of love are found in the silence, the moments when I hear my children resting peacefully, moments filled with the sound of the attic fan purring and the sweet  and silly sounds of my dog snoring. These are all, big and small, reminders to me that things will be okay.

Home really is where your heart is, where the love is.

Wherever I am or end up, I simply want to fill it with love.

 

I think I can, I think I can, I know I can!

A lot of you won’t be reading this until after I will have already accomplished another “I think I can” milestone. There are not many things as exciting as doing something you were afraid to do or weren’t even sure you could do. The sense of satisfaction that comes from that kind of achievement is almost indescribable. But I’m going to try…

Tomorrow morning I will be getting up at 6am, a difficult task for me on almost any day! I will be going with my parents and my kids to Disney’s Animal Kingdom. I will be walking the entire day and resting for some of it. It will be warm, maybe even hot at times. It will be exhausting but it will be so worth it! How do I know? Because I have pushed myself to do things that sometimes seem un-doable and then I am always glad I did them, even if it requires some recovery time. It’s likely with the knee pain I have been having, a slightly injured foot and the overall fatigue of a recent fibromyalgia flare, it’s going to be a challenge; but I’m up for it! Why am I up for it? It’s not because I’m in great physical shape. It’s because the smiles on my children’s faces, the joy we will all experience, the “oohs and ahhs” and giggles of delight will bring me all the pain relief I need.

I don’t practice this kind of push through the pain kind of mentality on a daily basis, well, just not at the extreme level of spending an entire day and evening at an amusement park. I only do this on really special occasions. One such occasion, that I still love to talk about, is when I walked in the Out of the Darkness Overnight Walk for Suicide Prevention in the Summer of 2009. This is an 18 mile walk, that I was not prepared for, but I felt deep in my heart and soul that I must participate. It was also part of the deal to raise a minimum of $1000 in a fundraising effort, something I had never done before and could not foresee how it would be possible! The fundraising and mental preparation for the walk was difficult. I experienced many times of thinking I was not going to get there, what was I going to do once I did get there, and how on earth was I going to raise the money to go?

About a week or two before I was to go to Chicago for the walk I experienced the worst fibromyalgia flare that I have experienced to date. My entire back and neck went into a state of tortuous and ongoing muscle spasms. I was in terrible pain. I could hardly move and I could hardly imagine life off of my couch. My determination to go to the walk and represent those who deal with mental health issues, those who have attempted to take their own lives, and those who have died by suicide was so strong, that I made changes and took action in ways I never had before.

I kicked my diet soda habit. I was blessed with the gift of really good chiropractic service (thanks Mom!) and I spent some money on massage. By the time my day of departure came around, I was good enough to go.

Long story short, I raised the money I needed (with amazing and kind contributions by huge hearted individuals) and I walked. I was only able to complete 10 miles of the walk, but WOW… 10 miles is a lot of walking. Anyone that has fibromyalgia and is not in great physical shape can tell you that is a long walk. It even rained, but I kept going. I stopped at what was the designated “mid-way” point and I was not defeated. As a person who had been afraid to even move a week before, I was absolutely ecstatic. I wanted to complete the walk, I wanted to with all of my heart, but one thing that living with fibro has taught me is to respect my limits. I had already pushed mine and if I had gone farther, I’m just not sure what my body’s response would have been. I know now, that with better preparation I will be able to complete the walk the next time I am able to participate. I know now that I can do it and that feels amazing!

Knowing your own power and strength despite the limitations of our illness is integral to our sense of self. When we feel completely beat down by an illness, it’s just no good. Every now and then, we have to do things that feel too difficult or too challenging. Every now and then we have to push our own envelope to remind ourselves of what we are made of…because every day we fight a battle that goes unseen, so seeing our own accomplishments just reaffirms what we already knew inside. We are strong, we are amazing and worthwhile human beings. Life doesn’t have to be filled with amazing feats. Little challenges too can be quite big, depending on our illness or state of health. Reward yourself with self-love when you accomplish things, because sometimes, just getting out of our jammies is a really tough job!

Related Articles

• Coping With a Fibromyalgia Flare (everydayhealth.com)