Fibromyalgia

If there is one thing I hate more than having other people hold me back then it would have to be having my own body do it. For many, many years I had fibromyalgia swallow up my ability to move forward. I could only have one priority activity in my life and it needed to be my sole focus. The minute I added more than that my body would fall apart as well as the areas I was focussed on. That was my lot in life in that season.

Now as a 'well' person I have grown to be uneasy with any ailments which slow me down, particularly those that carry similar symptoms to the fibromyalgia. Which, in the case of this week, has me a little disgruntled to say the least.

It all started on Thursday when I took a trip to Victor Harbor. Along the way, I found that my throat was itchy and mentioned as much to my travelling companion. That night I awoke in the wee hours to this sensation that my torso was being compressed by someone pinning me down with a big blanket and the sensation in my lungs of something spidering out. It was as if I could feel that nasty thing, whatever it was, reproducing on my own turf.

I prayed against it, demanding it go, because I needed to be up and able to do things the next day as it was quite a full agenda. I was pleased to wake up yesterday morning to find that I was back to only a sore throat and wondered if I should have prayed against it too!

We had a great day in Victor and the salty air did me good and I only had myself to blame for the 20 minutes spent in the sun that led to sunburn on one of my arms. None-the-less, I felt better until we got in the car to go home and evening moved in. Suddenly, my chest didn't feel so good and neither did my ears.

We got back to the city, somewhat tardy, for a birthday party by which time my voice was in the process of being lost and a cough was starting to set in. Then, when I got home and faced the task of unloading the car I found myself struggling for breath and wheezing. What was going on with this bug? It was taking my body over!

So, today, feeling crappier than ever, I dragged myself to the doctor and found that I had an inflamed trachea, probably caused by an inhaled pollen during our drive to Victor Harbor. The inflammation, at the time, probably included my lungs which is why I did not feel so good that night.

Apparently, the ears and nose are not as fast to respond to allergens so they set in afterwards. In fact, about the same time that some sort of bacteria decided that my inflamed sinuses, lungs and throat would be a great place to set up camp.

Presenting with what feels like a flu-on-steroids my body has been screaming at me to spend the day in bed. Which, on the most part, I have. Probably a good thing too as I am on doctor's orders to spend the coming two days indoors, away from draughts or cold air and any sort of dust or pollens to give my lungs a chance to get better.

It means that I have missed out or am missing out on a bonfire, an engagement party, a coffee date with a friend and more moments of general productivity at home and at work. "Grrr!" I say to that.

I detest being sick. I detest being at the mercy of others also for things like drink and food. I am the worst patient in the world and simply cannot stand being held back!

Life.

It just keeps moving on with each second - there is no changing it.

This week has involved a hard slog - moving a whole lot of 'stuff' from my mother's home to our place in preparation for her home going onto the market. You see, my Mum has reached a point where things need to change. Unlike me, my Mum has not found reprieve from the symptoms of Fibromyalgia and each year she is seemingly that little bit worse. Her steep block take a lot of hard work for her to maintain with the chronic pain and, since the last of her children is moving out in the coming months, there doesn't seem to be much point staying in a place where life is a daily battle.

With a view of renting for a time, whilst she finds a block a build, my Mum is preparing for the next stage in her life and seeking something that will be easier to maintain and more accessible. The last 10-15 years before she starts needing to consider more supported accommodation. Wow - where did all those years go? I can hardly believe that it has 14 years since I first left our family home - it is like an entire era has passed.

Now married, myself, so much has changed since the days where we siblings played games at home, helped each other with home work, walked the dogs in the dark together singing songs at the top of our lungs to wake everyone in they neighbourhood up and just hung out around the family home. It is a stage of life that all of us will be saying an official goodbye to and storing away in our hearts some time soon.

I was on a forum today when I noticed the word 'fibromyalgia' pop up. Fibromyalgia and I are friends from way back. In fact it's about nine years now but we have lost touch over the past few years and to be honest I can't really say I have missed him. So curiosity had me look at the thread which had a treatment regimine with which I was not familiar. So I thought it might be time to find out what is going on these days in the world of this debilitating hidden disability and share it with others.

When everything else in life appears to be falling apart people often turn and say, 'At least you have your health!' The odd thing is how often people shrug this off without realising how profound a statement that this is.

I am a car accident survivor - one who endured 'whiplash to fibromyalgia'. I am one of only a third of fibromyalgia suffers who has seen improvement in their condition and one of the vary rare ones that can be considered 'in remission'. This healing occurred in October 2005 after almost 6 years of enduring chronic pain and fatigue.

To me having your health is vital for an individual to undertake all that they need to do in order to make a difference in this world before their time has come and they are called back home again. This section is dedicated to sharing aspects of health including my reflections on having fibromyalgia and the post-children weight management journeys of contributors.