A Lovely Surprise . . .

I’ve been very remiss, but it’s time to make up for that . . . A few weeks ago, I found a wonderful surprise in my email. Jolene, over at Graceful Agony, has awarded this blog the “One Lovely Blog Award.” I’m amazed and honored to be chosen, however, fulfilling the requirements has been rather difficult. Between them, Dominique (4Walls and a View) and Jolene had managed to pass this award to many of the blogs I follow, so I had to find 15 more blogs to pass it on to. Since Dominique also gave me this award for the new blog on my website (Transform Your Chronic Life) I told them I was going to “cheat” and use the same list for both blogs, but I lied . . . I’ve made a couple of changes because I found a blog they both missed, and another new one I really like.

The New ChronicBabe Blog Carnival is LIVE!

Jenni, over at ChronicBabe, has Blog Carnival #6 up! The topic this week is “passion” and there are plenty of different perspectives covered.

ChronicBabe Blog Carnival #5: Favorite Self-Care Tools and Techniques is Live!

The newest ChronicBabe carnival is up! Nineteen different posts give you a wide range of options to try, and the ladies who wrote the posts know what they’re talking about – they all live with this stuff 24/7. Wander on over and find something new to help you feel better.

My Chronic Illness Journey – The Trip I Never Expected (or WANTED) to Take

Chronic illness is a life-changing experience for everyone, and each person’s journey is very different; but there are experiences we all recognize as well. How many of us have lost jobs, friends, spouses, homes, and family members to our disease? No matter what illness we have, we share so much that we can connect on a level that many will never understand unless the journey comes to them. We share symptoms, and losses, and lessons; and we share the understanding that our lives will never be the same because the illness, the journey, has changed us in ways that can never be undone. Even if we were to wake up tomorrow and be healthy again, even if by some miracle we were cured; the experience has changed us in fundamental ways, and the lessons it has taught us can never be unlearned.

My journey began many years ago, and it has changed my life so much that when I look back I barely recognize the woman I was. I was married, and miserable, and convinced that I was too stupid to ever be able to take care of myself without a man to tell me what I thought, what I wanted, and what I felt. I was depressed and suicidal, dissociative, and having flashbacks that I thought were delusions or hallucinations. I was terrified that I was losing my mind, and more terrified to tell anyone what was happening for fear that I really WAS “going crazy.”

I can pinpoint the exact moment that my journey through illness began, too. Not with a time or a date, but with an event; an event so ordinary, so innocuous, that I could never have suspected the effect it would have on my life. Continue reading My Chronic Illness Journey – The Trip I Never Expected (or WANTED) to Take

How are You? How Do You Answer the Hardest Question Ever When You Live with Chronic Illness?

http://www.flickr.com/photos/cosmic_bandita/ / CC BY-SA 2.0

I think we all hate that question when it’s asked by “normals.” Unless it’s someone you know well, you never know whether to tell the truth (I feel like shit, thanks for asking.) or lie (Fine, how are you?)

What does a “good” day look like to you?

http://www.flickr.com/photos/noahbulgaria/ / CC BY 2.0

My definition

My personal idea of a good day is one where I don’t have to go to work, and I can spend some time just doing things that make me feel better. It does NOT mean that I’m not in pain (I haven’t had a day when the pain levels were below a 4 or 5 on the pain scale in at least 5 years.) It also doesn’t mean I’m not exhausted, or that I can actually remember all the things I need to take care of without lists, notes and reminders from the people around me.

What it does mean is that the pain levels are at a 6 or below, and that I can lay down with the hot pads when I need to, or take a nap.

Learning to Live with Pain – Being Proactive (Part 2)

http://www.flickr.com/photos/notsogoodphotography/ / CC BY 2.0

In my Sunday post, I promised you complementary/alternative methods you can try for pain and stress control/reduction, so here we go. These methods apply in all of the 4Ps, although they apply in different ways in different stages.

EFT and Tapping for Fibromyalgia – Do They Work?

Does it work? Yes, and no . . . Like anything else, EFT (Emotional Freedom Techniques) has its benefits, but it is definitely not going to make your fibro go away completely. It does, however, help my symptoms and make my fibro easier to live with, so I’ve added it to the resources I use to help me cope. (Is this purely a placebo effect? I don’t really care. If I feel better, or have less pain, it’s worked for me, and I’m happy with that no matter what the mechanism is.)

I downloaded the free EFT manual from http://www.emofree.com and read the information provided, memorizing the steps needed to perform a treatment. The first symptom I tried it on was a migraine, and it worked pretty well. The first treatment eased the pain,

The May 4 ChronicBabe Blog Carnival Is Live

Jenni has the Learning to Live With Pain Blog Carnival up . It’s a day late, but definitely NOT a dollar short, offering the perspectives of twenty-two amazing babes (and me) on how to live with chronic pain as a permanent unwelcome guest in your life. Check them out, maybe you’ll learn something that will help you or a loved one cope.

**If you are reading this post anywhere other than wendyburnett.wordpress.com it is because it has been stolen. Please click on the link provided to return to the site of origin.

Learning to Live with Pain – Being Proactive

Out of suffering have emerged the strongest souls; the most massive characters are seared with scars.
Kahlil Gibran

Have you ever watched the Discovery Channel show “Mythbusters”? They do some really interesting stuff on there, and this past Wednesday (April 28th,) they tackled a pair of “myths” about pain:

• Women have a higher pain tolerance than men. and
• Cursing increases pain tolerance

It was pretty interesting. They set up a bowl of ice water that was kept at just above freezing (1 degree Celcius) and attached to a timer. They then tested an equal number of men and women, seeing how long each person could keep their hand submerged. The subjects were not told that the men and women were competing, and for the first test, they were not permitted to curse while their hand was submerged.