Needing to Temporarily Suspend Personal Research

There are days in the life of a person who has ME/CFS/CFIDS, one becomes over-sensitized by seemingly everything:  noise, light, information, surroundings, and clothing.  Fibromyalgia patients have the same problems.  My doctor said I have both, but really I wonder if it is one neurological disease that affects many parts of my body.

Decluttering With A Timer

Image:  Balancing Act by D. Bolton

Hi Everyone!  I was just picking up clothes to hang up or put in the dirty clothes in my master bedroom.  I was in the closet, and I realized I was holding my breath.   Also, I began to feel shaky.  This made me think other people may start to breathe faster or hold their breaths when working with at timer.  Either one is not a great idea if you have a problem with chronic fatigue.

Decluttering with a Timer

• This is not a race!  The timer is being used, so you know when to stop.
• A timer is a tool to encourage you to work in an amount of time that will not wear you out psychologically or physically.  The timer is your friend, not your competitor.
• Breathe.  I began taking slow deep breaths in my closet when I realized what was hPpening.
• If you give out before the timer does ( I am talking about legs shaking, body says sit), Stop.  The clutter won't run away, and you can come back to it later.
• Work in increments of 5 to 15 minutes.  I have found I can start with 5 minutes or less after a flare-up (relapse), and that gives my muscles a chance to grow stronger.  If I jump into things too quickly, I end up too tired to do anything and discouraged.  As I grow stronger, I can add more minutes.
• Sometimes, you can go to a less physical activity after doing something  that requires a lot of effort, but listen to your body.  You should take breaks.
• The rules here are not ironclad, but they are a guide to help you pace yourself.  Sometimes, I am able to go past 15 minutes, but I often pay for that by being more fatigued the next day.

What Happens in the Brain of a Fibromyalgia Patient

Last night, I saw a video that was shocking, but it was a vindication for anyone that has ever been told Fibromyalgia is "all in your head."  Guess what!  It is in your head, but not as in being a hypochondriac. 

Now, I am only telling you the first part of what I understand.  Patrick B. Wood, M.D.  is the person that can explain what is going on in our brains.  I am so excited to have been introduced to the work he is doing.  I am giving you a link to the first video I saw of him explaining what goes on in the brain of someone who has Fibromyalgia.  I am looking forward to seeing the rest.

Fibromyalgia:  New Insights, New Hope - Part 1

Weak Muscles? Or Just A Feeling?

Despite the fog that eventually surrounds  my brain after reading reports on medical research concerning muscle weakness in Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, I have come away with a couple of ideas concerning muscle weakness.

First of all there are different types of muscle weakness: true and perceived.  What I was thinking about today is how much muscle weakness in Chronic Fatigue Syndrome is actual physical weakness and how much is perceived by our brain to be weakness.  I don't know about you, but nobody has actually tested my muscle strength in different situations or during a flare-up.  I may have pushed on the doctor's hand or something as she pushed back, but I don't remember.  One thing I do know is I have never been hooked up to any monitors or any devices that would empirically compile evidence for actual muscle strength.  The only thing I have to go by is how I feel.

However, after leaving the house for the first time in two months, I am convinced that my muscle strength is definitely affected after this last flare-up.  All I did was go to the hair salon and walk around the corner to a small antique mall.  But it was hard:  I got very shaky the more I walked about, and then I began to lightly perspire, and I felt quite pale.  I was glad I could make it back to the car, and I live in a small town.  So it did not take long to get home.

Have you had similar experiences?  Join me on facebook, so we can talk about it: