Fibro Friday: Christmas with FM

Ok, I know it's not Friday, but here we go...  Christmas with FM...what else is there to say???  It sucks!!!  (excuse my french)  For that matter, any Holiday, birthday, fun events, etc. can be thrown in there too.

I will be completely honest and say that the month of December was really hard on me.  I am taking note to see if it is the weather change (boy, I could never survive somewhere that snows).  Or maybe it just was a bad month.  There was a lot of pain, little/no energy, and a lot of depression.  I know people are hesitant or scared to talk about the depression, but I am going to venture out and talk about it.

Depression is a big side effect of FM.  It's a huge cycle.  You get depressed because you don't feel good and can't do anything, then because you are depressed you don't feel like doing anything, then you get more depressed because you don't feel good, and it goes on and on.  A lot of FM patients are on anti-depressants and you should not feel ashamed at all. 

It probably was a culmination of not feeling good, our financial situation, life, etc.  But I feel like I am out of it now, which is soooo good!  It helps that I have a husband and family that is there to help me and that I can be honest with and say "hey, I am not doing good, I need a little extra support."

If you are suffering from any depression, please don't be afraid to seek out help.  Whether it be family, a friend, or a professional, get some type of help.  You do not need to be suffering or dealing with this on your own.

Here's to Depression Free Days!

Merry Christmas

Ok, ok, so this is totally late, but I wanted to get it in.  I do love Christmas, (but not as much as Thanksgiving.)  I had enough energy to get up all my decorations the weekend after Thanksgiving which was awesome.  If the decorating goes into December I get depressed and wonder what's the point of finishing.

We had a very nice December, full of family time and great quality time with our girls.  We were completely blessed this Christmas from family and strangers to help give our girls a great Christmas.  I am sad that we didn't celebrate Jesus' birthday more this year.  At least my girls know it was Jesus' birthday and that it is the reason for Christmas.  We always have next year, and all year long too.

I will do a separate post about Christmas with FM.  But I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and celebrated the birth of our Lord and Savior!

No Santa Here!

This may come as a huge shock and surprise, but we don't celebrate Santa Claus.  Growing up, my parents always told us the truth and we knew Santa was fake.  With ML's family, they completely celebrated Santa.  ML remembers when a cousin told him at age 8 that there was no Santa and he was completely crushed and devastated.

As we started dating and were engaged, I was quite clear that my children would not believe in Santa.  And thankfully, ML agreed.  We didn't want our kids to grow up with the "lie" of Santa.  We heard of a little girl who one day asked her mom "Mommy are you going to tell me that Jesus isn't real just like Santa?" That just really hit home for us and we are happy with our decision to not celebrate Santa with our girls.

Now this belief has really shocked people over the years.  We are absolutely fine if others do it with their children.  And usually when someone asks my girls "what do you want from Santa this year?", they just smile (they are too shy anyway to talk to others, which kinda helps).  It has made us do some extra talking to the girls when they hit school to not ruin it for other kids, but for the most part it has gone smoothly.  We thankfully have several friends who believe the same, which has made it so much easier with their support. 

What is your family tradition?  Santa or no Santa?

Fibro Friday: Oops I Did It Again!

One of the hardest things with FM for me is to pace myself.  You feel bad for so many days or weeks, that as soon as you get feeling good you over do it.  You say to yourself "well while I have the energy, I mindswell get enough done as I can."  And then before you know it, you are back in a flare-up. 

Most of the time I am pretty good about pacing myself.  However, ML has been home for over a month with a medical condition and I am just in this mode of I need to get it all done.  Which, of course, now I am paying for.  So I am retraining my brain and making myself pace myself.  I have been turning down friends and family for activities so that I can make myself rest.  I am barely doing anything during the day so that I can build up the strength again.  Especially with the holidays coming, I really need to do this now or I will be SOL when they arrive.

So your goal for the day or week or month is to pace yourself.  It doesn't all need to be done NOW.  Things can wait, save your energy for your kids and your hubby!  Good luck!!!

Being Thankful

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Throughout this month, a lot of friends have posted something everyday that they are thankful for on Facebook.  We have been dealing with a family crisis and so I haven't participated.  So today I will list 30 things I am thankful for.  I hope you have a blessed day and remember to thank God for all of the things in your life!

1.  My wonderful husband, who is so completely understanding with my FM
2.  My lovely girls, who make life so much fun
3.  Our house and the fact that we are able to own one
4.  Hot water
5.  Electricity
6. Awesome parents who are so supportive
7. Great in-laws who are very supportive
8. Wonderful friends
9. My cry and prayer friend (you know who you are)
10. Cars that work (even if they are on their last leg)
11. My daughters teacher and school
12.  Our great church
13.  Our pastor who only speaks the truth
14.  That my hubby has a stable job
15.   That at the moment, we are all pretty healthy
16.  That we have food in our fridge and pantry
17.  We have clothes and shoes to wear
18.  All of our bills are some how being paid for
19.  The computer and internet, without which I would have no blog :)
20.  Our backyard, we spend so much time out there and have created so many memories
21.  My brother and his new wife (can't wait to meet you Nadine)
22.  That ML and I get to go to S. Africa for my brother's wedding celebration in July
23.  My physical therapist, she is working wonders with my body
24.  For insurance, that pays for my physical therapist
25.  That the Lord gets me through my pain (along with wonderful pain pills)
26.  That God is constantly watching over us and protecting us
27.  That God never gives us more than we can handle
28.  That we get to praise and worship God whenever and where ever we want
29.  That the Lord is ALWAYS in control
30.  That we never have to want or worry about anything since God has it all taken care of

Have an absolutely blessed day!

Not again!

All I can say is "Not again????"  Why does it always seem that around holidays I happen to be in a flare-up or start one?  I started a pain flare-up after physical therapy on Friday and have been in so much pain since then.  I have taken more pain pills in the last few days than I ever have.  And now Thanksgiving is only two days away, ugghhh!

I am thankful that I am alive, but just feel so bad for ML, girls, and family.  I wish I felt better.  There is nothing like waking up on a holiday morning and being able to only last an hour or two before I need to go back to bed.  It can be so frustrating at times.

I have been trying to get some extra rest these few days leading up to Thanksgiving in hopes that Thanksgiving Day won't be too bad.  And thankful that I have a completely understanding husband that is working with me and giving me the rest I need (thanks ML)!

If you are struggling in some way right now, hang in there!  Focus on what you have and just pray that the people in your life will be understanding and accomodating.

Kid Funny

While leaving the mall in our area, our 8 year old said:

                    "Look Daddy, there is a big dick!"

(this was in reference to the Dick's Sporting Goods store at the mall)