Murphy

I put on my dirty clothes early, since I was expecting a package and thought I had to sign for it, and after a while,  I wanted to wash up and put clean clothes on, and finally got sick of waiting and decided to wash up, and I looked out the window—not FED-X truck.  I stripped and started washing up, peeked out the widow and there came the Fed-X man with a big box on his shoulder and I dashed in the bedroom and through on a dressed dashed downstairs, but he had left—I didn't have to sign for the box after all. 

--

I didn't trust it for a moment
but I drank it anyway,
the wine of my own poetry.
 
It gave me the daring to take hold
of the darkness and tear it down
and cut it into little pieces.
 
-- Lala, 14th century Persian poet

Fibromyalgia Today

Fibromyalgia pain

I suffer from Fibromyalgia.  This painting is me, suffering.  The grey blue represents the exhaustion and depression that is linked with it.

Symptoms include joint pain and general pain, tiredness, a bad smell.  when it gets worse, I got miofascial when I hurt ALL over, not just the area of the joints and then chronic fatigue symptoms.

The good news is that my fibromyalgia has been improving.  I still have flare-ups, but at my worst, I am usually better now than I used to be at my best, although I still depressed by the whole cycle.

Here is what I think has helped me:

1)Sleeping better.  I got a CPAP machine which I have a love-hate relationship with. I still have insomnia and my fibro is worse on my insomnia days.
2)Eating better:  it may be different for different people, but I have to avoid SOY, DAIRY Sugar, white flour and keep legumes (beans etc) to a minimum.
3)Exercising regularly really helps me!  I walk and do stretching exercises.  I move around.  If I sit too long or do anything else too long, I stiffen up--I think this is part of what gives me insomnia.