I had just finished seeing my last fibromyalgia patient of the morning, and I was getting chicken salad out of my lunch bag and had time to take a deep breath and check in with myself. Ahh, my body felt great–my muscles moved easily and I didn’t feel pain anywhere. I had plenty of energy, my mind was clear, and looked forward to the afternoon and the weekend.
I had hit the “sweet spot,” the spot where my system was in balance. How did I, someone with fibromyalgia, achieve this balance? I try to practice what I preach: in order to have the best chance of recovery from fibromyalgia symptoms I find that I and my patients need to:
1. eat foods that help you feel well–we are what we eat, it is that simple.
2. get consistent aerobic exercise–we all need at least 20 minutes of aerobic exercise 4 times a week to feel well. Put comfortable shoes on and get moving. You will build new mitochondria over time which will give you more energy and help you feel better.
3. clear well on the guaifenesin protocol–this treatment has proved so successful for me and many of my patients.
Do I feel wonderful all day every day? No, but I feel a heck of a lot better now than I felt 7 years ago when I was first diagnosed. Do your best to follow the 3 guidelines to give yourself the best chance to hit your sweet spot. This is my wish for you.
Like many fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue patients, my fatigue increases in the afternoon and evening. After dinner I often am too tired to do chores or even read. But sometimes I feel like watching TV. And last year I discovered a way to escape from my body and have a great time. My mini vacation was Giant’s baseball. Yes, sometimes it was torture when they lost a close game, but the 2009-2010 baseball season was exciting and wonderful. To see the players, that band of misfits, come together as a powerhouse team to prove all the experts wrong and win the World Series was a sight to behold.
So I escaped my tired and sick body for a couple of hours while I watched a bunch of men thrill in the ability to use their talents to come out on top.
They made me smile. Especially when I realized that many of them had battled problems of their own.
Even if I never see the Giants win another World Series, nothing can take that season away from me and all of us that love the Giants. And I have the DVDs to prove it.
In the past 2 months it seemed like, more than ever, I was inundated with interesting ideas in magazines and newspapers on how to improve my health, and therefore feel better. The fact that I ate every holiday treat that passed my way could have made me more aware of the possibilities to lead a more balanced life, and therefore probably helped those articles jump out at me. Face it, we all should eat better, exercise more, do more Kegels (ladies!).
But what motivates people to lead healthier lives? I know that fear is a big motivator, but for me, I am motivated by interest and capability.
I am interested in meditation and Ti Chi to see if it really can make me more calm and focused.
As my symptoms of fibromyalgia fade away with treatment, I am capable of more exercise (and different forms of exercise), and I would LOVE to get in better shape. The fact that I am stronger and recover more quickly from a workout opens up worlds of possibilities. I am having fun sifting through the various choices of exercise to plan a weekly routine.
Who knows, this summer you might see me on a dance floor at a club. I will be the one dancing into the night, looking calm and focused.
Have fun thinking about how you could feel better.
| © 2010-2018 Melissa Congdon, MD, FAAP | Terms of Use | Privacy | website design by collective discovery |