THE OPTIPESS ANOMALY

Optimist? Nope.

Pessimist, shmesimist.

It all looks the same to me.

And I'm positive it will all work out.

I guess that makes me....

an optipess.

I'm not being pessimistic, I'm thinking in a positive manner.  I'm positive that this flare is winning. I really want to feel better but my thoughts are not cooperating. 

I know that thought can do so much for your outlook and help distract you from the pain that threatens to take over every fiber of your being. There's so much that attitude can help and when chronic pain is a part of your life, you definitely need to keep your attitude in check.

I know this but I'm having a hard time doing it.

As I research right brain and left brain function, I see a startling fact. First, meditation does grow the gray matter in your brain. I'm not saying you have to sit cross legged and say ohm but some sort of quiet time focusing on nothing but relaxing your body and getting your brain waves down to something lower than an beta level would be highly beneficial. Second, thinking does affect your body and it will go in the direction of your thoughts. 

Remember, the power of positive thinking?

The beta level is most associated with our normal waking state. Beta helps with analysis, logical thinking and active attentive function. Stress can throw the beta level into overdrive. I think that I'm very familiar with the beta level in overdrive.

Negative thinking brings cortisol and other lovely things that are only intended for the flight or fight syndrome. That syndrome is there to keep us alive. It's not there to be used on a continual basis or as a way to live. That impacts your body in a very unhealthy way.

Negativity also obscures your thinking and stands between you and your realization. I heard this today and pondered on this for awhile. While I have talked myself into many, many things; self realization and having the ability to move beyond my fears isn't one of them. It would be interesting to find out how much I could really do if I didn't talk myself out of things due to fear or my inherently cynical way of thinking.

So, how do you take a natural cynic and turn that around into a positive force? I haven't figured that one out yet. I've got a litany of quotes regarding human nature.......

No good deed goes unpunished.

When you see the light at the end of the tunnel it's probably the train coming at full speed.

It's always darkest before it goes pitch black.

In the battle between you and the world.....bet on the world.

Yep,

just call me Little Mary Sunshine.........

Does this tell you anything about how I feel right now??

Very optipesstic.

I DON'T KNOW WHICH INSULTS ME MORE....

Every so often....

I see something.......

that really ticks me off.

This is one of those "so oftens."

I guess if you chose not to get a diploma or further your education you do better on a multidisciplinary treatment than another person who had the opportunity to further their education.

Let me rephrase that.

The multidisciplinary treatment that is "adapted" to people with "low educational levels"

I'm going to include a link to the article at the bottom of the post.

It seems that the more educated group received a pharmacological treatment and the less educated group received the multidisciplinary treatment. This lower educated group received physical therapy, education, cognitive behavioral therapy AND pharmacological therapy. 

I need to quote this article because I'm not sure what part of the article insults me the most. "Multidisciplinary treatment adapted for women with low educational levels is superior to conventional pharmacotherapy in reducing key symptoms of Fibromyalgia, including sleep disturbances, catastrophizing and psychological distress."

So....are the more educated given pills to make them go away? Are the less educated given full therapy because of the catastrophizing and psychological distress????? 

Needless to say this article REALLY TICKS ME OFF.

Let me say again......

Really.

Ticks.

Me.

Off.

Is it any wonder why doctors think this is all in our heads?

MULTIDISCIPLINARY APPROACH CUTS SYMPTOMS OF FIBROMYALGIA.

I THINK I GOT DISCONNECTED

Now, I've heard it all.

So to speak.

I love a good play on words.

I cannot believe what I just read. I'm going to include the link because I think everyone with Fibromyalgia should read what we're up against. Talk about making us believe that if we just talk out our problems it will make the pain all go away. Are we back to the medical community believing that this is all in our heads?? 

And it all comes down to a phone call.

I am absolutely amazed. I mean, I'm all for positive thoughts. Well, maybe I'm not. I've been told that I'm not an overly cheerful person so I'm just not the type to be optimistic and cheery. That's just not my personality. I'm of the persuasion that if it can go wrong, it will and at the worst possible moment. I'm not the one to talk about the power of positive thinking. I take that back....

I'm positive that it won't work.

If I follow that logic than I, by a mere phone call by my new BFF, can cure or at least manage the symptoms of any disease. Pain can be diminished by a mere uplifting and happy conversation by a cognitive behavioral therapist. I know some therapists and they also have chronic pain. They don't believe this for a moment. We'd all love it if it worked. We would be on the phone constantly and have our old life back. 

Oh, lest I forget, exercise is to be combined with this therapy. The one thing they can't figure out is how to manage the other symptoms that accompany Fibromyalgia. Also, it's not available and the cost is more expensive than they'd like. 

REALLY?

People have seen me curled up in pain. They've seen me normal, or as normal as I can be, and  they've seen the ugly. I'd like to take a survey and see what they'd say about this therapy. I don't think I could write some of the comments due to the language that would be used. I have and would spend my last dime if I thought it would help. What I can't understand is why this is the first treatment of choice. Maybe for mild pain but for moderate to severe pain?


Studies just love link Fibromyalgia to something. If it's not depression, than it's to Vitamin D deficiency or aspartame or mercury levels or stress or weight gain or, or, or, or, OR....... geez, it gets tiring of reading what researchers are trying to link Fibromyalgia next. It's still purported to be cured by nutritional supplements and while I think it does help our fabulous machine called the body, I don't know if it "cures" anything. I just get weird about things like that. If that's the case then it's just one step away from it being "our fault." I just don't think it's that simple. Fibromyalgia can be linked to anything but what happens in our central nervous system that flips the switch? Why not study that?


Research has come a long way and it has seemed to reclassify Fibromyalgia as a central nervous system disorder. I just can't figure out why we are still shipped off to rheumatologists rather than neurologists. I understand its because the symptoms manifest themselves as muscular pain but I still think a team doctor situation would be the best. One day, just maybe, there will be something that will work for us. It's just still tough when the medical community looks at you like you're nuts. 


The final insult, in my estimation, was that a researcher implied that the phone call might be tough because people with Fibromyalgia might not stick to it. That call is going to make me "aware" of how my thoughts and attitudes affect how I feel. Really? I'd like to tell them how I feel.


So, I guess, now I wait for the phone call.


We're the winner of the Fibromyalgia lotto.


One call, that's all and you're out of pain.


OK....maybe that's absurd.


Well, so is the premise.




Here is the link: Talk Therapy