12:01

Not only was there some relief in the relative humidity today, but some of the pain is finally subsiding!

So in honor of not having to swallow medication all day today, I'm going to see Wolfman at 12:01! Oh boy!!! Of course, I'll have to take pain medication to sit in the chairs for 2 hours but it's worth it! The trailers were amazing.

So for the first time in quite a while I feel well enough to go out at a time that I'm usually cursing life because of the pain.

Here I go!

NEUROENDOCRINE IMMUNE DISORDER

I got into an argument with a cousin that said "if you just get up and move your supposed symptoms will go away."  She doesn't believe in it and even if she reads evidence to the contrary she'll never admit it. Thank goodness for the rest of my family. You can't get around it. There will always be some people that just don't get it. 


I told her I'd be writing about her and giving her a couple of facts that she could research. 


I hope she reads it.


Research is pointing to evidence that Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue syndromes involve the nervous, endocrine and immune systems.


It has been found that:


1.  The autonomic nervous system is not functioning properly.
2.  There are alterations in the pain related chemical transmitters in the spinal fluid.
3.  Blood flow and metabolic processes in the brain are not functioning properly.


Substance P (a chemical in the cerebrospinal fluid)  which transmits pain impulses to the brain is three times higher in people with Fibromyalgia that in the control group.




LINKS TO ARTICLES:


Neuroendocrine Immune Disorders


P.A.N.D.O.R.A.

Enjoy the reading!

WILL IT EVER STOP RAINING?

It seems like it's been humid forever.

I hate to start whining but the it just sends me over the edge. I can't seem to do anything and I can't seem to feel anything but my body hurting.

I don't even like listening to myself anymore.

It has taken me so fricking long to type this and I'm not even halfway through. My hands don't work and typing this just hurts. Why am I still typing? I'm typing because it might help me get my mind off of the pain but, so far, it's not working.

Did I also tell you that my mood is in the gutter? Usually writing helps me. 

Not tonight.

I'm done.

F.I.B.R.O.M.Y A.L.G.I.A

F.
Is for the Fatigue that I constantly have. It is for the Fun that I miss because I'm tired and tired of being in pain. It is for Fat because I don't get as much exercise because of the pain and my body has slowed down so the calories in the foods that I eat have attached themselves to my ass. It is for the never-ending Fog that you find yourself in on a daily basis. It is for Frustration.

I.

Is for the ever-present Irritability. It is for the Icky way that I feel most days. It is for the Invisibility state that I try to remain in so that I don't have to answer too many questions about the way that I feel. It is for Imagination because that's what most people believe about where this illness lives.

B.

Is for the Bitchiness. It is for the Bad days and it is for the Bummed out way that I tend to live at this point in this illness.  It is for feeling Beaten down because you've been Betrayed by your own body. 

R.

Is for the Ridiculous way that the medical community refers to this disease. It is for the way that you have to Re-invent yourself to manage this illness. It is for the Realization that this will be with you for the rest of your life. It is for the constant Reminders that you have to leave yourself because you cannot Remember anything.

O.

Is for the tiny shred of Optimism that I hang on to. It for those people who act so Obtuse about the fact that pain is a constant in your life by design and not by choice. It is for the Outstanding friends that come to your aid, understand and love you. It is for feeling Out of control of your life.

M.

Is for all the Medical appointments that take up most of your days. It is for the MRI's and the tests that you'll go through trying to eliminate every other disease before they diagnose the Fibromyalgia. Is is for the Money that will fly out the window because all of those appointments and tests are very expensive. It is also for the Memory that will also fly out the window just like the  money. It is for the Management skills that you learn so that you can deal with this on a daily basis. 

Y.

Is for the constant Yawning because I'm so tired. It is for feeling Yucky. It is also for all the changes that you will make in your life and lifestyle as you Yield to Fibromyalgia.

A.
Is for the Absence of real testing for a definitive diagnosis. It is for the thankfulness that there are medications that can Alleviate some of the symptoms.

L.

Is for the Left-out feelings when you miss events because of the fatigue and pain. It is for feeling Lousy and Lifeless and like a Log when you lay in bed all day. 

G.

Is for feeling Gloomy, Grouchy and Grumpy because of the pain. It is feeling Grateful for the Good days even though they aren't that plentiful. It is for feeling Guilty when you do lay in bed because you think you should be able to do something.......anything. It is for Grieving for the life I used to have.

I.

Is for feeling the Irritation that you feel when people think that if you just get up and move around you'll feel better. It is for the Isolation. It is for the Invisible disease because you don't look sick. It is for getting Impatient with ourselves.

A.

Is for Always looking for the bright side because it could be worse. It is for the Accusations of being neurotic instead of believing you when you say you don't feel well. It is for being Absent-minded.  It is for feeling Aggravated and Agitated. It is also for feeling Appreciative of your friends and family who love you when you are unlovable. 

THEY JUST KEEP COMING

I didn't sleep at all last night. 

At 5:00 a.m. I looked at the clock one last time and put a pillow over my head and closed my eyes. 

It didn't work.

I finally got up at 8:00 made some tea and turned on CNBC to see what the stock market was doing. I find it fascinating that these people are clueless as to the reason the job numbers are off. There's a rhythm to all things and the stock market is no different.

Circadian Rhythm

The human body has a circadian rhythm or internal body clock. My body clock has always worked best with a wake time between 8:30 and 10:00 and a sleep time between 1:00 and 2:00. What is amazing about body rhythms are the patterns of core body temperature, hormone production and cell regeneration and it's related to the light and dark cycles. Melatonin, which is absent during daylight hours starts production when the light becomes dim and the body winds down for sleep.This not only applies to human beings but to mammals, plants and all living things. Pretty neat, huh?

Alpha Wave Intrusion

One of the markers of Fibromyalgia is sleep disturbances. My particular issue is alpha wave intrusion. It's an intrusive brain wave pattern that interferes with deep sleep. Basically the alpha waves occur when the brain is fully awake. So these "awake" waves intrude into the sleep cycle. One of the problems in Fibromyalgia is that it isn't just a matter of a reduced deep sleep and increased non-REM sleep. The deep levels of sleep that eventually are reached don't last long enough to renew and refresh the body. The body doesn't get a chance to heal itself and when you do wake up you don't feel as if you slept; you're still tired and in pain. The severity of the pain that you feel during the day seems to correlate with the amount of sleep that you've gotten.

It's been a doozy of a day as far as pain is concerned.

There appears to be a correlation between pro-inflammatory cytokines and pain intensity.  These are immune cells that are activated in response to an injury, infection or inflammation in the body.  The bodies signaling of the activation of these cells may link trauma and infection to the chronic pain that plagues Fibromyalgia sufferers.

So as the storm approaches I know that the pain is on the upswing. I again promise myself that I won't wait until the last minute to take the medication so that I can get some pain relief. 

Can I sleep?

Only time will tell.

I can't wind my body clock, my rhythms are off and those lovely little cytokines are working overtime. 

Well, at least something is working.


I'm going to go chug some melatonin.