THE WINE AND DINE DECOUPLING

I really had to laugh.

Fibromyalgia affects your love life?

Duh.

Is it cold in here?

I've been asked to go to dinner by Mr. Dreamboat. I just can't wait....I've been looking forward to this for so long. I just need to get out of my house! My heart just skips a beat thinking about it...oh wait....is that him or atrial fibrillation?

Anyway.....

The big day is here. I awake to the birds chirping just outside my window. As I open my eyes to the glorious sunshine, I shut them quickly because the light hurts my eyes and bury my head in the pillow. Ow. I moved too fast and the morning stiffness has set in. Like the tin man begging for an oil can fix, I make my way to the coffee maker. 

Great. I mean great! 

I'm really looking forward to it.

Just in case, I put fresh sheets on the bed. Now, I'm so exhausted that I have to lie down and take a short nap. I tell myself that this is good and I'll be nice and refreshed for the evening. I have a lovely lavender spray for the sheets but as the spray wafts through the air, I start sneezing uncontrollably. I'm sure the redness around my nose will go away by dinnertime.

Since dinner is around 7, I figure that I need to start getting ready for the evenings festivities around 3. This will give me plenty of time because it will take that long just to tie my shoes. Did I just say that? OMG, that won't work....I have to put on the torture device called heels tonight. I'll need another nap after I get out of the shower. 

Damn.

I shouldn't have put on makeup yet. Now, I need to fix my mascara again because it's under my eyes after my nap. Crap. I will have to start over. At least I kept my hair in a towel. OK, makeup is washed off and I start over. It's now around 5:30 and I haven't even dried my hair. I hate this part because I have to stretch my arms up to use the round brushes.

Did I really agree to go out to dinner?

I don't look too bad but I'm starting to hurt. 

The stiffness and pain has returned with a vengeance and all I want to do is get in bed. 

Oh, knock it off. 

Just start smiling.

I'm asked if I feel good enough to go.  I manage to say, "oh yeah," with just the slight curl of my lips which look more like a snarl than a smile.

By the time I limp to the car I feel like crap. I pretend to look out the window because if I say anything I might give it away. Once in the restaurant I look at all the happy people and wish I could take a time machine back to before all of this attacked my body. The room sounds loud and the waiter bumps into my shoulder as he approaches the table. That's all I needed. Nothing looks good on the menu but, like the trooper I am, I manage to listen to the waiter blather on about the chef specials. 

I WISH HE WOULD STOP SPEAKING.

I'm tired of the noise, I'm tired of looking at food that I really don't want and I'm tired of the waiter coming by every five minutes asking if I'm OK. 

What really scares me is the look on my honey's face. He's oblivious to the internal war I'm waging and I can just tell that he thinks the evening will last past dinner. He grabs my hands and the pain shoots up my shoulder. My eyes gave everything away. Plans after dinner??

Not only no.

But hell no.

I hurt from sitting in an uncomfortable chair making small talk that I am in no mood to make. We made it through dinner and I think he could tell by the way I flinched as he touched my shoulder that anything else he had in mind for the evening was going out the window.

Now, let's go back to the article. 

Who the heck wants to be caressed when every bone, muscle and fiber of your body is crying out. Even if it's a low pain day, it's AWAYS THERE and touch is difficult. Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue make terrible bed mates. 

If it doesn't hurt...

you're too tired to care.

You just need to read the survey.

CLICK HERE

IT'S CALLED FRANKENFOOD FOR A REASON

What the heck are we eating?

Is it any wonder we're sick?

And while we're at it.....

why can't we know what is in our food?

I guess my question is: Why do we still allow additives in our food that is banned in other countries? There are foods that we think are healthy and then there are additives that are just gross.

Lets start with Brominated Vegetable Oil. Doesn't sound too bad, does it? It's basically an emulsifier but it's main ingredient is bromine. Bromine has been linked to birth defects and schizophrenia. It displaces iodine which may lead to thyroid problems. It's mainly found in sports drinks and soft drinks. Other countries have banned it's use.

Not us. 

What about Azodicarbonamide? This is basically a bleach. Whereas some countries wait for the flour to whiten....well, we get a little impatient.  More than impatient...we want it NOW. Did you know that if we were in Singapore we could get 15 years in prison for using this chemical???? It's mainly used for sneaker soles and yoga mats. Who could taste it in the flour anyway?

You would think that good old milk would be healthy and good for you, wouldn't you? Well those cute little moo cows are injected with a growth hormone so they produce more milk. This IGF-1 (insulin growth factor) has been linked to breast, colon and prostate cancers. 

No biggie.

How about a little arsenic with your chicken? The FDA allows it in the chicken feed because it promotes growth. Also the chicken looks pinker so it looks a lot fresher. Isn't that sweet? The European Union has banned the use of arsenic since 1999 and labeled it a carcinogen. 

Yummy.

You know those yummy blueberry muffins? Do they really use blueberries? It could be propylene glycol. Just another chemical used to make fake blueberries. By the way, it's also used by the automobile industry to winterize RV's. 

That puts a new perspective on those old muffins, doesn't it?

I think the one that I like the most is glyphosate. Ever had weeds in your yard and bought Round Up? That's what they spray on the crops. In fact, they spray so much that it's been found in the streams and even the air. We ingest this stuff. What does it do to us? Well, it has been linked to learning disabilities, obesity, birth defects, infertility and metabolic damage. 

And I haven't even scratched the surface. 

Why can't we have food that isn't filled with additives that can kill us? 

Is it too much to ask for honest labeling?

Giving cows and chickens these chemicals.....well, it's frightening. 

No wonder illnesses that were rare 30 years ago and running rampant today.

Progress has not been our friend.

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