Spoonie Central

A hub of information for all those fighting the good fight against chronic illness.

[jekabeth]

This one makes me laugh every time! hahaha

[littlelittlexo-deactivated20151]

This is perfect. I have a memory deficit and this is my life.

[spooniecentral]

Vitamins that Boost the Immune System

We encounter millions of bacteria, fungi and parasites on a daily basis. These germs pose a serious threat to us, though we hardly recognize it. Sometimes we can take our immune system for granted and only recognize its importance when the body goes through serious illnesses...

[spooniecentral]

I think my body feels its not getting enough attention since I do whatever I can to ignore the fibro. So now- gallstones and bad abdo pain= a day at the hospital.

Well played body. Well played.

[spooniecentral]

Pros and Cons of 10 Fibromyalgia Treatments - Health.com

Fibromyalgia symptoms include tender points along the body, extreme fatigue, and sleeplessness. For years, people with this chronic pain condition were told their symptoms were not real, —but times have changed.

[spooniecentral]

Spoonie Question Time:

Who do you most often go to for advice relating to your illness/pain?

GP/ Specialist

Naturopath

Counselor/ Therapist

Chiro/ Physio

A Fellow Spoonie

Other (?) 

What are the positives/negatives of your choice?

[chronicallyinvisible]

I think it’s really foolish to underestimate the utter will power of chronically ill people. We all have that thing that we absolutely love and will push ourselves to the absolute limit to be able to do, and that doesn’t mean that we’re ‘faking it’, it doesn’t mean we’re miraculously better, it doesn’t mean it doesn’t hurt like hell or that we’re not going to be paying for it for weeks, it just means that some things are worth pushing ourselves for and sometimes the sheer desire to do something you love manages to trump all of the crippling symptoms.

[spooniecentral]

Is your body actually trying to tell you something, but you can't hear it over the "normal" pain?

How sad to be a person who is used to pain. Pain is our body’s way of telling us that something is wrong. So what do we do when, according to our bodies, there is always something wrong?

Do you remember what triggered your chronic pain? For me, my Fibromyalgia kicked into high gear when I was a teenager. I tore the cartilage in my knee and was in terrible pain. I had surgery to repair the damage, but the pain didn’t go away. More recently, I damaged my other knee- same excruciating pain and same sickly sound. The difference this time around? Only moments after the injury, the pain became tolerable and is now part of what feels normal to me.

If anything, doctors and health care professionals should pay more attention to ensuring that there is not more to our pain than what’s “in our heads”. And for us; we need to take as much care of ourselves as someone who cannot feel pain at all (and is therefore not aware of damage done), because pain that feels normal to us, may in fact be the result of an underlying injury that is being ignored.

The system within our bodies designed to warn us of physical danger actually works against us. We therefore need external assistance to ensure we are not doing more harm by “sucking it up”.  As much as we would hate to put more focus on our pain:

Keep a diary and track new pain or symptoms

Keep moving- whenever possible, do some light stretches or go for a walk, etc. Check in with your body; is it simply pain that is slowing you down?

Check your meds- has your need for pain relief medication increased recently? Is there a particular part of your body that is flaring more than the rest?

Spoonies, do you have any tried and tested methods for keeping track of possible injuries?

[thepinklining]

When I’m having a particularly bad day, I just remind myself that my track record for getting through bad days is 100%. And that’s pretty darn good.

[thefibroforum]

In December 2008 I was officially diagnosed with Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. I was 25 years old. Many people would be upset upon hearing this news.

After a year of tests, surgeries, hida scans, ER visits, ultra sounds, blood tests and psych evaluations I did...

[spooniecentral]

My metaphorical arms are a little tired now as I am sending y’all 400 virtual hugs!!

Thank you all so much for following Spoonie Central- it’s awesome to know that when I'm flaring or getting anxious or down, there are a whole bunch of ya out there who get me.

I appreciate every one of you and know that you have amazing inner strength and deserve only good things like puppy dogs and rainbows (double rainbows on flare days).

Love and Spoons, Ash <3

[lifeaccordingtocrohns]

[flares-of-fibro]

The trouble with chronic pain is that it is so easy to become accustomed to it, both mentally and physically. At first it’s absolutely agonizing; it’s the only thing you think about, like a rock in your shoe that rubs your foot raw with every step. Then the constant rubbing, the pain and the limp all become part of the status quo, the occasional stabbing pain just a reminder. You are so set to endure, hunched against it -and when it starts to ease, you don’t really notice, until the absence washes over you like a balm.

Robert J. Wiersema (via flaresof-fibro)

[spooniecentral]

 I feel like I need to keep testing my limits. Like, this illness is the most ridiculous thing and if no one else can see it, maybe I am just making it up; maybe my mind is playing tricks on me.  So I make plans. I dare think I am able to do more, to improve. I walk without my knee brace, I get stuck into some housework, I work extra hours at my job. I live my life the way I see others living theirs; I look like them so I should be like them.

…and then the pain sets in and it is real. Plans are canceled, knee brace goes back on, I have to take time away from work and I know that in that moment I simply cannot do more. I am not like the others- looks can be very deceiving.

But every so often I will again test my limits, because maybe, just maybe that will be the day my mind will say “fooled you!” and we will laugh and run a marathon together.

[spooniecentral]

Can it Be.. My Vitamin D? In the last several years my doctor has taken great care to watch my Vitamin D levels, and many times when they are low there seems to be a correlation to a heightened pain

[cyclicallysick]

Cyclic vomiting syndrome

"I never expected my little girl to have to fight a battle with a foe she couldn't see," Tricia Andersen said. But when her daughter, Ali, was 13 months old, she started throwing up and couldn't stop. For a day and a half, Tricia watched as Ali retched painfully and was admitted to the hospital for dehydration. When she was discharged the vomiting episodes continued -- every three weeks like clockwork.

[neecygrace]

So yes it is all in my head ;-)

[spooniecentral]

I realised a thing:

My playing down of my symptoms to make others more comfortable doesn’t do anybody any good. I remain in pain and they remain uninformed.

Wearing an “ask me about my fibro” t-shirt would be against uniform policy, but I have started wearing my knee brace and asking for physical help when I need it.

I’ve simply found that how I feel is more important than what they think.