4 Fibromyalgia & CFIDS/CFS/ME Tips

Try to spend time with those you really love!

Today I bring you four commonsense CFIDS/ME/CFS and fibromyalgia tips some of which are actually helpful for all people, not just sick ones.  

This comes to you by way of my rheumy.  

• Blame your doctor: I love this because it's one of the best things you can do for yourself when you feel as if it's all too much.  That's why you're paying your doctors: to get help of all sorts, from physical to mental and spiritual, I dare say.  And if your doctor is worth his salt, so to speak, he WILL have told you these tips. Furthermore, you simply tell yourself that you not only have permission to do the following, but you have been ORDERED to do the following:
• Don't overdo it when you feel great/good.  Let's face it.  Most of those ill with the DD were over-achievers in their previous life and so it goes against every part of our being NOT to do all we can on a "good" day.  It makes us feel great when we accomplish anything.  We're "doing-it-all junkies" is another way to put it.  We also feel guilty when we don't accomplish those things which we think are on the top of our endless lists. So, keep in mind that on a good day, don't overdo it.  And yes, I realize that I'm very bad in this department.  
• Don't starve yourself when trying to lose weight; nutrition is so important.  I think my rheumy gets most upset about this one because his patients are overwhelmingly women.  And what do women always try to do?  Lose weight.  This is especially true because we are often on medications which make us gain weight, be it because we're always so hungry or because the medicine messes up our metabolism.  But he sees women doing great harm to themselves because of the weight issue.  So, try to take off weight carefully and in a smart fashion.  Once the vitamins and nutrients in your body are depleted, all sort of problems enter the picture.  Furthermore, those deficiencies often take years to truly recover from.  B-12 deficiency, for example, takes two years for full recovery.  The numbers on tests may become normal relatively quickly, but that doesn't reflect what is happening to the actual cells.  Here is where you need to be patient.
• Avoid toxic people.  We have enough problems in our lives and we have enough conflict about our illness even being real to begin with.  Do we really want to add toxic people to the equation?  Your time and energy are already limited.  Do you really want to waste precious health credits you've accumulated on people who poison you with their attitudes and passive/aggressive ways?  You know who they are.  Cutting them out of our lives will lessen the stress load.  Now I don't think you should say, "get the heck away from me you windbag, you blowhard."  Simply be conveniently too busy with things that really need to get done and spend your precious time with the people who bring you up instead of bringing you down.  

So, there you go.  Right from my rheumy's (and GP's) mouth.  Very obvious truths, but oh so hard to live them, I know. 

With that I say, I hope everyone's doing their very best, only better.  Ciao and paka! 


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