Ever Feel Discouraged?

My doctor put me on a gluten free diet a month ago hoping it would ease some of my fibromyalgia symptoms.  So far not only have I not felt better, I feel worse!  She wants me to stay on it for another two months.   She did say it could make me feel worse at first.  I'm thinking though that after a month I should at least not be feeling worse.  Most of the people I've read about or talked to didn't have this problem when going on a gluten free diet.

I'm trying to have a positive attitude, but it's hard to stay away from your favorite foods when you are not seeing results.  I'm thinking maybe there is gluten in my meds that I'm not aware of.  I'm not sure.  I'm going to hang in there and pray for God to help me get through another two months.   Is anyone else on a gluten free diet and not seen results quickly?  I'd love to hear from you.

Dealing With Frustrations in the Midst of Blessings

I just spent the past week at my mom's house in Michigan.  The kids came with me.  I had been wanting to do that for a long time, but always had to wait until my husband was able to come with us.  It is hard for me to drive that long.  It bothered me that my mom usually had to make the drive to our house in order to visit with us.  Megabus has been a real blessing.  It gives me a little bit of freedom.  I do not like having to rely on other people. 

We had a wonderful time there.  My mother was so thrilled that we were able to come.  We took the kids swimming at a local recreation center.  It was an incredible pool, with a huge water slide, three whirl pools and rafts that you could float on.  It was fun for the kids, and relaxing for me.  We also went to the art museum, huge outlet mall, and the Henry Ford Museum. 

I wasn't feeling that great the week I was there.  I did make sure to pace myself and rest when we got home.  I'm not sure why I'm feeling worse than normal.  I've been feeling light headed and overly tired than usual.  My doctor did say there was a chance the gluten free diet I'm on may make me feel worse at first.  I'm not convinced yet that that is the problem.  There are so many things I want to do, but just can't always keep up.  I wonder if there will ever come a time when that does not frustrate me.  How do you deal with frustrations from chronic illness?

Got Gluten?

Right before I went on vacation my chiropractor suggested I go on a gluten free diet.  I decided to live it up on my vacation eating all the things I knew would soon be forbidden.  Bread is my all time favorite food, more than chocolate!  She thinks this may help my fibromyalgia.  Friday is the big day.  I've decided to start that day.

I'm trying to have a positive attitude.  I've tried so many different things that haven't amounted to much.  I need to do this though to see what happens.  She wants me to do it for at least two months.  The worst that can happen is a lose a few pounds.  I can handle that! 

My step-sister went on a gluten free diet for severe migraines.  Nothing was helping.  She was even at the Cleveland Clinic overnight.  She found out on the Internet that a gluten free diet might help.  She's been headache free ever since!  She was one of the lucky ones to have a found a cure so soon.

So off to the grocery store I go, armed with my list of acceptable foods.  I'm glad that most grocery stores now have a gluten free aisle.  Has anyone tried a gluten free diet for their illness?  Any tips would be greatly appreciated.

Got Sleep?

We tend to take sleep for granted when we are getting enough.  It's when we don't get enough that we remember just how vital it is.  It replenishes our muscles, helps our nervous system to work properly, is necessary for our physical performance and memory. 


The other night our air conditioner wasn't working.  It was registering 85 degrees in our house.  Needless to say I had trouble sleeping that night. My body is very sensitive to lack of sleep.  Even more so since I developed chronic fatigue syndrome and fibromyalgia.  I can miss just a half hour of sleep and it usually effects me for the next few days.  I feel weak, sore from head to toe and have severe exhaustion.  If someone invented a pill for instant sleep I would be willing to pay big bucks for it!!


I try not to complain to my family, but it's hard not to mention it when I have a hard time doing even normal daily activities.  We are also getting ready to leave for a week at the beach.  I have things to do!  It's time like these that I take my to do list and weed it down to only immediate, important things.  Now that my children are twelve and fifteen I can enlist their help more.  My daughter did some laundry for me, washed dishes, and helped me clean the kitchen.  My son swept and folded laundry and is helping me pack.


I used to feel bad when asking them to help out, but then I remembered that they are a part of this family too.  There's nothing wrong with asking them to help out with preparing for our family vacation.  I hope and pray once I get to the beach and breathe in that ocean air, my body will relax and heal.  How do you handle getting ready for vacation when your physically limited?

It's Been Too Long!

I can't believe how long it's been since I last posted. I was working as a preschool teacher for the past three years, so I decided to put my blog on hold for awhile. I am now exploring the idea of working from home. I've been selling things on ebay and am also working on building my tutoring business. I would like to be able to have a flexible schedule to accommodate my health and kids.

I have been struggling with my health for the past two weeks. I have chronic fatigue syndrome and fibromyalgia. They can rear their ugly heads at times. Sometimes I'm able to point to a specific activity or event that led to a flare, other times I don't know what caused it. Even when I know what may of caused it, I don't understand why it takes so long for me to get back on my feet sometimes. I went to an amusement park on Friday the 24th with my kids and husband. I had already been dealing with increased pain. I was undecided on to whether to go or not. I always have a hard time making decisions like that. I want to go to be with my family, but am not sure how much I'm going to pay for it afterwards. My son really wanted me to go. I knew if I stayed home I would feel depressed about not being with them. I ended up going and five days later am still effected by my choice. Should I of made a different choice? That's the thing about chronic illness. You don't always know what the best decision is. You just have to decide and hope it was the right one.

I hope everyone's summer is going well. Let me know some of the issues you deal with because of your illness. I am here to support you!!

Feeling Discouraged

I have not been feeling very well the past week or two. I've just felt completely drained and weak. It takes extra effort for me not to be irritable and cranky, especially with those closest to me. My head feels like it's stuffed with marshmallows. That's how I describe "brain fog". I just don't seem to be getting that deep sleep that we all so desperately need. It probably isn't helping that my son has been having trouble sleeping.

My doctor thought I may have ADHD. I have always thought that I may have this problem. I can remember having issues with concentrating and organization as a child also. There
have been a few articles that I have come across linking fibromyalgia and ADHD. My doctor thought it was worth a try to try me on Ritalin to see if it would help my energy and concentration. I was so hoping it would. It didn't seem to do anything. But I'm wondering if your not getting good sleep, would any medicine help? Every time I hear about a drug possibly helping, I try it and it doesn't seem to help. It's hard for me to fight thoughts that maybe it is all in my head!

My husband and the kids just took off for the plant nursery and lunch. I wanted so much to go. I did not want to be home alone. It's so hard for me to give in and just accept that I need to rest and may not be able to do much. I want to be productive but my brain just won't cooperate! I start to get down on myself for complaining and feeling sorry for myself. I know so many others have it much worse. God, please help me to be thankful for the many things I do have. Please help me to see beyond my circumstances. Give me your strength. Amen.