Let's Talk Fibromyalgia

Let’s talk fibromyalgia.  Many people have heard of the term fibromyalgia, but do not know what it is or what its symptoms are.

Fibromyalgia is defined as a disorder characterized by widespread musculoskeletal pain, this pain is accompanied by fatigue, sleep, mood and memory disorders.  It is believed that fibromyalgia amplifies painful sensations by affecting the way your brain processes pain signals.

Symptoms sometimes begin after a physical trauma, surgery, infection or significant psychological stress. In other cases, symptoms gradually accumulate over time with no single triggering event. 


Women are much more likely to develop fibromyalgia than are men. Many people who have fibromyalgia also have tension headaches, temporomandibular joint (TMJ) disorders, irritable bowel syndrome, anxiety and depression. 


While there is no cure for fibromyalgia, a variety of medications can help control symptoms. Exercise, relaxation and stress-reduction measures also may help. 


Symptoms:

The pain associated with fibromyalgia often is described as a constant dull ache, typically arising from muscles. To be considered widespread, the pain must occur on both sides of your body and above and below your waist. 

Fibromyalgia is characterized by additional pain when firm pressure is applied to specific areas of your body, called tender points. Tender point locations include:

• Back of the head
• Between shoulder blades
• Top of shoulders
• Front sides of neck
• Upper chest
• Outer elbows
• Upper hips
• Sides of hips
• Inner knees                                          
  
  
  Fatigue and sleep disturbances 
  People with fibromyalgia often awaken tired, even though they report sleeping for long periods of time. Sleep is frequently disrupted by pain, and many patients with fibromyalgia have other sleep disorders, such as restless legs syndrome and sleep apnea, that further worsen symptoms. 

 Coexisting conditions

Many people who have fibromyalgia also may have:

• Fatigue
• Anxiety
• Depression
• Endometriosis
• Headaches
• Irritable bowel syndrome 
  Causes:

Doctors don't know what causes fibromyalgia, but it most likely involves a variety of factors working together. These may include:

• Genetics. Because fibromyalgia tends to run in families, there may be certain genetic mutations that may make you more susceptible to developing the disorder.
• Infections. Some illnesses appear to trigger or aggravate fibromyalgia.
• Physical or emotional trauma. Post-traumatic stress disorder has been linked to fibromyalgia.

Source of information:  Mayo Clinic http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/fibromyalgia/basics/definition/con-20019243

 I cannot pinpoint when exactly my fibromyalgia began, but looking back I believe I started having symptoms in my teen years.  I had no idea what was going on with my body as I thought that pain was just a normal part of life and I believed that everybody, especially in my field, lived in pain.  Boy was I wrong.  If you are in pain, something, somewhere in your body is wrong and your body is telling you that.  Most people can identify their pain to a particular reason or event that led up to it, there is always a cause.  I just thought my pain was because I worked on my feet all of the time, lifted boxes, ran around and worked hard.  Sure, I would bet that is where some of the pain came from, but even after I stopped doing those things, the pain remained and is still here.  Along with the widespread pain, I suffer from terrible migraines, fatigue, anxiety, depression, a sleep disorder and GI problems.  The worst part about fibromyalgia is the fact that there is no cure and I take a pile of medication every day to try to relieve all of these symptoms.  

Medication is not the only solution to easing the pain of fibromyalgia, I have found other, more natural ways of dealing with the illness.  One example would be physical therapies such as water therapy, myofacial release therapy or acupuncture. 

Diet plays an important role when living a life with fibromyalgia, I have found that following an inflammation free diet without wheat, gluten, sugar or dairy have worked the best at combating pain and migraines.  A great book to refer to is the Inflammation Free Diet Plan by Monica Reinagel.  Superfoods and aloe drinks are also highly recommended for pain.

Relaxation techniques are also crucial when you have fibromyalgia.  Try meditation, guided imagery or yoga on a daily basis to relax the mind and the body.  Regular monthly therapeutic massage treatments can also be beneficial.  Heat can also work to help relax the muscles, I almost live with my heating pad.

Anti-Inflammatory essential oils may also prove to be beneficial; oils such as lavender, myrrh, patchouli, rosemary, rosewood, spruce, thyme, or wintergreen.  These oils can be infused in the air or applied to the skin when diluted with a carrier oil.

Not everything works for everyone and the above suggestions are just that, suggestions from what has worked for me.  I have good days and I have bad days no matter what I am doing to improve my daily life; just because these things have worked for me does not mean that they will work for you, every case is different.  

I hope that the above information has helped you to better understand fibromyalgia and given you some ideas on how to cope with it if you or someone you know is living with the condition.  As always, your thoughts are welcome.

Happy Hump Day! Getting to know me...

Yes, it's Hump Day for most of us and what better day to tell you a little more about myself than today?  Well, I guess yesterday I could have said something before going into my obsession of yarn, but that just needed to be put out there front and center. 

Well, as you already know, my name is Leah.  What you don't know is that I have always loved my name.  All in all, there aren't too many people with my name in the world and I've always thought it to be pretty.  I can remember when I was little, asking my mom why I was named Leah and she responded, "because you had blond hair and blue eyes and looked like a Leah."  That was good enough for me.

I am a mother, a wife, a sister, and recently an auntie and a grandma.  I have a beautiful, smart, talented daughter who (gulp) will be in high school next year, four wonderful grown step-children, two amazing sisters, two awesome brothers, the sweetest niece that melts my heart every time I see or think of her and the most handsome grandson in the world.  I cannot forget about my partner in crime, my love, my husband who is there with me or for me every step of the way.  I also have two of the greatest dogs a person could ask for, they are quite the pair and two of my best friends; a tiny chihuahua/rat terrier mix, Vegas and a big boxer/pit bull mix, Brooklyn.

I do not have a favorite color, song or movie, there are too many good ones out there to choose just one.  I use color and music to inspire me everyday and I think they are an important part of life.

I am a coffee junkie.  I worked for Starbucks Coffee Co. for 9 1/2 years, holding every position there was in the store at one time or another.  It wasn't until I left the company that I became a coffee addict, now I need it to survive :)  I also love a velvety red wine or a good craft beer for those special occasions.

I like candy!  Yes, candy... and ice cream and popcorn, pretzels and watermelon.  My siblings and I all do, we pretty much believe that they must be in the family genes as our father loves these items as well.  Although I shouldn't eat candy, ice cream or pretzels, I admit that I can't stop and unless it is a life or death situation, I do not plan to.  When I was pregnant and in my third trimester, I ate a watermelon everyday!!  I also like black licorice, besides my older sister, I don't know too many people who can say this.

My favorite place I've ever visited is New Zealand, I trekked half way around the world by myself to get there.  Everyone should visit there at least once in their life, it is absolutely beautiful!  My second favorite place would have to be New York City, the buzz of it is amazing!

I am creative by nature and make something almost everyday, be it for a customer, a potential customer, a family member or myself.  I have been creating for as long as I can remember.  When I was little you could always find me with a box of crayons and a coloring book or paper, paints or a lump of clay.  I specialize in no one art or craft really, I love them all, which has lead me to two shops crammed full of a little bit of everything.  As of late I would say I've really put a lot of time and passion into my knitting and now hand dyeing yarn.  My grandmother taught me how to knit and crochet when I was small, I would say seven or eight years old.  I can remember just sitting and watching her work the needles and yarn or hook and thread, she moved her hands so gracefully and elegantly, I had to know how.  She taught me on a pair of blue aluminum size 8 needles with navy blue worsted weight yarn, I still have the needles.  Grandma kept telling me to relax and not hold my yarn so tight, yet to this day I am a tight knitter, I've always wanted my stitches to be perfect.  That day, like so many others spent with my Grandma King, left a huge imprint on my life, to me she was perfect and I've always tried to follow in her footsteps; you may hear me speak of her again from time to time.

I love to cook and bake, but due to my illness I do not do it as much as I did in the past or should.  Not that I let my family go hungry, there is always food on the table, but I'm not as adventurous in the kitchen as I used to be.  Being loaded with dietary restrictions has taken the fun out of cooking and well, eating.  I haven't really embraced the fact that there are fun recipes out there that I can explore so we just eat the same things over and over again.  Boring!  Plus, eating with restrictions can be expensive!  One of these days I'll get off of my butt and have some fun in the kitchen again.  If anyone has any tasty gluten-free, dairy-free, sugar-free recipes they'd like to share, please do.  I need some motivation and maybe this blog will be just that.

Flower and vegetable gardening are also on my list of loves, yet another thing inspired by my grandma.  Again, I don't know if I have a favorite flower as there are too many beautiful choices to decide, but much to my sister's dismay, I do like geraniums.  Geraniums remind me of my grandma, just the smell, which many people think is gross, can bring me back to my grandparents' porch.  They may not be the prettiest flower out there, but I always have to have at least one geranium in my garden or a planter.

I live with fibromyalgia http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/fibromyalgia/basics/definition/con-20019243 along with other illnesses that may or may not be caused by the fibro.  If you do not know what fibromyalgia is, it is a neurological condition that causes widespread chronic pain throughout your body among other things, but the pain is in my case the hardest to deal with.  I lived with the condition for years without knowing it and before it got so bad that I could not handle it anymore and it cost me my job of over 9 years.  When I found out what it was I was devastated, as of now, there is no cure only therapeutic treatments.  Fibromyalgia is different for everyone who has it and affects some more than others, I have a severe case and even with medication, treatments and rest, I am in some kind of pain.  Each day is different and there is no rhyme or reason to the pain unless I know I over did something somewhere along the line.  I try to bury myself in my creativity and stay busy to try and keep my mind off of it.  If you have fibro. and have any tips on what works for you, I'd love to hear them.

Okay, so maybe that was a lot about me.  If you've made it this far, thanks for sticking with me and getting to know me a little better.  I promise not all of my posts will ramble on like this.  I hope you have a great day, listen to some music and enjoy the colors!

Welcome!

Welcome to Creating with Sticks and More, a little blog where I will share my passion for beautiful yarn, knitting, sewing, paper and who knows what else I may surprise you with.  I will also give you a glimpse into my life and maybe even have some tips for living with fibromyalgia.