Good morning my blog followers. I want to thank all of you who keep checking in and reading my blogs. It means a lot to me to feel your support. I hope you are taking away something important from it.
So my sleep wasn't as good last night. I am an extremely light sleeper, even though I wear earplugs to bed everynight. With the window open and that lovely wind ablowing, my door started rattling at about 4am and I just didn't sleep really well after that.
That brings me to today's topic... weather and fibromyalgia. Of all the cities in the world I live in one of the worst for controlling fibromyalgia. With Calgary's constant weather fluctuations it is very hard to control our body temperature and getting cold is one of the worst things to happen to a fibro sufferer.
If a fibro suffererer gets cold even slightly at any point during the day or night, they will usually suffer for the rest of that day. That is why it is so important to dress appropriately. Following the weather has probably become one of my favourite pasttimes. If the weather is extremely warm, I know that the air conditioning will probably be blasting at work. I NEVER wear shorts to work because I just can't keep my legs warm enough. If the weather is cold, I know I will need extra layers.
But as well as the cold, the moisture can be pretty detrimental too. When Jay and I took our trip to Vegas, I felt awesome (except for when I walked my legs off)! Between the dryness and the heat, it was ideal for my fibro. And it wasn't even all that hot while we were there... averaging between 18-22 degrees. The alternate happens when I visit my Auntie Ray in Vancouver. The weather can be sweltering but because of the extreme humidity I usually have some aches and pains (though it doesn't help that I walk like a maniac there either).
I also keep thermometers throughout my house. I always warn visitors they are coming to the tropics when they visit me. I keep my temperature in my house on average at about 24 (excepting my freezing cold bedroom). So if you are planning a visit, dress appropriately.
As you can well imagine, I am feeling a little achy today. Between the lovely weather we are having and the poor sleep things just aren't 100%. That leads me to the other thing I want to talk to you about... learning how to say no!
Go ahead and laugh. But it is the hardest lesson that fibro sufferers have to learn. We are high energy, over busy, neat freak, workaholics. We are the first to volunteer for our kids school events, the first one to take on extra duties at work and the last to leave anywhere so we can make sure everything is tidied up properly. BIGGEST MISTAKE OF OUR LIVES!! This is part of why we are in the mess we are in!
So Sundays in my house is usually housework, laundry days. It is also the day we grocery shop and run any errands that may need to be run. BUT, if I do all that today, I will barely be walking tomorrow. So I have to do things in moderation... I have to... or I will suffer the consequences.
In my case I am very lucky because I have two wonderful people, Jay and Brittany, who will help me get everything done. Jay often goes grocery shopping by himself (and yes ladies, he is perfectly capable... does even better than me sometimes) and does the laundry so I can avoid the stairs. I will still help fold and put the laundry away cause I can usually do that sitting down. I will do a chore, like make my bed, or dust my bedroom and then I will rest for an hour. Then I will clean the bathroom and rest another hour. BUT if I have to run an errand or if we have plans to go visiting or go on a date... I won't do any housework. Know why... because it will still be there to do TOMORROW!! This is what I mean about learning to say no.
There are no laws or rules that state housework has to be done on a certain day or by a certain time. And if your family can not appreciate that... well they can always get up and do it themselves!! Some of you are sitting here reading this going... "ya but". Well my little Nonperformers... you have NO OTHER CHOICE if you want to get better. Don't get me wrong... I played the "ya but" game for a very long time. And I kept getting worse, and worse until I literally could not do it anymore. If I had carried on as I was going, I truly believe I would have been in a wheelchair before long. And there are days when I still get so mad at my body that I do stuff I shouldn't anyway... but boy do I pay for it!!
But besides housework, errands and chores, we have to be careful we don't push ourselves in other ways. This week was very busy for me. Thursday I went and got a mani/pedi with friends, Friday was dad's birthday so we were at my parents for dinner, Saturday I went to the Moscos for dinner and work was so hectic as we were preparing a lot of projects for the upcoming Global Petroleum Show. I still went out and enjoyed all this though. I make choices or plans that will encourage me to relax. We did not go to a restaurant for my dad but ordered pizza at the house. I got to sit on a comfy couch and could stay covered with a blanket. It was the same at the Moscos. We enjoyed a wonderful evening in where I kept my feet up and when the games began, I chose to stay bundled in a blanket, watch the fun and laugh instead of getting up and playing. It was just as fun and I didn't suffer.
But some weekends, no matter how painful it may be, I have to bow out of these types of activities. Only a couple of weekends ago I just HAD to miss my nephew's graduation party. I sure didn't want to... and I even shed a few tears about it... but what fun would I have been sitting there, being in so much pain that I just couldn't enjoy myself. I was invited to the movies, but I was in a lot of pain and sitting for two hours not moving literally cripples me. On a good day I usually wait for everyone else to be out of the theatre so I don't hold people up as I slowly make my way out.
So you make choices, some harder than others. But you be honest, with yourself and your loved ones. You be there when you can, you do chores when you can, you work when you can and you feel better... period!!
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