Visual interlude

Here I am, looking closely again; there's always so much to see. This is an encounter with a landscape of ragged scars.

Do you know what it is? It's thick, green bamboo.

Fibromyalgia Awareness Day

May 12th is International Fibromyalgia Awareness Day. I have chronic pain for many reasons, but my first and oldest source of discomfort is Fibromyalgia. FM and I have been together now for 28 years. Not a lot was known about FM when I was diagnosed back in 1983, and the disease (that affects up to 5% of the population) continues to this day to elude effective treatment; research is still underfunded and many doctors are still in the dark when it comes to diagnosing this life-altering condition. People often suffer for years before even getting a diagnosis. More awareness is definitely needed.

Here is a brief description of Fibromyalgia from the BC Fibromyalgia Society:

Major complaints associated with FM are widespread pain, fatigue and non-restorative sleep. People with FM may have mild, moderate, or severe symptoms and these symptoms may fluctuate through all degrees of severity or stay constant.

Basically, you're in pain all over and feel like you have the flu all the time. Some people have milder symptoms and are able to work and be fairly active, while others have a tough time managing day-to-day tasks.

If you have Fibromyalgia or know someone who does, there are a lot of great resources on the net: you'll find support groups through Yahoo; information for getting a diagnosis; resources for managing pain; blogs covering the latest research; personal blogs by people who have FM and much more. When you're surfing, mind the claims for cure-alls and quick fixes: there aren't any.

Most people with FM experience cognitive difficulties often known as "Fibrofog." I have that big time today and writing this post is a real challenge, let me tell you. In fact, being at the computer today is a quite the challenge because I didn't sleep much last night and my pain is worse because of that. But I wanted to do a post today and do my bit to raise awareness.

I'll leave you with a video by Rachael, a 34 year old woman living with Fibromyalgia. She has another video contrasting her motorcycle riding and rock climbing days before FM and her slow life after. I can really relate to that one. This video describes the complex collection of symptoms that is Fibromyalgia:

When it's good to be BADD

It's Blogging Against Disablism Day. A whole slew of bloggers have written passionately about issues such as language, access, ablism and culture and media. I didn't get it together to write anything this year because I'm kind of swamped. But please go to Diary of a Goldfish's blog where you'll find a collection of categories and links to bloggers joining in an amazing community event. You've got some remarkable reading ahead of you...

Subtill and knottie inquisitions

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I haven't posted in a long while because I've been plagued with nausea and massive headaches. It's been hard to write or to get excited about taking photos. I did come across something the other day that broke through the veil of pain-filled disinterest and wanted to share it with you. Click on the image for my selection from Sir Francis Bacon's essay "Of Regiment of Health," written in 1597.

Lots of people have turned to much more recent self-help books like "Full Catastrophe Living" or "The Anatomy of Hope" to help them cope with chronic pain or illness, but I've found something that, though it was written over 400 years ago, speaks to this modern person who needs things to be simplified a bit.

Some key maxims for me:

"...any thing that thou shall judge hurtful, to discontinue it, by little and little."

"...avoid envie, anxious fears; anger fretting inwards; subtill and knottie inquisitions..."

"To be free-minded and cheerfully disposed, at hours of meat, and of sleep, and of exercise, is one of the best precepts of long lasting."

And finally, the sentence that has the most meaning (and poses the greatest challenge) to me during this time of much physical duress and few answers:

"Despise no new accident in your body, but ask opinion of it..."

I'm sure most of you will find something that speaks to you in Sir Francis' take on health. I thinke thou might finde a varietie of splendide contemplations in the texte, and therefore may you use it.



[I did the typesetting for this image. If you would like a higher resolution image that would make a printable copy, just email me: chronicholiday (AT) gmail.com]

One pill makes you...

I had an appointment with my gastroenterologist this week and it sounds like I've had all the tests he can think of and there isn't anything left to do but try to medicate the symptoms I have. I'm not a big fan of medication, nor am I fond of targeting symptoms without knowing the cause; however, more than a year of nausea has me pretty much at the end of my rope and ready for a break. Too bad I'm so frightened of taking the medicine the doc has prescribed. I'm a typical person with Fibromyalgia and have very strong reactions to drugs and tend to get most of the side-effects even at a really low dose. The drug he wants me to take has pretty much the worst list of side-effects I have ever seen. If you see me shuffling down the street, with puffing cheeks, staring eyes and my tongue moving in a worm-like way, by all means, ask me how the nausea is going.

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