Since having my computer back, I have spent the last few hours online looking at Fibromyalgia articles on treatment of pain. Most sites offer a plethora of advice as many are want to do. Sure, we all want a cure all, who wouldn’t with this kind of pain?! What annoys me is that most of the sites think they are the only cure. Some sites do acknowledge that Fibromyalgia pain affects people differently. I am afraid some people lose site of that fact. The key words being: fibromyalgia pain affects people differently. I may be on a pedestal here and I don’t mean to be ranting, but come on, just because we may suffer from Fibro fog doesn’t mean we believe everything we read. We know there are snake oil salesmen out there.
Not all medications work for the same for everyone. Not everyone has the same reaction. My personal opinion is that if you find something that works for you, then by all means stick with it, but leave your mind open to new ideas and options. As long as Lyrica works for me, I know I will espouse the virtues of it. I also realize that as time goes along, I may have to increase the dosage or frequency of usage. I also realize that I will have periods of Break Through Pain, where nothing will help. To expect to be completely pain free would not be realistic on my part. What is realistic on my part is to do what I can to keep warm, lower my stress levels, get some exercise, eat better and not over do my daily activities. Here again, this works for me, you may have a regimen that helps you. Of course, if you work for a modern day Scrooge that keeps the office thermostat set at 55 degrees, you will never get warm. You can however; dress like poor Bob Cratchit, donned in several layers of clothing, a scarf, hat and fingerless gloves, enabling you to work with your hands. As I faced the cold weather and bone chilling winds while getting a start on my workday, I was glad I had dressed in 3 shirts, a sweater, scarf and coat for work. The wind chill alone was placing outside temperatures in single digits. After stepping into the office and removing my coat and scarf I immediately put them back on. Ebenezer Scrooge had not allowed any coal for today I saw. Quietly traipsing over to the wall thermostat in the back workroom, I nudged the thermostat from 55 to 60 degrees. Alas….I was still not getting any warmer an hour and a half later. What evil was working its magic to hinder this flow of warmer air? I looked upwards and my eyes caught sight of a most hideous thing: the vents in my office had been closed by Scrooge! Bah-humbug! Foiled again.
Being only 5 foot 3 inches, there is no way I can reach the 8 foot high vents. Good thing I had long strip of aluminum with which to reach the levers. Being a Cratchit, I am resourceful! I soon had the vents open and aimed in my direction. My ears would have to remain uncovered as I would need to keep an ear out for Scrooge leaving her office. If I moved quickly enough, my disobedience would not be discovered. Somehow the layered clothing, fingerless gloves, and one small piece of coal were not enough to keep me warm today. Hot coffee might do the trick. Maybe I could wrap my hands around the mug. Oh wait….Ebenezer took my mug and sold it for a mere pittance, that won’t work. Maybe if I worked hard enough, I could get warm.
As my fingers pecked away at the frozen keyboard, I realized I couldn’t feel them. Maybe that was a good thing. If I ended up working my fingers to the bone, I wouldn’t feel it. LoL So engrossed I was in typing, I missed Ebenezer leaving her office and did not get the vents turned back off. Maybe Scrooge would be generous today; after all….Christmas had only been 3 days ago. The cold started me day dreaming I would be the recipient of a pair of USB hand warmers to use at work. With Tiny Tim optimism I keep looking for a warmer future. Winter did just start 7 days ago, but at least it was pretty and snowy outside. 
Tiny Tim taught me to dress warmly and to accept the things I cannot change. I can change my clothing to keep me warmer on these cold winter days. I will experience pain, but I will trudge on as best I can with the help of my family and friends. By accepting these things, I will lower my stress levels in dealing with Fibromyalgia. There will be days I need to add extra coal to the fires to keep me warmer. But I will always look for new and better ways to get through the days without making my brain dull and fuzzy. I will continue my library and internet searches for help in dealing with Fibromyalgia and in the meantime, I’ll use my Tiny Tim optimism to keep working on Ebenezer Scrooge and getting some more coal for the fire.
