![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
On Fibromyalgia and “Energy Budget”.
Jul. 6th, 2015 08:21 pmThis post will be relevant to anyone suffering from Fibro, or Chronic fatuige. Or any Chronic illness that demands energy to deal with and disturbs your life.
First, what is FIbro?
Fibromyalgia is a disorder characterized by widespread musculoskeletal pain accompanied by fatigue, sleep, memory and mood issues.
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.
In short, Fibro is caused by a bug in the central nerves system . We do not understand yet what causes this, but we do know now the implications. Researchers believe that fibromyalgia amplifies painful sensations by affecting the way our brain processes pain signals. In addition, the disorder causes disruptions in the transformation of information along the nerves. Instead of recognizing the certain kind of pains are a normal part of many healthy body functions, Fibro patients there is no distinction. Also, in Fibro patients the nerves do not block information or noises or sensations from our surrounding. For example, the feeling of a shirt on my skin makes it difficult for me to fall asleep. Or, whenever my bladder even just begins to fill up, it sends a message. In a healthy nerves system, the slight pressure is translated to “background noise” and does not cause any problems. But with Fibro patients, there is an increased “volume”, and so even slight pressure becomes unbearable and wakes me up or prevents me from falling asleep. So it is with pain.
So, the result of the overload of pain and information is fatigue, and the only way to handle it is to “budget” one’s actions and energy. Since I have very, very limited energy, which needs to be compartmentalized between many more tasks than normal people.
That means planing, something that I suck at badly (cue - ADHD). And planing, and planing, and planing. And counting several days in advance how my actions will influence my energy levels.
For an example - today a friend of mind mails me :” Hi, I’ve got two tickets for a Cirque de solei show next week, wanna come”?
I go !!!, cause, you know, Cirque de solei in Israel, one a year, and that’s about the greatest thing you can see on stage. Really.
But than Husband said: “Looki, it’s not even the money issues, see? Look how your next few days are gonna be. You have B-day party with best friends this weekend, an intense work-week after, followed by meeting another friend, dinner with Husband’s parents (which are really nice, but still Energy demanding), followed by lunch with my (really really not Nice family - they are Energy Vampires), followed that very evening with a B-day celebration to a friend and a show. You really think you can add Cirque de solei in addition without ending on the face and ruining TA’s party?”
The answer is “no”. I’ve less energy than most people - much less - and I need to be 10 times more careful.
That’s why a careful Energy Budget is as important as Money Budget if you have chronic issues. With Fibro, that can’t be helped by meds almost at all, it’s the only way to manage. Prioritize. If you have ADHD like I do and it’s hard, ask for help from an SO, family member, close friend - anyone. Undesrtand that you can’t do all and it’s OK, perfectly OK. You are OK. You are taking care off yourself as you should and it’s great.
This one goes for Depression as well, now that I think of it.
First, what is FIbro?
Fibromyalgia is a disorder characterized by widespread musculoskeletal pain accompanied by fatigue, sleep, memory and mood issues.
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.
In short, Fibro is caused by a bug in the central nerves system . We do not understand yet what causes this, but we do know now the implications. Researchers believe that fibromyalgia amplifies painful sensations by affecting the way our brain processes pain signals. In addition, the disorder causes disruptions in the transformation of information along the nerves. Instead of recognizing the certain kind of pains are a normal part of many healthy body functions, Fibro patients there is no distinction. Also, in Fibro patients the nerves do not block information or noises or sensations from our surrounding. For example, the feeling of a shirt on my skin makes it difficult for me to fall asleep. Or, whenever my bladder even just begins to fill up, it sends a message. In a healthy nerves system, the slight pressure is translated to “background noise” and does not cause any problems. But with Fibro patients, there is an increased “volume”, and so even slight pressure becomes unbearable and wakes me up or prevents me from falling asleep. So it is with pain.
So, the result of the overload of pain and information is fatigue, and the only way to handle it is to “budget” one’s actions and energy. Since I have very, very limited energy, which needs to be compartmentalized between many more tasks than normal people.
That means planing, something that I suck at badly (cue - ADHD). And planing, and planing, and planing. And counting several days in advance how my actions will influence my energy levels.
For an example - today a friend of mind mails me :” Hi, I’ve got two tickets for a Cirque de solei show next week, wanna come”?
I go !!!, cause, you know, Cirque de solei in Israel, one a year, and that’s about the greatest thing you can see on stage. Really.
But than Husband said: “Looki, it’s not even the money issues, see? Look how your next few days are gonna be. You have B-day party with best friends this weekend, an intense work-week after, followed by meeting another friend, dinner with Husband’s parents (which are really nice, but still Energy demanding), followed by lunch with my (really really not Nice family - they are Energy Vampires), followed that very evening with a B-day celebration to a friend and a show. You really think you can add Cirque de solei in addition without ending on the face and ruining TA’s party?”
The answer is “no”. I’ve less energy than most people - much less - and I need to be 10 times more careful.
That’s why a careful Energy Budget is as important as Money Budget if you have chronic issues. With Fibro, that can’t be helped by meds almost at all, it’s the only way to manage. Prioritize. If you have ADHD like I do and it’s hard, ask for help from an SO, family member, close friend - anyone. Undesrtand that you can’t do all and it’s OK, perfectly OK. You are OK. You are taking care off yourself as you should and it’s great.
This one goes for Depression as well, now that I think of it.
