My Life with Fibro: The Fresh Face of Fibromyalgia on the Web » Fibromylagia

Kate Update: My Life with(out) Fibro?

Kate Blaylock — Thu, 13 May 2010 03:13:01 +0000

Since getting treated at Mayo in January, I’ve noticed a dramatic improvement in my health and a nearly-complete cessation of my fibromyalgia symptoms. Dozens of days have found me, here, staring at my beloved blog wanting to spill my heart. But I felt like a traitor. I felt like you’d think I couldn’t relate. I felt like maybe I shouldn’t stray from discussing My Life with Fibro. And since my life seemed to be moving on, largely without fibromyalgia, I was left with little to say.

But I’ve come to my senses. Inspired by loved blogs, loved books, and loved ones, I’ve changed my mind.

And here I am.

I miss you. I miss this site. I miss learning, growing, and fighting fibromyalgia with you.

Since I’ve been gone a few things have changed…

Big Change #1

Big Change #2

Look for more updates in the coming days…

Fibro on the Fly 003: Finding Strength Follow-Up 1

Kate Blaylock — Mon, 25 May 2009 05:06:56 +0000

Just a quick post to beg your pardon for my delay in posting on what brings me strength. Fact is, I haven’t been feeling too strong, of late. (And when I have been feeling strong I’ve also been feeling busy.) I only made it partially through church today; I had to bail when the whole scene became a bit overwhelming. You know when you’re sitting in a room filled with people, and it feels like, with each breath they take, they are, in fact, sucking your energy (and sanity) out of your ears and your head is soon to be hollow? I was there.

And now I’m off to bed.

Fibromyalgia Awareness Day Thoughts

Kate Blaylock — Wed, 13 May 2009 01:23:09 +0000

Last night I expressed concern relating to Fibromyalgia Awareness Day. Tonight I will address said concern and share what’s been on my mind of late.

After reading many posts relating to today, I am reassured. The bulk of pieces I found were uplifting, honest, and educational. I am consistently impressed by the strength of the chronic pain community, and grateful for my fibrofolk friends. I am proud to be a part of a community which is proactively taking steps to inform those unaffected by chronic pain and other invisible illnesses about…

Wait.

Of what are we working to inform them? For what do we wish to raise awareness?

This sounds like a harsh question, but it’s had me doing some serious introspection over the last few weeks. And I believe, if we can’t answer it selflessly, we have no need for Fibromyalgia Awareness Day.

Do we want someone to feel sorry for us? Or do we want someone to understand fibromyalgia?

Are we concerned people think we are crazy and/or weak? Or do we wish they knew fibromyalgia is an explanation, not an excuse?

Can I honestly define the purpose of an awareness day? Or can I simply determine my interpretation?

Am I completely missing the point?

No.

I am, however, hoping the positive energy I’ve seen on the blogs today sticks with us as we go throughout the rest of the week, month, and year. I hope we can share it with fibrofolks who are struggling, caught in a flare, or feeling lonely. And, as I mentioned on Twitter today, I pray we set a high standard and don’t lead others to think fibro is an excuse for, or result of, laziness.

I hope we recognize it is our responsibility to help others understand fibromyalgia; we need to provide (and/or seize) opportunities for education, instead of simply complaining about symptoms. And, when confronted by someone close to us (or otherwise) who doesn’t “believe” in fibromyalgia, I wish us the ability to calmly say “You’re right. Fibromyalgia might not exist. But, it doesn’t matter. The symptoms do.”

Thank you for your powerful example of strength and honesty.

Come back Thursday for my meaning of today. And now, whatever your interpretation of the meaning of Fibromyalgia Awareness Day, please share it… along with a link to your post.

Is it just me? Fibromyalgia Awareness Day Doubts

Kate Blaylock — Tue, 12 May 2009 04:07:15 +0000

As I prepare for tomorrow’s post and ponder the awareness hype, I keep wondering if we are doing the right thing. And, to be honest, I’m not convinced we are.

I’m not convinced we are doing the right things, for the right reasons. In fact, I worry we are missing the point.

I know worrying usually proves worthless. And I hope this is no different.

No matter what, I thank you for your support and encouragement. Thank you for helping me feel human. Thank you for understanding the bizarre things only fibrofolks can. Thank you for challenging me to push my limits and to recognize when I need assistance.

G’night! I can’t wait to read what you have to share.

This Time, Last Year or Monday Night Dinner 003

Kate Blaylock — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 04:51:48 +0000

Remember how I was sick back in February? Well, I still am. Or I am again. Or something.

And remember how way back when I wrote about how rarely I get sick? Well, I think karma’s showing it’s friendly face. I’ve been sick for three of the four months of 2009.

But remember how last year, at this time I was losing my mind, and most of my sleep, two-timing and loving it, and debating medications and monogamy? Well, I learned a lot from leaning on others to accelerate my recovery, but I’ll take this over that, any day. And I mean it.

I can’t remember the last time I had an ear infection. I can’t remember the last time I had a wicked cold. I can’t remember the last time a medication (besides my beloved Amitriptyline) did not make me sick.

I can, however, remember I have much to be grateful for. Including you. And my bed. And my job. And my family. And weather. And computers. And a flash mob that dances to the Sound of Music.

Good night.

Kate is Back! A Total Deviation…

Kate Blaylock — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 04:28:59 +0000

Daniel and I just got back from our “honeymoon” to Walt Disney World. We’ve been married over three years, but we never really went away for a honeymoon. But, now we have. And it was wonderful. I am sure, when I get the energy, I will write a post all about our trip. In fact, I am sure you will grow sick of hearing about it… but that will be your problem, as I rarely tire of talking about what makes me happy… unless I am, obviously, tired. Then I tire of just about everything. Well, to be honest, I rarely tire of talking. At all. Unless it’s right after work, and I’m too spent to speak a word. Or if I’m surrounded by uninteresting or arrogant folk… for sure I won’t be bothered to speak.

Well, how is that for a rambling entrance? Do I sound as tired as I look? But, that’s me. And I’ve put off this post long enough. I have picked up my compy, with the intention of publishing a post, no less than thirty times over the last two weeks. Each time I’ve wandered off to enjoy our awesome view at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge, or fallen asleep, or taken a shower, or gone to bed, or switched laundry loads, or caught up on your blog in my Google Reader, or hit up Etsy, or stalked facebook friends, or brushed up on my relationship with my Rebel, or watched Daniel type, or talked on the phone, or negotiated interest rates for our credit cards, or cooked dinner, or updated my Goodreads, or taken my medicine, or gone to the doctor, or worked, or taken a nap, or gone to a birthday party, or… avoided you all together.

Let me explain.

We left for Florida the afternoon of Friday, March 20. Saturday was our best friend’s wedding… and we arrived to the wedding with a dead camera at the hotel, a dead camera in my purse, my cell phone dead in my purse, Dan’s phone dead at the hotel, and Dan had to borrow a tie from… drum roll… the groom. Yeah. We were a wreck. All this can only be topped by us forgetting to pick up my medicine from the pharmacy before we left town. Thank you to Walmart for transferring my prescription and having it ready for me in Orlando (in a super-nifty recyclable drawer-type thing).

During our first 24 hours in Florida it became apparent that our vacation came at the perfect time. My poor Daniel was nigh unto exhaustion and I was starving to death for time with him. And time to play.

I don’t know if it’s because I’m an only child, or because I’m a sentimental fool, or because I have a vibrant imagination, or because I am Kate, and Kate likes happy things… but I love Disney. Seriously. I’ll admit it. Tonight I looked up the Tarzan and Camp Rock soundtracks. No purchases… but still. I spent 3 minutes iTunes-ing Disney! And yesterday I had the Carousel of Progress song stuck in my head. And two days ago I woke up singing the Haunted Mansion song.

Anyway, we were saved by the trip. And, for the first time, I experienced what I call a “grown up vacation.” The sort that should include a recovery period. And maybe even a recovery patch to assist with the return to real life. My vacation was so useful that, when I tried to remember my drive to work (during Expedition Everest) my mind was blank. Totally blank. Can we say success?!

I now know why people love to travel with their sweeties. I mean, I always enjoy being with Daniel, but never before have I had a whole week of Daniel. No college. No work. No homework. No articles. Just loads (though never enough) time to talk about life, politics, education, religion, peace, joy, work, goals, travel, family, friends, fears, plans, people, and such. We spent two hours one evening on a bench in front of China at Epcot just chatting it up. Those two hours are among my favorite with Daniel. Ever.

On the flip side, I’ve never before experienced returning to work after a dream vacation like this. My last real vacation was nearly two years ago, and I’d only been working at my job for two weeks, so it didn’t feel real until after my vacation (so we won’t count that). I’m surprised how strange it has been to get back to work and our other responsibilities. But Daniel and I have prayed to be able to handle the adjustment and we have been doing very well. In fact, we’ve been a happy and efficient pair. Hooray for successful vacations!

If you haven’t taken one recently, I suggest you do. You’d me amazed how much you can do while being frugal. I find vacations are a super-motivator for saving money and reducing spend. I also find anticipating the trip is half the fun. But it’s dangerous if you’re not careful… no one wants to be so busy looking to the future that they forget to enjoy the present. And it’s dangerous if you overdo it. Be careful with your fibromyalgia or chronic pain condition. A vacation is only as good as its lasting benefits. And pain may be lasting but it sure isn’t a benefit.

I will close this post by saying I am sorry for my absence. I appreciate your support as I struggle with feeling as though I’ve neglected you. I feel a bit guilty. I always dislike the blogs that post rarely and use every post apologizing for writing rarely. And here I am. Doing that. Please accept my apology. I have my upcoming posting schedule planned and I’m taking requests. Although I don’t promise when I’ll get to them, I can promise I will schedule them and start my research. Thank you for your support. I look forward to your ideas.

During the vacation I got after myself about dropping the ball on a goal of mine. But, rest assured, I finally started something big. And one day I’ll tell you more about. But, in the mean time, I’m here for you. What can I do?

K8′s Back! Update coming soon…

Kate Blaylock — Sun, 29 Mar 2009 15:41:02 +0000

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A Quick Note…

Kate Blaylock — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 05:04:08 +0000

I will not be posting (at least not what I intended to), as previously promised. I spent the evening visiting ladies from my congregation and helping my husband grade papers (and watching American Idol). I apologize for dropping the ball, but I’ll pick it back up tomorrow.

In the interim (and on subject) I’ve uploaded a few pictures relating to tomorrow’s post to my Flickr. I’m still not sure if I’ll keep my non-blog related pictures under the same account. What do you think? I’m leaning toward keeping all my pictures on there since… this blog is about MY LIFE w/fibro. And I know I always enjoy seeing various aspects of your life… although it’s tough to imagine the reverse.

I pray this finds your week going well. Mine is full of stuff to do and things to be happy about. And, thanks to an understanding employer, I was able to get some extra rest today. I am concerned that this bug I’ve had for nearly six weeks will bring on a flare if I don’t finally kill it off. And, I know rest is important… so I’m off to get some. Have a great evening!

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Monday Night Dinner 002

Kate Blaylock — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 04:26:44 +0000

It’s been entirely too long. Please accept my apology. Between being sick, working, and planning for my “honeymoon” I feel like I’ve had absolutely nothing going on in my brain by the time I sit down to write. And, to be honest, losing my 1200 word post a few weeks back left me feeling unmotivated. Every time I’ve picked up my compy to write my thoughts I can’t seem to get them into coherent sentences.

I’m a firm believer that quality… or sincerity… matters far more than quantity when it comes to My Life with Fibro posts. I feel the same about friends, random fact. However, I am trying to become a more consistent individual, and this is yet another outlet for me to test my determination.

So, here I am.

Tonight’s dinner was loud, yummy, comforting, and humbling. I was comforted by the simple and kind gesture of one of our group (to be discussed tomorrow). And I got to see the space shuttle tonight. It left me feeling small and appropriately humbled. And excited like a child (or myself) at Christmas. It was beautiful. I took dozens of pictures (in which it looks like a tiny fluorescent bulb in the sky) and I’ll be sure to share some with you… later. For now I just wanted to touch base, share some good vibes, and wish you a wonderful week.

I don’t have much to say other than thank you for your support and encouragement. I’m working on a post for Tuesday or Wednesday and I’ll be looking for personal experiences advice. Thank you for having a positive attitude. Thank you for sharing your opinions and providing feedback.

Sad Day Kate: Fibromyalgia and Frustration

Kate Blaylock — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 04:53:21 +0000

It was a great, sunny day. This evening my heart was full of so many things worth sharing. Then WordPress decided to go to bed or play dead and I lost one of the most sincere posts I’ve ever written. I don’t understand what happened. I’d saved the draft a half-dozen times. Nonetheless, it’s gone. Totally absent from my drafts. And I am far too tired to recreate it. Heck, maybe I shouldn’t. I’ll sleep on it… We’ll see.

Until then, check out this post from Lifehack on dealing with frustration. It’s totally fitting.

At least the rest of my day was gorgeous. I pray yours was as well. G’night!

PS Moral of the story… Listen to Daniel and stop writing posts online. CopyWrite it is.

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