The Spoon Theory & Chronic Pain

I shared the spoon theory in my last post here.

I’m sure you noticed that the girl in the story has the medical condition Lupus. While obviously not the same medical condition a lot of what she says – No, most – No, all of what she said still applies to anyone with a chronic medical condition.

With fibromyalgia and my other chronic pain conditions I also deal with the daily grind of the limits put on me by my medical conditions. Like Christine, the author, I have a limited amount of energy that I can use each day. Some days I start with more energy, more spoons. Some days I start with less energy, less spoons.

I hope this gives you a new understanding about what it is like to live with chronic pain and chronic illnesses like ours.

My next post is about The Matchbox Theory which I think is actually a little more apt.

I’m Sick

So last week was Cub Camp. When I got home, I brought in my personal gear, showered & crashed out for 4 hours. I was exhausted – literally done. I couldn’t have done anything else.

Then due to one of my Cubs, I’ve been down with a nasty bug ever since. The worst is the cough.. that & the boredom of nothing to do. I’ve got no new books to read & I’m up to date on my shows.

I hate being sick I feel so useless. Can barely function. It’s bad enough with the fibro & everything else, but when I’m sick it’s so much worse. 😢

Being Sick with Fibro

So i caught a bug this weekend. Stuffy nose, sore throat, head ache, body aches . Never did take my temperature.. & I noticed something .

The Fibro pain isn’t typically everywhere at once.. it’s usually once place or another, not everywhere.. But you add the body aches & every is now hurting.. yuck.

Protected: BFF Birthday Issues

This content is password protected. To view it please enter your password below:

Password:

Chronic Illness is Exhausting, But Add in a Bug or Two

No matter what illness you have, it takes more out of you than the average person. Despite what the doctors say, there is some impairment to the immune system cuz you are always trying to deal with whatever disease or condition you have. When that illness includes chronic pain, it takes you right out.

This is something most people, even those who deal with someone in this position or who have an understanding of these conditions, don’t get.

I had someone generously share his bug with me late in January. Since it was one I’d not encountered before, it hit me like a ton of bricks. With an impaired immunity due to the FM  and CFS, not to mention the Endometriosis (which is considered to impair the immunity in some medical circles), I struggled with this. Now, with me also having IBS-D issues at the same time, it also didn’t help matters.   So I spent almost 2 weeks in bed.

People just don’t get how much worse this is for us.. For example, the aches and pains of a nasty cold, with existing aches and pain & things just get worse..

Of course, just as I was starting to feel better from bug #1, it get hit from the other direction with another bug. With an already impaired system from my medical conditions and an overly exhausted body from fighting the first bug, its no wonder I landed back in bed. Before you say I was still sick, I had different symptoms the second time around including a fever. And remember, I was still having IBS-D problems.

People still don’t get why I was exhausted at this point, sleeping 16- 20 hours a day. If I could heal and repair like normal people, in the same timeframe as normal people, I would be able to sleep less & maybe do some stuff around the house.

So finally, I started to get better from the second bug when *wham* I spend the night praying to the toilet god.. Do you know how much vomiting takes out of a body?

So most of that month was a write off for me. Honestly I’m not surprised.

So if you know someone with chronic health issues, especially multiple issues, don’t expect them to bounce back from regular colds & illnesses like healthy people.