I Got my Shot

Recently, I received an email from Sobey’s Grocery stores in response to my request to be waitlisted for the vaccine.. They said, I was eligible for the COVID vaccine, for the AstraZeneca vaccine. Finally!!

^{AZ Vacvine}

I went & signed up. It turns out the closest location for the shot was in the city a Gerrard & Vic Park. I’m sure there’s not a lot of you familiar with the geography of Toronto but from my home it is approximately 50 km or just over 30 miles ( just under an hour away) to that specific grocery store for my shot. But I was going to be going into Scarborough (East Toronto) anyways because of Lilly’s surgery. I figured I’d would kill two birds with one stone.

My Shot, Thursday

So my appointment was on Thursday, at 11:30am. It was super quick. By the time my brain registered the sensation of the needle, she was already putting it syringe into the sharps bin.So, even if you don’t like needles, it’s not that bad. I stayed the required 15 minutes. No reaction initially other than some moderate nausea.

^{Waiting n the cubical for the pharmacist to give me my shot}

The nausea stayed with me for the day. I was a little tired afterwards & had a short nap which helped me feel a little better. Even went for walk with my sister in the evening.

My Reactions – That Night

By 2:00am the nausea was worse, so much so that I had an empty bucket beside my bed, just in case.

Shortly after that I noticed I was cold. I was eventually shivering despite pj’s and warm bedding. My temperature at this time was 38 & change in Celcius .

My arm was sore, but most people have that reaction. My fibro was triggered and my pain was climbing everywhere. At worst I’d say 5/10.

By 5:00 this morning my body had switched from shivering to sweating. I was also having a headache kick in. I took some Tylenol with codeine and was finally able to get back to sleep.

My Reactions – Next Day, Friday

I was abruptly woken up by my Mom at 10:30am for a temperature check. It was 36.8, completely normal. After checking Lilly & giving her meds (see her surgical post if you are interested), I went back to bed. Fortunately in the morning, the body wide pain had taken a step back and no more shivering or sweating. I did still have the headache, and the nausea but it was not as bad.

As the day wore on I’d flip from chills to overheating, but no temperature. The nausea kept up and I did rush to the bathroom with dry heaves. The body-wide aches went back up by bedtime.

My Reactions – Day 2 Post Vaccine, Saturday

Still has ongoing flipping between chills & hot flashes. Left arm still sore.. Ongoing body aches all during the day.. Still nauseous, but not actually vomiting..sent alot of my time resting.

My Reactions – Day 3 Vaccine, Sunday.

Chills & hot flashes completely abated by the evening and the nausea aswell. Still had body-wide aches & pains.

My Reactions – Day 4 & 5, Monday & Tuesday.

I think by this point I was completely finished reacting to the actual vaccine, whoever my fibromyalgia decided to react to the vaccine reaction. Oh so fun. So by the time I woke up on Monday I was in a lovely little fibro flare that has lasted several days. Only thing I accomplished was the opening & closing of my Tuesday Night Cub meeting.

So, by this point my actual immunoreaction to the medication in the vaccine was done, but not the end of this saga of my vaccine.. Read here for more on this story.

Crappy Day #2

I know, I know.. 2 posts in one day! The other was scheduled. This one is not.

I recently posted about being in remission and how things have settled down significantly, overall. But I do still have flares.

Today is a perfect example of that.

Last weekend it was approaching 30°C, low-mid 80°F.. Went swimming twice in my sister’s pool.. Absolutely gorgeous day!

Selfies last weekend while swimming – Gorgeous weather!

Monday, had a brief high of 18°C, 64°F.. that’s a big jump for my body.. & then Tuesday, it was overcast & the mercury dropped a bit more.. but I was still ok. Pain crept up asmidge, but nothing I couldn’t function through.

Wednesday, it stayed cool and it rained on & off all day.. By midnight, my body started to acknowledge the weather shift.. The increased pain & my own wonky sleep schedule had me up all night, with only able to get about 4 hours sleep.

Thursday, crappy day #1, I’m toast between the shift & the lack of sleep, my pain levels have skyrocketed. This is despite efforts on my part to help reduce the effects my environment has on my body.

Friday, crappy day #2, is worse.. I didn’t get a decent night’s sleep, so no REM or healing sleep to help me improve, to heal, to recover. My pain level right now is a 6/10.. Pure Fibromyalgia pain.

Chrinic pain isn’t very pretty, is it?

I only hope I can get better sleep tonight. Wish me luck!

My Fibro Is Not Her Fibro

I’ve written on this before, but that seems to be one of the lost articles in the gap of time. So, I’m taking another stab at it

Do not compare your health with anyone else’s. They are not really comparable beyond the basics.. Yes we may both have fibromyalgia, but my symptoms & treatments are different from everyone else’s . It not like comparing apple & oranges, but more like apples to apple.. a Delicious vs a Granny vs Macintosh. They all have the same basic characteristics, but are still significantly different.

Fibro, like apples, have different but similar forms..

For example, a friend also has Fibromyalgia. Her diagnosis happened alot quicker because she knew me & I had alot of the same symptoms.

Now, while we both have fibro, we experience it differently and treat it differently. Our symptoms overlap with the obvious: pain, fatigue, IBS, fibro fog, sleep impairments… But from there they differ. I have mental health issues, significant cognitive issues, chemical allergies, speech impairment, & TMJ .. Her issues include balance problems, vertigo, chronic migraines, difficulties maintaining body temperature .. This is by no means an exhaustive list for either of us.

She is able to take some of the pharmaceutical treatments.. They work for her. She also sees a chiropractor on a regular basis. This helps her. She is able to work full time. I’m not saying she does not have pain or fatigue or anything else. I am also not saying she has less pain or less fatigue than I do. I’m saying we experience it differently, we react to it differently, and we treat it differently.

Myself, no, I am unable to work due to my symptoms and have been for many years. I am currently on long-term disability . It has taken a long time to get my symptoms under control with a very different treatment plan than my friend. I’ve tried the pharmaceutical route & most of those medications do not work, or work well for me. In addition to regular visits to my pain doctor, I have alternating appointments (well before & after COVID19) with an Osteopath & RMT ATVs local health clinic. I also go to the gym. (Before you jump on me, read my post about my activities at the gym))

So, you can see, two very different people can have very different symptoms, very different treatments, and very different results.

We both have Fibro but we are not the same.

I don’t look sick

Weather Changes – from +20 to -2

I`m up here in Toronto, Ontario, Canada and we`ve been having some really funky weather. Our normal this time of year is about 5C.
The past two weeks have been lovely: mostly sunny with daytime highs hovering just under 20C.. I`ve lost count of the number of days that have broken the historic high temperature here. When it wasn’t warm enuf to break a historic record, it was pretty dang close to! Unfortunately all things must to end, including this gorgeous warm streak.. It took a mere 24 hours to go from late Spring/early summer, back to late winter/early spring. Weather shifts tend to be disastrous, especially dramatic, uncharacteristic ones. Not just to us, our pets and all of God’s creatures too. The worst goes to those of us with conditions such as Rheumatoid Arthritis and Fibromyalgia when the temperature drops or the barometer swings extensively. These are some of the worst days we can have, living in total agony.
Today is one of the worst days in quite a while and I think it’s hitting me harder than normal cuz I’ve been doing really well physically lately, with the nice weather & all.. The worst of the worst is my right arm, just below the elbow, on the outside. I can’t remember the name of the muscle, but when I move it, it screams – Loudly. & I am right handed.. It sucks.

 

FYI, Temperature conversions
0C=32F, 5C=41F, 20C=68F.

Do I Prefer Hot? Or Not?

Do I Prefer Hot? Or Not? If we’re talking weather, I am not a big fan of extreme hot (>40) or extreme cold )
As for personal environmental factors, my skin prefers a bit cooler, but the muscles underneath complain for warmth.. When I am on vacation, I can sit in the hot tub for hours, my muscles love it so, however, back in the room I take a fairly warm shower to rinse off the chlorine & stuff, but my body can’t sleep well warm, so I drop the temperature of the water and rinse off the skin in cool water, which feels nice and also closes you pores. Since it’s quick, my body tolerates it.. I’ve even come to adopt it at home, after a long hot shower, drop the warmer to cool, and rinse, especially in the warms spots.. In bed, we have a sheet, comforter & 2 blankets. He rarely uses his, but I use mine significantly more often.. With no fold, it cuts most of the cool air in the apt.. With one fold, I will snuggle in when a fan on.. Or for when my SO kidnaps the bedding, leaving me out cold.. So, I don’t mind being that I’m rare company.. Hopefully we have some news at home..

Who Do You Sleep With?

Who do you sleep with? A partner? A pet? Alone? Myself, I tend to sleep with a partner.. There are many advantages & disadvantages to sleep with a partner..

 

Disadvantages:
*(S)He may snore or talk while sleeping
*(S)He may be a restless sleeper and putting two together could be a nightmare
*(S)He may be used to having the whole bed and becomes a bed hog
*(S)He may not be used to sharing and becomes a blanket hog
*(S)He may like to cuddle and tho may consciously know not to cuddle, do so unconsciously while asleep
*(S)He may like to connect while asleep and reach out and touch you, but we know there are times when any unexpected touch hurts
*(S)He may have different sleep hours which could disrupt your sleep *(S)He may have a small bladder and needs to use the bathroom several times a night *(S)He may be more sexual and try to initiate some hanky-panky while still asleep
*(S)He may prefer a different room temperature or room darkness
*(S)He be a total morning person who wakes bright, cheerful and alert. To be honest, I don’t think *any* Fibromite wakes bright, cheerful or alert let alone all three! Advantages:
*You are not alone, and you *know* this. You know there is some there for you. You know that there is someone who cares and will be there for you. You know that (s)he loves you and will support you. You know that there is someone who ‘gets it’, or is at least understanding & compassionate, or if your are lucky, both. It’s this knowledge that, as a single advantage, easily outweighs the potential disadvantages. Do you agree with my conclusion? Can you think of any other advantages or disadvantages?

Fibromyalgia Pain at Night

Fibromyalgia Pain at Night – 10 Tips for Better Sleep
WebMD Feature By Jeanie Lerche Davis

Do you toss and turn at night because of fibromyalgia pain or discomfort?

“People with fibromyalgia tend to have very disturbed sleep,” says Doris Cope, MD, director of Pain Management at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. “Even if they sleep 10 hours a night, they still feel fatigued, don’t feel rested.”

Research shows that with fibromyalgia, there is an automatic arousal in the brain during sleep. Frequent disruptions prevent the important restorative processes from occurring. Growth hormone is mostly produced during sleep. Without restorative sleep and the surge of growth hormone, muscles don’t heal and neurotransmitters (like the mood chemical serotonin) are not replenished. The lack of a good night’s sleep makes people with fibromyalgia wake up feeling tired and fatigued.

The result: The body can’t recuperate from the day’s stresses — all of which overwhelms the system, creating a great sensitivity to pain. Widespread pain, sleep problems, anxiety, depression, fatigue, and memory difficulties are all symptoms of fibromyalgia.

Insomnia takes many forms — trouble falling asleep, waking up often during the night, having trouble going back to sleep, and waking up too early in the morning. Smoothing out those sleep problems — and helping people get the deep sleep their bodies need — helps fibromyalgia pain improve significantly, research shows.

Medications can help enhance sleep and relieve pain. But doctors also advocate lifestyle changes to help sleep come naturally.

Tips to Get Better Sleep With Fibromyalgia

Creating a comfort zone at home is key to better sleep, whether you have fibromyalgia or not. It’s all about easing into bedtime feeling relaxed — and staying relaxed so you sleep through the night.

These 10 tips can help people sleep better:

* Enjoy a soothing (warm) bath in the evening.
* Brush your body with a loofah or long-handled brush in the bath.
* Ease painful tender points with a self-massage device (like a tennis ball).
* Do yoga and stretching exercises to relax.
* Listen to calming music.
* Meditate to tame intrusive thoughts and tension.
* Sleep in a darkened room. Try an eye mask if necessary.
* Keep the room as quiet as possible (or use a white-noise machine).
* Make sure the room temperature is comfortable.
* Avoid foods that contain caffeine, including teas, colas, and chocolate.

Therapies to Treat Insomnia When You Have Fibromyalgia

If you’re still having sleep problems, several therapies can help, including biofeedback, relaxation training, stress reduction, and cognitive therapy. A psychologist who specializes in sleep disorders can discuss these therapies with you.

The therapies help people handle stress better, which helps control fibromyalgia episodes, Cope says. “Fibromyalgia comes and goes,” she tells WebMD. “When you’re stressed out, that’s when it’s worse.” That’s when you’re most likely to have insomnia, too.

Medications can also help ease fibromyalgia pain at night, or directly treat insomnia. Medications to ease fibromyalgia at night include antidepressants, anticonvulsants, prescription pain relievers, and sleep aids.

No one therapy will control fibromyalgia pain 100%, Cope adds.

“Medications help some. Exercise helps some. Stress reduction helps some. Cognitive behavior therapy helps some… If you can get restful sleep, you’re going to function better when you’re awake.”

Source: WebMD