Simplify - 12 easy things to reduce Fibro Fog

My wonderful Mother in law came for a visit last week.  She really is amazing.  She used to be a life-coach, professional organizer and author, now she is a national speaker and starting an organization about faith and work.  We had a really good conversation on the day she left about Fibro Fog.  I was telling her some of my struggles.  She asked me what I was doing that was helping.  I told her about eating right, exercising and taking Omegas, but that I still had trouble with it when I was stressed or tired.  She told me I was doing a great job to help things INTERNALLY, but there are things I could do EXTERNALLY to greatly help the symptoms of Fibro Fog.  It’s all about simplifying.

   The idea is to make things as easy on your brain as possible.  The less processing it has to do of everyday tasks, the better!  Days when Fibro Fog is bad for me, I’m very forgetful, my mind is fuzzy, I can’t even read, I can’t understand things that people say, and words come out all wrong.  It’s very frustrating.  I'm going to try this...

      

12 easy things to simplify your life and reduce Fibro Fog

• Hang your keys on a hook by the door (I have been doing this for months, and it helps so much not to have to search for keys in my purse every time I’m heading out the door) 

• Keep a running grocery list (when you run out of something, or get an idea for a meal, write it down so you don’t have to think about it until shopping time)

• De-clutter your space (especially spaces you use every day.  Don’t wait until it’s too overwhelming!)

• Put your bills on auto-pay (we’ve done this for years and I can’t tell you how nice it is to never have to think about paying bills!)

• Store garbage bags in the bottom of the can (been doing this one for years too)

• Reduce your wardrobe (only keep the clothes you wear on a regular basis)

• Put kitchen items you use every day in a convenient spot (keep things close so you don’t have to bend over and look for the pots & pans you use every day)

• Write everything down (everything.  Right when you think about it)

• Download your brain, journal (when thoughts are jumbled, or if you mind races, spend some time writing down everything you are thinking of.  This gets it out of your brain and onto paper so you no longer have to spend brain energy thinking about it.  My counselor taught me that one and it works!)

• Keep a simple family calendar (mine is in the kitchen.  I can quickly see what everyone has going on, so I don’t have to try and keep schedules and appointments in my brain)

• Keep a regular schedule (eat at the same time, do household chores at the same time, schedule appointments at the same time, go to bed at the same time each night, keeping a regular schedule will help your brain relax)

• Clean out your purse/wallet (I do this while waiting to pick my son up from school, keeps it trash & clutter free so I don’t have to search very long for a pen when I need it)

Here are my keys hanging by my door.  Ok, just kidding, but I do tell all my kids friends that these are keys to my dungeon.

Here are my actual keys hanging right by the garage door.

Photo Friday!

I decided to share some of my photography with you all each Friday, and encourage you with God's beautiful Creation and His Word.  Something you can meditate on over the weekend.  You are welcome to download and use this photo with my watermark.  Share it on Facebook, Pinterest, or use it as a screensaver. (photos are not to be sold, or used for advertising, please link back to my shop when using photos online)  If you would like to purchase a print without the watermark, visit my shop on Etsy.  Discount prices for Friday Photos!

https://www.etsy.com/listing/105425688/2-corinthians-129-special-sale

Have a wonderful weekend!

New Habit – Supplements

I hate pills.  Always have.  I’m not one to take them unless it’s absolutely necessary.  Just the idea usually turns my weak stomach.  Let’s face it though; we are not getting the nutrients we need from our food.  People with fibromyalgia are often deficient in certain vitamins and minerals, and may need some help getting our bodies back to the right levels.  It IS necessary.  My Dr. recommended a few for me, and like I mentioned in a previous post, Figuring out Fibromyalgia, one of the things suggested was to take a few supplements.  So I decided to give it a try and see if it made any difference for me.

I began to do a little research on the supplements I should be taking and quickly became overwhelmed.  There are so many to choose from, so many different brands, dosages, different kind of pills, powders & drinks.  I had to walk away from the computer in frustration many times.  I had no idea what the best way to take each one was, the best time of day.  BLAH.  Then one day I was out shopping at Costco & just decided to go get what I needed there, give it a try and then change later if I needed to.  I stood there in the isle with a very unhappy 2 year old in the cart (he hates shopping) and read through the supplement chapter of Figuring out Fibromyalgia on my Kindle.

1. Triple Omega

     2. Super B Complex 

        3. Vitamin D3

 

Got it!  Now I was committed.  Those Costco size supplements are no joke.  It was around $50 for all 3.  I'm getting close to running out of the Triple Omega now, but the other 2, I still have plenty!  And it's been months since I bought them.  Little tip, keep them in your fridge!  (They keep longer & no fish smell from the omega)

I devoted myself to taking them every day.  And for the most part I have!  I forget some mornings, and there was a month that I stopped as a little test to see if they really were helping, and about a week when I was pretty sick.  Other than that, I have been faithful since January 2012.

Another thing I wanted to try was herbs.  My sister is studying to be an herbalist.  She took some time and knowing what was going on with me, made up a few different things to help.

For me, just doing this small thing with just these few supplements & herbs has made a HUGE difference in my life.  It took about 2 weeks to really kick in.  Taking the Omega Blend has helped tremendously with my brain fog.  I would say I have about an 80% improvement.  The B complex has given me a little bit of my life back.  Instead of heading downhill at around 4pm every day, I’m usually just fine until bed time.  Having more energy is such a blessing.  I would rate it at about 50% improvement (and getting better).  I don’t feel any difference with or without the Vitamin D3, but from what I’ve read, this is worth taking.  And it’s just a little easy pill.  The herbs that I take have helped me with a few other health issues, not necessarily related to fibro.  The more I read & learn, there are probably some more supplements that would be helpful for me.  I have just started taking MagnesiumGlycinate.  I’ll let you know how it goes!

I urge you to talk with your Dr., get some testing done to see if there are deficiencies, and do a little reading for yourself.  It is worth it!  I am VERY pleased with my experience & will continue to take my pills every day.  Hey, it forces me to eat a little breakfast every morning so I can stomach taking the pills.  There’s another good habit.

Job - Help for the Hurting

“so I have been allotted months of futility,

    and nights of misery have been assigned to me.

When I lie down I think, ‘How long before I get up?’

    The night drags on, and I toss and turn until dawn.”  Job 7:3-4

“And now my life ebbs away;

    days of suffering grip me.

Night pierces my bones;

    my gnawing pains never rest.”  Job 30:16-17

Sound familiar?  Researching the history of fibromyalgia you will often find references to Job possibly being the first recorded sufferer.  I hadn’t heard anything about this before I began investigating this syndrome, and I have studied the book of Job a few times.

Most commentators agree that Job is the oldest book in the Bible, possibly written soon after the flood of Noah, many years before Moses penned the Torah (first 5 books of the Bible).  Job was a righteous and wealthy man.  Satan approached God with a challenge, that when all good things were taken away from him, Job would blame God and turn from Him.  Satan is given approval to prove his theory and all of Job’s wealth is taken away, his ten adult children are killed and he is afflicted with illness.  Why does God allow us to suffer?  Three of Job’s friends show up to try and make sense of what was happening to this Godly man.  Job never wavers in his faith and worship of God.  Then, the Creator and Sustainer of the universe speaks to Job about who He is.  A Living, Loving, Personal God, active in all facets of His creation.  Job is found to have passed this test and God blesses him, giving him twice as much as he had before.  More wealth, more children, and although the text doesn’t mention his health, the fact that people once again were not afraid to be around him, and the fact that he lived happily for 140 years after these events, leads me to believe he was healed.

As I read more of Job’s own description of his afflictions and looked back to the beginning of the story,   “So Satan went out from the presence of the Lord and afflicted Job with painful sores from the soles of his feet to the crown of his head.”  Job 2:7, I can’t help but doubt that fibromyalgia is what was ailing him.  In my opinion whatever it was, was horrible and included open sores (boils) that would explain his physical torture.  However, even if Job didn’t suffer from fibromyalgia, those of us that live with pain can turn to this book for comfort, answers and hope.

“There is great news to those who have lost possessions, for those who have lost position and for those who have lost health.  God is near, God is in Love with you and God is in control.  It is a huge challenge, but the truth is that the God who directs each and every lightning bolt is in control of the situation.  Nothing that has happened in a life, as tragic as it is, is a surprise to God, nor was it beyond His capability to stop it.  The good news is that God is so capable that He can not only manage, but also direct the life of each individual in such a way that measured in the eternal scheme of things, a perfect plan unfolds that is best for the person and brings glory to God.  The life of the hurting is in the powerful and loving hand of the Creator and has His laser focus and undivided attention.” (193-194) God’s Science Quiz, Dr. Gary Sutliff.

I invite you to study The Book of Job for yourself and pray that you find comfort in it as I have.

For further study into the science in Job, you can pick up my Dad’s book on the subject!

God's Science Quiz.  

And watch this video by Chuck Missler - 
God's Science Quiz to Job.