How to avoid a flare after vacation

I can’t believe how good I have been feeling after vacation.  I don’t know if it was the extra sleep (on a really comfy bed listening to the crashing waves all night long!), distance from everyday stress, or what, but WOW!  I am still feeling great and I’ve been back for a few days now.  It was a very relaxing trip, we didn’t overdo anything.  I also made sure to drink LOTS of water and continued to take my supplements.  I think that make a difference in not crashing.  A year ago, before I was treating fibromyalgia, a trip like this would have sent me to bed for days!  Major crash.  What a change!  I did experience jet lag the day after getting home, taking the day to rest was really helpful.  We also ate pretty clean on the trip.  I did treat myself to desert a couple times, but for the most part we ate very healthy.  The biggest thing I am noticing is that my pain is very low, much lower than before I left.  Also I am not as fatigued as I normally would be after a trip.  So for me, I would say to avoid a flare while traveling and after,

I had a wonderful time with my sister and grandmother.  Such good memories.  And lots of “me” time for writing and sketching and taking photos.  Must have been just what I needed to feel a little better.

Magnesium - does it really help?

I’m going to sing the praises of Magnesium today!  The 2 big changes I have made recently are diet, and supplementing with Magnesium.  I have noticed a BIG difference in my muscle pain the past few weeks and I’m attributing that to the Magnesium.  I had mild restless leg  (would bother me about once or twice a week) and that is GONE.  Over the weekend I took a day trip to Sedona AZ and a year ago (even a few months ago) spending a day driving and walking would have sent me straight into a flare before the day was over, but today I’m sitting here a just a little tired, and not in much pain at all.

My Dr. suggested I start taking Magnesium a few months ago, and I had heard about it before that from my online support group, so I already wanted to try it.  Make sure you talk with your Dr. before starting anything new.  I can’t begin to know what your specific needs are, I just love to share with you the things that are working for me.  I’m very careful about what I try and I pray over everything, I advise everyone to do the same!  There is no one better than Jehovah Rapha - the LORD our healer, to lead us down the right paths.

“In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.”  Proverbs 3:6

In a previous post, DIY – Magnesium Oil Spray, I spoke about symptoms of Magnesium deficiency, a very common problem especially for those with fibromyalgia.  Today I’d like to address the types of Magnesium that are most beneficial to take.

Start out with Magnesium Malate (malic acid) in the mornings for energy.  I take 200mg with breakfast and 200mg at lunch.  Then at dinner I take 200mg of Magnesium Glycinate, and sometimes if I’m hurting more, or having a hard time relaxing I’ll take 200mg more before bed.  These types of Magnesium are chelate form and more easily absorbed by the body.  If you have heard people say they have tried Magnesium and it didn’t help them, most likely they were taking the wrong form, or not taking enough.  It is really important to build up slowly.  I started with 400mg (the recommended daily dose)  One pill (200mg) with breakfast and one with dinner.  Then after about 2 weeks I added the lunch time dose of 200mg.  That was when I started to feel a difference in my body.  With 800mg I feel even better, but I have to watch that because Magnesium in any form can have laxative effects.

Where can you get these forms of Magnesium?  The internet is a great resource, but if you can't wait, check out a health food store in your area.  I found both of these forms at my local Sprouts store.

To learn more about Magnesium check out these links:

Top 10 Magnesium rich foods

Benefits of Magnesium

Magnesium Malate

Magnesium Glycinate

Have YOU tried Magnesium supplements?  What were your results?

 

DIY - Magnesium Oil Spray

 

Recently I have learned about the benefits of Magnesium supplementation.  Better sleep, decreased muscle pain, flexibility, bone/teeth strength, hydration, relaxation and more!  A few weeks ago I began taking Magnesium Glycinate, after a recommendation from my Dr., and have already noticed a decrease in my muscle pain!  Then some people in my fabulous online fibromyalgia support group started talking about using Magnesium Oil Spray (which is not really oil at all).  You can spray it on your skin after a shower/bath, or anytime, directly onto sore aching muscles for relief.  That sounded great.  Even better, someone mentioned making your own!  I found a tutorial from cheekslave.com and I HAD to try it!

What you will need:

 

       1.  Magnesium Chloride bath flakes

     2.  Filtered or distilled water

     3.  Spray bottle

     4.  Essential oils (optional)

How to make Magnesium Oil Spray:

 

1.       Pour 1 Cup of water into a pot

2.       Stir in 1 cup of magnesium flakes

3.       Turn the heat on low/medium

4.       Stir occasionally until flakes are dissolved

5.       Add a few drops of essential oils (optional)

6.       Cool to room temperature

7.       Pour into bottle

How to use Magnesium Oil Spray:

Spray 4-5 sprays directly on sore muscles as needed, or onto your torso, massage in.

8 sprays of Magnesium oil equals about 100mg of Magnesium being absorbed into your skin.

It may tingle or sting when you first spray it on, that should stop after a minute or two. (Do not use right after you have shaved, ouch!)

You can dilute it even more if you have skin irritation.

You can also use Epsom Salt (Magnesium Sulfate) but you may need to use less water to experience the same effects.  Epsom Salt vs Magnesium Chloride 

 

To get even more benefit, I added a few drops of an aroma therapy oil blend I had called “release” for stress and sore muscles.  I can’t tell you the brand because they are no longer in business, but I will list the ingredients for you as inspiration for your own creations.

cinnamon oil, cornmint oil, cinnamon oil, coconut oil, grapefruit oil, lavandin oil, peppermint oil, rosemary oil, menthol, camphor,  and white ginger extract. 

For more information on essential oils for muscle pain visit:

experience-essential-oils.com

Cost:

I spent just under $10 (including shipping) on a 1.64lb bag of Magnesium Bath Flakes.  This works out to 24.6 cents per oz.  Less than 50 cents for a 2oz bottle!  And under $2 for an 8oz bottle!  That’s a HUGE savings considering Magnesium Oil Spray can run anywhere from $6 to almost $30 for an 8oz bottle depending on the brand!

I had a lot of fun making this myself and wanted to share with family and friends so I doubled the recipe and got a handful of 2oz bottles in the travel section of the drugstore so I could share.  I even got an extra bottle for just water, my little helper wanted his own!

 

If you have a combination of these symptoms, check with your doctor to see if you are deficient in Magnesium and could benefit from supplements including Magnesium Oil Spray.

Refreshed - Swimming

It’s been a rough summer for me.  Started out good with the dry heat, little pain.  Then the monsoons rolled in humidity and barometric pressure rose and I’ve struggled on and off since July.  We don’t have a pool in the backyard, but I love to swim and so do my kids, so we made an effort to get to a pool at least once a week over summer vacation.  I soon started to notice how great I felt in the water.  ZERO pain while in the cool water.  It was wonderful.  And even after swimming I felt good, my muscles were more relaxed.  Refreshed is the word I would use.  As long as we didn’t stay too long that is.  We stayed about 2 ½ - 3 hours when we first started going, and that was too much.  I would get very tired after.  I found though when we stayed 1 – 1 ½ hours, it was very good.  I even had more energy later in the day than normal.

I grew up swimming laps so I decided to give that a try and while I’m no Olympian, I can do about 10 laps without pain.  I will vary up the strokes every few laps so I’m working different muscles and it’s a good workout for me.  I swim very slowly now, and according to Fitness for Weight Loss I probably burn around 500 calories an hour swimming at a leisurely pace.  Better than sitting around on the couch!  And BONUS!  I was spending great quality time with my kiddos making summer memories.

Oh yeah, and there was the day I decided it would be a good idea to take them and their friends to a water park for a day.  6 hours in the sun, walking and swimming.  I’m sure I burned around 4000 calories that day, hee hee.  I had to rest for 3 days after that!

I have heard from others with fibro that swimming in the cool ocean has the same effect of taking pain away.  We haven’t made it to the beach yet this summer, but maybe we can work something out before it gets cool and I can see another sunset on the west coast.  I’ll let you know how the Pacific Ocean feels.

Now that school has started, the pools are closing and I won’t be able to get in the water as often.  Thankfully I have a few friends that have offered their pools to me anytime I need it.  It’s good to have such caring friends.  The weather will still be warm well into September so hopefully I will get to swim awhile longer.

I’ve even thought about joining a gym with a pool (and childcare) but actually getting to the gym on a regular basis is tough for me.  I much prefer to work out at home.  I may try it for a season though. Maybe take a mild water aerobics class to get some more exercise  in.

Have you had a chance to get in the water this summer?  Have you found it refreshing?

Rest – Required

Last night I took a nice hot bath, soothed my aching muscles with the heat after a busy weekend getting ready for the first day of school.  It’s something I don’t do very often.
(I forget why?)  I threw in some lovely aroma therapy oils, kept the room dark and just relaxed.  That is until a happy little 2 year old skipped into my room and decided to hop in with me (oh yeah, that’s why).  Not so relaxing when you end up with grapes floating around in the water and get splashed in the face.  I wouldn’t have changed a thing though, I know these moments will soon be memories.

 

I must admit, I have always had to take extra rest, even before I developed fibro.  I’m an introvert and it always has made me very tired to go out and do anything, including being with other people (yes even people I love).  I need to have some peace and quiet and alone time to feel restored.  Having this syndrome has made me much more aware of this and from what I hear from others, it is necessary for us to recuperate after even simple everyday activities like grocery shopping or going to a lunch meeting.  Problems arise when we don’t take this time to rest.  Pain, more fatigue and brain fog are quick to creep up on us when we push too far.  The longer the activity, or more energy exerted, the more rest we need.

There are different types of rest described for us in the Scriptures.

Sabbath rest

Future rest in God

Rest/peace for the soul

We as humans need them all!  But I’d like to focus on a few verses that speak about rest/peace for our souls.  These are the verses we can cling to when we know we need rest and can be encouraged that God will provide it for us!

Jesus speaks right to us in Matthew, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.”  Matthew 11:28-29.

He promises rest and peace from anxiety, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:6-7.

Sometimes we don’t even know we need rest and God provides opportunities for us.  (Oh how He loves us!)  “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not be in want.  He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he restores my soul.” 

Psalm 23:1-3.

I love love love Psalm 23 and encourage you to read and study the entire Psalm and find your rest in God today!

“Find rest, O my soul, in God alone; my hope comes from him.”

Psalm 62:5

Running – It’s What I Love

I quit running back in September 2011 because of the horrible pain I was experiencing at the time.  This was before I went to see my Dr. and learned I have fibromyalgia.  I was never a great runner, but I loved it.  I had only started a few years before and worked my way up to running a few 5K races with an ultimate goal of doing a ½ marathon someday.  The Tinkerbell ½ Marathon at Disneyland to be exact.  A lot of my pain in the beginning was joint pain, in my feet, knees and hips.  I was stiff in the mornings and so very sore in the evenings I could barely walk.  When I did see my Dr. in November, he confirmed that I should not be running.  Walking instead would be best.  But when I went to see a Rheumatologist for a 2^nd opinion she suggested that I continue to do what I loved, just start slow, build up very slow, pace myself, and listen to my body so I don’t overdo it.  It turned out a lot of my foot/leg pain was Plantar Fasciitis, and I was able to get that under control by learning some stretches and wearing good supportive shoes all the time (very hard for this flip-flop or barefoot girl!  Thanks to my sister-in-law who also deals with this, I was able to find some pretty cute supportive flip-flops by Orthaheel) It took me a few months to try running again.  I wanted to focus on healing my body a bit.

When I first began running I followed the Couch 2 5K Running Plan from coolrunning.  It is a very mild approach of walking/running and building up slowly to avoid injury over 9 weeks.  I loved the program, so I figured I would try it again.  It turned out that trying to run 3 days a week was too much, so I dropped it down to 2.  I have learned a lot about energy management, and for me, this is what I can handle.  I also believe the supplements I have been taking have helped with my energy and opened up more of my day to be able to exercise.  I have to run on days when I don’t have anything else going on, to give myself plenty of time to rest and recover.  Sometimes I have overdone it and suffered for a couple of days after with pain and fatigue.

This was one thing that was worth it to me to try and get back from my life before fibro.  I missed the quiet prayer time with just me and God (and usually my little one ridding in the stroller).  Getting out in nature (well, suburban nature) and feeling the sun on my skin.  It’s always been a great stress reliever for me, and given me a goal to work towards.  So once again I have set that goal of running the Tinkerbell ½ marathon someday.  Currently I am on week 7 of the C25K program although I have been running for 10 weeks now.  I feel great over all.  It has helped with energy, motivation, stress relief and more!

I want to point out that I am NOT telling you to go out and run.  This may not be right for you.  I also understand that I may not be able to do this forever.  You should seek advice from your Dr. about what type of exercise is best for you.  Start slow and build up slowly.  The normal recommendations for people with fibro are
low impact; walking, yoga and aqua therapy.  Even with those
you must build up slowly.

It takes time! 

What do you do for exercise?

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.