There are numerous articles on toxicity and such build up affecting fibromyalgia.  I have been careful these last few years buying products that are natural and eliminate many of my symptoms.  I also notice that when I've introduced these products back into my normal routine, so have my symptoms flared.

But where do you start?  Pain throughout the day makes us not the best candidates to find and implement new products.  There are good days that make research easy, and bad days where we just want to get through till bedtime.  But what if there was a manufacturer that could send you a product every month?  Something new to try for just an $11 subscription?   Wouldn't that make it easy to start at square one?  

I can tell you personally I enjoy receiving my monthly subscription.  It comes with one card offering easily read information on the front and back.  This allows me to make one easy change a month.  So far, I have ousted dryer sheets, got rid of paper towels, and utilized bees wax paper; and for most of these, alleviated excess toxins from my life.  

​Keeping the toxic load in your body very low can make a big difference in how you feel. Here are some ways you can decrease the toxic load to your body.

There are many sources of toxins and damaging chemicals that can get into your body through the air you breathe, water and foods you ingest, through your skin from soaps, lotions, cosmetics, cleaning products, etc. A lot of it you just don’t even realize but these toxins can build up to toxic levels in your body. Here are some of the most common ways that you can let toxins into your body:

Many everyday chemicals can be a factor in the breakdown of our natural defenses against disease and overall immune system.

• Pesticides, fertilizers and other chemicals in produce
• Hormones and antibiotics found in meats, fowl and dairy
• Mercury and other heavy metals
• Preservatives and other chemicals, such as MSG in processed foods
• Many air fresheners, synthetic fragrances, aerosol sprays, perfumes, dryer sheets, laundry detergent, window cleaner and other household cleaners contain known carcinogens that can be damaging to your health.
• Air pollution, such as living near cement factory or oil refinery
• Smoking
• Cleaning products that are toxic that can absorb through your skin and that you can breathe in when you are using them. Some of these can be quite serious.
• Cooking utensils and pans made with plastic or with Teflon (or other similar type coatings) that degrade over time.
• Skin products that can be absorbed into the bloodstream through your skin that contain carcinogens and other dangerous chemicals.
• Water that has been treated with fluoride, chlorine and other harmful chemicals.

Gradually (or rapidly if you want) phase over to non-toxic cleaning products, skin products and foods and work to eliminate that main sources of toxins that are entering your body. If your body isn’t being constantly taxed by having to deal with these toxins it will have a much higher ability to fight other germs and viruses. 

Might Fix from Mighty Nest makes it easy to begin living toxic free!

Sometimes I wake up in twilight devoid of pain and suffering. Just as if I have slipped effortlessly into another body that is whole and refreshed.

At these times I rouse from my bed with little effort meandering to the bathroom to answer the call at hand.  There is no deep void harboring in the back of my mind but rather a sense of kindling hope.

What is this?

I prance back to bed and grab my comforter cuddling my neck, relishing in this new found peace.  I can feel the soft undercarriage that caresses my skin.  Life feels good, these small nuances that touch me from time to time.

As I wait for sleep I slip deeper into my inner core.  Where is the pain?  Why is my mind so alert?  Has this illness left me?  Could I be cured?  Everything seems so clear. 

At this time there are no remnants of past days depression, pain, and anxiety.  Rather i am in commune with the person I once was many years ago before fibromyalgia took over.  

When you have the chronic and painful condition known as fibromyalgia, morning pain and stiffness can bring on morning blues.  People with fibromyalgia suffer from non-restorative sleep. This means they can sleep a full eight to nine hours but still wake up feeling as if they haven’t slept.  Fibromyalgia patients also suffer from stiffness and pain, which makes movement uncomfortable in the morning. Try the following tips to help soothe fibromyalgia pain and ease into your day:

By rising 20 minutes earlier, you can get a more productive start to your day.

1. Upon rising complete the set of morning stretches.

2.  Meditate for 10 - 15 minutes.  Despite video instructions, I like to keep my palms open with thumb and middle finger gently clasped, hands resting on my knees to invite healting. Research now shows that meditation can help ease the  depression associated with and the pain of fibromyalgia, a condition marked by  chronic joint and muscle pain, fatigue, and, in some cases, poor memory and  thinking. While meditation doesn’t make the pain disappear, it appears to help  patients refocus their attention and feel better. 

3.  Pray for five minutes.  Focus on what you'd like God's blessings to be today, ask and you shall receive.   Be thankful for all that God has bestowed you recently.   Gratitude produces self healing.  Need a spiritual boost?  Log onto God's Message Today for FREE Monday's Blessing Blog.

Give your self more morning time to ensure a calm, relaxed start to your day!
​

​There are no true roadblocks to traveling with fibromyalgia it's not unsafe and you shouldn't feel excluded from vacationing when you have the condition, says board-certified rheumatologist Marcia Genta, MD, of the Dallas Arthritis Center and the Methodist Dallas Medical Center.

What's tiring for most people on a vacation though can be downright exhausting for someone with fibromyalgia. Why? Dealing with traffic, long lines at the airport, security checks, and getting around in a place you don't know is stressful, and stress can increase the pain of fibromyalgia.
​
Traveling is also physically draining. Carrying around luggage, especially lifting bags into overhead compartments, can lead to injury. Long days of sightseeing without enough rest can also make fibromyalgia symptoms worse.

To enjoy a vacation, take these steps to lessen the impact travel can have on your fibromyalgia.

• Seek out the sunshine. Cold and damp weather has been known to make fibromyalgia pain worse. Summer travel might be a better option than winter.
• Avoid planning trips to arduous terrains. Your destination should be a place that you're interested in visiting, but use common sense when making your plans. "Trekking in high mountains or rafting down rapids, where plenty of repeated traumas are likely to occur, should be avoided," advises Dr. Genta.
• Book a reservation with a modern hotel. A newer hotel with elevators will be easier to navigate than a charming historic hotel that has narrow stairs, Genta says. Even people who are athletic may have trouble carrying luggage up narrow passageways.
• Pack smart. Just as everyone should, try to pack only what you need to avoid having to lug a heavy suitcase. Comfortable walking shoes are a must, Genta adds. And be sure to pack your medication in a carry-on bag (not your checked bag, as it could get delayed or lost).
• Move as much as possible in the plane or car. "A long airplane trip is trying for everyone," Genta says. Moving and stretching in the cabin to avoid stiffness is especially important for people with fibromyalgia. Genta suggests checking in-flight magazines for stretching techniques you can do during your flight. If you're traveling by car, stop as often as needed to stretch.
• Get help with luggage. Always ask flight attendants with help getting a bag into an overhead compartment on an airplane, Genta says. Since picking up a heavy bag from the conveyor belt at baggage claim requires movement that can cause injury, she says, hire a porter to carry your luggage.
• Follow a leisurely itinerary. Although you may want to see as much as you can, don't try packing too many museums or cathedrals into your sightseeing plans in any one day. A stop at a sidewalk café watching the crowds is often more informative (and fun) than a lecture about the place you're visiting, says Genta.

​
After an enjoyable vacation, what's the protocol for getting back to everyday life? You'll probably struggle a bit to get back into your daily routine, just as everyone does, Genta says. If you've thought out your travel plans ahead of time and you didn't overdo activity while you were away, you shouldn't need a vacation from your vacation.

The role of inflammation in fibromyalgia has been the topic of debate for decades. In fact, the condition used to be called “fibrositis,” which means “fibrous-tissue inflammation.” Due to an apparent lack of inflammation, the name was replaced with fibromyalgia (fibrous tissue and muscle pain) because it was believed to be more accurate. But now many researchers are finding connections with chronic inflammation that may contribute to the pain and fatigue of fibromyalgia.

Fibromyalgia is frequently referred to as an arthritis-related condition. However, it does not cause joint damage or inflammation, as arthritis does. Nor does fibromyalgia cause damage to muscle and other tissues. Because of this, it was believed that fibromyalgia was not an inflammatory condition.

In recent years, multiple studies have revealed several markers of inflammation in people with fibromyalgia, including high levels of C-reactive protein and pro-inflammatory cytokines.

C-reactive protein is produced by the liver. The level of C-reactive protein can be measured in your blood and increases when there is inflammation in your body.

​Cytokines are proteins that are produced by cells which act as communicators in the immune system. There are both pro-inflammatory cytokines and anti-inflammatory cytokines. Pro-inflammatory cytokines promote systemic inflammation and play a key role in persistent and exaggerated pain states.

What Is Inflammation?

Inflammation is part of the body’s healing process. Without inflammation, infections and wounds would not heal. But inflammation can also be potentially harmful. There are two types of inflammation, acute and chronic.

Acute inflammation comes on suddenly from an injury or infection. It presents classic symptoms such as swelling, redness and pain. Acute inflammation is temporary, lasting from a few days to a couple of weeks, depending on the cause of the inflammation.

Chronic inflammation is long-term inflammation that lasts for months and years. It comes about slowly and sets the stage for chronic diseases. Heart disease, autoimmune diseases, neurological diseases, diabetes, cancer, Alzheimer’s, arthritis and many other conditions are linked to chronic inflammation.

The causes of chronic inflammation include poor diet, stress, lack of exercise, chronic infections, and allergens or toxins from food or the environment.

Inflammation In Fibromyalgia

For decades it was believed that fibromyalgia was not an inflammatory condition because it doesn’t appear like most inflammatory disease. Joints don’t look swollen and typical tests for inflammatory markers generally reveal normal or only slightly elevated levels in fibromyalgia. Whereas, diseases such as lupus and arthritis present high levels of inflammatory markers.

Fibromyalgia research has been focusing on the possible contribution of inflammation to disease progression, and is finding some interesting results. We now have evidence suggesting inflammation may play a role, after all.

These are some of the findings:

• Skin Cells – A study from 2010 showed elevated levels of mast cells – which release inflammatory chemicals in response to various triggers – in the skin of people with fibromyalgia.
• Fascia – Another study in 2010 suggests that it could be the fascia (a thin layer of connective tissue) that’s inflamed in fibromyalgia. The research concludes that fascial dysfunction and inflammation may be what leads to central sensitization, which is believed to be a core feature of fibromyalgia.
• Stress Response – In 2012, researchers found that there was an inflammatory state that seemed to be tied to an abnormal response to stress. They were unable to determine whether inflammation leads to stress dysfunction or stress dysfunction leads to inflammation.
• Mitrochondria – In 2013, Spanish researchers theorized that inflammation in fibromyalgia could be the result of dysfunction in the mitochondria (cells that break down nutrients to create energy).
• Brain Inflammation – Scientists have discovered that brain inflammation caused by chronic nerve pain can affect signaling in the regions of the brain associated with mood and motivation. This discovery suggests there is a mechanism that connects chronic pain with symptoms of depression and anxiety.
• Poor Sleep – Poor sleep quality and short sleep durations are associated with higher levels of inflammation. Scientists at Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta, Georgia, found in a study that sleep deprivation or poor sleep quality raises inflammation.

​Fibromyalgia Inflammation Treatment Options

Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAID’s) and steroids are the primary treatments for inflammation. Unfortunately, anti-inflammatory medications have been tested in people with fibromyalgia and do not improve symptoms.
The options we have to lower our inflammation are listed below:

• Massage – Manual therapies that target the fascia may be effective. That includes trigger point therapy (myofascial release) and a deep-tissue manipulation called rolfing.
• Exercise – Exercise can suppress the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines. In separate studies, gentle exercises such as warm-water exercise and yoga have been shown to reduce cytokines in people with fibromyalgia.
• Supplements – Anti-inflammatory supplements include:
  • Ginger
  • CoQ10
  • Omega-3 Fatty Acids
  • Rhodiola rosea
  • Turmeric (curcumin)
• Diet – Many doctors recommend an anti-inflammatory diet for inflammatory conditions. Although we don’t have research on whether it works for fibromyalgia. I have been following an anti-inflammatory diet for the couple of years and it has helped me.

Conclusion

Although there is no visible inflammation in fibromyalgia, the inflammatory factors are there and they are measurable. Multiple studies have revealed several markers of inflammation in people with fibromyalgia. Preliminary evidence suggests excess cytokines may be responsible fibromyalgia symptoms. These findings are uncovering new possibilities for fibromyalgia causation, as well as treatment options. Hopefully, in the not too distant future, we will have more answers and treatments that actually work. -Shared by FibroDaze

​One of the biggest challenges women face is learning how to care for themselves while caring for others. It requires a delicate balance between what often feels like polar opposites. I’ve spent a lifetime studying self-care. And I’ve come to the conclusion that good self-care is the single most important aspect of our health, period.

The programming of self-sacrifice leads ultimately to health-destroying sentiments, such as guilt, resentment, anger, and other emotions linked to high levels of stress hormones. Self-sacrifice feels wrong to us on a soul level—our spirit gravitates naturally to joy and happiness.

That’s why self-sacrifice ultimately makes us sick and keeps us stuck in dead-end situations—and why its opposite, self-care, is so essential to living a happy, healthy life. How well we care for ourselves as adult women is determined in part by how well our mothers cared for us (and themselves). Ultimately, however, it’s our responsibility to learn how to optimally care for ourselves regardless of what happened (or didn’t) with our mothers. We refine this process throughout our entire lives.

The key is knowing in your heart that the best way you can care for others is by caring for yourself. I know this requires a paradigm shift for many of you!

Despite what you’ve been brought up to believe, caring for oneself is not an example of a zero sum model (where your gain is someone else’s loss).

Everyone benefits from a woman who knows how to care for herself.

Self-care sustains and enhances the health of all those around you. The flight attendants are right when they say: You have to secure your own oxygen mask before assisting others.

Seven Easy Steps to Better Self-Care

Here’s a simple, up-to-date blueprint for enhancing your health through self-care:

Step 1. Tap into the stream of healing energy regularly.

Your body is connected to a healing stream of energy (also known as chi, prana, light, Source, and God) that you can absorb at will. All you need to do is be aware of it and be open to receive it! This is the basis for the healing power of prayer.

My favorite prayer service is Silent Unity. Silent Unity has volunteers who will pray with you and then pray continuously for 30 days. Tell the volunteer your concerns by phone or email, any hour of the day or night, and they will pray with you.  

Another particularly powerful way to absorb this healing energy is through Divine Love petitions as taught by Robert Fritchie, founder of www.worldserviceinstitute.org. Divine Love is the most powerful energy in the universe. You receive it into your body through your thymus gland, located just below your sternum.

To do a quick Divine Love petition for yourself, sit with arms and legs uncrossed. Now say the following petition out loud:

With my Spirit, and the angels help, I focus Divine Love throughout my system. I ask my Spirit to identify every situation and cause that separates me from the Creator. I release to the Creator all of these situations and causes. I ask that the Creator heal my system according to the Divine will. 

Now, close your mouth, draw in your breath through your nose. Hold it for several seconds. And pulse it out through your nose like you’re blowing your nose. That releases the petition. Throughout the day stay connected to the Divine by saying “I accept Divine Love.”  This practice – which is free to anyone- has been associated with many well-documented physical and emotional healings that conventional medicine cannot explain.

Step 2. Know that you are your own best mother.

Treat yourself like an ideal mother would by talking to yourself in a wonderful, nurturing way and providing for yourself that which you wish you had received from your own mother. For example, say to yourself, “Darling, I see that you’re tired. Why don’t you lie down and take a nice nap. When you get up, we’ll have a nice cup of hot tea” or “I see that you need a break. How about a nice hot bath and a good book.” You get the picture.

Step 3. Do something pleasurable each and every day.

Taking time for pleasure and fun decreases the stress hormones cortisol and adrenalin, which, over time, are responsible for heart disease, cancer, and most chronic diseases such as arthritis and high blood pressure. Plus when you take time for enjoyment, you’ll be able to approach arduous tasks with more energy and a better outlook.

Step 4. Breathe deeply and fully on a regular basis.

Breathing in fully through your nose instantly engages the rest and restore parasympathetic nervous system and helps the body metabolize stress hormones. Put Post-it notes on your phone, your computer, and your bathroom mirror. Write BREATHE in beautiful letters that uplift and remind you to breathe fully.

Step 5. Get support for self-care.

Find a self-care buddy and agree that each of you will hold the other accountable for taking care of herself. Start with my suggestions and add your own ideas. Brag to each other about how well you’re doing and especially how well you are caring for yourself. Plan to call your friend whenever you start to slip into over-care of others.

Step 6. Use the incredible power of no.

When someone asks you to do something you don’t really want to do, say NO! This is especially important if saying “no” makes you feel guilty or unworthy. In most cases this means you’re letting the needs of others overshadow your own. Only you know how much you can handle without over-committing. Over time, you’ll strengthen your “no” muscle and also attract friends who support your need to set healthy boundaries. Remember, saying “no” to someone else usually means saying “yes” to yourself!

Step 7. Don’t wait for permission to start taking care of yourself.

Believe me, no one is going to give it to you, although I know how much you desperately want someone to do so! How well I remember being on call in the hospital watching the nurses give each other breaks. I yearned for one of my colleagues to give me permission to take a break after being up all night. But no one did because the culture of medicine (particularly a surgical specialty) is so macho. I ended up with a huge breast abscess that dissected into my chest wall while I was trying to nurse my first daughter and work full-time. I learned a huge lesson about self-care—and also destroyed my ability to nurse my second child from both breasts!

Taking care of yourself regularly takes courage in our society. Far too many women get sick because it’s the only socially acceptable way to get the self-care they require. I think we can do better, don’t you?

Prepare to be called “selfish” when you start taking better care of yourself. And when someone calls you that, celebrate! (Then call your self-care buddy to brag about it!) After all, taking care of yourself is prevention at the most fundamental level. And it sure beats getting sick. (For those of you who claim that you don’t have time to take care of yourself, think again. Do you really have time to get sick? And will dying prematurely really be the best way to take care of your loved ones?)

Your Body, Your TempleAs you may know by now, you are a Soul. You are not your body. But you do have a body. And it is your job to take care of that body until you leave it. The same way you take care of your house or your car. This is your responsibility—it doesn’t belong to your doctor, your spouse, or your mother. It’s that simple.

Taking care of your body means, first and foremost, having a healthy belief system about what’s possible physically—especially as you move through time. And, you must engage in the physical activities necessary to maintain your physical self.

6 More Ways to Care for Yourself

1. Change your beliefs. Optimal care of your body begins with your beliefs. Every thought you think is accompanied by biochemical signals that move throughout your body. Serotonin, dopamine, and epinephrine are neurotransmitters that affect all areas of your body, and their production is based on what you think and feel. Stressful thoughts filled with anger, fear, or sadness increase stress-hormone levels in your body, which ultimately leads to cellular inflammation—the root cause of osteoporosis, depression, diabetes, heart disease, arthritis, and cancer. But this isn’t the only way your thoughts affect your health. They can literally determine which genes get expressed! It’s important to know and believe that your body was designed for health, vitality, and well-being for your entire life.

1. Treat yourself like a precious child. Self care is something that our society does not reward us for. In fact, it is often looked down on when someone, especially a woman, takes care of herself. I was reminded of this recently when I was watching my granddaughter, Penelope.   I was cleaning up the living room and realized that she was hungry.  So of course I stopped to take care of her — I would never starve my granddaughter.  Yet, I have certainly done this to myself!  Learning to treat ourselves the way we would a precious child connects us with our Divinity. You can practice this by doing simple things such as using the rest room when you have the urge, or eating when you are hungry and stopping when you are full. It also helps to set out a meal for yourself on a plate and actually sit down and enjoy it versus eating on the run while in your car or standing at the kitchen counter.

1. See your body as a temple for your soul. We are beings of light.  Our bodies are the densest, darkest matter.  When you see your body as a temple for your soul and treat it with love, and kindness and respect, you are bringing light into the darkest area.

1. Make gravity work for you. Sitting for more than six hours a day increases your risk of disease including heart attack, stroke, diabetes, obesity, and cancer. In fact, even if you exercise regularly, prolonged sitting cancels out a lot of the good effects. Standing all day is not the answer. The answer is moving your body through the gravitational field of the earth. Every time you move your body through gravity your body goes through thousands of minute physiologic changes in blood pressure, fluid exchange, hormone secretion, and stresses on bones and joints that help ensure health. So, if you sit at a desk, get up at least six times per hour. But if you can, it’s always best to add in something more such as stretching, knee bends or even squats. And remember, since the soul knows no timeline, it’s never too late to try some activity you have always wanted to do – dance, ride horses, ski, hike – whatever will keep you moving.

1. Take Care of Your Fascia. Fascia is the connective tissue that runs throughout your body. It connects skin to muscle and muscle to bone and every organ in the body. Our fascial network is a secondary nervous system. It can become dense, scarred, and thickened as a result of physical, emotional, or mental stress. Working your fascia regularly through body work, resistance flexibility, yoga, and other exercises can help you release old patterns that are stored there.

1. Feel Your Human Emotions. Being a spiritual being on a human journey requires that we feel human emotions. But, with spiritual practices becoming very popular, so too is the practice of taking a “spiritual bypass” to avoid dealing with painful feelings, unresolved wounds and developmental needs. A spiritual bypass looks something like this: “It’s all good.” “Everything happens for a reason.”  “Spiritual people don’t cry or have negative feelings.” “If you feel sad, you’re not spiritual enough.” While this may seem better than using alcohol or drugs, it has the same effect. Being a human being on a spiritual path requires that you are present in each moment for all of your feelings without letting those feelings define you.  Now, this does not mean that you want to stay in a perpetual state of anger, victimhood, grief or sadness.  These emotions lower your vibration.  It simply means you allow your emotions to surface and embrace them fully without judgment, and then allow full expression of those emotions safely.  That is the only way to deal with them successfully. Your soul actually learns from this process of deep awareness and release. (Every other approach — drugs, alcohol, spiritual bypass — just digs them in deeper.)  - Dr. Christiane Northrup

One of the most substantial benefits you can add to your daily regimen is to increase your day to day intake of water.  Fresh, filtered water expunged of impurities can make a remarkable difference in your overall health.  I've personally opted off bottled water due to unknown carcinogens in plastic and have adopted a stainless steel water bottle to house my drink.  

How does drinking considerable amount of water become a healthy source of Fibromyalgia Nutrition?  The body functions properly when it is replenished with sufficient  water and nutrition, this has been noted in fibromyalgia patients especially.  Every day you  lose water through your breath, perspiration, urine and bowel  movements.  Optimum re-hydration with water is  absolutely necessary for proper fibromyalgia nutrition. Water is pure liquid refreshment and accounts  for a large percentage of what makes each of us “human”. The average 150  lb. adult body contains 40 -50 quarts of water.  Almost 2/3rd s of our  body weight is “water weight”.  Our blood is 83% water, muscles 75%, the  brain  74%, and bone is 22%.

So how much water should you be drinking each day?  Take your body weight and divide by two.  That is how many ounces of water you need daily to adequately flush your system, digest and  absorb vitamins and nutrients, and detoxify your liver and kidneys.

Increase water intake and notice the following benefits:

* Improve your energy

*Increase your mental and physical performance

*Remove toxins and waste products

*Keep skin healthy and glowing

*Help you lose weight

*Reduce headaches and dizziness

*Allow for proper digestion

*Help to keep you more alkaline

​Everyone talks about the physical side of fibromyalgia, but what a lot of non-sufferers and non-believers do not understand is how much we suffer emotionally as well. Going forward, I will refer to these people as the “nons.”

Try having to live with a chronic illness that no one really understands and that some don’t even believe exist. Try living with the fact that even your own spouse, family, and friends are nons and don’t believe in you, or they feel you are a liar or hypochondriac. Try dealing with the stress that comes with not being able to get medications that help you or doctors who listen to you. Try living a life without your family and friends. These are just a few examples of what the nons do not seem to understand about us.

I’ve spent most of my life feeling frustrated, angry, let down, and alone — all due to my illness. I’ve been frustrated because I can’t do the everyday things I need to do to keep up my house and to take care of myself, let alone what I truly enjoy. I feel alone because I can’t get anyone to listen to me. My friends got sick of me forgetting important events or canceling plans at the last minute due to a flare. I feel let down because the medical profession can’t seem to help me. I am angry that my body continually betrays me. Activities that are easy for the nons are almost impossible for us.

Is it any wonder that depression is a frequent symptom of fibromyalgia? Try living a life that at times doesn’t seem worth living. No matter how hard we try, we can’t win. When we are happy, nons steal our joy by putting us down or by reminding us that we are worthless.

I’ve been accused of being lazy and unmotivated. You have no idea how motivated I am and what lengths I’ve gone to to feel better. I’ve seen more doctors and specialists than I can count. I’ve tried almost every form of holistic medicine out there. Some work and some not so much, but I keep trying because I want to be better.

There are quite a few of us who have low or no self-esteem. How can you feel good about yourself when no one else does?

The worst thing I’ve ever been told is that I am a burden. Wow! Talk about a punch to the gut. No one wants to be a burden. But what our spouses, friends, and family don’t understand is that someday, they may be the one who needs help.

What happens if one of them ends up with a chronic illness or disability and they need our help and support? I, of course, would do anything I could to help. But think about it: If you treat me like garbage, how can you honestly expect me to be there for you, especially when you haven’t been for me?

I wish the nons would try to see our side and actually listen to what we are saying. You can still have empathy and compassion for someone even if you do not understand what they are going through. Just look into our eyes and see our pain. It is there. You really don’t have to look hard at all. You just need to look.

While waiting for the nons to come around, seeing a counselor or attending group therapy can be helpful. Joining support groups and patient websites is a way for us to find friendship and comfort with others like us. There are medications for depression that a physician can prescribe. All of these can be helpful to relieve our depression and emotional distress. But honestly, what would really help all of us immensely is a little empathy and compassion from the nons.  By: Carrie Anton

Here's one woman's issues with memory loss and how she deals with the daily drudge of digging up memories that can easily be forgotten.

I used to take great pride in the fact that I had a sharp memory. I was the go-to person at work because I had a knack for remembering every little detail.

Fast forward 10 years, and I have trouble remembering names of friends and family. Spelling has become a huge issue for me. How can I forget to spell common words? I can’t tell you how thankful I am for spellcheck.

I feel like all that I do is fall more and more behind because I can’t remember what I must do. I’m overdue on cleaning my house, responding to emails, writing my column, and getting a major work project done. It’s all because I keep starting something then need to stop to do something else that is more important. I have very good intentions but never seem to accomplish half of what I need to do. I also lose track of time. I don’t know where it goes, but I bet I forgot to do something during that time!

I seem to run around in circles and never really accomplish anything. I forget appointments, birthdays, events –you name it, I’ll forget it. I forget to have a lunch ready so I don’t have to run out during work. I hit snooze another time because I forgot I have an early doctor’s appointment.

Writing lists that I forget about later is a big waste of time. I’ve even tried emailing myself but forget to check my account the rest of the day.

I started complaining of memory issues over 10 years ago. I was told it was age-related…in my early 40s! I knew it wasn’t my age, but I got nowhere with my doctors.

Now it’s getting to the point of being very troubling. I try to adapt by taking copious notes at work. My boss frequently tells me I don’t have to write things down, but I DO have to. I know I have a better chance of not remembering something than I have of remembering it. I’m at a loss of what to do about this dilemma.

I leave myself voicemail messages if I really need to remember something. I’ve given up asking others to remind me of things. When they forget, I’m the only one to blame, and it isn’t fair to bring them into my mess. If I lived alone, I’d get a blackboard or message board in every room to remind me.

I just started using a calendar app, but so far I haven’t been very consistent. My goal is to make it a habit. I need to get back on track. Maybe some structure will help.

I use a pillbox to help remind me to take my 17 various medications and supplements each day. I still forget, but not as often as before.

I found that when I don’t get enough sleep, my ability to remember is almost nonexistent. Thinking is a struggle. Add in some brain fog and I might as well just stay in bed. Getting a decent amount of sleep is nearly impossible with fibro, but it is vital for our health and well-being. I’ve started setting an alarm an hour before bedtime to remind me to quit messing around and get ready for bed.

Having your memory fail you can be scary, frustrating, and depressing. Being told it is just your age or that you’re scatterbrained is infuriating. I have a hard time not letting it get to me, but I know that I am not the only person with fibro who is suffering from this. Getting stressed out about it only makes it worse.

But I try to look at the bright side. When I watch a movie or television show, I can’t remember if I’ve seen it before, so everything is new to me! - By Carrie Anton