Can we talk weather for a minute?

I know. I know. I am so random! But fibromites usually are. We have to say exactly what we are thinking exactly as we think it --- or--- we forget! LOL! Okay, its funny but not. Know what I mean?

I'd like to talk a bit about weather today BECAUSE its definitely messing with me today! Well, for the whole week really. But my body has finally had enough. Freezing temperatures are not kind to people with fibro and chronic pain. People with arthritis can feel it in their bones when the weather is changing. Often before healthy people see it on the news. I am a walking barometer.

This week has been freezing. Truly freezing. Had to get a heated water bottle for the rabbit and a heat lamp. So while he's all comfy and basking I'm all tight and crabby. HA! I can't compare my pain to your pain. I don't know who has the worst. I've never cared about measuring pain like most people. Pain is pain! I'll assign it a number if that's what it takes you to understand but really I am in pain every day. It just varies. Some days are better than others. Some are too horrible to even want to remember them. I'll have them again sometime, lets not relive until we have to right?

As I was saying freezing temps. And now snow. Two days of snow. Tomorrow the freezing rain starts. Oh joy! I do try to stay positive. LOL! Don't worry. The whole post isn't going to be me babbling the entire time about nothing. I'd like to give you some of my tips and tricks. If you have some I haven't mentioned please take a moment to add them to the comment section so that I and everyone visiting the blog, can add it to their arsenal. Thank you.

I am not going to talk about muscle relaxers and pain killers for this post. Everyone has their own medicine closet to take care of what ails them. It varies so much that I'll leave that to you and your doctor.

I can't start the day without a shower. I always say if I make it to the shower, i'll be okay. So a nice hot shower first thing. After the shower where most people rub on body oil, I rub in a topical pain cream. I 'try' not to do the stinky ones during the day if I can help it. I like sombra. I can put it on and it will smell but by the time I'm done getting ready the smell is gone usually. If you have time, a nice stretching session is beneficial. I'm a working girl and have a family so I don't get to do that stretching session every day. But do try.

When its cold like this the muscles get so tight. And with the rods, I really notice it. So I do try to put on a heat wrap before I go outside. Like Thermacare. Or a storebrand. But the magnetic heat portable heat pads are a must for me. I just recently discovered that the dollar tree has them. I cannot tell you how much that will save me! And if I don't put one on, I make sure there is always one in my purse. Better to be prepared.

They make a portable heat wrap that is battery operated. That's next on my list. That would be the way to go for me. I saw them at walgreens!

Dress in layers. I am always too hot or too cold. Usually too cold. ;) I have such poor circulation that my hands and feet are icicles almost all the time. But its nice to have layers so you can adjust for comfort. I do have the hand and feet instant warmers as well if it gets too bad. Those are just tucked into the side pocket of my car door so very handy.

My husband (if he's here) starts the car a minute or two before I have to leave so its warm. Such a little thing that is HUGE in my book. If you have a person that is able to do that, its a very nice treat. Maybe you could do something nice for them in return.

I like to have a heating blanket even in my car. They make adapters so just plug that bad boy in!
Total life changer for me! Are you noticing how I like to be warm?

My tens unit will help with keep the circulation going as will a brief walk. I can't go far. My knees are horrible! But I do try to get some exercise in. Usually I walk in the pool by our house. Exercise is exercise. Just get up and move. You don't have to do a lot. And with Fibro a lot of people cant because repetitive movement is killer. But in the pool it takes all the weight off and is so gentle on your joints etc. Worth a try! I know I feel better when I go. Hard to force myself to do it when its snowing, but hey. I do feel better once I am done. And I always reward myself with a little break in the hot tub after.

So not a ton of tips. But hopefully you found a few helpful.

And just for record keeping purposes, pain level is a solid 8 today.

Scar Tissue & Nerve Pain

Since the scar tissue is giving me fits today, thought I'd talk about that a bit. Of course nerves were damaged and severed during the scoliosis surgery. How could they not be when you are cut open and pulled apart? Sometimes that feeling of a white hot branding iron becomes too much. Sometimes it feels like a red hot blade slicing into me. Quick flashes of intense burning. Thats how I would describe it. I would imagine thats exactly what getting stabbed in the back would feel like. Out of nowhere. I can manage with the stabbing feeling if its for just a few hours. But when it goes on endlessly it often becomes too much.

But as much as I hate that burning sensation I loathe that white hot branding iron one even more. Just like someone stuck a branding iron in the fire til it glows past red and into white and then just presses it into my back. That section just between the shoulder blades... OMG! That one I can't handle. Thankfully the pain specialist I was seeing had me try lidocaine infusion. That helped so much. Calmed those nerves right down. It was lovely. Eventually I was put on lidocaine pills and I get that pain less often. Having the lidocaine patches to put on my back between my shoulders and neck was such a blessing to have in my arsenal too. But those are gone now. Insurance won't cover them since I've never had shingles. MMMMK... Doesn't make sense to take me off what was working but... I am not paying $900 for them either. Thats ridiculous. The dr office did give me some lidocaine ointment to try. But the results are not the same. Very dissappointing.

So thats about the nerve pain in my back. I'll get shooting sparks down my arms and legs randomly too. Thats fun. Just be minding your own business and BAM! Can't tell you how many things I've dropped when it comes out of nowhere or how my legs buckle when they get zapped. I try to stay off ladders because you just never know when those bad boys are coming.

The scar tissue on my back is pretty severe. Not from the outside but from the inside. I went YEARS thinking that my actual muscles were caught on top of the herrington rods. It seriously feels just like that. Well, low and behold while getting trigger point injections for the fibromyalgia my doctor tried myofacial treatment on that area. Injecting the scar tissue itself. Thats what she said was across my rods. Bands of scar tissue. And it gets tighter and tighter making that pulling sensation worse and restricting my arm movement. So now when it gets hard to get full arm movement I go into her and ask her to do her magic. Oh my goodness. Such blessed relief! I don't realize how tight it all gets until she goes in and injects. She's really a life saver in my book.

The scar down my spine is jagged but thin. With a few raised keloid areas. I had a few inner stitches that didn't disolve and got to be like little rocks. We got most of those out with tweezers. Felt much better. But a few areas have those keloid scars and I'm thinking its caused from a few of those stitches that were too far under maybe? Don't really know. They are just there and super ugly. The part where they did the bone graft is like a wide fat worm. Raised and varies from red to purple. I tend to scar horribly. I discovered that after the fact. Oops. Nothing I could have done anyway though. So it is what it is. I don't let my ugly scars limit my apparel. I earned those battle scars so I am not going to hide them. If people have a problem with it, well, its there problem. :)

Pain level is currently a 6. The stress of work and standing too long is a big factor today. Will try soaking in a bath with epsom salts and then laying down on some ice packs shortly. Do try heat AND ice. Alot of people don't do the ice and I was one of those people for a very long time. But alternating between the two really does help me.