I Didn't Know That Was a Symptom!

Recently I have found some interesting sites that help and educate people about fibromyalgia, lupus and other "invisible" illnesses. I guess I have been a bit obsessed with finding information since my own health has been less than wonderful lately. The information I have been finding is surprising, to say the least!

Oddities
One site I was reading, Fibromyalgia Tips on LifeTips, listed a few "symptoms" that I never realized were related to fibromyalgia. For example, writer Terri Horvath states that people with fibro tend to not have the half-moon at the base of their fingernails with the exception of the thumbs. Wow! It is funny to me because not too long ago I noticed that and wondered where those half-moons went. I used to have them. It never occurred to me that it may be a fibro thing.

Another thing that Terri noted was "acquired dyslexia" that causes a person to transpose letters while writing. This was another Wow! moment for me. I have really noticed this in the last few months and find it very irritating. It is embarrassing for a writer to not be able to type. This is one reason that I have cut back on my work. (And I won't even tell you how many corrections I have already made in this post so far) Once again, it never occurred to me that it might be a fibro thing.

Phone Phobia
Frequently, I visit various fibro-related forums and message boards. I rarely post but I do find encouragement when I read about others' struggles and experiences. On one of them, there was a discussion about phone phobias. The original poster wondered if her phobia of the phone had anything to do with her illness. The consensus seemed to be that it was entirely possible because many of them had the same issues.

I, too, have a very hard time using the phone. I don't recall always being that way. These days though, if I have to make a phone call for any reason I usually end up having a panic attack. In fact, when I finally broke down to make a doctor appointment last week, I forgot what I was calling for and stammered considerably before I was able to pull myself together and ask for an appointment.

Chest Pain
I also discovered that I am not the only one feeling like I have a truck parked on my chest and having trouble breathing. Some people say they have been diagnosed with Chostochondritis (no, I don't know how to say it either). Apparently this is an inflammation of the rib cage that is fairly common in people with fibromyalgia. Very interesting.

So, it appears that I will have quite a lot to discuss when I finally see my doctor. This will be my first visit to a doctor in nearly a year. Since we moved, I have been very unmotivated to search in vain for a doctor who will listen to me. This doctor comes highly recommended though. So I have high hopes. I sure wish I didn't have to wait until May 1 to see her though. Oh, well. Can't have everything I guess.

Look Good When You Feel Bad

Do you ever get into the habit of just being dumpy because you feel, well, dumpy? Do you ever spend days in your PJs because you just don't see the point in getting dressed? I have to say, I am guilty. Seems that I spend more time in bed than anywhere else. Top that off with the fact that clothes seem to irritate me and I don't have much motivation for getting dressed.

Recently I bought some new PJs. The top is a magenta t-shirt and the pants are black yoga pants with a magenta stripe down each leg. They are so comfy I could wear them until they fall off. I asked my husband if I looked like a sausage in them because the fit is not baggy as I tend to wear for jammies. He said they looked sexy. Wow! I look sexy? I asked if they highlighted my rolls of fat and he said "Yes, just the right ones." lol

Later my daughter came home from her friend's house. She saw me in my new PJs and stopped dead in her tracks. "Oh Mom! You look beautiful!" Me? Beautiful? Needless to say, these are now my favorite pajamas. I feel good even if I wear them all day long.

The next day I went and bought two more pair in different colors. Hey, they are just pajamas, but they make me feel good. The better you look the better you feel, right?

So comb your hair, brush your teeth and put on a pretty necklace. Find something comfortable that makes you feel pretty and then climb back in bed if you need to. I promise, just knowing you look nice even if you feel lousy will do wonders for your self-esteem.

Work at Home

It seems like forever since I have been here. I haven't posted since November. It seems that every day I get sicker and sicker and I just haven't had the energy to blog. Just keeping up with editing at LoveToKnow has been a challenge.

That said, I am thankful to have a job where I can work at home. Where else could I work that would allow me to lay down when I am too exhausted to get up? Where else can I work from the comfort of my rather uncomfortable bed? I am very grateful to be able to work from home.

I have noticed that on may forums dedicated to fibromyalgia, the topic of employment comes up fairly often. This is to be expected since it is so difficult to hold down a job when you are sick all the time. Yet, when you look healthy, no one can understand why you can't work.

It is so hard to get support from family and friends who just don't understand your illness. How often have you had people tell you that it's all in your head or that you are just being lazy? How often have you secretly cried after such hurtful comments? You just want to scream "Do you think I like being stuck in bed?!"

Good grief, there are so many things I want to do! My kayak is feeling neglected. My yard looks like an abandoned lot. I have ridden my new bicycle all of three times in the last several months. My husband and I had been faithfully walking each evening and even that has fallen by the way-side. To top it off, my kids now look surprised when I actually get out of bed. How sad is that?

So I am glad I can earn an income. At least I have some value. I wonder how many people realize that there are lots of jobs that allow you to work at home. Granted most of them require phone work. But when you need to support a family, this is better than nothing. I have done it myself. I didn't like it, but I did it.

I want to recommend some forums that are very helpful for those wanting to find work that they can do from home.

*My favorite forum is WAHM.com. If you are looking for jobs that are home based, this is a great place to visit. Go to the forums and check out the Telecommuting Moms folder. You'll find lots of job leads as well as warnings about scams. There are other, more specific, folders as well.

*Another great site is Work Place Like Home. These forums also offer tons of information on work-at-home opportunities. I used to visit these two sites daily in search of legitimate home employment.

*A site that I recently discovered is Mommys Helper Community. This site doesn't have specific job leads, but it is a wonderful community for moms who run their own businesses.

*If you are a writer, the best place to find leads is Deb Ng's blog, Freelance Writing Jobs. This is still a daily stop for me even though I am pretty content with my current job. Deb always has a great deal of information to share with new writers as well. She also has a great community who are willing to share their own experiences. I always learn something new when I visit.

I hope these sites can help those of you who are in need of a source of income that is also flexible. It can be hard to find such a job when you need your work to revolve around your illness. If anyone else has a good resource, please post here as well. You never know who you might help.