Last week I was really sick with some stomach bug. I am hoping it is just the flu and not some new chronic condition. Fibromyalgia has a way of stealing my innocence. I am aware that many chronic conditions seem to take place after regular illnesses and stress. This was the case for me with fibromyalgia. I initially had a cold virus and was dealing with some stressful situations in my life. The antibiotics might have also contributed to my body shutting down. Unfortunately now when I have an illness that lingers, I go back down memory lane (somewhat like pstd) and feel fear. Though I have recovered somewhat (meaning I can leave the couch), I still am struggling to eat.
Often when I start some exercise routine, I seem to get sick. Though if I probe closer, I generally fight infections regularly anyway, and have many allergies that can bring me down. A regular cold may hit me a bit harder than before fibromyalgia. I could pretty much function ok, but scaled down some. Because my life is already scaled down, and my body running with less energy, a cold can knock me out. I decided my body needed some rest, and limited my exercise last week.
Fortunately life always has many plan Bs to choose from. This week I will go with plan 15M. My goal is 15 minutes a day of some exercise even though I still feel sick. My neighbor needs her dog walked as she is recovering from surgery. This is a great place to start. I will also continue the P90X plan. As I anticipate more illnesses in the future, whatever time I miss for illness, I will extend to my plan. The P90X plan is geared for making changes every 3 weeks. So if I miss a week for illness, I will spend 4 weeks in that particular area. I might add a few sprints into my dog walking, but will take it easier on the running for now.
The good news about having stomach aches is I am forced to eat better. It seems I do better with healthier food – who knew? I even cooked up some tofu that didn’t taste too bad. Next time I will google how to cook tofu before cooking it. I don’t know why there isn’t instructions on the package like every other food you buy.
There is a good possibility the stomach pains are partly because of my medication reduction. Though I haven’t reduced my medication in weeks, it feels similar to what I experienced when going off other narcotics. For now I will continue to maintain my current level of medication.
Well off to call my neighbor about the dog walk. Wish you all a great week…..
Chronic Pain Journals 