Hello!

This post is going to be about food! I know there's a lot of flam about diet and its affect on fibromyalgia. I personally don't like highly processed foods to begin with, so these recipes are yummy and good for you too!

Fruit-Infused Water Instead of Soda
Database of FibroFriendly Recipes
Flare-Free Recipes

One of my favorite simple recipes is a sandwich of sorts.

Gluten-free flatbread
Strawberries
Avocado
Lemon juice (for left overs)

Pit and scoop the avocado and mash it up so it looks like butter, add a little bit of lemon juice. Spread the avocado on the flatbread, as much as you like. Slice up the strawberries and put them on the avocado, add as many as you like. Put it all together nice and neat with a glass of some fruit infused water and you have a buttery, desserty, healthy sandwich!

If you have any suggestions, feel free to post them in the comments or send them to me and I will add them on here!

Regards,

Shannon G.

Hello!

Today's post is about chronic illness and art. This one hits close to home with me because I am an artist. I graduated in December 2013 from Montserrat College of Art with my BFA and my work for my senior exhibition was about my struggles with fibromyalgia. This was mostly because at the time, I was having a lot of difficulty finding other artists with chronic illnesses who made art about it.

After doing some digging, I believe I've found a few for you all to look into!

Patti Edmon is a mixed media artist, photographer, and writer. She began making art when she developed autoimmune arthritis. The link to her blog has beautiful pictures of her pieces.

Rose E. Ranauro is a painter from Massachusetts that depicts diagram-like self portraits to display her interpretation of living with fibromyalgia.

Philip Fryer is a performance artist who does a lot of performance and sound work based on chronic pain.

The Pain Exhibit is "an online educational, visual arts exhibit from artist with chronic pain with their art expressing some facet of the pain experience. The mission is to educate healthcare providers and the public about chronic pain through art, and to give voice to the many who suffer in silence."

     As always, if you have any suggestions, please feel free to post them in the comments or send them to me and I will add them above!

Regards,

Shannon G.

Hello!

Today I'm going to talk about insomnia.

Is Fibromyalgia to Blame for Your Sleep Problems?

Well, it is a common symptom for the chronically ill to have sleep problems. Now, I know a lot of people are unclear of what insomnia is. I know I was before I was diagnosed with it. As defined by the Library of Medicine:

 Insomnia is trouble falling asleep or staying asleep through the night. Episodes may come and go (episodic), last up to 3 weeks (short-term), or be long-lasting (chronic).

When you add fibromyalgia into the mix, it can make things worse. 

So when it comes down to it, you are more than likely going to need help with sleep in order to keep yourself functioning. I personally prefer herbal remedies for this issue, such as valerian root and chamomile tea but you may want to talk to your doctor about it for what is best for you. Fibromyalgia is different for everyone, after all.

Here are some other articles:

Fibromyalgia and Sleep - WebMD

Insomnia & Fibromyalgia - About.com

100 Tips for Coping with Fibromyalgia & Insomnia

Combating Insomnia in Fibromyalgia Patients

Hope this helps!

If you have any suggestions, feel free to post them in the comments or send them to me and I will add them on here!

Regards,

Shannon G.

Hello!

Today I'm going to list some other website resources for you!

What's the Deal With Fibromyalgia? - A website with lots of information and a blog run by the lovely fellow fibro Simone.

But You Don't Look Sick - The location of Spoon Theory and a collection of articles and other resources! (PLEASE READ THIS IF YOU ARE GOING TO DO ANYTHING WITH THIS SITE.)

Chronic Body Pain - A collection of articles on a number of different illnesses and symptoms.

Fibromyalgia via Medical Encyclopedia - Fibromyalgia as defined by the National Library of Medicine, including symptoms.


I hope these are helpful to you and can direct you to any answers you cannot find elsewhere.

If you have any suggestions, feel free to post them in the comments or send them to me and I will add them on here!

Regards,

Shannon G.

Hello!

     I'm going to start off this blog with a short definition of what fibromyalgia is according to the National Library of Medicine:

Fibromyalgia is a common syndrome in which a person has long-term, body-wide pain and tenderness in the joints, muscles, tendons, and other soft tissues. Fibromyalgia has also been linked to fatigue, sleep problems, headaches, depression, and anxiety.

So, there's a basic medical idea of fibromyalgia.

     Now, why am I called a Spoonie? Well, that would be because of Christine Miserandino's Spoon Theory. Originally, Ms. Miserandino used this theory to describe her experience with lupus, but many with chronic illnesses have adopted this idea to better explain their pain and suffering to more able-bodied people.

A little on myself:
     My name is Shannon, I've been suffering from chronic pain and fatigue since I was 11. For three years, I was tested continuously for lupus, then diagnosed with juvenile arthritis and chronic migraine syndrome. I had that diagnoses up until May 2012, after coming home from studying abroad. I was finally diagnosed with fibromyalgia.

     I'm very quiet in terms of my health, I don't like making a big fuss. My mother often forgets I have a chronic illness because I don't complain. It wasn't until my last semester of college that anyone from school outside of my roommates knew I suffered, as I made my senior thesis show about my condition.

     I hope to make this blog to reach out to the fibro community and to help find and spread information and become a resource for others.

Regards,
Shannon G.