Reality TV and Me

I was chatting with N the other day about how weather changes affect my fibro symptoms. Michigan weather is not the best because of the humidity so we started talking about other places that could be good. I was thinking maybe San Diego, but N suggested the OC. Of course, I was all over that. Just think, I said, I could have my own reality show like the one on MTV. I can sing badly and hook up with a loser boyfriend like Heidi and quit an internship at Teen Vogue and be kind of nasty to my girlfriends like Lauren. N says she would definitely watch.

I was thinking about it today before taking my mid-morning nap.

There could be lots of shots of me sleeping and reading which would be super exciting. Other bits could show me with T, the wonder horse. I'd throw in the occasional trip to Target or the mall to change the scene and add depth. Every other day, we could film at the office. Just think how much fun it would be watching me type compensation plans. It could be a winner.

Sadly, MTV might be too hip for me. I'm afraid VH-1 or maybe even the History Channel viewers are more likely my target demographic.

At least, N would watch. Or so she says now.

Just When You Think

Just when I think I've got a handle on the whole fibromyalgia and balance thing, I get hit with a flare-up: exhaustion, pain, headache, the whole works. I've been sacked out on the couch since this morning and am now just moving around a bit. Grrrr.

OK, so I regroup today and start again. There's no other choice.

Thank goodness for books. I just finished Sleeping with Schubert by Bonnie Marson. The soul of Franz Schubert invades the body of Brooklyn attorney, Liza. Suddenly, she can play the piano brilliantly and compose music. But Liza and Franz have to figure out how to work together. And Liza has to convince others that she's not going nuts. In my opinion, if your body is going to be invaded, Schubert would be better than fibromyalgia. Too bad that's not the way things work.

A Little Hope Springing in Summer

My summer is finally getting into gear because I feel well enough to do things. Well, thing anyway. With fibromyalgia, I have about enough energy to do one thing a day. If I work, that's it. If I ride, that's it. If I go shopping, that's it. If I go out to lunch with friends, that's it. If I go away, I always plan for at least one recovery day before I have to go back to work.

To be honest, the whole thing is kind of a drag.

I am thinking about checking out a new treatment center. One of my riding buddies, L, has been going to the Fibromyalgia and Fatigue Center in Troy. I ran into her at the barn the other day and she looked great. Like she had energy. She says that the first few months of treatment were hard but now she feels better than she has since she first got sick. That sounds hopeful. Of course, there's a downside. The cost.

I have been on the emailing list for the center for a couple of years now but have been afraid to commit to unknown costs - visits, supplements, prescriptions, etc., etc. - none of which would be covered by my insurance. A few weeks ago, before I talked with L, I got an email from the center explaining that they were establishing a comprehensive care package with set pricing. I'm still afraid to see the monthly cost but it might be worth a phone call and a few hours of sitting in their monthly informational meeting just to check it out.

Spring is the season of hope, but I might just be catching a glimmer of it this summer.

This creativity thing is hard

I just realized how long it's been since my last post. So I'm trying to come up with something interesting to write.

Hmmm...

La, la, la...

Nope, nothing.

Sigh.

Coffee Update Or How I Found a Justification to Drink More Coffee

Hooray for Nova Science Now.

I had been feeling a little bit like a loser in the me versus coffee games because I couldn't quit my coffee habit. I have cut down on the number of cups I drink at work by quite a bit going from, say, forty cups a day to two or three. But the experiment to go cold turkey was a bust. I felt lousy and brain foggy and pretty much a total mess without my fix. It was a disappointment because there is so much advice about giving up caffeine to become healthier.

I was thinking about gearing up to try to quit again when I caught part of Nova Science Now. Get this. Experiments with mice have shown that they gain distinct memory improvement when given the equivalent of five cups of coffee a day. In the experiment, the mice were unable to remember a maze that they had learned in the past until they were started on the caffeine. After only a short time with the coffee equivalents, they remembered.

Clearly this means that I should drink coffee. After all, why watch science shows unless you take the information they present and use it to support what you want to do anyway?

Me and the mice and coffee. Thanks for the memories.