Writing, Shipbuilding, and Fibromyalgia

Doug's ideas on my last posting:

I think the important thing is that we decide what you should do at each level. Or perhaps better to just simplify the pain level to: 1) Good, 2) Not Good, 3) Bad and then add an apporach level system. Something like: 1) Normal Routine, 2) extra drugs and more sleep, some together time, 3) lots of drugs, as much sleep as possible, lots of attention. Then you could go to "pain level 2" but decide to stay on "treatment level 1". Then after it's been on "pain level 2" for too long, you could switch to "treatment level 2" or even "treatment level 3" if it's still a "pain level 2" but the duration is just been too much.

So that could mean

Pain level - Good. Treatment level 1 - Continue with necessary amounts of sleep and medications
Pain level - Not Good. Treatment level 2 - Extra sleep with first the use of homeopathic meds and then minimum use of prescription meds like Flexeril and Lortab, more than normal amount of attention
Pain level - Bad. Treatment level 3 - More sleep, maximum use of Flexeril and Lortab, lots of attention

We've noticed that sometimes it's not the intensity of the pain that can really drag me down, it's the duration of it. After a week of Not Good, I often just need some relief. And lots of Doug's attention always makes me feel better. :)

I updated the look of the blog to make it more personalized and organized. I'll try to keep my posts more organized, too.

Work in Progress
I'm finishing up the outline of the Squalus book today. I like a detailed outline when I write a book this long because it helps me to see how the chapters will flow. Sometimes it seems like it's the hardest part.

Family
The last few weeks have been busy with settling Randi and Aden in while Carl gets ready to leave for Afghanistan. While I'm proud of Carl's role, it's hard for me not to worry - I'm a mom.

Pain
My pain level was pretty high two weeks ago but has come back down. Today it's less than a two.

Doug and I tried to come up with a workable pain level continuum but it's been hard. :)
Basically I have four levels:

Under 2
More than 2 but less than 3
3
Over 3

which could translate into:

OK
Good
Not So Good
Bad

I think we'll stick with the number system - we're now calibrated to it.

Picture of the Day

I love our tattoos. Too bad they stay out of sight for the winter months. Maybe global warming will change that. :)

Having a plan helps me to manage my pain on a daily basis. Often when I would know that I was getting ready to go through a downturn on the cycle, I would become anxious and depressed. So my husband and I came up this one:

Level 1 - Little to no pain. No interference in physical or cognitive skills. No needs for meds. Usually I need 9 hours of solid sleep to maintain a level 1.

Level 2 - Rise in pain often first noticed as the ache in my upper left arm and shoulder. I begin to twitch and stretch my left shoulder - that a big tip-off to my level of discomfort. This starts to happen when I become tired, didn't have enough sleep or haven't be active enough. I can still perform my routine physical and cognitive tasks. I also usually don't feel anxious at this step. My med regime is often valerian with passion flower or ibuprofen. Now is a good time to do extra yoga or walking.

Level 3 - All over pain - in my left shoulder, neck, back of head, between my eyes, behind left or right ear, sharp quick pains in extremities. Cognitive functioning decreases - memory, problem-solving - and so do physical abilities - coordination, balance, fine motor skills. The medications necessary to alleviate the pain at this level add to the mental and physical abilities - Flexeril and Lortab. Both make me drowsy and fuzzy-thinking. At this stage I stop using power tools (not a good idea to handle tools that spin at 6,000 rpm)

Level 4 - High level of pain. Time to take some meds and zone out for a day or two to recuperate. I can do simple tasks like housecleaning, laundry - puttering stuff. I usually can't read at this level but I can listen to audio books.