Fibromyalgia Study - Week 15

Its the end of week 15 and nearly the end of the day. Today was a busy day! I had to get up at 6 am so I could do traction, wobble chair, and weights before we left for Salt Lake for the day. We hunted eggs with Kaleb's family, went to an 80th birthday party for Kaleb's grandma, and stopped by my sister's house to play with the cousins for a little bit and pick up a bag of clothes. We got back home around 7:30 pm. It was a long day and my knee started hurting by the middle of it. I played the piano for about an hour at the 80th b-day party, and that may have started the knee pain; however, I really do enjoy playing the piano and since we don't have one I take all the chances I get to play. It really isn't too much fun to ride 2 hours home in a car when your knee is hurting. :)

So this week on Thursday I started the weights. Someday I will post a picture of how I look when I have all of my weights on, but for now you will just have to image how funky I look. The first night I put them on Kaleb said that we should take a picture so I could see how I look. I quickly reminded him that we have a full-size mirror in the hallway so I can already see how "cute" I look with them on. First, I strap on 8 pounds around my waist. They are in two pouches that hang from a belt that I buckle on. Next, I put on a posture strap, no weights attached to this. The strap is supposed to keep you in the correct upright posture while you are wearing the weights. Then, I add what looks like half of a vest on my right shoulder and buckle it around my chest. In the front part of the vest is 5 pounds and in the back 3 pounds. Last, I put a strap on my head that holds two 2 pound weights. These stick up above the strap, making me look like I have metal "bunny" ears. The strap sits right above my eyebrows and wraps around the head. Once I have this all on, I set the timer for 20 minutes and then have to walk around. I can walk in place, which gets boring really fast, or I can walk around and around my little 900 square feet apartment. I have to try and keep my eyes and head level and look out level in front of me. Luckily, the time doesn't drag too bad. At the end of the 20 minutes I sit down and unbuckle all of the weights. Wow! It sure does feel good to take off 20 pounds in less than a minute.....sure wish I could take off 20 pounds of extra body weight that fast!!!

So here is my new daily exercise schedule:
Morning = traction, wobble chair, weights
Mid-day = traction, wobble chair, weights
some time during the day = 6-way dorsal stretch, 20 thoracic rolls
Just before bed = traction, wobble chair, weights, blocks

Traction = 60 pulls for 7 seconds each
Wobble Chair = 4 warm-ups with 10 reps, 1 warm-up with 25 reps, 100 front-back, 100 side-side, 75 figure 8's w/down first, 75 figure 8's w/up first
Weights = 20 minutes walking
Blocks = 20 minutes

It really is quite a work out!! It takes me about an hour to do traction, wobble, weights. On Monday and Thursday I also go into the clinic. There we have to do traction and weights and then get adjusted as needed. I had planned to complete tons of half finished projects after I graduated in December. But then we found out about this study. I was so blessed to get into the group of 11 that get all of their care fully paid for. I was soooo excited to get the opportunity to get to change my life and get feeling better and hopefully cure my fibromyalgia. They told us it wouldn't be easy and that it would take a lot of work. I don't think I thought it would take this much work, but I'm not complaining about that. I'm excited to be learning how to heal my body and how to care for it for the rest of my life, but all those half finished projects...?.... Well I have finished a couple.....but the rest will have to be patient. Eventually I will finish all of them, but right now the most important thing is that I take this opportunity to get better!!!

Fibromyalgia Study - Week 14

Yes, I missed week 13...that's what happens when you have fibromyalgia and a cold...your brain doesn't always work right! I totally forgot about posting! So anyways....

Week 14
The cold is getting better, but it is still lingering around. The weather has gotten warmer and that should help me start to feel better also.
Up till now the study focus has been to align the neck and strengthen the muscles to prepare to start the head weights. And now, we are ready for the head weights. On Thursday we are having a meeting and the dr is going to explain it all to us and what other exercises we will still need to do. Supposedly when you start the weights you start to see bigger changes in how you feel...I am really hoping this is true!! I've been very tired, but really when you look at all I am putting my body through right now it is understandable. My knees and elbows have been hurting and the dr checked them and put them back into place, not necessarily a very fun thing, but now they are feeling better. I just keep going because I've been in pain for so long, that I figure that what is some more pain.

Fibromyalgia Study - Week 12

End of week 12
--- good news -- I don't have to do the turtle exercise any more. The muscles it was working are now strong enough. Dr says I'm almost ready for the weights.
--- bad news -- Major fluctuations in the weather! Nice and sunny one day, snowing the next, makes my fibro hurt tons more. Add in the lovely time of the month and you get Alicia in lots of pain.