Happy Father’s Day to all the Chronic Illness Warriors out there, or anyone who supports them!

My daughter’s last day of school is this upcoming Wednesday. Naturally, she excited. Probably also naturally, I am not. Don’t get me wrong, I adore my daughter. I love taking her on adventures to places she’s never been, and back to all our favorite places. But after my husband leaves for work around 8:30, she is mostly mine and mine alone to care for until 6pm or later when my husband gets home. I have help. Both my parents and my in-laws live in the area and they do watch her, but it’s intermittent. So what’s a parent like me to do?

I compiled a list of five things I’m planning to do so I don’t throw myself into a flare overdoing things while my daughter is home. I hope they help you as much as I’m hoping they’ll help me:

1. Enlist help: Yes, as I said above, both sets of her grandparents live in town and are able to help out, especially when I’m not feeling well. I haven’t talked to my mother-in-law, but I’m hoping she’ll take a day off my hands. Even if help exists in the form of having cousins get together or something similar, it still means it’s not just you and your kid(s) all summer long.
2. Trade with other mothers: One of the other mothers from my daughter’s class asked if I wanted to trade days each week. I’ll take both my daughter and hers (they’re good friends) on Tuesdays for about five hours and she’ll do the same on Wednesdays. So right now, Wednesdays are covered for the most part. I don’t want to shuttle my daughter to different houses every day, but it’s nice to know I will have a day off each week to get my massages, see my doctors, or simply sit at home in the air conditioning. Maybe I’ll go out to our new concrete patio and veg.
3. Look for summer camps or classes that would interest your child(ren): My daughter is starting competitive gymnastics at the end of this month, which means two classes for an hour and 15 minutes each. I predict she’ll love them. Unfortunately, competitive gymnastics classes are costly, so I really don’t have money to do more than an occasional class or two. At this point she isn’t scheduled for any, and that’s okay. But it’s certainly an option for a mom looking for a respite, even if only for a few hours.
4. Buy unlimited passes for attractions near you that your child(ren) enjoys: My daughter and I bowl. Sometimes I have some trouble because of fibro pain, but even if that’s the case, I can bring her. The passes for unlimited summer bowling are $22 each, and that mom I’m trading days with gave me money to get a pass for her daughter too, so even better! I’d suggest somewhere that’s not the same every time, whether a small amusement park, a bowling alley, or something similar, over a place that doesn’t change much like the zoo. The boredom factor may set in with repeated visits to such a place.
5. Be careful when making your schedule: We all know chronic illness warriors can throw ourselves into a flare if we try to push too hard for too long. If you know you’re going to spend a day out somewhere, stay home the next. Your child(ren) should understand your illness. Don’t think you’re fooling them into believing everything is fine. My daughter is only 7 and yet gets that there are days we’ll be laying in my bed and watching movies or coloring. If your kids aren’t okay with that, at least try to rest while they play elsewhere. Maybe your children will go next door to play with a child there, or down to the basement to shoot each other with Nerf guns. As long as it’s safe and keeps them happy and occupied, I say go for it.

What other tips do you have for making sure you don’t set yourself back this summer? Tell me in the comments!

I tend to be skeptical about many treatment options for fibromyalgia and, more generally, autoimmune diseases. In dealing specifically with fibromyalgia, we know there are no drugs that can “cure” the illness, just different ones to deal with the symptoms. Also, no other treatments address the illness itself; all are symptomatic only.

So when I go see one of the seemingly never-ending line of doctors who deal with this or that aspect of my fibro, and they suggest a treatment, I never jump for joy. For one thing, I’ve probably already heard of it. I’ve already researched it and rejected it as something I believe would help me. But I’m not a doctor, so despite my reservations, I’ve agreed to try some of the treatments.

Right now I’ve got a dilemma. My neurologist wants me to try a gluten-free diet. I know all about leaky gut syndrome, but it’s one of those things that doesn’t appear to have any correlation to my fibro. That’s why I’ve never gone gluten-free before.

Gluten-free can be a slippery slope. It’s difficult for someone like me who is often on the go to avoid all foods with gluten. The diet can actually harm you or create symptoms you never had before. But would it help me? Perhaps.

What are your experiences with going gluten-free? Tell me in the comments!

I’ve had migraines for years, but they’ve grown especially hard to deal with since being diagnosed with fibromyalgia. I don’t know if it’s the stress of learning the new normal, dealing with more going on health-wise than ever, or something else.

Like most people, I hate migraines. Mine aren’t “regular” migraines. The doctors call them tension migraines, which basically means they’re a combination of different types of tension triggers and classic migraines. Having more ways to get a migraine doesn’t make it them any easier to deal with, believe me. The pain, the brain mushiness, the overwhelming tiredness…they all weigh down on you.

Millions of people suffer from migraines. For years the biggest things I’ve wondered is – why can’t they figure out what causes migraines? Why can’t they do better than mitigate the symptoms; even somewhat? Medical advances have come so far in tons of ways, but doctors the world over are stumped about migraines?

Yes, I realize migraines can come for a variety of reasons. There’s nothing about them that’s simple or uncomplicated, but few health issues are.

So how do we cope, before, during, and after the migraine hits?

Before:

• Keep a migraine log. Know what you ate, drank, and did activity-wise before your migraines have come on. Look for a pattern.
• Do what you can to manage your stress. Migraines are not always brought on by stress, but they certainly play a part.
• Watch your alcohol intake. Beer and red wine seem to be especially bad for triggers.
• Other triggers can include food additives, hormones, and withdrawing from certain drugs. Even bright sunlight or a weird odor can bring one on.

During:

• Hot or cold showers can help. Not everyone finds relief from any method of treatment, but there are worse ways to spend 20 minutes.
• Medicine, whether prescribed or over the counter, are also considerations. Be careful, though. It’s easy to take too many pills or mix the wrong pills when your head feels like an anvil fell on it. Painkillers, muscle relaxers – there are tons of options out there and lots of ways to combine them, both good and bad.
• Massage therapy is also a viable option. I get massages every two weeks, and have been for about seven years. Since my injuries are chronic, they’re a part of an overall treatment plan.

After:

• Try to get some rest, or, even better, sleep. Depending on who you are and what your headaches feel like, sleep may be your friend or your enemy during the acute attack. Too much sleep is bad; too little sleep is also bad.
• Light exercise might help you feel more “with it” again. Having a migraine often makes you feel disconnected from the world. Even running a few errands can do the trick.
• Start eating. One of the common things that go wrong when you have a migraine is your diet. You might be hungry, you might not be. You could be eating junk, or whatever’s easiest at the moment. No one can blame you for any of that, but you must get back on track.

There’s enough advice out there to fill a small ocean. These are just things that work for me. Take them as that, and I hope they help you!

Do you have any different methods of coping? Tell me in the comments!