October!

I can't believe it's October already. This time last year I was already feeling pretty cruddy. At the end of the month I will be celebrating my one-year sick-a-versary. Many of my symptoms came on long before I ever got pneumonia, but since then I have had very few good days.

I said earlier that I wanted to explain about my illness instead of just whining about it. I figured today would be a perfect time to start. It is the first day we have closed our windows since moving into our new apartment. I am wearing sweatpants (and socks), and I am drinking hot tea. That's right, it's the changing of the seasons.

Everyone who has fibromyalgia has a different set of symptoms. There is no neat little box that we all fit into. However there is one thing that most of us can agree with. That our symptoms are worsened by changes in weather and the seasons. When air pressure, humidity, and temperature changes, so does the severity of our pain, the frequency of our headaches, or the length of our flares.

What does this mean for me? The way I feel from one day to another depends on many factors, including the weather. Yesterday I went for a walk, as well as a quick trip to the grocery to pick a few things up. So with the drop in temperature today, I am having a very low key resting day. I am sore in all of my joints, my hips being the main culprit. My muscles ache like if I had a cold or the flu, and my head is teetering on the fine line of a headache. I'm also very sleepy and slept in longer than I would have liked.

What am I doing to help myself get through this day? I put on warm socks and a favorite pair of sweat pants. I heated up my heading pads (home-made, I will dedicate a post to them someday), and I made myself a pot of tea. From here on out all I can do is rest and stay warm until the weather changes again, my body adjusts, or I feel better.