Winter preparation 2012

Winters are different if you have rheumatoid arthritis and fibromyalgia.

There are a list of things to do:

HEALTH
Apart from the cold and bad weather which can make morning stiffness more uncomfortable, I also try to prevent the winter infections such as cold and flu. For some people ( including me), a bad infection where your immune system works like crazy could trigger a flare. This is my checklist for health:

1. Flu jabs - This needs to be taken every year, and ideally as soon as it is available in September/October. It takes a few weeks before the jab fully work. I usually take mine in pharmacies. 
2. Get ready antiseptic alcohol hand gel - very important to prevent catching cold/flu when going out and taking public transport
3. Disinfectant sprays for the home/office - My favourite is  "Neutraair" from Dettol for home. It is a "2 in 1 "-  eliminating odours and also killing bacteria at the same time
4. Omega 3 supplements and multivitamins
5. Medicine cupboard - antiviral for flu, cough and cold medicines, enough supplies of pain killers and medicines for RA/fibromyalgia. 
6. Stock up on heat plasters/muscle rubs which feels warm instead of cool

KEEPING WARM

1. Central heating - turn on the heating while it is still warm for a couple of hours to ensure everything is ok.
2. Double check your utility tariffs - you don't want to be caught with surprise increases
3. Additional quick heating available for mornings that are exceptionally cold (My heater fan bought in 2009 - it is one of the best investments I have ever made!)
4. Supply of stockings, thermals, gloves!
5. Supply of small towels and a working microwave for my hot towel compress ( sooth stiff joints)

PREPARING FOR "BAD WEATHER DAYS"

This is for "hunkering" down - days when you are unwell and don't want to get out, or the when the weather is really bad and you don't want to slip and fall. 

1. Stock up food  for bad weather days. I have a list of food that I always have in my fridge and cupboards in case I get a flare, and also have my list of "flare food". I make sure these are enough!
2. Working from home arrangements in place
3. Check other "supplies" e.g. detergents etc
4. If you have a car, it is also time to make sure that it is in good order and have your deicer etc ready

OTHER THINGS TO MAKE WINTER ENJOYABLE

These are the additional steps I take to make the winter a cozy one.

1. Coat/winter wear in good condition - check buttons, zips etc are in good condition.  I don't want to mend clothes in a dark winter night, especially if I have a flare
2. Shoes/Boots have good grips/soles in good conditions
3. Candles and lavender essential oils to make the home a cozy one
4. BISCUITS , instant hot chocolate   :)
5. Get ready some books and other "indoor projects". 

Does anyone out there have other tips?

Cheap heater fans are perhaps not that great - "to invest" in better ones

The cheap heater fan I bought in the high street store for next to nothing was really noisy. I was really afraid that it would explode or something! In the end, I decided to send it back to the shop.

Since the heater fan was really a good idea (practical and economical heating!), I did not intend to give it up. I decided to invest in something better. Surprise, surprise.. Amazon and Ebay still produced the cheapest options when I searched online. However, I was a little sceptical about getting a second hand or refurnished item. You never know with these things.

At the end, I settled on this little beauty on the left (after careful consideration of the purse factor).... 

I had seen the raves on this model in a few website. I wanted one with a thermostat which have a safety net and will auto shut off (really important if you have fatigue or fibro!!!). 
The model on the right was really tempting- it not only allows you to preset the temperature you want, it also comes with a remote control - imagine how useful this is in a chilly morning: stay in your bed, turn it on, and get warm! There is also a Dimplex model which I think is very good value for money, but I am not too sure about its shape/size: I am not too keen to drag something big around with these creaky bones. It will be great for those people who can buy one for each room/really macho & muscular.
With all these homework done on keeping warm, I am keeping fingers crossed that it will be all warm and cosy without a utility bill that kills me by the end of the month. I want to KEEP WARM, not becoming BROKE!
18/04/12 update: 3 winters later, our Delonghi fan heater is still going strong, and is probably the most cost-effective electrical appliance we every bought. 

Fan heater - it is actually economical!

I got a little fan heater :) It is just a tiny gadget and it consumes 2.4kW. 





Now that the weather is not that cold yet, I just need to turn it on for about 5 minutes every morning when I wake up and change to get to work. It is another 5 minutes when I get home so that it is all warm and toasty when I change. Because it is portable, and I literally "POINT n BLOW" to warm up a section at home. 

And I learned a wonderful trick too.Nothing great, just basic science:

Warm air goes up, and duvets trap heat pretty well.

I put the heater quite near by bed. Just before going to bed, I pointed the heater to the direction of my bed, turned it on, and lifted the duvet up. In a few minutes, a nice warm of layer air would be trapped trapped between the duvet and my bed. My duvet is 13.5 tog, and that was usually enough to keep me nice and warm. In late autumn and early spring, that was what I need. 

The weather is already quite chilly, but not really cold yet. By this time, I usually would have turned on my central heating. However, I found that all I need was about  20 minutes of that fan. Is that economical?
Lets check the cost!


 2.4 x (20/60)hour x unit price =0.8 x cost/unit of electricity for one day of heating.


The cost of day time electricity for my tariff was 17.5 pence/unit.


Therefore, if I use the fan for 20 minutes a day, the cost is 0.8 x17.5 p =14pence per day.
In one month, it would cost me around £3.50.


The cost would go up to £5.20 per month if I use it for 30 minutes per day.


Therefore, despite the bad reputation of fan heaters, it is actually cost saving if you consider that you can use the other sources of heating less or delay turn on your central heating!

p/s: Invest just a little bit more to get a decent heater fan. We found out later that the cheapest product on the high street was a disappointment. 

Winter heating - storage heaters are not that economical at all!

Storage heaters are false economical solutions - I think.

Although they use the "off peak" night time electricity to charge up (at about half the day time rate), it is still seven hours of electricity consumption per day. To make things worse, they make the room too warm in the early morning - when they are warm enough and start discharging the heat, but the room would not be warm enough in the evenings. As these oldies do not come with a timer, trying to adjust them means really poor quality of sleep for us. Imagine how well you can sleep if at the back of your mind, there is a little voice which says "wake up to turn off heater, otherwise the bills will give you a heart attack".

I just went to check my model and realised that it consumes 2.5kW. Since it is auto on for 7 hours, I use 17.5kWh per day or 17.5 units per day! I checked my unit price and multiplied that by 17.5 for the cost of 1 heater per day.


At 17.5*30*unit price = the price per heater per month. 
That just happens to be equivalent to 2 weeks of groceries money for me and hubby! 


I have two such units, one for the bedroom and one for the living. That is great isn't it. Turn on the both of them and we can succeed in our dieting goal. And ohh, did I mention that I have two smaller heaters for the bathroom and the hall? They just consume a measly 0.9kW each. 0.9*2*30*unit price = £15 - almost what i spend on fuel for my tiny car to get me to the supermarket per month.  I almost forgot about that boiler which takes care of my hot water supply!


Having worked those out yesterday afternoon, I went to the nearest electrical shop and bought a cheap heater fan.. I think that wonderful heater fan which cost me about £3-5 per month to run deserves its own post!

Signs that you are not keeping warm enough?

When winter comes, keeping warm is a decision - do you want to spend that money to keep warm?

Like many people, we try not to turn on the heating until November.  Turning on the heating "on demand" would result in sky high bills. I have been putting on layers since the beginning of October, and going to bed early, before I really feel the chill.

Perhaps that is a bad idea. I am now beginning to recognise the symptoms of not keeping warm enough. These are so similar to my fibromyalgia and rheumatoid arthritris symptoms, that to be honest, it is difficult to distinguish.

These are the signs that I have not been keeping warm enough, I think:

• Stiff shoulders - stiff neck. 
• Headache related to the stiff shoulders and neck
• Upper back (shoulder areas) cold to touch
• Generalised stiffness, especially in the mornings. My elbow frequently gets out of my duvet when I sleep and that is the joint that takes the brunt of the cold.
• Generalised tiredness from all those stiffness
• Symptoms not improved by the usual medications/massage that help with stiffness

Keeping the whole room warm is really too expensive for us. I suspect that the "economical" storage heaters that we have in our old, rented flats that not that economical after all. Perhaps I should find a cheaper way to keep warm...

Autumn...

It is that time of the year again. The colours begin to change, and Mother Earth is preparing itself for a long good rest.And it is also the time for me to ask that question again " How do I manage my arthritis in the winter?" "How do I prevent my fibromyalgia from worsening in the winter"?

I have a strange love for winter. I love its quietness, I love the opportunity for a rest. No one bothers you about whether you are going on a holiday or "what do you do this weekend?". I dread those questions, to be honest, especially whenever I was dead tired. Do I tell them, " I sleep through the weekend. I had no energy for anything"?

But autumns bring those cool chilly mornings - a reminder that it is going to get colder in the following months and where the stiffness of my joints become more apparent in the mornings. It is a struggle to go to work some days.

These are the days that I need to prepare myself.  How do I keep warm? How do I keep well?

I am so glad that I have been keeping this blog. As I seldom post, I have been tempted many times to delete it. However,  I found my old posts so useful to check out which strategies worked for me, and I am glad that these are now becoming tips that I share with my friends - "how do you take care of your arthritis in the winter"?

Calm and happy = happy joints!

There is no mistake in the title.

I am just reinforcing the message -- to myself. It is funny when I would advise others about staying calm and happy , when my own life had been filled with some sort of heaviness. I have not really smiled or laughed for more than 3 weeks, apart from the time I spent in the at work. Funny, isn't it? Work is heavy but at least, I have some really funny colleagues to laugh with me and make things bearable.

At home, I have nothing to smile about and nothing to laugh about. Needless to say, this sort of emotion is a type of stress, and I begin to ache seriously all over the place since two days ago. My joints are getting swollen and I feel so tired all the time. I better watch some comedies tonight.

Top tips for a good night's sleep

I watched a programme about ten tips to sleep well, and I thought it is a good one to note down. Many of these are stuff we already know, but it is still a useful checklist.

1. Take a warm bath 1 hour before bed time. The key thing is the warm bath increase you core body temperature. When they body temperature drops back to normal, you relax and feel drowsy!
2. Try squeezing and relaxing of muscle groups, starting from the feet, and pay attention to the buttocks! (This works!)
3. If you cant sleep well, get out of the room, Only limit a certain number of hours in the room for sleeping. (This works, I know. )
4. For snorers/partners who snore, some OTC remedies may work!
5. Blue light from natural day light is responsible for reduction of melatonin which promotes restful sleep. So, get a good curtain for summer, and a blue light for winter!
6. If travelling across time zones, fast on the plane. When landing, take the food according to local time. Ie,if you land in the morning, have breakfast. The fasting will apparently help the "food clock" to take over
7. No coffee or tea at least 4 hours before bed time
8. Lavender smell/tea and valerian tincture helps! 
9. If you cant get enough of sleep, but can nap, the most efficient time to nap is between 2-5 pm, for half and hour. (This works too! Have been doing this all the time while i was a student)
10. Food - carbohydrates send you to sleep. Carbohydrates encourage the uptake of tryptophan into the brain, which then turn into serotonin. It is the serotonin which makes you sleepy(and happy!) Protein does the opposite. So,protein for lunch and carbo for dinner! (Protein keeps you alert! My pharmacology lecturer gave us the tip of consuming a light protein meal before exams!)

Good luck, Woman. Hope he gets well soon

My best friend, who I call "Woman" just told me some bad news. Her husband has reactive arthritis, since a few months ago. The symptoms started not long after a flu jab, and he has been getting flares since.

A myriad of thoughts and feeling went through my mind, and I just wish to hug Woman tightly, and tell her, "It is alright. You will manage".

Woman is a strong woman. She dealt with many things in her life.  She is a fighter, no matter how heart broken she gets. She was the one who, as a medical student, went through my initial symptoms with me and told me I was right. I had disagreed with the doctor's diagnosis then, but was not sure if I was right. Afterall, I was still a student, unqualified yet. I was angry that my complains of swelling were ignored, and basically "shoo-ed" away. I was treated as if I was making things up. Woman told me she agreed with my own diganosis. Migrating polyarthritis. My age. Sudden onset. My fatigue. All the signs and symptoms of something nasty. 

Now Woman has to go through the process. This time, the patient is her husband. She had seen her cheerful and energetic friend became quiet and tired at all times, always in pain. Now her husband goes through the same process. When we last spoke, he valiantly tried to sleep through a bad flare. This time she understands more than she did with me, but i still have to remind her that RA saps your energy. You don't even have time/energy to feel depressed, unless an event set it off. He needs all the understanding and love a of a wonderful wife to go through this tough stage.

I had this comment for my post about keeping warm while at home.

"I can't believe you. You are very lucky to be able to do what you can. Some of us fibromites as you call us do not have the luxury of not working. I get my self out of bed every weekday and go to work no matter what pain level or fibrofog level. If I didn't work, I wouldn't have a home, healthcare, or food. If you are going to hurt lying around the house in your toasty socks under a lapquilt, why don't you experience the same pain at a job. My job is very taxing for anyone with fibro, I teach full day Kindergarten in public school in a very low economic area. Get over yourself. The rest of us are just a bad, if not worse."

Can someone pls explain to me what "get over yourself" means, in this context?  I can't quite understand what Martha wanted to say. 

Did she say I whine too much? I am sure I do - whine a lot. Where else can I whine if not on this blog? This is where I do my whining and crying.

While I do admire Martha's strength to work through all fogs and pain, I would not expect it from everyone. I am not sure what people mean by "fogs". The worst period for me was when I crossed roads and almost hit by car, just couldn't remember to turn the stove off, and could not copy down a series of 6-8 numbers (ie bank account) from one page to another. Walk to work? There were times I walked to the nearby store to get a carton of milk but forgot halfway why I was there, and where I was supposed to walk to. 

I dont believe that you CAN work because you NEED to work. I had been there. When you really can't it means you really can't. Insisting in doing so only put yourself in danger, and you may endanger others too. But I do believe, given the right treatment

Thanks for leaving comments in this blog, and I always look forward to receive your comments, especially if it is someone with fibromyalgia, or living with other chronic conditions.  However, some comments do puzzle me, and cause me to read it over and over again - what are they trying to say? Or perhaps should I suspect that they did not really read by blog? 

Slow cooker meal : Caribean Chicken

Caribbean Chicken

3 tbsp veg oil
2 large onions, chopped
4 sticks celery, chopped
3 carrots, sliced
500g mushrooms, sliced
2 red peppers, sliced
8 chicken joints, skinned
400g can sliced peaches
400g can pineapple chunks
10 tbsp cornflour
3 tsp paprika
3 tbsp soy sauce
3 tbsp worcestershire sauce
8 tbsp malt/wine vinegar
1 litre boiling water
salt & pepper

Fry onions, celery, carrot, mushroom and pepper in a pan.

Add chicken joints and fry until browned all over.

Drain peaches and pineapple, reserving juice, and add to pan.

To make sauce blend cornflour and paprika with soy sauce, worcestershire sauce, vinegar and reserved juice, add seasoning, boiling water and pour into pan.

Bring sauce to boil, stirring continuously.

Transfer all ingredients to slow-cooker, cover and cook 5-7 hours.

Autumn food - curry

Kicked off the autumn winter food yesterday with curry!!

I was really tired yesterday, and don't even feel like doing my simple (cheat's) curry.  

I decided to make something that is more easy that the simple curry - testing out cooking curry in my slow cooker!

I tried a brand new recipe - with lots of lentils. Food price is going up, honey. At the rate this is going, some adjustments need to be made in terms of food!

These were the  ingredients for a healthy SLOW cooker chicken curry:

1. 3 teaspoonful of curry paste (I prefer the Thai version)   £ 0.30? from a big packet which cost around £2.5
   
2. 3 table spoons of curry power for chicken (negligible cost! - £0.10-0.20)
   
3. about 6 drumsticks (or 1 chicken, whichever is cheaper) £1.60 - supermarket's own brand
4. 6-7 small potatoes (used new potatoes, so that I did not have to peel) - cut them into quarters - 1/3 of a 1 kg pack  which I bought for 50p -£ 0.20?
5. 3 onions - cut into 8 pieces - £0.20
6. 300g of dried split yellow peas (this is really really cheap, and a good source of protein. Howver, it might make you more "gassy" - soak in water first if you have the time!) -£0.40
7. 1 can of chopped tomatoes (because this is cheaper than the fresh ones!) £0.16
8. 1/2 teaspoon of salt

[Total cost; a maximum of £3.00, I overestimated the cost of the ingredients like split yellow peas etc. I bought a 1 kg packet for probably around 60p when on offer]

Methods? 

1. Dump everything into slow cooker.
   
2. Add enough water to cover ingredients.
   
3. Cook on low heat for about 6 hours.
   

Taste?

great! Although it is much less oily. 

You could use a preset timer, or cook just before you sleep. 

Advantage?

1. Using cheap electricity at night!
2. No sweat at all!
3. Healthy! This method means no oil for coconut cream, or even milk! Also no oil used to fry the paste.
   
4. Kitchen, or wherever you left the pot, would be warm! (Save on heating)
5. Lentils = cheap protein
6. Could add more tumeric power - anti - inflammatory!
7. Could add winter vege like curry and pumpkin.

Disadvantages!

1. The curry smell could be pungent! Make sure you leave the pot in kitchen if you do not like it!

Serve with bread or rice!  This pot of curry lasts for at least 3 meals for 2 persons!

Check out other curry recipes on the web!

Keeping warm - while at home

Here are some tried and tested way to keep myself warm while at home. 

Keeping the whole house warm is going to cost most that just keeping one or two rooms warm, we all know that.  So, one of the key things that I do is decide where I want to be most of the time, and keep that room warm and toasty.  

In my first winter as a fibromite, I noticed that it did not take too much effort from my small kitchen warm. I guess it is because of all the cooking - making stews, using the oven and boiling water. However, the kitchen was not the most comfortable place to stay for a whole day!

 Therefore, I made these simple changes which helped me to stay warm and not burst the heating bills: 

1. Bought a slow Cooker , made soups/stews (and also roasts!) in the living room. It made a difference to my small living room. Days with slow cooker around need less "boost" for my storage heaters. The photo in the link is how my slow cooker looked like. You might get it cheaper from a local store!
   
2. Boil water in the living room! I brought my kettle into my living room, and make coffee and tea from a small table! Cozy! The warmth from a hot kettle of water helps!
   
3. Keep feet warm. This made a lot of difference. I prefer to wear those fleecy socks. Allow my feet total freedom - important for an arthritic patient
4. Fleece blanket/throws. I put a throw over my shoulder/on my laps when I am sitting down to read etc. I guess it is an old trick which everyone knows.
5. Yoga Mat - good insulator for non-carpeted floor, and the perfect place to stretch!
6. To get those cold feet warm-- dance!!! Put on some nice CDs, DVDs and get moving! It is easy to forget moving. No matter how tired, painful, put on some nice, groovy entertainig stuff and just move! - even if it is only for a minute.
7. The hot towels always worked. particularly useful when you just come in from outside, or when there are sore muscles. I have describedy this before.
8. Windows, doors - draught excluders etc. There are plenty of these advice about keeping your house warm, and it is useful to check and see what could be implemented.

 these two are ultimate partners

Winter 2008 for a fibromite and RA patient

Winter is coming! 

I try my best to sound cheerful about this. In reality, I know that this is going to be a tough winter for most of us. Fuel poverty is going to be a problem for many. Keeping warm. Keeping warm in the face of electricity and gas bill increase. 

As for myself, I am faced with a 50% price hike. If it had cost me$100 per month in winter last year, it will be $150 this year. Factor in the increase in food prices and no increase in income, it will be a tough one. I know I am still fortunate. The economic crisis had hit my family, but one of us is still working now - me. I know this is a pretty unreliable source of income. I just need a bad flare, and that is it!

Ahhh, haven't you heard that opportunities come to those who are prepared for it? Let me rephrase it and say that "Full blown crisis will (hopefully) avoid the well prepared"?

I need to:

1. secure my income! - ie dun get it flare!
   
2. cut my expenses, or at least not let it soar.
   
3. get extra income
   

I need to keep warm, rest enough, and yet not fall sick and have the energy to get extra income. 

Tough, but i have been through worst times! Just look at my 2005 postings!  No reason not to keep my chin up.

Back from back packing!

Yes, I survived the trip, and lived to tell the tale!!

RA patient back packing - woahhhh

Fibromite back packing - this is a small personal victory for me!

I managed to survive with only a 20L back packing for a 10 day trip. My bag weighted about 7 kg, on the days I did not wear my jeans and had damp clothing. Otherwise, it was less than that. Not bad right? Take into account that the places I visited ranged from 25C to 5C! I must tell you that I mastered the art of layering. The art of choosing what clothes to bring, and keeping warm and cozy with a minimal weight of luggage is worth a post itself!

Some days were quite challenging, to be honest. I noticed swellings after a few days of wurst. Red meat spells trouble for me, but at some places, the cheapest, most convenient food (not to mention "safe" ie hot and low chances of contamination!) available is simply wurst or hot dogs, sausages and their cousins. On other occasions, the local food is simply very porky or beefy! This proved to be difficult for me and I ended up eating lots of bread. 

My schedule was planned with discipline. You might argue that that it takes some fun out of backpacking, but I would argue that the challenge makes my trip more fun. 

Any problems? Yes! I had my period. Yucks. Lots of cramps. I felt faint at one point, and so tired that I noticed I fibrofog striked! I simply had to tell my sister that my mind had switched off and she had to read the maps! 

Traveling!

This will be my first real travel in 6 years and my second attempt to back pack after my rheumatoid arthritis started. This would be the first trip since my fibromyalgia began.

I look forward to the trip with both excitement and worry. Excited, because I will be back packing with my sister, and yet at the same time, I worry about a relapse. Without hubby around, there will be no one to help me carry my bags!

A lot of planning had been put in, so that I alternate hectic and "train" times. Hopefully, those train rides would provide a rest day.

Since a few days ago, my palms have also swollen up and this made work really difficult. Typing and using the mouse had been really uncomfortable and sore. The sad news is I seemed to have put back all the weight I lost in the past month or so. I had been having hunger attacks with will popping those NSAID pills like candies. I hope everything turn up right for the trip

Stiff fingers

My MCP and PIP of my right hand ( and now my left too!) were swollen painful and stiff as soon as hubby went away for a few days for a meeting.

I have left home without a warm breakfast these two chilling mornings. Soaking in hot water seems to help, but I am no where good enough to handle a kettle.

Soldier on. To my colleagues, I am normal. Thank goodness I have always made it a point to be slightly ahead in my work and now I hope no one notices I have to slack a bit these two days.

Sardine curry: Very simple and cheap curry recipe

This is what I cooked for lunch. It is a perfect flare day food.

Curry and sardine is a delicious combination and provide two great ingredients for RA patients like me. It is particularly useful when I have a flare, and too tired to cook.

Here is another recipe of cheat's curry - sardine curry

Here is what you need:
1 table spoon of tom yam/ Thai curry paste (see my chicken curry page for photo)
1 can of sardine (or mackerel). It is alright to use whether in brine, sunflower oil or tomato sauce. Personally I prefer in brine/sunflower oil.
Milk - about 50 ml- 100 ml, depending on whether you want it dry or hot
1 small onion-sliced into rings, or diced (optional)

Methods:

1. Heat a small non-stick pan, turn to medium heat.
2. Add a few drops of oil- i normally use the sunflower oil from the canned fish
3. Brown onion, until it is soft.
4. Scoop in 1 tsp of curry paste, fry it for 2-3 minutes, until fragrant
5. Add fish. Fry for less than a minute. Mash it with fork/spatula.
6. Add milk.
7. Bring it to boil.

How to eat

• With BREAD: If dry, (use less milk), this will be a good consistency as a sandwich filler. Add a few slices of cucumber if you like.
  
• with rice or pasta: If more wet, it will be perfect as a pasta sauce. Can also scoop this over a plate of rice and serve with a few pieced of cucumber. Perfect.

Time taken: Less than 5 minutes if no onions are used.
Cost: REALLY really cheap!!! A can of supermarket brand sardine is probably the cheapest item in the kitchen cupboard.
Nutrition: High in omega-3 (anti-inflammatory), and contains lots of turmeric. Perfect food for those RA flares.
Challenge:Cutting and peeling the onion. Opening the can of sardine.

RA/fibro tips: I like to use it as a sandwich filler, with sliced bread. I cook more and eat this over two or three meals. Keep in fridge and reheat before eating. 1 can of sardine fills about 3 sandwiches nicely.

What to do when you have a fibromyalgia/rheumatoid arthritis flare?

A flare is not fun. No, there is nothing much you could do. You are sore and painful in many places, fatigue, and perhaps even having some brain fogs. Typing, like what I am doing now, may be quite limited too.

For me, a flare days means I move from bed- sleep or trying to sleep, to getting up to make myself some food (important - hunger creates more fatigue and fog, in my experience), doing something to kill the boredom - read, watch television etc and most importantly, my self-healing rituals. I call them rituals, as there are no scientific basis to most of these. This is the list of things I do

1. Take my medications - NSAIDS. This helps to lessen the pain and swelling.
   
2. Rest a lot - sleep.
   
3. Keep comfortably warm/cool. Sometimes I feel very hot during flares, and I will try to keep cool.
4. Take a hot bath/shower. The hot water relieve the stiffness.
5. Use hot towels - put it at places where there are taut bands/points. See my earlier post for details.
   
6. Acupressure and massage. I usually DIY, if my fingers are alright. I also use other objects to help. I find that the acupressure points are remarkably similar to trigger points. Acupressure is Eastern, while trigger point therapy was developed by Western trained doctor. I found this book by Clair and Amber Davies helpful: The Trigger Point Therapy Workbook: Your Self-Treatment for Pain Relief (Trigger Point Therapy Workbook: Your Self-Treatment Guide for Pain Relief). It is less than £10 from Amazon UK, a very good investment.

7. Stretch. This keeps you supple and relieve the stiffness. I normally only do this late morning, after the hot bath, and start with simple moves.
8. Eat well. This can be difficult sometimes- loss of appetite or no energy to prepare food. I eat lots of fruits (get it delivered, or get someone to buy it), or at least drink a lot of fresh fruit juices. I know how difficult this is, especially when the flare is prolonged. Fruits are really heavy and expensive if it is delivered. I also try to make sure I maintain my omega-3 intake- through pills or those tinned mackerels!

(Note...it takes a long time to put this post together. In between, I slept, ate, stretched, and soaked my fingers in hot water. I hope it is of use to others.)

Fog, fog stay away

Just half an hour ago, I found myself analysing a scientific paper, and developing a structured argument and commentary about it.

It is so late at night, I am awfully tired after a long day, but still, my brain worked! I am a scientist. Yes, I am a scientist. This should be normal??

Yes, and No!

I had this sudden sense of "Hallelujah", "thank God", "Amitaba" "Insya Allah". Awww.. I just wished to say thank goodness/Thank God in all the manners available to the major religions on earth. That is how grateful I am.

I suddenly realised that although I have not been that well these few weeks, and fatigue is affecting my concentration, my brains are still still working! My fingers are swollen (enough to get my physiotherapist who saw me today really concerned and strongly suggested I get a proper occupational evaluation and told me my legal entitlements).

Compare my life now to the days when I faught fibro fogs daily- this is still heaven despite the pain and fatigue. Fibro fogs is the most difficult part of fibromyalgia! That is true, at least for me!

If you are some foggy brain stumbling onto my blog, do not ever give up. There is hope at the end of the tunnel. Or should I say, the sun will shine and drive the fogs away one day?

.. and ahem.. can it say it again? "I am amazing"!!