Pain, Fibromyalgia

Pain is a funny thing.
When it is there, I am very aware of it.
When it is gone, I am not always aware of it.

Tuesday morning I woke up with a throbbing tooth and thought for sure it was heading for root canal. Made an appointment with my dentist for the next day then the throbbing left and never returned. Dentist could find nothing and said to return if and when the pain returned. He didn't even charge me for the visit.

Same thing happens with alot of my daily aches and pains. Some pain is chronic and felt everyday. Some twinging and intense pain spasms happen out of the blue and go away just as mysteriously. I started recording the pain since when it is gone, I am less aware of it. Also tried to remember previous bouts of pain over the decades. It is pretty clear I have been living with daily pain for as far back as I can remember. My ribs were so sensitive in my 20's that I had a huge fight with my DH since he had a tendency to poke me there. After comparing my pain sensations online and with friends, I am back to the conclusion that I have fibromyalgia which I have considered on and off over the decades. Yes there are other things going on like some injuries and arthritis complicating the sensations but it is clear that my tolerance for pain is more sensitive than what is normal. I cannot tolerate most pain meds without a bleeding tendency so am pretty much left with Acetaminophen/Tylenol, external Arnica, and whatever combinations of heat/icing, massage and exercise seem to help.

There is no magical cure. Just keep on muving, avoid triggers and do whatever helps to lessen the pain messages my nerves are sending to my brain. Stress plays a huge factor too so stressing over pain just makes the whole scenario worse.

ETA:
I decided to try Melatonin because it seemed to help me sleep in the past and may have been helping pain tolerance as well. Think I stopped using it because I was in a better sleeping pattern so didn't need it anymore at the time.

This morning I did the Jessica Smith Barefoot Sunset Walk on youtube. I love the variety of movements and how she tweaks them to loosen all of the joints. It may be the most therapeutic walking type workout. It's like a Nia Walk Fusion. Of course, I do most of it halftime.

Then I did the standing part of Katami Konditioning. Again the bar kept me in alignment as well as made me sweat while working mostly the core.

Finished with the standing part of the nice Classical Stretch for golfers on the Cardio Stretch dvd.

I feel much better now than I did before workingout.
I must make myself move more throughout the day too.

Weird Thyroid/neck Reaction

Yesterday, I had a scratchy throat either from allergies or a possible cold which I nipped with a good night's sleep and Hydrogen peroxide in the ears. After eating some very spicy food, I started to feel a tightness in my throat and neck and saw my goiter looked huge! I have an enlarged thyroid from benign cystic nodes. Started to worry that maybe surgery and thyroid medication was in the near future. I put Arnica gel on my throat which seemed to relieve the sensation and had a night time Tylenol last night to ensure good sleep. Anywho this morning I did wake up with a stiff neck and headache which worked itself out without any medication. Otherwise, neck looks and feels normal today! Of course, while this was going on I didn't realize my back was feeling much better LOL

This morning I warmed up on the bungee to GRDance youtube videos with just the slightest right knee twinge then did the Surfer Girls Cardio while holding a heavier homemade XCO and also the Abs Shred with just slight back twinges. Next alittle Misty's Alive and then the standing routine of Holden's Qigong for the Upper Back and Neck. Still some twinging in left mid back, right lower back/hip and right knee but way less intense than previous days. Was happy to get back on the bungee :)

Here's GRDance on youtube:
http://www.youtube.com/user/GRDanceFitness

Just Get Back Up in the Saddle

Only twinge that is bothersome today is still my right lat but not as bad as yesterday. Yesterday, because of my right lat acting up again, I focused on my lower body, both in doing whatever I could without aggravating my knee and in stretching the knee and hip. Found some Egoescue knee and hip stuff on youtube which I even uploaded to my blog. Once the hip felt fully released, my knee felt much better! I am now able to go up and down stairs alternating legs with hardly a twinge! Even lying in bed and turning over didn't bring on the dreaded jab of pain. Will experiment and see how much I can do on the bungee this morning.
However, I have rediscovered that there is alot to do off the bungee and have piles of stuff I want to revisit off the bungee just in case my body isn't ready.
This fall helped me discover quite a few new things like how to get up off the floor without struggling or hurting my knees. How to stand and how to walk with less knee bending which is better for avoiding arthritis stiffness. To keep moving throughout the day, never sitting for too long. To keep using the stairs just like falling off a horse, get right back up. Stairs provide great physical therapy. Lots of boring looking workouts aren't so boring to do if it means moving with little to no pain.
Most importantly:
Our bodies are as strong as our minds.
My fear of pain was paralyzing me.
Accidents do happen and can happen anywhere.
I will try never to doubt my body again

ETA: still not ready for bouncing except with a straight knee.
I did alittle Batuka then the Chiball warmup and yoga which also had a warmup from Awaken The Spine. These old Chiballs are quite brilliant. Finished with a bunch of hip and knees stretches.

Egoescue Hip and Knee Exercises

Found a bunch of Egoescue exercises on youtube for the knee and hip. The intros are similar but the exercises are one after the other starting about midway through each video. There are two for the knees, one of which overlaps with the one for the hips.

hips:


knees:


another knee which is similar to the one for the hips:

Chiball Essentials, Batuka and A New You Ballet

Unfortunately my right mid back muscle decided to twinge intensely again, somehow re-injuring it when sleeping!
My knee is still improving. This morning I found I could do a stiff legged healthbounce pain free on the bungee which is better than no bouncing at all.
Anywho, I worked the lower body with *A New You*'s muscle conditioning and ballet workouts. The ballet workout was very similar to Ellen's stuff but not as intense. Then I did alittle Batuka and found a great looking martial arts routine that I hope to revisit when feeling better. Will give more info about that later.
Then I finished with the first two chapters of Chiball Essentials and thoroughly enjoyed it! When I first got Chiball Essentials and Dance of the Dragon, I didn't like them as much as the vhs routines led by Monica because not nearly as intense. However, this morning Essentials TaiChi/Qigong and Radiant Yang were perfect. The first chapter started very gentle then alternated movements done slowly and faster in the second chapter. They really lubricated my joints and made me feel so much better. Also felt totally energized afterwards.
So if you can only buy just one of the new dvds, I highly recommend Chiball Essentials!

ETA:
Here's the Batuka video:

Still struggling a bit going upstairs and downstairs but am alternating legs more and more. I really think the stairs are a form of Physical Therapy for me.
Unfortunately, I couldn't get comfortable in bed last night without a Night-Time Tylenol.
This morning I did some Batuka videos from youtube but while standing, holding homemade XCOs and using the feet minimally instead of while bouncing on the bungee. I am not sure when (or if) I will be able to even healthbounce again because that really hurts my knee. Then I did a Caribbean Chiball routine, at first holding a Miracle ball then a homemade XCO which worked nicely. Finished with rolling the hip on the Miracle ball.

I am doubting the pain will ever be completely gone in the right knee because it feels similar to the twinges my elbows still send after several years. Will just keep trying to do what I can with minimal twinging. If it gets to a point of being in pain 24/7 no matter what I am doing, I will see a specialist about possible surgery. However, I believe it isn't just a structural problem in the knee but is related to a hip problem as well.

Another Day, Another Injury

This morning I did another Tuttle Standing Pilates workout, carefully and slowly. Knee is improved but stairs and putting on shoes still a challenge. Then I did some of Monica's original Chiball for posture and flexibility that is done sitting on a chair, again carefully and slowly yet I pulled a muscle in my left upper back!! So I ball rolled it with a Miracle ball and applied Arnica gel and took an Aleve. While down and dirty, I also tennis balled my right hip and lower back. Everything seems fine now but am really getting tired of injuries. Working around the injuries throws off other body parts I guess.

Pain Grade

Knee pain is less intense than yesterday giving me hope it is healing. Still more intense pain than before the stairs incident but very similar to what I had a few months ago that improved but never totally resolved. It is becoming more evident the pain is connected to the hip/lower back.

I am beginning to believe most of the chronic knee, hip and lower back problem on my right side is because my right leg is much longer than the left so am going to try wearing the Walkfit Platinum insert just in the left shoe and a cushioning insert in the right shoe. When I do this, my shoulders are even and my right side feels way less jarring when walking.

Still not comfortable on the bungee but will try to do some lower body stuff without any impact. Yesterday's sparks were chair dancing, doing some Zumba-like videos while sitting.

ETA:
Just tried an Ellen but knee/hip wasn't liking plies so switched to a previously boring Standing Pilates routine with Susan Tuttle which seemed to help more than hurt :) Went halftime, slowly and carefully adjusting to avoid any twinging or pain. Wore shoes with the inserts as above and will continue to wear shoes 24/7 except when sleeping. I am walking much better today! Dug up a whole bunch of senior exercise dvds and vhs that I will be slowly exploring throughout the day. Also will try some roller stuff and Egoscue's Supine Inguinal stretch. Just realized I did all of this without taking any pain medication so am definitely healing. Although I avoid everything except Tylenol because of bruising, I did take one Aleve yesterday and one night-time Advil last night for anti-inflammatory action.

Highest Pain Grade

Well after missing the bottom step on our stairs yesterday, my right knee is about the worse it has ever been. Whatever problem I was having before has been greatly agitated by the incident. Arnica gel, ice and Tylenol at least allow me some comfort when sitting, standing and lying but walking has been a challenge. Ironically, going up and downstairs one step at a time, keeping the knee straight, has been easier than before the fall. Will try a chair workout later.

If I do not see improvement within the week, I will see a specialist.

ETA:
so far this morning I did Upper Cut which is an old vhs with upper body resistance using a band while sitting. Then I did most of Jill Miller's Knee Rehab 1 because it, too, is done while sitting on a chair. Makes me wonder how most other knee rehabs are done on the floor. If my knee enabled me to get down on the floor and up again, it would not need rehab! Anywho, the knee felt alittle better afterwards so may be on the right track. May do some Sit&Be Fits off youtube and the tv show later. Also have a bunch of senior type workouts that have a chair option. Can also try any of my cardio with Fitstix while sitting or standing without using the legs. I'll try to focus on what I can do instead of obsessing over what I cannot do.

Batuka and Pain Grade

This morning I warmed up on the bungee with some Hip Hop Walk then some Batuka videos. Finished the workout with some more Zumba toning and newest Kareenu uploads. Though I prefer the Hip Hop music in other Zumba-like videos, this Batuka all Spanish version had a surprisingly good Tai Chi video which I am sharing below.



Also am sharing another Batuka I found worth revisiting:


Also here's a Batuka similar to Body Combat:


ETA:
I decided to grade my pain problems daily here where I can track them to try to figure out what is going on.
This morning both knees hurt mildly as well as left arm before workingout.
All hurt somewhat less after workingout.
Last night all were horrible.

Just went for a walk using walking sticks and think it did make the walking easier on the knees while more intense for everything else.

Oh dear, just missed the last step walking down the stairs and now my right knee is a real mess. Cannot bend it at all. Arnica gel is relieving most of the pain when straight but forget about bending it. Well either I will now need knee surgery or the new injury will heal and hopefully, heal the previous problem along with it. Time will tell.