Thursday, May 20, 2010

Investigative Reporter - Making the Headlines

What is that nagging sensation that you just cannot put your finger on? Many describe this as your sixth-sense; it is that instinct that tells you an invader is taking a foothold on you.

Become a sleuth, be an investigator, interrogate yourself and pay attention to what your body is saying. Though proper diagnosis is important, it is not the be all, or end all, as so many of us know firsthand, diagnosis, now what? We maintain forward momentum by paying attention to a new symptom that has become the intruder in our bodies and our lives. When we have more than one illness, many of these symptoms may overlap. This is why we need to zero in on specific needs. We can do this by paying attention and learning about our body, what it likes, and what it doesn’t.

First, for the FM and CMP patient, chronic pain has lost its effectiveness as a warning, as has fatigue in the CFID patient. Unlike acute pain or fatigue, which sounds out an alarm, notifying the fire house to send out the brigades, the chronic pain/fatigue body turns its back on the alert. It’s like the little boy that cried wolf too many times. So we have to take on a new role, investigative reporter.

We need to become an active participant, using that sixth sense, asking questions of ourselves, and making the “headlines” in our own newspaper. Document how food, co-existing conditions, exercise and medications affect YOU! Not Sally, Joe, or your best friend. After all, they should all be doing their own investigations, and they all have their own grocery cart of health issues. Sally might also be diabetic, Joe might have degenerative disc disease and your best friend might not have FM, CFID or CMP. There is no cookie cutter remedy; variety is the spice of life. Explore different options for exercise, therapists, meditation, and medications, even doctors if you have not been happy with your treatment or have been made to feel like a bystander in your own healthcare. Pay attention to common co-existing conditions and how they might affect FM, CFID and/or CMP. You have choices, and knowledge is power.

Having options fosters hope. Reach for the gold ring and maintain forward momentum, nurturing all aspects of well-being, physical, mental, emotional and spiritual.
My greatest desire is that no one feels, isolated, alone, or without resources.

"A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step."
--Chinese Proverb

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