Strategies E-Book

Tami Brady

• Herausgeber: Loving Healing Press
• Kategorie: Fachliteratur
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 167

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2007

Beschreibung

It is estimated that 4-8 million people in the United States suffer with Fibromyalgia. Another one million also have Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. Some statistics state that Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and Fibromyalgia may directly affect 5% of the world's population.
I am one of the individuals in this growing epidemic. In 1997, after a chaotic year of intense medical and psychological testing, I was diagnosed with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and Fibromyalgia. I spent much of the last ten years in deep denial feeling alone, confused, frustrated, and angry. It has taken me a great deal of soul searching, but I believe that today I am a better, more centered person because of my experiences.
I've never been someone who dictates advice, so my book provides worksheets you can develop to tailor your personal responses to symptoms and crises. It is the good, the bad, and the ugly of my personal journey that I share with you, my fellow Fibromites. My hope is simple, that you will find solace and renewed hope in my words.
What People Are Saying About Strategies
"This book is a passionate, intense account of one person's conquest over suffering. As a psychologist working with chronic pain sufferers, I can endorse Ms. Brady's philosophy, approach and tools." -Bob Rich, PhD, author Cancer: A Personal Challenge
Another great self-help book from Loving Healing Press

Leseprobe

Strategies

A Chronic Fatigue Syndromeand Fibromyalgia Journey

TAMI BRADY

Strategies: A Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and Fibromyalgia JourneyCopyright © 2008 by Tami Brady. All Rights Reserved.

No part of this publication may be reproduced, transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or other-wise, or stored in a retrieval system, without the prior written consent of the publisher.

First printing March 2008Second printing September 2008

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Brady, Tami, 1968-Strategies : a chronic fatigue syndrome and fibromyalgia journey / Tami Brady.p. cm.ISBN-13: 978-1-932690-48-4 (trade paper : alk. paper)ISBN-10: 1-932690-48-4 (trade paper : alk. paper)1. Brady, Tami, 1968—Health. 2. Chronic fatigue syndrome—Patients—Biography. 3. Fibromyalgia—Patients—Biography. I. Title.RB150.F37B73 2008616'.0478–dc22                                               2007050897

Distributed by: Baker & Taylor, Ingram Book Group, Quality BooksLoving Healing Press5145 Pontiac TrailAnn Arbor, MI 48105USA

http://www.LovingHealing.com [email protected] [phone]

Loving Healing Press

Disclaimer

This publication is sold with the understanding that the publisher is not engaged in rendering medical treatment, health care, or other professional advice. If medical treatment is required, the services of a competent professional person should be sought. Before adding, removing, or changing any medication, therapy, or procedure it is your responsibility to notify and consult with your physician.

Praise for Tami Brady’s Strategies

“This book is a passionate, intense account of one person’s conquest over suffering. As such, it will validate the experience of others struggling with Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, inspire and empower them to make changes, and provides a template for them to follow. As a psychologist working with chronic pain sufferers, I can endorse Ms. Brady’s philosophy, approach and tools.”

—Bob Rich, PhD, author Cancer: A Personal Challenge

”…a testament to one woman’s perseverance which provides encouragement and hope to anyone with any serious medical condition or someone who may have a loved one dealing with an ongoing condition.”

—Ryan Ritchie, Simi Valley, CA

“This book is easy to read and gives a clear picture of how personal psychology and stress contribute to illness, and how working on yourself can help greatly. This book may be beneficial to people who have realized they have FM or CFS and would be inspired by the insight shared from a person traveling that same path of healing.”

—J. DeCourtney, author Recapture Your Health

“To help us with a healing plan, Ms. Brady offers a series of strategies to help with certain symptoms. She gives her own personal examples and then offers blank charts so that we can fill in our own information. This is an excellent strategy for tracking symptoms, causes and treatments. This is a great way for you to organize a program and keep track of what works. There is an extensive list of resources to help you on your way. Applying these resources to yourself helps you to take charge of your own health. Strategies is an excellent resource for people at all phases of the disease. It is a relief to hear someone else share their story, and know that you are not alone.”

—Paige Lovitt, Reader Views

“Having lived with Fibromyalgia & Chronic Fatigue Syndrome for almost two decades I can totally empathize and relate to the author’s journey of discovering how to live with these diseases. Personally experiencing many of the same struggles, successes and soul-searching as the author I can honestly say that this is the first book on chronic fatigue and fibromyalgia that truly captures the essence of what living with these diseases is all about. I thank Tami Brady for sharing her experiences with the public and for finally giving those of us who live with these conditions a book that truly does help & inspire, instead of yet another one that was obviously written by a person who does not suffer from the diseases they claim to know so much about.”

—“CozyLover“, LibraryThing

“This book is a must have guidebook for anyone newly diagnosed with Chronic Fatigue and/or Fibromyalgia., and for support group leaders. You will recognize yourselves as she deals with pain and emotional issues, and rejoice as she has her light-bulb moments. The second half of the book deals with strategies and coping methods and how you can chart the things that work for you, and also how to keep track of appointments, medications, priorities, etc. She has even shown us how with the charts she made for herself. Ms. Brady’s book will leave all readers with hope and resolve.”

—Susan May, CFS/FM Support Group Leader

The primary target audience of Strategies are all those who suffer from fibromyalgia and/or chronic fatigue syndrome. But Tami’s invaluable information and resource guide will certainly make a difference in the lives of every health conscious individual who has experienced and/or who cares about avoiding the most prevalent health problems like stress, fatigue, pain, and depression. It is an important book for everyone.”

—Ernest Dempsey, The Audience Review

“I enjoyed reading this book and found it helpful to my own struggle -both physical and mental - that comes from living with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and Fibromyalgia. As Ms. Brady states in the Foreword, ‘In the end, we are all changed forever. On good days, I believe for the better.’”

—Ruth King, Bookish Ruth

About our Series Editor, Robert Rich, Ph.D.

Robert Rich, M.Sc., Ph.D., M.A.P.S., A.A.S.H. is a highly experienced counseling psychologist. His web site www.anxietyanddepression-help.com is a storehouse of helpful information for people suffering from anxiety and depression.

Bob is also a multiple award-winning writer of both fiction and non-fiction, and a professional editor. His writing is displayed at www.bobswriting.com. You are advised not to visit him there unless you have the time to get lost for a while.

Three of his books are tools for psychological self-help: Anger and Anxiety, Personally Speaking, and Cancer: A personal challenge. However, his philosophy and psychological knowledge come through in all his writing, which is perhaps why three of his books have won international awards, and he has won many minor prizes. Dr. Rich currently resides at Wombat Hollow in Australia.

Books by Tami Brady

The Complete Being: Finding and Loving the Real You (2006)

Blame and Judgment (2006)

From Lost to Found (2006)

Regaining Control: When Love Becomes a Prison (2007)

Usui Reiki Ryoho: Level One (2007)

Usui Reiki Ryoho: Level Two (2007)

Strategies: A Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and Fibromyalgia Journey (2008)

Table of Contents

Preface

Chapter 1 How It Started

Chapter 2 The Doctor’s Visit

Chapter 3 Denial – Part I

Chapter 4 Denial – Part II

Chapter 5 Denial – Part III

Chapter 6 The Reality Check

Chapter 7 Transitions

Chapter 8 The Big Symptoms

Chapter 9 Individual Strategies

Chapter 10 My Own Worst Enemy

Chapter 11 Prevention is the Best Policy

Chapter 12 Flexibility, Unconditional Love, and Daily Life

Chapter 13 Summary of My Strategies

Emergency Symptom Strategies

Individual Symptom Strategies

Bout Starters

Preventative Strategies

Self-Soothing Strategies

Chapter 14 Marshalling Your Resources

Strategy Forms

Keeping Upbeat

Getting Organized

Appendix A - Medications and Supplements

Appendix B - Resource Guide

Discussion/ Support Groups

Health Care, Organizations, and Agencies

Bibliography

Index

Preface

In the spring of 1997, I got what I thought was a really bad case of the flu. It wasn’t. My symptoms worsened and after consultation with numerous specialists I was eventually diagnosed with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and Fibromyalgia. I spent the next decade alternately denying my illness and trying to find a cure so I could get back to my regular life. Instead, what I found was an entirely different existence filled with countless strategies to deal with my symptoms.

In the years since, I have viewed my health conditions as both my downfall and the most amazing gift I have ever been given. My period of denial pushed me to do some really amazing things. I completed both my BA and MA in archaeology and heritage, with honours and distinction. I started my own archaeological consulting company. I wrote and published my first book, a self-help work titled The Complete Being: Finding and Loving the Real You. I created online courses, wrote several regular columns, served as contributor liaison for an archaeological magazine, and acted as dean for an online university.

My period of acceptance led me to a quieter place, where I have the ability to be myself without excuse or embarrassment; where my health and my family are my main priorities; where I feel loved and valuable for the person I am; where I feel free to undertake work that I feel is important and worthwhile; and where I am content.

Sometimes, on bad days, I feel isolated and depressed. I am angry that my life has been taken from me. It’s a struggle to use what little energy and strength I have to get through the day. Thoughts of my lost dreams and the knowledge that tight budgets will always be my constant companions are sometimes almost too much to bear.

Still, these realizations and moments of darkness make me treasure my good days. On these brighter days, I feel like I am exactly where I need to be. Each experience, each page that gets written in a frenzy of activity, every time I don’t huff and puff when I climb the hill behind my house, and whenever I remember some tiny bit of trivia that I had thought was forever forgotten in the “fibrofog” of the day before, I realize that I am blessed. I know how much of my life I had previously been taking for granted. I remember how little I actually listened to and enjoyed my children in the past. I see what’s really truly important.

What follows is the story of my experiences: how I came to a more peaceful place and the struggles that I continue to work through each day. Those of you with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and Fibromyalgia will likely see yourself in my experiences. Although our symptoms and our paths to find balance and contentment might differ, having these health issues impacts our life in ways that we could never have imagined even in our wildest dreams (or nightmares as the case may be). In the end, we are all changed forever. On good days, I believe for the better.

1How It Started

“All growth is a leap in the dark, a spontaneous unpremeditated act without the benefit of experience.”

—Henry Miller (1891-1980)

The spring of 1997 was both a time of great hope and a period of incredible stress. I had been going through a number of major changes in my life. For about four years, I had been working at a local museum as a glorified tour guide. When I first started at the museum, I absolutely loved it. Before that point, I had been a stay-at-home-mom. Before that I was in high school. Despite the seeming hopelessness of my situation, I had always hoped to go to university and study archaeology and history. Working at the museum was my personal test to see if I really liked history enough to focus on it for a living. Secretly, I also wanted to be sure that I was smart enough to actually take in large amounts of academic information.

I started out at the museum as a volunteer and although I am a fairly introverted person, I blossomed as a tour guide. Before the first season was complete, I was asked to take a paid part-time position the following year.

I read every local history book I could get my hands on. I listened intently to my supervisor who was a wealth of information. It felt great to share my newfound knowledge with others and freeing to have amazing academic conversations with my colleagues. My self confidence rose to new heights until I actually believed I was smart enough to go to university and earn my degree.

In the summer of 1995, I started taking university level correspondence courses in history and anthropology with the intention of transferring over to the local university full time in the fall of 1997, when my youngest child started school full time. Although the course work was demanding, I fell into university study like I had been born for it. I was organized and managed to take care of my duties at home, at work, and still get good marks. I felt I was ready for more.

In 1996, the museum hired a new curator. This new curator wasn’t a people person like the previous one. She micromanaged, was straight by the book, and brought with her a wave of political chaos that left everyone feeling undervalued and attacked. Staff members took sides, volunteers quit, and everyone was miserable. I eventually dreaded going to work. By the spring of 1997, I was more than ready to quit and start full time university classes.

At home, my life also started to fall apart. My father-in-law was preparing for open heart surgery. It was agreed that he and my mother-in-law would stay with us during the process. I don’t think I had a clue what I was in for and I don’t think I was realistic in my vision of what this surgery might entail.

I love my in-laws and even believe that they love me in their own way. However, we have never really gotten along. To this day, I’m not sure if it’s because we are so very different (different lifestyles, values, belief systems, and life goals) or if it’s because we are so very alike (all or nothing thinking, unable to share our true feelings, and most importantly a strong sense of family protectiveness). The truth is that I think I agreed to my inlaws stay at our house just so that they would accept me into the family and love me the way I needed to be loved by them. I was so very naïve.

We soon found out that heart surgery isn’t a one time event with a few weeks of stress. My father-in-law had almost a year of tests and consultations before the actual surgery. A few times a month, he and my mother-in-law would stay with us for a week or two for another round of tests or yet another set of appointments. We were all stressed, frustrated and scared. We all wanted to get the operation done and over before my father-in-law had another heart attack. No one talked about the “what ifs” but these unsaid thoughts took over every aspect of our lives. The surgery was eventually scheduled for the fall of 1997, just as I was entering university.

There was no doubt that I was under a lot of stress (from work, the worries about my father in-law, the financial stress of housing two extra people, and the anxiety over starting university in the fall), so it didn’t really surprise me that I got a lot more colds during the winter of 1996-97. It seemed like I would just get rid of one bout of flu and the next week I had a cold. I was getting pretty run down and bitchy but I persevered.

Later that spring, I had what I thought was a really bad case of the flu. My body was one big ache and the fatigue was debilitating. It knocked me flat on my back to a point where completing daily chores became almost impossible. This was definitely not a good situation when I already felt that my in-laws thought that I was a bad housekeeper and wife.

I eventually went to the local clinic to see if there was something I could do to get over this horrible flu bout. Regrettably, the appointment didn’t go quite as I expected. The doctor told me that I could have glandular fever (a.k.a. mononucleosis) and took a blood test. Now, I was really upset. I was sure that the only way I could have contracted mononucleo-sis was if my husband was cheating on me. After all, in high school everyone called it “the kissing disease”. I was pretty angry and it was a long week until the tests came back negative.

Unfortunately, even though the tests were negative for mononucleosis, my worries weren’t yet over. The doctor told me that he had no idea why I was sick but that it was definitely something because my white cell count was irregular. I believe he told me to consult my family doctor but that’s a little fuzzy in my memory.

The next few weeks were a blur of bad getting horribly worse. I was tired and depressed. I was so ready to quit my job that I could feel the bile rise every time I thought about the museum. At the time, I was leading a team of guys undertaking historical reconstruction of vertical log buildings. Basically, we carried logs, we cut logs, we dug trenches, we put the logs in the trench, and then we buried the bottoms of the logs. In good health, it was tough work (made particularly difficult by being the only woman on the crew and a good 75 lbs lighter than most of these construction-type guys). Although I had done this work the year before with few problems, I noticed that I got tired much more quickly this season. My aches and pains never seemed to go away. My back was always hurting. I was pretty miserable.

Then, one day I was planting a log in the trench and my legs gave way. Everyone thought I had just slipped but I knew something was very wrong. There had been a few times when my legs felt like lead and every step sent shooting pains up my legs. My vision had also been acting erratically. I could see perfectly fine one moment and then a fog would impede my vision for a few days.

I was beginning to become concerned and quite frightened. My Dad’s sister had just been diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis. Many of the symptoms she described sounded just like my issues. I was terrified that I also had MS, so I made an appointment with my family doctor.

Let me say that I really don’t like doctors. I’ve had a lot of bad experiences with them. When I was a child, I was severely hard of hearing. Although I was a regular at the doctor’s office (a seemingly constant stream of colds and flu made worse by a myriad of different allergies), no one ever noticed that I had a hearing problem until it was brought to their attention by my kindergarten teacher, who noticed that I was adept at reading lips. When I was seven, they found the cure to my hearing difficulties, by accident during a tonsillectomy. Once my tonsils were taken out, I could suddenly hear perfectly. Evidentially, my adenoids were so large that my eardrums couldn’t vibrate properly, causing the hearing loss.

When I was sixteen, I was diagnosed with endometriosis. This diagnosis took several years with countless doctors telling me that my pain was all in my head. Eventually, after I suffered from a cyst in my ovary, a specialist found the problem. Without any sort of gentle bedside manner, he abruptly told me that I would never have children. Not only did this news send me into a deep suicidal depression but he was wrong. I was blessed with three healthy naturally conceived children before I was 22 years old!

My final pregnancy was quite difficult. I started having contractions in my fifth month of pregnancy and we were all terrified that I would lose the baby. My family doctor somewhat callously told me that the longer my child stayed in the womb, the more likely “it” would survive. She gave no instructions for bed rest and no strategies about how to deal with severe cramps that lasted 4-8 hours every day. I ended up at the hospital several times sure that it was time to deliver the baby just to be sent home with a feeling that I was being silly. When my son eventually did arrive (5 days late), my labour pains weren’t at all regular, and lasted an hour and a half total. We didn’t even get a chance to get to the hospital so my husband caught our son as he entered this world.