Inner Peace Is For Losers

Awesome day for a walk. Akiah concurred. She's somewhat less fussy than I am, though. Ten below is a fine day for a walk to her.

That may be a bit of an exaggeration.

Spring is here, rather suddenly. It went from cold to 70 in a day. Green stuff is starting to grow. Iris and grape hyacinth are sprouting in my little garden. It's a pretty nice time of year after a long winter. Not that winter is bad, as long as I don't have to drive in it.

I've been dealing with a fibro flare this week, but it's eased now. I finally have some energy and mood's improved. So I went to the gym this morning, then headed downtown. There's a new coffee/bakery place called Morsels. They make fancy coffees and teas, and they have these little bakery items they call morsels. Each is roughly two bites, so you can try one or try 'em all. My personal favorite is a buttery, almondy, topped with raspberry, bit of shortbread heaven. I like that they're small, because if I got a big one I'd eat the whole thing and feel bad about it. Next time I'll probably try the brownie one, or devil's food, or maybe carrot cake.

And my son works there. He makes a tasty latte.

Today I let Mayo Clinic take over my blog. I have a condition called fibromyalgia. It's not well understood and it's difficult for me to explain, so I had a look over there.

"Fibromyalgia is a chronic condition characterized by fatigue, widespread pain in your muscles, ligaments and tendons, and multiple tender points — places on your body where slight pressure causes pain."

Check. That's how I was diagnosed. A neurologist pressed on the back of my head, the top of my trapezius muscle, and halfway between my shoulder blade and spine. All hurt. The last one caused a muscle spasm that lasted for hours. He told me I had fibro.

"Some studies suggest that this sleep problem is the result of a sleep disorder called alpha wave interrupted sleep pattern, a condition in which deep sleep is frequently interrupted by bursts of brain activity similar to wakefulness. So people with fibromyalgia miss the deep restorative stage of sleep."

I used to wake up every two hours, didn't know what a full night sleep was like.

Other symptoms include depression, numbness or tingling sensations in the hands and feet (paresthesia), difficulty concentrating, mood changes.

Check, check, check, check.

Among possible causes: "An injury or trauma, particularly in the upper spinal region, may trigger the development of fibromyalgia in some people. An injury may affect your central nervous system, which may trigger fibromyalgia."

I was on a motorcycle that was hit by a car when we lived in California. I hit the pavement pretty hard. Didn't break anything, but my entire left side was bruised.

I realize other people are dealing with much worse than this, but this is what I deal with day to day.