Inner Peace Is For Losers

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.