I sat in my doctor's office desperately awaiting some form of help, even if it was nothing more than a stern lecture about how I need to 'snap out of it', or that I was being put on some new medication, like it or not. When I was diagnosed with fibromylagia, I knew intellectually that I was in for a lifetime of pain and exhaustion, and that there would be little or no help for me. But, emotionally, you're never quite prepared for how low it can drag you. For me, the worst thing isn't the pain. The worst thing is the cognitive impairment. My self identity is tied up in being a smart person. Lose that, and I lose myself.
So when stress strikes up and makes my world a hazy place where I can't express myself, I get even more stressed. More stress, more haziness, more haziness, more stress, and before long my body is figuratively the snake eating its own tail... my immune system goes haywire and turns on me, making everything ten times worse.
This is what I know intellectually about fibromyalgia and how stress compounds it, but, knowing something intellectually, and being able to implement it, simply aren't the same thing. So, when stress hits, how do you 'not stress', if your body and mind are wired one specific way? The typical answer from medicine, is anti-depressants, anti-anxiety medications, and sometimes, anti-convulsants at low dosages. But, having exhausted all these options, I was surprised to be offered a different alternative today.
Guided imagery. A series of meditative sessions, aimed at teaching a mind how to work differently in times of stress, so that blood pressure, cholesterol levels, insulin levels, and immune function remain more stable. My first session is Thursday, right in the medical clinic. I'm excited to see if I can gain some lasting benefit from this, or even just some way to cope when the downward spiral strikes.
Does anyone else have any experience with this sort of thing? Any thoughts or information to share?
So when stress strikes up and makes my world a hazy place where I can't express myself, I get even more stressed. More stress, more haziness, more haziness, more stress, and before long my body is figuratively the snake eating its own tail... my immune system goes haywire and turns on me, making everything ten times worse.
This is what I know intellectually about fibromyalgia and how stress compounds it, but, knowing something intellectually, and being able to implement it, simply aren't the same thing. So, when stress hits, how do you 'not stress', if your body and mind are wired one specific way? The typical answer from medicine, is anti-depressants, anti-anxiety medications, and sometimes, anti-convulsants at low dosages. But, having exhausted all these options, I was surprised to be offered a different alternative today.
Guided imagery. A series of meditative sessions, aimed at teaching a mind how to work differently in times of stress, so that blood pressure, cholesterol levels, insulin levels, and immune function remain more stable. My first session is Thursday, right in the medical clinic. I'm excited to see if I can gain some lasting benefit from this, or even just some way to cope when the downward spiral strikes.
Does anyone else have any experience with this sort of thing? Any thoughts or information to share?