Trying to do my best as a mother and a wife
But this Fibromyalgia Monster has taken over my life

This thorn in my flesh Lord, How can I explain?
I get up every morning though my body is in pain

It's like a Horrible Flu that just won't go away
You pray for it to leave you but it's with you everyday

The energy's been sucked out, weakness never goes
Nerves feel inflamed from my head down to my toes

Arms burn like fire and what a sinus headache
I feel like I'm 100 but you say I look athletic

Now sensitive to medicines, chemicals and mold
Legs numb and tingling and Why do I feel cold?

Get worse from the heat till about September
My brain is in a Fog, and there's words I can't remember

Spasms in my back, my breathing isn't right
My bed feels like nails as I lye awake at night

My muscles scream in agony. Oh my gosh don't touch!
I take my herbs and medicines but they don't help too much

My immune systems weakened, it seems on overdrive
My vision won't stay focused and I often stay inside

Lights are too bright, noises are too loud
Unfortunately I'll get sick again standing in this crowd

Some doctors say "It's all in your head" or "Oh, You're just depressed"
"Your fine, just take these crazy pills and get a little rest"

Yes I get down sometimes, upset and so would you
If a truck had just ran over you you'd feel the same way too

The attack of my brain is from infection I'll bet
This is a neuro immune disease but some don't know it yet

Trying to do my best as a mother and a wife
But this Fibromyalgia Monster has taken over my life.

© Carolyn White

#1 I don't know what to say, but I care about you.
#2 I'm going to the store, what can I get you?
#3 Do you just need to vent? I'm all ears!
#4 If you need a good cry, I've got plenty of tissues and a shoulder.
#5 I really admire how you are handling this. I know it's difficult.
#6 I'm bringing dinner Thursday. Do you want lasagna or chicken?
#7 Can I get your kids for a playdate? My kids are bored.
#8 I can't sit still. Got any laundry I can fold?
#9 What can I pray for you about that no one else is praying for?
#10 Can I bring a few friends over to clean your house fast?
#11 I don't have any idea what you are feeling, but I will always listen.
#12 I saw these flowers & thought they'd cheer you today.
#13 How can our church encourage those with chronic illness?
#14 Tell me what it is really like to be you for a day.
#15 I made too much dinner for our family. Can I bring you some?
#16 You are amazing. How has your illness given you an appreciation for life?
#17 Do you want me to come over while you wait for test results?
#18 You listen to me better than any other friend. Thanks.
#19 I have Monday free if you need me to run some errands or take you.
#20 Tell me about this God who gets you through one more day?

#1 Don't make a person into a project.
#2 Don't make them feel guilty about things that they cannot do.
#3 Remember important anniversaries, good & bad. No one else will.
#4 Respect their prayer requests.
#5 Recognize that medications can make one irrational at times.
#6 Never question if your friend is exaggerating their pain level.
#7 Don't visit if you think you are getting sick. Call instead.
#8 Remember illness is not just a matter of attitude.
#9 When they say they're TIRED, they're WIPED OUT.
#10 Roses won't impress them, a dandelion each month will.
#11 Remember, pain makes people more grouchy than they ever wanted to be.
#12 Make plans in advance but understand they may have to cancel.
#13 Don't ask too many questions. Friends don't want to be science projects.
#14 Don't talk with their caregiver as if your friend isn't there.
#15 Understand how hard it is to accept help.
#16 Don't assume because they live with relatives, needs are taken care of.
#17 Don't abandon friendship because there are awkward moments.
#18 Time is more important to them than any amount of money you will spend.
#19 Don't interrupt.
#20 What they could do yesterday may not be possible today.
#21 Consider yourself a friend for their journey, not a physician nor savoir.
#22 Dont make a big deal out of them using an assistive device, like a cane.
#23 Remember that life is not always like the drug commercials.
#24 It's about your presence, not your presents.
#25 Just show up! Phone calls are nice but visiting is better.
#26 Don't talk about their illness in front of their children.
#27 Help clean their house before out-of-town guests arrive.
#28 When they cry, just sit with them.

Craving…	Deficiency…	Healthier Choice:
Chocolate	Magnesium	Raw nuts and seeds, legumes, fruits
Sweets	Chromium	Broccoli, grapes, cheese, dried beans, calves liver, chicken
	Carbon	Fresh fruits
	Phosphorus	Chicken, beef, liver, poultry, fish, eggs, dairy, nuts, legumes, grains
	Sulfur	Cranberries, horseradish, cruciferous vegetables, kale, cabbage
	Tryptophan	Cheese, liver, lamb, raisins, sweet potato, spinach
Bread, toast	Nitrogen	High protein foods: fish, meat, nuts, beans
Oily snacks, fatty foods	Calcium	Mustard and turnip greens, broccoli, kale, legumes, cheese, sesame
Coffee or tea	Phosphorous	Chicken, beef, liver, poultry, fish, eggs, dairy, nuts, legumes
	Sulfur	Egg yolks, red peppers, muscle protein, garlic, onion, cruciferous vegetables
	NaCl (salt)	Sea salt, apple cider vinegar (on salad)
	Iron	Meat, fish and poultry, seaweed, greens, black cherries
Alcohol, recreational drugs	Protein	Meat, poultry, seafood, dairy, nuts
	Avenin	Granola, oatmeal
	Calcium	Mustard and turnip greens, broccoli, kale, legumes, cheese, sesame
	Glutamine	Supplement glutamine powder for withdrawal, raw cabbage juice
	Potassium	Sun-dried black olives, potato peel broth, seaweed, bitter greens
Chewing ice	Iron	Meat, fish, poultry, seaweed, greens, black cherries
Burned food	Carbon	Fresh fruits
Soda and other carbonated drinks	Calcium	Mustard and turnip greens, broccoli, kale, legumes, cheese, sesame
Salty foods	Chloride	Raw goat milk, fish, unrefined sea salt
Acid foods	Magnesium	Raw nuts and seeds, legumes, fruits
Preference for liquids rather than solids	Water	Flavor water with lemon or lime. You need 8 to 10 glasses per day.
Preference for solids rather than liquids	Water	You have been so dehydrated for so long that you have lost your thirst. Flavor water with lemon or lime. You need 8 to 10 glasses per day.
Cool drinks	Manganese	Walnuts, almonds, pecans, pineapple, blueberries
Pre-menstrual cravings	Zinc	Red meats (especially organ meats), seafood, leafy vegetables, root vegetables
General overeating	Silicon	Nuts, seeds; avoid refined starches
	Tryptophan	Cheese, liver, lamb, raisins, sweet potato, spinach
	Tyrosine	Vitamin C supplements or orange, green, red fruits and vegetables
Lack of appetite	Vitamin B1	Nuts, seeds, beans, liver and other organ meats
	Vitamin B3	Tuna, halibut, beef, chicken, turkey, pork, seeds and legumes
	Manganese	Walnuts, almonds, pecans, pineapple, blueberries
	Chloride	Raw goat milk, unrefined sea salt
Tobacco	Silicon	Nuts, seeds; avoid refined starches
	Tyrosine	Vitamin C supplements or orange, green and red fruits and vegetables

This information was gathered from:

Lectures, Cheryl M. Deroin, NMD, Southwest College of Naturopathic Medicine, Spring 2003 (healthy food recommendations)
Benard Jenson, PhD, The Chemistry of Man B. Jensen Publisher, 1983 (deficiencies linked to specific cravings and some food recommendations)

Between 2012 and 2013 I collected a lot of videos and some info about Fibromyalgia (FMS), Chronic Pain, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS), Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (ME), Chronic Fatigue Immune Dysfunction Syndrome (CFIDS), Post-Viral Fatigue Syndrome (PVFS), Restless Leg Syndrome (RLS), Willis-Ekbom disease, Sleep Apnoea and Migraine. which I posted to my blog However, my old web host disappeared overnight at the back end of 2014. Thanks to the Wayback Machine, I've managed to recover all these old entries and have uploaded them onto my new blog.

Due to the amount of spam comments I would receive, I took the decision to disable comments on my posts. However, you can use the Contact Me link in the left sidebar if you want to send me a message.

Please note that some of the pages in this category can take quite a while to load; mainly due to the large quantity of videos linked.

After living in the same town for over 40 years, I have upped sticks and moved; 4½ miles away!

Battletech Website / Steam Product Page

Amongst a small number of presents, I got an Amazon Fire TV stick for my birthday this year. It's a great, little device! It uses the Amazon Appstore and there are apps for BBC iPlayer, ITV Hub, All 4, My5, Sky Go, Netflix, Amazon Prime Video and the WWE Network, amongst others. You can even connect a bluetooth keyboard, mouse or game controller to it. The only app that I was disappointed to discover isn't available, is the BT Sport app, which is available through the Google Play Store, but not the Amazon Appstore. I hope that's rectified at some point in the future. If it's something that you've thought about buying in the past, but wasn't too sure about, I can honestly say that I would happily pay full price for one. Click on the link to the left if you want to buy one/see more details on Amazon's UK website.

The Teapot Trust children’s charity uses art therapy as a way of helping young people cope with long term medical conditions. We know that these conditions can cause anxiety, anger or upset for children and families. Art therapy provides a way of expressing and dealing with feelings, helping children to feel more in control and to cope with their condition.

Visit them.

Do you want to be counted wise, to build a reputation for wisdom? Here’s what you do: Live well, live wisely, live humbly. It’s the way you live, not the way you talk, that counts. Mean-spirited ambition isn’t wisdom. Boasting that you are wise isn’t wisdom. Twisting the truth to make yourselves sound wise isn’t wisdom. It’s the furthest thing from wisdom—it’s animal cunning, devilish conniving. Whenever you’re trying to look better than others or get the better of others, things fall apart and everyone ends up at the others’ throats.

Bible Version: The Message