Doing the Best You Can with CFS and Fibromyalgia

We are back from New York City - what an adventure.  I was able to take in half my conference and do some window shopping in Soho, but the visit was cut short by Hurricane Sandy.  We left 2 days early, so I did not get in as much sightseeing and shopping as I planned.  The upside is that we circumvented the storm and arrived home safely in Florida by car.  As for my plan to pace myself with activities and to have a nap each day completely fell through despite my best intentions.  No time for a nap on Friday after due to the conference, ditto for Saturday.  I knew I was leaving on Sunday, so I felt I should stay for the whole day on Saturday and our hotel was a long way from the conference.  When I was done both afternoons, I was running on fumes only- really tired.  Lots of walking over the time we were there.  My husband found some gluten-free restaurants, so we had our dinner and then went back to the hotel.  Saturday night we saw a Broadway show that we already had tickets for, but it was so wonderful, I didn't even think about being tired.  The moral of this story?  Sometimes you can plan for rest time and pacing yourself and you just don't get it.  The best you can do is get as much rest as you can when you can.  And hope for the best.  Luckily, I didn't go down for the count on this trip.  Here is a picture of the beautiful lake we walked around in Central Park.

Ruched Layering Top

Found a cute layering piece at Talbot's today to take with me to NYC.  The weather is going to be variable and I want to be warm if it's cold.  So I flew into Talbots today and picked up this cute cotton ruched neck top in cream that I can wear under a sweater or jacket.  And the neck is not tight.  Tons of colors.  Check it out.

 

Bon voyage!!

Pacing Yourself with CFS

Well, I am on my way to New York City on Thursday and am really excited.  The only thing I am wondering is how I am going to get a daily mid-afternoon nap in when I have a conference that lasts all day.  When you have fatigue, it is smart to have a daily rest time built into your day.  I take a nap most days between 2 and 4 p.m.  I do a little reading, then take a 30-40 minute nap and then am able to have energy the rest of the evening.  My friends and family know not to call me during this time.  I usually turn off the phone.  I did this even when I worked full-time - I either put my head down on my desk at lunchtime or a took a short nap when I got home from work.  My daughter would watch TV while I did this.

Pacing yourself is extremely important when you have CFS, fibromyalgia, Lyme disease or any other chronic illness.  When you have energy, don't do too much even if you are having a good day.  Have a nap if you need it.  Go to bed earlier if you are tired.  Listen to your body and don't overdue it or you will pay for it with several days of being totally exhausted.

So my plan is to leave the conference early on Saturday afternoon and catch a nap, so I can go to a Broadway show Saturday night.  We will plan our days while in NYC based on my energy levels.  My husband is used to this when we are on a trip and he uses my nap time to explore on his own, do work, or rest also. New York (and shopping), here we come!!!!

What to Wear in New York City in the Fall

Next week I am going to New York City for a conference at Columbia University.  I am really looking forward to seeing the leaf changes, cool weather, shopping and the conference (not necessarily in that order.)  But I am, of course, obsessing about what to take in my carry-on suitcase, which I am going to have to schlep from Newark to the city on mass transit.  We will be there 5 days.  I need business casual for the conference, something nice to see a Broadway show, exercise clothes for walking in Central Park, and casual clothes for shopping.

I have decided on a color palette - black, cream, and brown that I can interchange (plus dark denim jeans).  Black and brown shoes (black flats, black pumps, black sneakers and boots (not sure whether short boots or cowboy boots.)  Just might take my favorite cowboy boots just for fun and warmth:

They take up a lot of room unless I wear them on the plane.  Black suit pants and jacket, cream silk blouse, black jeans, my black Lucy pant (see previous post), tan sweater, and ivory leather jacket, and some scarves.  Just not sure about a dress.  Maybe the black dress or skirt that go with the suit, but I feel like a need some color or print.  Maybe red.  If anyone has any more ideas, just let me know.  I can't wait to get to the Big City!!!

True Beauty

I had a great visit with two friends today.  We got to talking about my wardrobe consulting business and the subject of true beauty came up.  We agreed that true beauty came from within and it isn't necessary to blow everyone's socks off with the perfect outfit every day.  Why not be yourself, dress to enjoy life, maybe try new ways of doing things with your wardrobe, wear clothes and accessories that bring you joy?  One of my favorite accessories is my father's watch (circa 1960) that still works - plus big watches are in for women right now.  Play with the things you have and don't stress about getting it absolutely right.  What I know for sure:  I need to follow this advice myself!

Beauty is not on the face;

Beauty is a light in the heart.

Kahill Gribran, Lebanese poet

Is It Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) or Something Else?

In 1982, at the age of 30, I came down with a bad case of mononeucleosis.  It took me two months to recover and go back to work.  In 1984, I suffered what I thought was a relapse of the mono with the exact same symptoms (not so much sore throat, but nausea, weight loss and fatigue).  After going to my GP who said my mono spot test was negative and was mystified, I went to an internist who coincidentally had just read an article in the Journal of Internal Medicine about a new condition that was emerging called Chronic Epstein Barre Virus Syndrome.  He was convinced that that was what I had, but could offer nothing in the way of treatment options.  Over the years I had several flare-ups of the condition and did everything I could in terms of researching the condition and living my life carefully.  I was relieved that over time, physicians began to recognize it as an emerging problem suffered by many.  The condition was named chronic fatigue syndrome (and its sister, fibromyalgia.)

I have navigated this condition pretty successfully (with lots of bumps) and, with the assistance of some practitioners who think outside the box, have begun to look CFS differently.  Yes, I believe the condition does exist, no doubt.  But I also believe other factors may contribute to the syndrome, such as food sensitivities and bad gut organisms.  I will be sharing my journey with CFS in this blog and what has and hasn't worked for me.  As a wellness coach, my desire is to help others with discouraging chronic health conditions to think in terms of wellness instead of illness.  Changes to my website are coming!  Feel free to contact me at www.lifestylesbyjane.com for wellness coaching.

 

Bootie or Not to Bootie?

I have been wrestling with whether to buy a pair of short boots (or booties) for myself this year.  I have three pair of cowboy boots that I love, so another pair of "boots" seemed excessive.  However I recently bought a beautiful tan sweater tunic from Chicos that I plan to wear with everything this fall and winter, so I have been keeping my eye out for a tan bootie that might look cute with it.  Today I checked out the new DSW shoe store in Tallahassee - what an amazing place!  The very first pair of boots I saw were tan suede booties - which actually fit great and were comfortable.  Sam and Libby-here they are, so cute and only $50!



I didn't have to invest a lot of money which was great!  I highly recommend checking out DSW http://www.dsw.com/ especially the loads of boots that they have - tall and short, all styles and colors.  Fun!