As soon as I wrote about how much better I felt, the next day turned in the other direction. Today and yesterday have been serious pain days. I think I’m in a flare, but I know that my eyes are swollen and I’m tired. The pain in my joints is keeping me down.
Usually when I get in a flare, all of my diseases hit me at once. Is that how it is for you? My joints hurt. The knees feel stabbing pain when I walk down the stairs. The shoulders and hips throb. My vision is blurry. Headaches come.
It’s hard to distinguish between a flare that just comes or if something I’ve done is causing an increase in pain. Because I just recently started taking all of the supplements together (instead of one at a time), I wonder if I’m reacting to the combination of supplements. There are so many things to consider!
When living with multiple chronic illnesses, it’s so easy to get tricked into over-analyzing the reason for worsening symptoms. Doing this can drag me down and waste my time and energy. If I see a definite cause-effect situation, then I’ll make a change. But, there is usually nothing so easily seen.
Today, like so many other times, is a day to just accept what it is and go on. When the flare starts, the best thing to do is take care of myself until it’s gone. Using my flare-fighting tools may be helpful, but they often are not. Most of the time, self-care is the way to go. I try to make myself comfortable during a flare.
Flare-fighting tools for me include: rest, extra pain medicine, forgetting my to-do list, and physical pain-relieving tools. My favorite pain-relieving tools are: ice packs, heating pads, massage-roller, roll-on pain gels, and massage. If Hubby can rub my back, this home-style massage feels good and can loosen up the knots. My extra pain medicine consists of Advil in increasing doses or an extra muscle relaxer.
It can be very discouraging to go from Super-Lisa to Lisa-in-a-Flare. But, flares happen to all of us with chronic illnesses. It doesn’t matter how many days in a row I may feel better, a flare can still pop up. Flares knock me on my backside. The best thing to do is to stay positive. Don’t get angry, bitter, or depressed.
“He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength.” Isaiah 40:29
Because I had some much better days, I’m reminded that I’ll have some better days ahead. But, today is not that day and I need to take care of myself.
Where are you today? Are you having a better day or a bad day? I hope that you can remember the good days and practice self-care until another good day comes. Each day is valuable. We can learn and grow in our bad days. I hope and pray that your weekend is filled with low-pain days.
@2020, copyright Lisa Ehrman
