Celebrate!!*

Congratulations and thanks for reading my blog! I hope you enjoy this book as much as I do. Farrah, please email me with your name and mailing address so the book can start heading your way. If you prefer an ebook, just let me know.

The new book cover, with award seals!

Thank you to Dr. Kevin P. White for writing such a great book, raising money for fibromyalgia research and providing these giveaway copies.

*Image Credit: from www.flickr.com by notafish

• Avoid supplements that claim to completely replace prescription medicines.
• Avoid 30 day money back guarantees – they are usually auto-ship/auto-bill scams
• Be cautious of celebrity endorsements – try to find proof elsewhere they they actually endorse the product
• Avoid packages written primarily in foreign languages – you’ll have a hard time figuring out what the packaging says and it may not have been brought into the country legally (may not be up to standards).
• Avoid packages that do not contain a company name, website or phone number – why wouldn’t they share that info?
• Remember that “natural” doesn’t always mean safe.
• Avoid products that seem too good to be true – like miracle claims
• Check websites like Consumer Lab, NSF International, United States Pharmacopeial Convention (USP) for supplement information and studies.

I recently saw a representative from Consumer Lab on TV and he gave these shocking (or maybe not-so-shocking) results about common supplements:

• Fish Oil - 30% contained less Omega3s than listed on the bottle or they had spoiled before the bottle expiration date. There is no such thing as pharmaceutical grade, but these brands tested well: Life Extension Super Omega-3, Advocare Omegaplex Omega-3 Fatty Acid
• Probiotics – It is usually recommended that there are 1 billion live organisims for adults, but most don’t have the amount the bottle claims (by 7-50%). One tip is to look if there is an * following the number listed and if that means “at the date of manufacturer.” If so, the number of organisms has been going down since manufacturing, since they can die off .
• St. John’s Wort - 40% didn’t contain the active ingredient or they had high cadmium (a carcenigen). These brands tested well: Nature’s Way Perika St John’s Wort, Nature’s Bounty St. John’s Wort, Double Strength 300 mg
• Ginseng – 45% failed tests, but these tested well: Spring Valley Korean Ginseng Standardized Extract, Nature Made Ginseng
• Coconut Water - Only 1 in 3 have the amount of electrolytes listed on the package, but ZICO Coconut Water tested well.

While you’re here don’t forget to enter my fibromyalgia book giveaway! There are only 3 days left!

Research, before swallowing*

*Image Credit: from www.flickr.com by Jonas N

I went to the rheumatologist yesterday and I finally feel like we’re getting somewhere with my hip! Woo-hoo! I had another ultrasound done, but in a different area of my hip. There are two areas that are causing lots of pain when my rheumatologists pushes on them, but the worse one was on the upper side of my leg. We decided to do the ultrasound on that area and it was really neat to see the images. You could very clearly see the white lines of muscle were separated by dark lines, which were fluid! Based on that we’re pretty sure I have bursitis. I had been curious if that might have been what was going on since the symptoms fit pretty well. Since I hadn’t responded much to anti-inflammatory medicines over the past four months of dealing with this pain, we went ahead and did a cortisone shot. Another positive is that getting a cortisone shot there is WAY less painful than getting one into the labrum.

I was told to take it easy this week and ice my hip since my hip resting experiment had provided some decent results. It already feels a little better. I’ve been doing a tad more bending than I’d been doing and it isn’t causing it to flare. After I ran a few errands the pain crept up a bit, but once I iced and elevated my leg/hip, it went back to feeling alright. I’m so excited about this! I feel like I’m finally starting to see the beginning of the end…and boy am I ready for it! I’m anxious to hike, bike, heck, even walk and clean more again!

This past week has had other great things going on too. I went to my first-ever roller derby bout to see a friend play. Her team won by a landslide, I got to learn more about how the sport works and she won MVP! One of the couples we’re friends with brought a soy-free item to the party that we hosted. I have realized that is now a fast track to my heart. For someone else to take the time to read labels and then relay the info to me, makes me feel all warm and fuzzy. I know how big of a pain it is and would never expect someone (well, maybe The Helpful Hubby) to do that for me.

What has been the highlight of your week?

While you’re here don’t forget to enter my fibromyalgia book giveaway!

It was non-stop action*

*Image Credit: from www.flickr.com by Christopher Neugebauer

Many people can have acid reflux issues that disturb their sleep without them evening realizing they have the issue. People may not recognize it on their own because in silent reflux the person doesn’t physically feel anything, but the body is still disturbed enough to pull you out of deep sleep. A safe and easy way to see if you may have silent reflux is to take an antacid tablet 30 minutes before you go to sleep, every night for one week. If you have silent reflux the antacid should take care of the problem and you should notice an improvement.

Last year I told you about the temperature regulating Outlast mattress pad and blanket that The Helpful Hubby got me from Costco. Dr. Oz recently recommended the mattress pad, which uses NASA technology, on his show. After using it for multiple seasons I’m ready to share my opinion of them. The blanket has a decent amount of weight to it, so even though it is thin, I feel like I have a comforter on. During hot weather it does keep the bed feeling a little cooler, but in the middle of the night I still get warm, on our memory foam mattress. In colder weather the bed feels really cold when you first get into it, but it does keep me comfier through the night. One trick I started using was throwing my heating pad in the bed for the 10 minutes it takes me to get ready for bed. By the time I get in bed I have a little warm spot. We like the set up enough that we’re considering getting the sheets too.

Have you tried any of these tips or tools?

For more ideas, see these previous posts: Tips & Tools for Sleeping Well…Part I, Part II, Part III and Tips for Sleeping Well

While you’re here don’t forget to enter my fibromyalgia book giveaway!

My sleep goodies

The new book cover, with award seals!

THIS GIVEAWAY HAS ENDED!

Has your new year started off with a bang? I hope so! I think one thing that can help us all get the year to lean more in our favor is being educated about the conditions that we have. You know the old saying, “knowledge is power?” Well, I completely agree with that. With more personal knowledge about fibromyalgia we can better understand what effects our health and things we might try to help it. For those of you yearning to learn more, this post is for you! Back by popular demand, I’m holding another Breaking Thru the Fibro Fog, Scientific Proof Fibromyalgia is Real giveaway! Check out my review of the book in my previous post, Fibromyalgia Book Review & Giveaway. (the giveaway at that link has ended)

Two lucky giveaway winners will get this book, for free! One winner, with a mailing address in The United States or Canada, will get to pick either the paperback or electronic version of the book. One winner, who lives anywhere outside of The United States or Canada, will win the electronic version of the book. Each action listed below will give you 1 entry into my giveaway! Make sure to leave a separate comment for each action and please include the country that you live in.

• Like the Felicia Fibro Facebook Page & leave a comment below saying you did so
• Follow Dr. White on Facebook & leave a comment below saying you did so
• Follow @TheFibroFog on Twitter & leave a comment below saying you did so
• Follow Felicia Fibro on Networked Blogs & leave a comment below saying you did so

I’ll be announcing the winner (picked at random) Wednesday, February 8th, so you can enter until midnight PST on February 7th. This gives you almost two full weeks to enter. Entrants must be 18 years of age or older. Good luck!

Disclaimer: I did not receive any compensation for this giveaway.

PurrFect Medicine Opener – Has divots, edges and grippers to make opening a bottle or other pill packaging easier as well as taking cotton out of bottles. It even has a pill splitter built into it.

Touch N Brush – This is a hands-free toothpaste dispenser that doesn’t require batteries or electricity. It even claims to be able to get the last bits of toothpaste from the tube. Included is a battery operated toothbrush, but you can use any toothbrush with the dispenser. This sure would be nice for days with achy fingers!

Hair Dryer Stand – Using this stand lets you blow dry your hair, hands free. It is designed to use on a counter top, can be bent into different positions. I’ve contemplated getting one of these for years.

Combination Dressing Stick/Shoehorn – These were listed as 2 separate items in the article, but this combo piece looks like a great option to me. Its angled hook holds and pulls clothing without the clothing slipping off, 2 Pushers aid in removing shoes and clothing and the shoehorn has a notch for taking off socks.

Hamilton Beach Personal Cup Brewer – If you’re a coffee drinker, single cup coffee brewers give you a quick cup of coffee without having a pot to clean. Obviously, Keurig brewing systems are quite popular nowadays, but I’ve linked to a cheaper option (both unit & coffee pods)

Door Knob to Lever Convertor – This kit converts a traditional, twist doorknob to a door lever, one size fits all. It claims it is easy to install and that the benefits over a metal lever are that it’s light weight and not as cold to touch.

Have you tried out any of these useful gadgets?

Check out this article in the January-February issue

The good news this week is that I rebounded a bit after my massage! After a few days of my hip and leg feeling a little worse I all of a sudden felt a lot better than I’ve felt in a long time! This allowed me to do many loads of laundry, wash some dishes, do some grocery shopping – you know, all those fun things that people do when they feel well. =) In fact, I felt so good that I think I overdid it a tad, so I’m back to resting. I also started getting a new symptom related to my hip – neurological-like shooting pains. I’m used to those from my fibromyalgia, but all of a sudden I’ve gotten a lot of these, concentrated right in this area that hurts a lot more. Last night The Helpful Hubby had to massage it a bit so that the constant, dull pain wouldn’t prevent me from being able to sleep.

Besides the massage, I think another thing that contributed to feeling better was the fact that I’ve been trying to be extra gentle to my hip and leg lately. I mentioned that I was starting to do this last week, but here is what I really mean by that. I have been trying to avoid bending completely (meaning The Helpful Hubby has had a lot of things to pick up) and using my knees, not my hips when I have to bend, using a pillow to prop my leg(s) up on the couch for hours each day and icing the area.

We’ve been getting some snow lately, so I’ve felt badly that I’ve been sitting on the couch while The Helpful Hubby has had to shovel snow multiple times. Ice and hip issues don’t really get along though, so I’ve been trying not to walk outside much. I find that I’m really fearful when trying to do it, as trying to catch myself or falling would be very painful. The snow has also brought lots of pressure changes, which my head, back, fingers, hip and leg did not appreciate. Mentally, I’ve loved the snow though! It is so pretty piling up on the bare tree branches and the evergreens and I love how peaceful it makes things.

Have you had snow lately?

Look at all those tiny, beautiful, crystalline shapes!*

*Image Credit: from www.flickr.com by spcbrass

Did you know that ~700,000 Americans live with Crohn’s disease? The body’s immune system attacks healthy cells in the GI tract, causing inflammation and patients often begin experiencing symptoms in their teens. These symptoms include: severe fatigue, abdominal pain, joint pain, diarrhea and weight loss. For more information on Crohn’s go to CrohnsAndMe.com.

Check out my interview video below with Ally and her gastroenterologist, Dr. David Rubin – where we discuss more about Ally’s Law, information on Inflammatory Bowel Diseases (IBDs) and IBS. Dr. Rubin is an Associate Professor of Medicine, Co-Director of the Inflammatory Bowel Disease Center, and Director of the Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition fellowship program at the University of Chicago.

If you’re looking for information on the identification cards/passes that Ally mentioned that some states require, I’ve found that it is easiest to search for your state’s information on The Restroom Access Act and go from there. Some states require passes specific to their state.

Have you ever used this law?