Barometer Roller-Coasters

I am NOT complaining over the happy fact that it is +28F here in Meadow Lakes, Alaska today. However, I really wish Mother Nature would be kind enough to do these things a tad less dramatically. I felt this change coming yesterday – weather change precognition seems to be a talent of many auto-immune sufferers. 😉

It was -3F yesterday morning; the air still, cold and quiet. I was admittedly OVER the cold weather we’ve had non-stop for the entire month of January, but at least it had stayed consistently COLD. Today, with a 30-degree change in temperature overnight, combined with a barometer drop and fairly strong, gusting winds … well, that is just a prescription for a fibromyalgia flare up. Arrghh!

Fibro is one of many “invisible” auto-immune disorders. If you’d like to learn more about this and other auto-immune diseases so that you can better support a friend or family member, this (below) is a great link to a You-Tube video, explaining how auto-immune disorders affect everyday life. The author of “Spoon Theory” has Lupus, but the theory fits equally well for many other diseases as well, including fibromyalgia. I’d consider it a personal favor if you would take the time to watch it to the end. It’s about ten minutes.

So today, although the temperatures have risen and all should be right with the world, I am sitting in bed with my laptop in my lap (where else would a laptop be, right?), writing this and thinking maybe a nap should be my next order of business. I ache from head to toe and it’s only 1:00 pm. I do not have sufficient spoons for the plans I had for today and am only grateful it’s Wednesday and I don’t HAVE to be anywhere. I often borrow from “tomorrow’s spoons” to get through a day, and probably DID borrow some last night for three hours of Nose Work practice, considering the impending weather change, but it was worth it! 🙂

Heck, on the bright side; I washed my hair and even dremeled the dogs nails yesterday before we headed off to NW practice, so I don’t have to feel guilty that isn’t getting done today – one less spoon to worry about.

Hopefully, I’ll have enough spoons after my nap to walk on the treadmill. I’ve been trying hard to make that a daily routine (regular exercise, as long as I don’t overdo, is GOOD for fibro – it often leaves me feeling better rather than worse even though it can be hard to motivate myself to start) and I don’t want to let myself down. I’m working on teaching Rhonda to walk on it too. 🙂 Baxter mastered treadmill walking years ago, although he insists on exiting when HE wants to rather than when I say so. At least he stays out from underfoot and understands how to safely get on and off, so I’m fine with that.

Ohhh … Jerry says we’re having great big artichokes for dinner tonight! I wonder if I can talk him into doing potato skins with them? Yum?