I have a love/hate relationship with our bed. I love that it is so warm but I hate the mattress with a passion. When we bought it a year ago, it was on sale and we thought we were getting an amazing deal but six months later, the beautiful king size Serta pillow top turned on us.
The pillow top collapsed and the spots where we lay sunk, allowing the springs to spring up into our spines. After the umpteenth time that I wrestled with it to turn it so the lumps would even out, I noticed a minuscule sticker on the back of the 'Do Not Remove This Tag' tag that stated in all of it's ant print glory that the stupid thing had been a 'return' and we had not been informed of this before we bought it. Had I caught that tiny sticker in the first six months, we could have returned it but alas, my rebellious side had not kicked in and I had not removed the 'Do Not Remove' tag. For the time being, I have folded three fluffy blankets and piled them on top of one another to fill the body shaped hole on my side of the bed. My husband can sleep anywhere and through anything. I hate him just a little bit for that.
It's hard enough to get comfortable in that bed but when the weather takes a drastic turn and brings cold temperatures and rain, sleep with Fibro becomes impossible. Cold weather changes bring out the boogie men, not man, because he always brings friends. So rather than wake my slumbering husband, I got up and moved.
I swept the floors. I stretched. I brushed the dogs and clipped their nails - I can't say they really appreciated that at four o'clock in the morning but chronic pain requires movement. Yes, it hurts to move and I know that many, many people with chronic pain are afraid to move because movement hurts but here's the thing.....remaining still hurts worse.
Movement warms the muscles and loosens the trigger points and while it won't make the bad weather go away and it certainly won't make that mattress any more comfortable, it will help me get through the worst part of the pain.
I am fully aware that a crash is coming after last night's no rest fest but I can minimize the damage by moving and hydrating and that is my message to you this morning. Sometimes you absolutely know that a flare has packed it's bags and is on it's way for a visit but you get to decide if it is moving in or just staying for a short, don't bother to unpack, visit.
Before my unwelcome guest fully arrives, I intend to get some work done. Then, luckily for me, I prepared a months worth of meals this past weekend and put them in the freezer just in case the weather took a cold turn. Now all I have to do is pop one in the crock pot and when I crash this afternoon, my family will still get a healthy, home cooked meal.
Chronic illness can be managed. By pushing through that initial pain through gentle movement and planning for unexpected or expected flares, you'll give your body exactly what it needs to recover more quickly than you would have if you had remained still.
I will be posting my favorite make ahead crock pot recipes soon so that you can give them a try. They have saved my family from eating cheap take-out on more than a few occasions, something we are all thankful for. I also see a new mattress on the horizon, something I will be incredibly thankful for! In the mean time, I'll be hanging out in my footie pajamas, watching cartoons. It's just that kind of day.
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