With A Little Help From My Friends
After years of talking about it, Zach and I finally got to go to Zion National Park last weekend! Anyone who has ever been camping before knows how much planning is involved, and for those of us with a chronic pain disorder, this includes planning as to how you are going to pace yourself and keep your pain levels from increasing. Unfortunately, this did not make my to-do list.
We had a fabulous time eating, camping, and hiking with our good friends. But 12 hours in a car, sleeping on the ground, and hours and hours of hiking takes a toll on your body, and for me this resulted in several days of excruciating pain. The hard part is that sometimes the effects aren't immediate and while you think you're fine, you may be in a world of hurt later. After the first day home of sucking it up and letting my pride and can-do attitude stand in the way of asking for help, my wonderful family came around me and gave me a day of rest. Just as important as the actual day of rest, however, was the reminder that this was something that I needed to do in order to be a better wife and mother.
Activities like camping and hiking are absolutely doable even with fibromyalgia. The key however, is knowing and sticking to your limits. It means sitting in the shade sometimes and allowing other people to finish the hike (my dad taught me to always carry a book). It means being very intentional about stretching, especially before going to bed and when you wake up. It means forgetting about "making time" and stretching your muscles during the car trip. I feel very fortunate to have been able to attend a pain management rehab program and love being able to share what I've learned with others.
Life with chronic pain isn't easy, but using the knowledge I have been given and the wonderful help from my friends and family, I can still thrive.
We had a fabulous time eating, camping, and hiking with our good friends. But 12 hours in a car, sleeping on the ground, and hours and hours of hiking takes a toll on your body, and for me this resulted in several days of excruciating pain. The hard part is that sometimes the effects aren't immediate and while you think you're fine, you may be in a world of hurt later. After the first day home of sucking it up and letting my pride and can-do attitude stand in the way of asking for help, my wonderful family came around me and gave me a day of rest. Just as important as the actual day of rest, however, was the reminder that this was something that I needed to do in order to be a better wife and mother.
Activities like camping and hiking are absolutely doable even with fibromyalgia. The key however, is knowing and sticking to your limits. It means sitting in the shade sometimes and allowing other people to finish the hike (my dad taught me to always carry a book). It means being very intentional about stretching, especially before going to bed and when you wake up. It means forgetting about "making time" and stretching your muscles during the car trip. I feel very fortunate to have been able to attend a pain management rehab program and love being able to share what I've learned with others.
Life with chronic pain isn't easy, but using the knowledge I have been given and the wonderful help from my friends and family, I can still thrive.
Kali, we both had a fabulous time with you guys. I'm so sorry you had a rough re-entry to the "more comfy" life at home. We'll make sure to be more proactive in Yosemite. Please, please, please make sure to tell us when you need to slow or shut down and don't think it's an inconvenience to us. Your well-being is just as important as the trip itself for all involved. If we can be of any help just let us know.
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