Follow Up: Even More Celebrities with Fibromyalgia

In another follow up to my posts about celebrities coming forward with their struggles and successes with fibro, I found this slideshow highlighting the following celebrities as fellow fibromites:

• Susan Flannery
• Rosie Hamlin
• Sinead O'Conner
• MichaelJames Hastings

(The headline of this slideshow is a bit misleading as it says "5" celebrities but only sows 4....)

http://www.thirdage.com/fibromyalgia/celebrities-with-fibromyalgia?shuffle=1

Follow up: Celebrities with Fibromyalgia - Captain Michael Hastings

As a followup to my post from 5-29-13

I have discovered another celebrity that struggles with fibromyalgia.

You may know him as the Navy “Captain Mike” from the popular series “The West Wing,” but Michael James Hastings creates more popularity by being a spokesman for fibromyalgia. He follows Dr. Teitelbaum's protocol with supplements and coupled with lifestyle changes and adjustments has found success in managing his fibro symptoms.

Here is the article I found highlighting Captain Mike

http://www.homecuresthatwork.com/columns/celebrity-health-watch/michael-james-hastings-fibromyalgia-activist/#.Udl9nlOHQZw

And here is a link to his website with extensive links and information:

http://www.captainhastings.com/

This is an inspiration, and another step in the right direction seeing celebrities come forward with their fibro struggles, and supporting the focus on fibromyalgia and treatments.

Celebrity Battling Fibromyalgia

Its unfortunate that the stigma of fibromyalgia (and misunderstanding) means that celebrities are much less likely to come forward and speak about their experiences with the illness. For a celebrity announcing that you suffer from fibromyalgia can be a career killer, so many keep quiet and suffer through. I've always thought and even wished a celebrity would come out and speak in support, I feel that would shine more light on the illness and even more understanding and support.

I did come across this interesting article today about a celebrity battling fibro:

http://www.lifescript.com/health/centers/fibromyalgia/articles/actress_aj_langer_how_fibromyalgia_affects_her_life.aspx

Inspirtional Quote

"Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food."

- Hippocrates

Chuck Close - Rising Above Disabilities

I subscribe to Neurology Now magazine (is free, check out their website: http://journals.lww.com/neurologynow/pages/default.aspx ) and a recent feature article portrayed the artist Chuck Close. Throughout his life he has developed several afflictions, including dyslexia, paralysis and face blindness. Reading the article was very inspirational, as not only has he overcome and learned to work with his disabilities, but he has attributed his success to his dealing with his disabilities. For anyone dealing with a chronic illness reading this article is a must:

http://journals.lww.com/neurologynow/Fulltext/2011/07040/Larger_Than_Life__Dyslexia,_paralysis,_face.10.aspx

Good Quote for the Day

Anyone can give up, it's the easiest thing in the world to do. But to hold it together when everyone else would understand if you fell apart, that's true strength.

-- Author Unknown

5 Reasons God Permits Problems

The problems you face will either defeat you or develop you-- depending on how YOU respond to them. Unfortunately, most people fail to see how God wants to use problems for good in their lives. They react foolishly and resent their problems rather than pausing to consider what benefit they might bring. Here are five reasons God May have Permitted the problems for experience in your life:

1. God permits problems to DIRECT you. Sometimes God must light a fire under you to get you moving. Problems often point us in a new direction and motivate us to change. Is God allowing this situation to get your
attention? "Sometimes it takes a painful situation to make us change our ways. " - Proverbs 20:30

2. God permits problems to INSPECT you. People are like tea bags ... if you want to know what's inside them, just drop them into hot water! Has God tested your faith by allowing a problem or two into your life? What do
problems reveal about you? "When you have many kinds of troubles, you should be full of joy, because you know that these troubles test your faith, and this will give you patience." James 1:2-3

3. God uses problems to CORRECT you. Some lessons we learn only through pain and failure. It's likely that as a child your parents told you not to touch a hot stove. But you probably learned by being burned. Sometimes we only learn the value of something... health, money, a relationship. ..by losing it. "It was the best thing that could have happened to me, for it taught me to pay attention to your laws." Psalms 119:71-72

4. God permits problems to PROTECT you. A problem can be a blessing in disguise if it prevents you from being harmed by something more serious. Last year a friend was fired for refusing to do something unethical
that his boss had asked him to do. His unemployment was a problem-but it saved him from being convicted and sent to prison a year later when management's actions were eventually discovered. "You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good"... Genesis 50:20

5. God permits problems to PERFECT you. Problems, when responded to correctly, are character builders. God is far more interested in your character than your comfort. Your relationship to God and your
character are the only two things you're going to take with you into eternity. "We can rejoice when we run into problems...they help us learn to be patient. And patience develops strength of character in us and helps us trust God more each time we use it until finally our hope and faith are strong and steady." Romans 5:3-4

** Here's the point: God is at work in your life-even when you do not recognize it or understand it. But it's much easier and profitable when you cooperate with Him.

"Life is All About Plan B" 2001 Calendar by Suzy Toronto

LOVE LOVE LOVE!!! I was at a Cracker Barrel restaurant with my Mom and came across this calendar for 2011. The calendar title caught my attention, and as I read through each month it really resonated with me and where I am in life (and fibro life!) right now. I felt it woule good inspiration for 2011!

http://suzytoronto.com/component/option,com_virtuemart/page,shop.product_details/flypage,shop.flypage/product_id,2208/Itemid,40/

For example, here is the Plan B/ January details (I mean hello, does this not exactly describe dealing with fibro or what?!!)

"Plan A is always my first choice. 'You know, happily ever after.' But more often than not, I find myself dealing with the upside-down, inside-out version, where nothing goes as it should. It's at this point that the real test of my character comes in... Do I sink or swim? Do I wallow in self-pity and play the victim or simply shift gears and make the best of the situation? The choice is mine. After all... life is all about how you handle Plan B."

Read a Good Book? Donate a Copy!

I have read two books about fibro and chronic illness that I absolutely love and will keep on-hand always, as I have highlighted and re-read the heck out of them (ok, I am not finished reading "How to Be Sick" by Toni Bernhard - but I am already so enthralled with it and so many pages are dogearred!)

My other fav of course is FibroWHYalgia :) by Sue Ingebretson

I checked with my local library, and since these are fairly new books they do not have them yet. I've purchased new copies of each and am donating them to the Broward County library system. I really feel they need to be out there for everyone to easily access!

If you find books you enjoy a much as I love these, I encourage you to do the same if possible!

Good Quote - Obstacles

"Obstacles are those frightful things you see when you take your eyes off your goals."

Fibro like a Tuning Fork - Sue Ingebretson's Blog

LOVE this analogy Sue! Everyone, please read this, is a good one!

"I’ve often said that I’m thankful for fibromyalgia. Learning how to analyze and deal with chronic illness has taught me powerful lessons I wouldn’t have learned any other way. The Fibromyalgia Tuning Fork Analogy is one lesson I share at most speaking engagements...."

Read the rest of her story here on her blog!

http://www.rebuildingwellness.com/blog/fibromyalgia-tuning-fork-analogy/

Accepting Imperfection and Letting It Go

This is a good blog post, I think it def applies to fibro and CFS and what we go through:

http://headacheandmigrainenews.com/1-thursday-move-on/

Hope Is

This is a good one:

Hope is the belief in your ability to recover from whatever has knocked you down on any given day. Resilience is the ability to recover from the punch and the land on your feet, or on your own butt, or whatever supports you at that time. To cultivate your physical resilience, you must have mental resilience that comes from a place called hope.
 
- Rosalind Joffe from her and Joan Friedlander’s book,
Women, Work, and Autoimmune Disease: Keep Working, Girlfriend!

*Hugs*

"Some say the best way to forget your troubles is to wear tight shoes, but I say go out and hug somebody."

- Barbara Johnson
from God Always Has a Plan B

Enjoy Small Acts of Kindness

Even though we don't technically have arthritis, it certainly feels like it at times. I enjoyed this article and am looking forward to posts on their site:

http://arthritis.about.com/b/2010/07/11/acts-of-kindness-make-living-with-arthritis-easier.htm?nl=1

:)

Bring Sunshine to Others

"When we bring sunshine into the lives of others, we're warmed by it ourselves. When we spill a little happiness, it splashes on us. Hope uncovers new possibilities and shows us what can be done. It wrestles with angels, looks impossibilities in the eye and winks, Hope springs eternal. Hope supersedes all good intentions. Keep going by the power of God's grace. Dare to believe that He has planned greater things right around the corner."

-- Barbara Johnson
from God Always Has a Plan B

Make Someone Smile Today!

"You can be a blessing to the people you meet today. Yes, life has its serious moments. But being just a bit kooky may be the secret to seeing yourself and others through good times and bad. Go ahead, make someone's day - make her smile."

-- Thelma Wells
from God Always Has a Plan B

*hugs!*

Quote about the Road of Life

"Forget the potholes in the road and celebrate the journey."

-- Dove Chocolate

:)

How to Change a Habit - Quote

"How do you change the habits of a lifetime? I love the line of Mark Twain: 'You can't break a bad habit by throwing it out the window. You've got to walk it slowly down the stairs.' Slowly and deliberately. Walking takes commitment. It takes the first step and the next and the next until you get to the door."

-- Sheila Walsh
from God Always Has a Plan B

Aim to Be a Shining Diamond!

Facing a chronic illness like fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue can be daunting, but I really like this quote I came across. We should all aim to do our best when facing our daily challenges, so we can be shining diamonds!

"We all face adversity in life. It's what you do with those challenges that's important. They say diamonds are forged under pressure."