/ suebisco1

I’m going to do something I usually never do.  Focus on the pain I’m having.  Did Crossfit Silver Nanos Tuesday night.  It was a good aerobic exercise in general.  I was moving slow but I completed everything, discovered I’m getting better at sit-ups…  However, the fibro attack that was coming on last week is in pretty full force now despite the good aerobic workout.  Last week’s aerobic workout immediately took the pain away, but not this week. This week I’m dealing with both solid fibro pain and solid workout pain.  And yes, I can tell the difference.  I wasn’t sure if I would be able to, but I can.

I can classify the pain I’m having into four categories:

  1. Fibro pain – “white noise pain,” an overall, literally head to toe pain.  It almost feels more surface level.  Think of when you were a kid and your brother gave you a snakebite (grabbed your arm with both hands and twisted in opposite directions).  Then think how that pain felt after the initial twist.  That’s kind of how it feels, from scalp to heel.  Another way to think of it is when you have the flu, and you’re pretty sure you’re going to die.  Those flu aches are very similar to this.  On the 1-10 pain scale, this is usually at about 3.  Today it is about a 7.  On the relentlessness scale, it is a 10.
  2. Fibro pain – acute, sharp shooting pain. Primarily in the joints but also shoots from joint to joint.  Also random sharp pains, such as on the top of my foot.  No bruises, no injury, no swelling.  Just random pain probably at about a level 8 on the pain scale.  On the relentlessness scale, it’s about a 4.
  3. Arthritis – back and knees.  The only way I can tell the difference between the osteoarthritis in my mid back/knees and acute fibro pain is location, and the popping and cracking noises.
  4. Workout pain – this is the satisfying pain, even when it’s mixed up with the other pains.  This is primarily in the large muscles of the legs and arms; not nearly as intense, and I know it will go away.  At least until the next workout.  It’s a pain that actually can help me sleep.

I think I’ll track this particular fibro episode, see how long it lasts and what else is going on when it relents.  That means I have to keep diet, exercise, sleep, and stress steady or improved.  Wish me luck.

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