Fibromyalgia Awareness Day

Tomorrow, May 12th, is 2013 Fibromyalgia Awareness Day so I thought I’d simply share my previous post about this.

Understanding of fibromyalgia as a real chronic illness is recognized on this day each year with events held across the U.S. and around the world to raise awareness about fibromyalgia and its impact on individuals, families and communities.

The National Fibromyalgia & Chronic Pain Association (NFMCPA) stands ready to help you and/or your support group create a memorable event to make a difference in your community.

The theme this year is “CARE & Make Fibromyalgia Visible.”  The acronym CARE stands for:

C – Contribute
A – Advocate
R – Research
E – Educate

The goal of this year’s campaign is to engage people outside of the fibromyalgia community to support and spread awareness for FM recognition to the general public.

To help you spread the word, the NFMCPA is providing FREE Fibromyalgia Awareness Day Event Kits for events of all sizes.  Whether you’re one individual person who wants to get a proclamation signed by your legislators or a large group sponsoring a city-wide walk, they have the materials you will need, including posters, signs, instructions, step-by-step checklists and even raffle tickets and receipts.

Awareness Day and Fundraiser Event Kits available include:

• Community Picnic Events
• Table-Top Exhibits for Shopping Malls, Health Fairs, Farmers’ Markets, etc.
• Walk to Cure FM Events
• State Legislature Visits – Proclamation and Resolution Program

For more information or to order an event kit, visit the NFMCPA’s Awareness Day 2013 Web page.

[Shared from http://www.prohealth.com]

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To read more about how fibromyalgia affects lives, please check out the Fibromyalgia Awareness Day tab on my Chronic Illness page.

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Related articles

• Fibromyalgia Awareness Day is Sunday May 12, 2013! (joaynn510.wordpress.com)

Monday Lapghan Mishmash

For the past couple of years I’ve been keeping busy crocheting lapghans as therapy, plus it serves as a ministry. Somehow the process of crocheting seems to keep me from totally focusing on my pain. I have several patterns—some from actual patterns and some I make up as I go along—but they all have one thing in common: they are quick and easy to work up.

So here are my latest projects, displayed in a collage for your viewing enjoyment.

Faith in Hard Times

Yep, it’s Wednesday again. What’s so wonderful about that? It’s just another day to struggle with all that’s wrong in our lives, right?

Unemployment, sickness, finances. How to keep a roof over our heads and food on the table. Why is it that we seem to be going through so many bad weather situations? And what about all the evil deeds going on in our world? Exactly where is God in all of this and why doesn’t He seem to care?

The other day I caught myself grumbling and complaining several times [can "several" mean less than 10? I sure hope so!] about how horrible I was feeling. I was having another reaction to mistakenly eating something with gluten in it, and this affects my entire body: migraine, nausea, mind-numbing fatigue… my body even itches horribly in a lot of places. When I get “glutenized,” it takes me days to recover. And all of this is on top of my normal migraines and fibromyalgia/chronic fatigue syndrome symptoms.

As I was praying that night, the Lord brought the day into sharp focus and all I could see was me complaining—sometimes to myself, sometimes to my hubby, sometimes to no one. And I was horrified at how much of a grumbler I had become. The Lord then brought to mind Philippians 2:14: “Do everything without grumbling or arguing…” I couldn’t believe how far my complaining heart had gone.

So what does this have to do with Wonderful Wednesday?

Everything.

The first thing I did was ask the Lord to forgive my bad attitude and then I asked Him to help me overcome this tendency I have to moan and complain. I also talked to my sweet hubby about it and asked him to lovingly let me know when I fall back into that grumbling pattern.

And then I decided to do some Bible reading about grumbling and complaining, and that led me to search out passages about faith and trust. Not the usual verses about faith like Abraham’s that I’ve somewhat memorized. No, these are more about digging in and having faith that God is with me and at work:

in me…

through me…

and all around me…

even though I may not feel that He is. It is an unconditional trust that in spite of how I might feel about what’s going on with me, God is allowing certain things in my life to hone more of those rough edges. And that enables me to walk closer with Him.

That is the wonderful part. In spite of how much I’ve let my pain overshadow my joy—the joy of knowing Jesus and basking in the knowledge of His saving grace—He still loves me and has been patiently waiting for me to finally get it. And I do!

Here are a few passages that bring me a wonderful combination of comfort, peace and hope. The first one from Psalms is something the Lord pointed out to me in my daily Bible reading:

We wait in hope for the Lord;
    he is our help and our shield.
In him our hearts rejoice,
    for we trust in his holy name.
May your unfailing love be with us, Lord,
    even as we put our hope in you.

—Psalm 33:20-22

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This next one from Habakkuk is the last few verses of that small book, what I call Habakkuk’s Statement of Faith. In the margin next to this passage is my handwritten note: “Habakkuk was scared, but waiting. Faith waits on God to take care of things.”

I heard and my heart pounded,
    my lips quivered at the sound;
decay crept into my bones,
    and my legs trembled.

Yet I will wait patiently for the day of calamity
    to come on the nation invading us.

Though the fig tree does not bud
    and there are no grapes on the vines,
though the olive crop fails
    and the fields produce no food,
though there are no sheep in the pen
    and no cattle in the stalls,
yet I will rejoice in the Lord,
    I will be joyful in God my Savior.

The Sovereign Lord is my strength;
    he makes my feet like the feet of a deer,
    he enables me to tread on the heights.

—Habakkuk 3:16-19

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And one more:

Be patient, then, brothers and sisters, until the Lord’s coming.

See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop, patiently waiting for the autumn and spring rains.

You too, be patient and stand firm, because the Lord’s coming is near. Don’t grumble against one another, brothers and sisters, or you will be judged. The Judge is standing at the door! —James 5:7-9

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Thank you for allowing me to share this with you. In an attempt to keep things real, I wanted to make sure you understand that limping with joy through a difficult valley does not mean that I am satisfied and happy with this struggle. I am definitely not! But what it does mean is that I have found the only way to live with any of it and still have that peace that passes all understanding (Philippians 4:7).

It’s a fine line I walk with this complaining issue. Sometimes I need to let Rick and others close to me know exactly what’s going on with me because I usually don’t look like I’m feeling horrible. As Rick is fond of telling me, “But you look so good!” So I’ve asked Rick to specifically let me know when sharing the facts of how I feel turn into complaining.

Beloved, what are you struggling with today? Have you found your hope in the one true God? The One who is your Strength and Salvation? Please contact me with any questions about any of this: annap at annapopescu dot com.

Carry Me

I am so thankful for the way God has carried me through some tough days over the past couple of weeks. Thank you to the many people who prayed for me. I definitely felt uplifted!

Today I am doubly thankful because my friend Patricia Knight has graciously allowed me to share another of her great devotionals with you. And I don’t think the subject of this devotional is a mere coincidence—more like what Pat and I call a “God-incidence.” Pat, I thank you, my dear, dear friend!

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By Patricia Knight

 Is there any place a child would rather be than hoisted up onto his father’s broad shoulders, with legs wrapped securely around his dad’s chest, held in his firm grasp?  What a view from the child’s loving perch at the top of his world!  The boy’s little hands run playfully through his dad’s hair until his father suddenly lunges forward, pretending to stumble.  Suddenly the child reaches out in desperation as his once relaxed body contracts in fear.  When his jerking hands instinctively reach to grasp something safe, he lands a choke hold on his father’s neck.  Then his dad laughs uproariously, vowing to play no more tricks.  The child relaxes once more in the shelter of his father’s love and protection.  The playful ride continues until the father is happily exhausted.

Being lifted up and revered is not just child’s play.  We all crave protection and the ability to view the world buoyed by the safety of our heavenly Father’s shoulders.  “Let the beloved of the Lord rest secure in Him, for He shields him all day long, and the one the Lord loves rests between His shoulders” (Deut. 33:12).

Our heavenly Father never stumbles nor will He ever carry us into dangerous territory.  When times in our life are tough, God often carries us on His shoulders, the safest place in the world to be.  Who among us doesn’t long for absolute security and safety?  Moses reminded God’s people, “The Lord your God carried you as a father carries His son” (Deut 1:31).

Our ride of assurance by God is not a one-time, fun-time. “I’ve been carrying you on my back from the day you were born, and I’ll keep on carrying you when you’re old.  I’ll be there bearing you when you’re old and gray.  I’ve done it and will keep on doing it, carrying you on my back, saving you” (Is 46:4, The Message).

Remember, when we attempt to navigate the seemingly insurmountable trappings of life, we are not alone.  God, who created us, will sustain us.  Relax your tight muscles of fear.  Enjoy the promise of your Lord’s vast resources of peace and safety, love and kindness, faithfulness and forgiveness.

God’s shoulders are massive, supporting us when we are burdened with a load of care.  He delights in His children, desiring to lavish all of us with His love and grace.  Let us rejoice in the abundant encouragement God offers.  Only then can we enjoy the ride through life, held securely on His shoulders.

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Everything I Need
by Kutless

When every step is so hard to take
And all of my hope is fading away
When life is a mountain that I can not climb
You carry me, Jesus carry me.

You Are strength in my weakness
You are the refuge I seek
You are everything in my time of need
You are everything, You are everything I need

When every moment is more than I can take
And all of my strength is slipping away
When every breath gets harder me
You carry me, Jesus carry me.

You Are strength in my weakness
You are the refuge I seek
You are everything in my time of need
You are everything, You are everything I need

I need You
You are everything I need
I love everything about You

You Are strength in my weakness
You are the refuge I seek
You are everything in my time of need
You are everything, You are everything I need

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I hope you feel as encouraged as I did when reading this. Like so many of us, Pat is very familiar with chronic daily pain but she doesn’t let it get her down. She knows she can count on Him to carry her on His shoulders when she needs Him the most.

How about you, Beloved? You can call on God ANYTIME to carry you through a tough time!

Be Joyful Always

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Rejoice always,

pray continually,

give thanks in all circumstances;

for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

—1 Peter 5:16-18

2013 Fibromyalgia Awareness Day

May 12—Fibromyalgia Awareness Day—is just around the corner and events will be held across the U.S. and around the world to raise awareness about fibromyalgia and its impact on individuals, families and communities.

The National Fibromyalgia & Chronic Pain Association (NFMCPA) stands ready to help you and/or your support group create a memorable event to make a difference in your community.

The theme this year is “CARE & Make Fibromyalgia Visible.”  The acronym CARE stands for:

C – Contribute
A – Advocate
R – Research
E – Educate

The goal of this year’s campaign is to engage people outside of the fibromyalgia community to support and spread awareness for FM recognition to the general public.

To help you spread the word, the NFMCPA is providing FREE Fibromyalgia Awareness Day Event Kits for events of all sizes.  Whether you’re one individual person who wants to get a proclamation signed by your legislators or a large group sponsoring a city-wide walk, they have the materials you will need, including posters, signs, instructions, step-by-step checklists and even raffle tickets and receipts.

Awareness Day and Fundraiser Event Kits available include:

• Community Picnic Events
• Table-Top Exhibits for Shopping Malls, Health Fairs, Farmers’ Markets, etc.
• Walk to Cure FM Events
• State Legislature Visits – Proclamation and Resolution Program

For more information or to order an event kit, visit the NFMCPA’s Awareness Day 2013 Web page.

[Shared from http://www.prohealth.com]

…

To read more about how fibromyalgia affects lives, please check out the Fibromyalgia Awareness Day tab on my Chronic Illness page.

He Cares for You

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Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time, casting all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you. Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. But resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same experiences of suffering are being accomplished by your brethren who are in the world. After you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself perfect, confirm, strengthen and establish you. To Him be dominion forever and ever. Amen. —1 Peter 5:6-11

Oh, the pain…

This Mishmash Monday is brought to you by the pain I live with every day. There are several things I’m going through this week that will make it difficult for me to work on my blog regularly for the next couple of weeks, so I’m scheduling several inspirational image posts to remind you how much you are loved by Jesus Christ, the One who loves us so much He died for our sins.

Even though I endure pain on a daily basis, I always look to my Savior and Lord, Jesus Christ, for “the peace that passes all understanding” (Philippians 4:7). And I absolutely “consider it all joy…when [I] encounter various trials” (James 1:2).

How is this even possible? Because I know where my true joy lies: in the knowledge that one day I will no longer be in any kind of pain as I enjoy life in my new heavenly home.

So, here’s my mishmash of images that describe (in a way) how I feel on any given day.

My term for de-conditioning is “payback”

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This is how I should look because of how I normally feel

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Migraine head

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If you have trouble viewing the Casting Crowns video above, here are the lyrics to the song, “Praise You in This Storm”:

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I was sure by now
God You would have reached down
And wiped our tears away
Stepped in and saved the day
But once again, I say “Amen”, and it’s still raining

As the thunder rolls
I barely hear Your whisper through the rain
“I’m with you”
And as Your mercy falls
I raise my hands and praise the God who gives
And takes away

[Chorus:]
And I’ll praise You in this storm
And I will lift my hands
For You are who You are
No matter where I am
And every tear I’ve cried
You hold in Your hand
You never left my side
And though my heart is torn
I will praise You in this storm

I remember when
I stumbled in the wind
You heard my cry to you
And you raised me up again
My strength is almost gone
How can I carry on
If I can’t find You

But as the thunder rolls
I barely hear You whisper through the rain
“I’m with you”
And as Your mercy falls
I raise my hands and praise the God who gives
And takes away

[Chorus]

I lift my eyes unto the hills
Where does my help come from?
My help comes from the Lord
The Maker of Heaven and Earth

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Suffering Well

It may be strange to have a post about suffering on a Sweet Saturday, but if you have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ this special message will be sweet to you in its truest sense.

I follow the Desiring God blog, and last week this particular post by Jonathan Parnell greatly spoke to me. This is the Philippians 3:7-8 passage to which Mr. Parnell refers:

But whatever things were gain to me, those things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ.More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ… —Philippians 3:7-8

Beloved, I pray you are edified by Mr. Parnell’s words too.

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How Christians Prepare for Suffering

By Jonathan Parnell | Mar 07, 2013 12:00 am

The apostle Paul suffered. Did he ever.

He was imprisoned. He was beaten, often near death. He took 195 total lashes from his Jewish kinsmen on five occasions. He took three pummels with rods. He was once stoned — and then also shipwrecked three times. Then there are the endless dangers of travel in the first century, plus countless other experiences mentioned and unmentioned in the New Testament (2 Corinthians 11:21–33).

It doesn’t take long until we wonder how in the world he did it. How did he take so much pain? So much loss? How did he prepare for suffering?

The answer is in Philippians 3:7–8.

Counting Everything As Loss

In the 1992 sermon “Called to Suffer and Rejoice: That We Might Gain Christ,” John Piper unfolds the significance of Paul counting his gain as loss. Basically, the apostle took a long look at his life apart from Christ. All the things that he valued — his Jewish pedigree, his place in the upper echelon of religious society, his law-keeping — he took a long look at this list and wrote “LOSS” over it with a giant Sharpie.

And then we went a step further.

It wasn’t just the past values of his personal life. It wasn’t just “whatever gain he had.” Paul looks out into the future and declares everything as loss. Everything out there that could pass as positive. Everything good that he has yet to experience and everything which he will never experience. Compared to Jesus, everything is loss.

This Is Normal Christianity

And lest we think this puts Paul on a pious pedestal, that he is at a spiritual level we’d never reach, Piper reminds us that this sort of reckoning is normal Christianity (Matthew 13:44; Luke 14:33). To consider Jesus better than everything else in the world is at the heart of what it means to be a Christian.

It may be worth reading that last sentence a couple more times, until it feels uncomfortable. Many of us are so quick to console our hearts when the least bit of unsettling winds blow through. But what about conviction? It’s a good thing not to be comfortable with a watered-down Christianity foreign to the Bible. It’s not works-righteousness to say that saving faith in Jesus means we have to really love him. It’s works-righteousness to think that our really loving him is the reason we’re saved. Paul said that everything is loss compared to the surpassing worth of knowing Jesus. Paul said that and so should we.

Jesus Is Better

And that’s how Paul prepared for suffering. He saw Jesus as superior to everything else. Piper lays it out this way:

Suffering is nothing more than the taking away of bad things or good things that the world offers for our enjoyment — reputation, esteem among peers, job, money, spouse, sexual life, children, friends, health, strength, sight, hearing, success, etc. When these things are taken away (by force or by circumstance or by choice), we suffer. But if we have followed Paul and the teaching of Jesus and have already counted them as loss for the surpassing value of gaining Christ, then we are prepared to suffer.

This means that if we treasure Jesus, then every aspect of suffering in our lives is losing something we have already declared as loss.

If when you become a Christian you write a big red “LOSS” across all the things in the world except Christ, then when Christ calls you to forfeit some of those things, it is not strange or unexpected. The pain and the sorrow may be great. The tears may be many, as they were for Jesus in Gethsemane. But we will be prepared. We will know that the value of Christ surpasses all the things the world can offer and that in losing them we gain more of Christ.

Loving Him Today

None of us knows the sorrows that may meet us tomorrow and are sure to meet us if Jesus tarries. We don’t know what hardships God will call us to walk through. But even though we don’t know them, we can prepare for them. And the way we prepare for afflictions then is by gaining Jesus now.

It will not minimize the pain. Not at all. But we will know, even in the darkest night, that Jesus is our God and all, that he is our Rock and treasure, that he is enough.

The way we suit up for our sufferings tomorrow is by cultivating our love for Jesus today.

http://www.desiringgod.org/blog/posts/how-christians-prepare-for-suffering

No Pain

Thankful Thursday

Exactly one year ago today, I enjoyed a day completely free of pain. I know this because it was so remarkable that I made a note of it on my calendar. Why? So that I would be able to express my thankfulness to God—every year on this day—for that special, pain-free day in 2012.

And to remember that it is good for me to be thankful for everything in my life.

Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise. Give thanks to Him, bless His name. —Psalm 100:4

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Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe. —Hebrews 12:28

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While I’m in this thankful attitude, I’d like to update you a bit on my ongoing health issues. The new medication I started in December did absolutely nothing except make me feel worse, so I ended that trial run in mid-February. This is typically the way Rx meds work for me—they don’t! I believe that is part of the many sensitivities I have from FMS, which include light, sound and chemicals.

I was very discouraged by the failure of this medication, but more so because even though I was no longer taking it, I started feeling much worse—and I didn’t know that was even possible. Since last May, I have been eating gluten-free and dairy-free, and slowly discovered that I also cannot tolerate soy and peanuts. These foods cause extreme GI distress plus nauseous migraines.

My most recent gut-wrenching (literally) allergy discoveries were onions and garlic. Both my parents were born and raised in Italy and immigrated to the USA in the late 40′s. I was raised in an Italian household where tons of garlic and onions were included in the wonderful food Mom made for us. So I was very sad to have to give up these savory foods. How does one cook great Italian food without being able to add onions and garlic anyway?

Around that same time I had a very bad reaction to eating popped sorghum, which is very similar to popped corn but much better for me according to the glycemic index. And then I had a light bulb moment. I had been having several really bad days, so I searched through my food diary and realized I had eaten the popped sorghum for a snack two days in a row. And then on a hunch, I checked out the ingredients list of a crunchy cereal I have been eating practically every day since last May.When I saw that sorghum was the main ingredient, I knew I had been slowly poisoning my body with sorghum.

You see, sorghum flour is slightly sweet and a good addition to many gluten-free foods and baking mixes, and I had been adding a crunchy sorghum cereal to my regular cereal—I absolutely love me some major crunch in my cereal!

Most people who have to eat gluten-free can easily tolerate sorghum, but apparently not yours truly.  I like to have cereal for breakfast because it is easy and doesn’t require any cooking—a must for this definitely UN-morning person! And the only time I vary that routine is if I’m away from home, which is not that often.

So I had been consuming some sorghum almost every single day for a good 10 months! Plus I had eaten the popped sorghum as a snack for several days in a row.

My body was absolutely rebelling, and now I know why.

It has been about 3 weeks since I stopped eating any kind of sorghum and I had to give away about a dozen different gluten-free baking mixes that contain sorghum. BUT what a huge improvement in how I feel! I still have migraines when we’re experiencing a nasty weather front up here in the mountains, but my energy level is improving and I am not sleeping as much of my life away these days.

I’m starting to feel like I have the “new normal” me back—you know, the one with those chronic illnesses but who is still able to get through most of my days without feeling like I am constantly being run over by a semi.

Thank You, Lord!

Rejoice always; pray without ceasing; in everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. —1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

Beloved, how about you? What are you thankful for today?