Flaring Through a Heatwave
Last week, the UK heatwave made a dreaded return.
My fibro is usually so much better in the warm weather, but when there's no aircon to escape to, no place for your body to cool down, it becomes a breeding ground for flares, fatigue and overheating.
I've been struggling with a flare up for a few weeks now, it started with a full body pain flare. It's never been so bad. My whole body hurt, ached, and I couldn't get comfortable in any position. I've also been dealing with a new pain, back ache, from my new job working at a yoga studio. There's a lot of sitting on unsupported stools and moving up and down to pick things up, lay mats down and tidy the studio. This of course has been a big mental battle: I left one job to feel better and came across a new hurdle. But we move. I feel overall better, so I guess we take the wins where we can.
Accompanying the back pain was hand pain and knee pain. Not fun at all. Even acupuncture didn't lift the pain enough this time. I have just started seeing a chiropractor though, and this has helped lift the back pain, for a day or two. A win is a win.
Then, once the pain started to ease, the fatigue came in. Nausea, brain fog, the hangover feeling that makes doing life pretty difficult.
On Wednesday, it reached its peak, and I'll be honest, so did I.
Sometimes the flares really get to you, there's no sugar coating it, they just really get you down, and I couldn't stop the tears. I felt hopeless, lost in the thought, is this really what my life's going to be like?
After a few hours of crying and not even Love Island lifting me out of it, I called my mum. She helped me talk through what I was feeling and let me feel okay with knowing some of the treatments I'm trying (functional medicine) will take time, and that's okay.
The chiropractor helped, acupuncture helps almost all of the time, and that's something. I'm finding things that work along the way and that's what matters.
Weeks like this one are exactly why I've been working on something behind the scenes. A short guided reiki meditation for flare days, for the moments your body needs you to stop, not push through. It's called Flare Day Reset, and it's coming in the next couple of weeks. I'll share more soon, but if you want to be first to know when it's ready, keep an eye on this space.
Talk soon,
Gaby, Founder, Yōsei Healing 妖精
In my toolkit right now: ear seeds. I used them for the fatigue last week, and by Thursday it had properly lifted. I've been using them for about 6 months now and they still amaze me. If you want to try them, here's my code for a 10% discount: GABSSFITNESS. I'll keep sharing what's actually in my rotation as the weeks go on.
I try all the products I talk about before sharing them because I know how much fluff is out there and how important it is to share things that actually work 💛