In the Likely Event of a Flare

For the past five days, I’ve been fighting an arthritis flare.  Yesterday, I realized I wasn’t winning the fight, so I had to submit to meds and rest.  An arthritis flare is a dramatic increase in the symptoms of ankylosing spondylitis.  It’s like my immune system goes wild and so does the increase in pain, swelling, and fatigue. Everything hurts so much more, and it affects most of my body.  My left foot is throbbing, my knees are burning, I have pain in both hips, my hands hurt, I have pain and stiffness throughout my body when I move, and I am very, very tired.  I have been in bed most of the day today.  I forced myself out of bed to shower which felt good, temporarily, as showering is also exhausting.  So, what do I do when I have a flare?  I practice self-care.  Here are some things I do:

Medications:  My medications for a flare are always close by.  These include steroids and muscle relaxants.  The steroids help to calm down my immune system, but this can take several days to kick in.  The muscle relaxants help in pain relief.  (This is how my doctor prescribes treatment for flares.  Please speak with your doctor to find out the best way to treat your arthritis flares.)  Lately, in place of muscle relaxants, I’ve tried hemp extract.  I prefer hemp extract because it takes away the pain while feeling less groggy than my prescription medications.  There are a lot of opinions in the chronic disease community about using CBD.  I would recommend talking to your doctor and finding a reputable health food store that can guide you in selecting a CBD product.

Comfort Foods:  My number one comfort food is homemade chicken soup.  There is something about chicken soup that’s a source of healing for me.  I load it up with plenty of vegetables including zucchini noodles.  All the nutrients in the soup make me feel like I’m doing something healthy for myself when I don’t feel well.  As miserable as I felt today, I managed to throw a bunch of chicken, veggies and broth into my crockpot.  I took a nap and when I woke up, the soup was done; ready for me to enjoy.  I also love tea. Brewing a cup of tea is a cup of comfort for me.  It just makes me feel better.  I enjoy black, green and herbal teas. Sometimes I have GI symptoms with a flare such as nausea and gas.  I especially enjoy peppermint tea when I have these symptoms because it’s a natural way to calm down my GI symptoms.  (Shout out to  my daughter, a physician assistant in GI, for that tip!)

Books: I enjoy reading books.  When I feel particularly ill, I really like reading books by Debbie Macomber.  She writes amusing, romantic novels that are light-hearted and easy-to-read.  Her books always put me in a better mood when I don’t feel well.  She also wrote a non-fiction book that really picked me up when I was feeling down, called Knit Together: Discover God’s Plan for your Life.  Another book I recommend is written by Ann Romney called, In This Together:  My Story.  This book is about her diagnosis of MS and how she sought out alternative therapies to help regain her mobility.  This book encouraged me to open the possibilities of alternative treatment for my AS. If you want a good laugh, I really enjoyed, I Must Say by Martin Short.  This was a funny and poignant autobiography.  It will make you laugh, cry, and feel like Martin Short is your new best friend.  You must listen to the audiobook version of this book because Martin narrates this book with all his impressions and characters.  It was a joy to listen to this wonderful book. 

Netflix:  I am a big fan of the show Blue Bloods.  There is something about the New York City setting that I love…not to mention Tom Selleck is pretty easy on the eyes!  I also like Donnie Wahlberg on the show…he’s a badass!   Another show that I like is The Great British Baking Show.  I really enjoy watching all the intricate baking.  It’s amazing to see how these home bakers create such masterpieces each week in a limited amount of time.  I also like how the contestants are so supportive of each other.  You see the best in humanity while watching this show.

Well, folks, that’s how I’m managing through my flare this week.  I hope I will start feeling like myself again soon. For now, it’s time for another nap! 

Peaceful Warrior

Peaceful warrior is my favorite yoga pose.  I like the idea of being a warrior, in combat, always ready and willing to slay my ankylosing spondylitis.  But, it’s the peaceful part of this term that speaks to me more.  It’s the idea of being strong in battle with a peacefulness or serenity during the battle.  Gaia.com interprets peaceful warrior or reverse warrior as “showing up with love and intention in day-to-day life…When practicing reverse warrior, ask yourself to consider definitions or beliefs in your life from another perspective. There are two sides to each coin, and the better you know both sides, the better prepared you will be to live your life with steadiness, grace, and ease.” (https://www.gaia.com/article/viparita-virabhadrasana-reverse-warrior-pose)  That’s how I want to live my life with “steadiness, grace, and ease.”

I started practicing yoga about 3 years ago.  I had two doctors suggest I try it to help with spondylitis.  I signed up for Gentle Yoga at my local YMCA.  The first day of yoga class was discouraging to me.  Through all the sitting and standing moves, I was stiff, in pain, and had zero flexibility.  I also had a hard time with balance.  I really wanted to cry after my first class.  My yoga teacher asked me how I liked my first class and I mentioned to her my difficulties.  She immediately gave me tips to modify my yoga practice.  I used those tips at the next class and I didn’t feel quite so clunky.  That’s how I got hooked into yoga.  I can use supports such as a bolster, yoga strap and yoga block to help me feel successful in my yoga practice.  As the week’s progressed, I noticed a slight improvement in my flexibility and balance.  Eventually, I didn’t need to hold on to a chair for some of the balance positions. 

What I love most about yoga is that it’s an individual practice.  Other students in my class can do more positions than I can.  And, my practice can differ from class to class.  Some days my balance is great and other days, I need the support of yoga block or standing near a wall to support me.  But, that’s okay.  It’s adapting and adjusting to my body’s unique needs and still being beneficial to my overall health.

Practicing yoga makes me feel successful.  That’s a big statement coming from someone who has a chronic illness.  With ongoing pain and stiffness, it’s hard to find an activity that I can feel successful in.  Yoga is a practice of the mind, body, and spirit.  Therein lies my success.  Here’s how it helps me:

Mind:  There are so many thoughts and ideas going through my head, especially during the final relaxation portion of my yoga class.  But, my teacher says these thoughts are okay, just don’t hold on to them.  So, I try to let go of the thoughts that go through my head and focus on the peace.  I remind myself this time is for me and I shouldn’t waste it thinking of other things.  There is a lovely peacefulness that I feel when I let go of ideas and just be.  It’s not always easy to achieve but when I do, it feels great.  This mindfulness comes into practice especially when I have a day that I am in more pain than usual.  I have learned through the years to stop the activities I’m doing, and to just rest.  When I do this, I feel better.  When I attempt to push through the pain, stiffness, and fatigue, I end up worse off.  I have learned to physically rest and quiet my mind when I don’t feel well.

Body:  Yoga has helped so much with my balance.  I was having some falls that were alarming to me being I was in my early 50’s.  Over the years since practicing yoga, I have felt stronger in my balance and haven’t had any trips or falls in recent years.  In certain yoga positions, my yoga teacher reminds the class that a certain position results in stretching and strengthening the spine to create space within the disks.  Anytime she says this, I envision my spinal column creating space.  With my condition, the sacrum and hips can become very stiff.  I know through my yoga practice, I’m doing everything I can to keep these joints moving.

Spirit:  I’m not talking about religion here.  I think this portion of the mind/body/spirit connection may mean different things to different people.  For me, “spirit” defines who I am.  It’s the spark, personality, and joyfulness I feel inside of me. It’s the mother in me who’ll always be a mom, the teacher in me who comes up with new ideas, it’s the prayerful person who seeks being closer to God, and the peaceful warrior managing ankylosing spondylitis and all parts of her life with “steadiness, grace, and ease.”  Namaste.