Fibro And Fabulous ™

I know I had a prior blog in November that talked about Family, Friends, and Flares and how it is okay to get mad when you are sick so you don't burden the people around you.  It's a good feeling to have sometimes, but we as human beings also need to find a balance between doing things for ourselves, and asking for help when we need it.

Help can come when you least expect it and sometimes that help can be overwhelming, even stressful.  I'm sure a lot of you remember my post called Please Be Kind... Rewind.  It's a post about how my man does the laundry and how that kind of help can be stressful on me and my clothes LOL!  During flares, we need help.  It may not be the exact kind of help that we are looking for, but it is help none the less.

As you all know, my Grandma fractured her back and I've been going over to help her and my Grandfather out.  Grandpa can be a little stubborn when it comes to receiving help due to his Alzheimer's.  He does not like anyone w…

I just wanted all of you to know that we are only 7 comments away from another winner of an autographed book!  Now, since I have published another book, I will let this next winner decide which book they would like as their prize!

Keep commenting and keep thinking about which book you'd like as your prize.

Stay fabulous!
Love and friendship,

Kimberley

I must admit that I don't think about bedding, pillows, or mattresses very often.  It's kind of sad actually, because I used to sell all of those products when I worked for a famous retail chain.  The training was pretty intense.  We used to take countless numbers of quizzes and tests and sometimes we would have to go off site for all day training.


Out of every product I've ever sold, I'd have to say that selling mattresses is the hardest.  Believe me, I've sold almost everything you can think of from hardware to clothing.  I went from being a "Bob Vila", selling tools and paint, to an "Al Bundy" selling shoes.


Mattresses are a tough sell because most people don't give them a second thought.  They want something that's firm and something that is cheap, why?  Because that's what they slept on when they were a kid and it worked out well then, so why not now.  It's a hard thing to overcome, and yet, people should because one third of …

Author Kimberley Linstruth-Beckom is releasing her third health book on the disease Fibromyalgia entitled “Fibro and Fabulous the Book” early this month. | IN THE NEWS: Press releases, news articles, announcements & listener opinions.

During the holiday season one can think of a lot about food prep, cleaning cobwebs from the ceiling, and getting rid of any old magazines that seem to pile up on the coffee table.  I don't know about you, but for me, it's a constant struggle to keep the house clean and presentable to guests.  Yeah, my friends and family won't mind a little dirt here and there, but I mind.  I'm Monk in a house of people who are not. 

It's very frustrating at times and can lead to a lot of stress on my part.  I tend to yell and cry a lot because the frustration brings my fibro into overdrive.  I get really crazed at night when I know I have at least 8 more hours of work and only 1 or 2 more hours to do it in. 

Life can be tough and no one on this Earth has ever said it was easy, but for some of us fibro sufferers, it can be down right detrimental when we are dealing with normal stress on top of unexpected stress.  Normal stress is easy for most people.  You get up, you get ready for …

Fibro and Fabulous, the book is finally here!  It does not have an ISBN number, so it can only be purchased at Lulu.com at a special rate.  I am forgoing the ISBN at this point so all of you can get at a good discount.  Don't forget to check out my main website for information on an additional discount from Lulu.  Lulu's only runs till the end of November, so hurry.

I hope you will all enjoy this labor of love.  I truly cherish each and every one of you.  You are my reason for getting up to write in the morning and the reason to stay up late to finish a book!  I can't thank any of you enough for that!

Stay fabulous!

Love and friendship,

Kimberley

Stevia: This Sugar Substitute Is Sweet and Healthy

Stevia is a really good substitute for sugar. I like it a lot, however, I must admit that I did not know all of the health benefits that Stevia can bring. This article touches on a few studies that were done on patients with diabetes and high blood pressure. The patients had lowered their blood pressure and sugar levels-- a sweet effect. There is also a couple of great recipes in the article too and with the holidays coming up, one could use these.

Stay fabulous!
Love and friendship,

Kimberley

Update: I wanted all of you to know that I working hard at releasing a new book before November 30th so you all can get the book at a discount through Lulu. The book will be entitled Fibro and Fabulous, a tribute to this blog. It will have a lot of fun and new topics, as well as, some of your favorite posts from here. Look for it soon!

I normally don't partake in very many contests.  I don't win anything unless it's something I can't use, so I usually don't even bother.  I remember winning a ton of free music downloads when Pepsi was first doing the giveaways, but I'm convinced that the only reason why I won was because I didn't own a computer at that time.  It's pretty hard to use a free download when you don't have access to a computer.  

This contest, however, was worth entering, because it allows me to give all of you, my cherished readers, a discount on my print books!  I like these kinds of contests because they allow me to do what I want to do for each and everyone of you.


From now until November 30th, you can receive a discount on any of my print books.  Go to kimberleylinstruth-beckom.com for more details about this great deal that Lulu is offering.

BTW, we are almost half way to the getting another winner for an autographed copy of my book!  I know it may seem that I have n…

As some of you know, I'm in the process of finalizing a new book that will hopefully hit the market by the end of this year, or very early next.  The book is a spin off of this blog and discusses topics about the disease, hope to cope, and also offers my tips, tricks, and rather strong opinions of big business and the healthy people of society.  I even get into politics with this book, a subject that I try to never discuss here.  It's been fun to write because I really got a chance to let my hair down with this one, so I hope all of you will like it.


I'm getting most of my material from recent news articles found on the web.  Some of the stories are interesting, some of them are a repeat of what we fibromites already know, and some of them are just too shocking to even believe.  I found one article so shocking, that I just have to make it the topic for today.  The numbers in this survey are really big.  This topic will appear in the book, but I feel it needs to be here in t…

This is most definitely one of the better articles I've read for sleep advice. I thought I'd share it because I have actually tried this technique and it works beautifully. For the past two months, I've woken up about 2 minutes before my alarm goes off-- every day--even weekends! This is something I haven't done in years!

Stay fabulous!
Love and friendship,

Kimberley
Sleep Deeply, Live Longer

I came across a rather interesting article today while perusing the net.  It was an article about working with a chronic condition.  I was intrigued by what this writer had to say because I'm always willing to hear new tips and tricks.  It never hurts to listen to others because it just might work for you-- you know?

For those that have read my book The Fibro Hand, get ready to hear me repeat myself.  For those that haven't, I had to leave a career that I had for 18 years due to my Fibromyalgia.  My career was in retail management and I worked for a very old and well known company.  In fact, about 1 out of every 2 of you that read this blog probably purchased an appliance from this well known company.  I worked for Sears. 

Most of my career was in the Home Improvement and Home Appliance departments, although, I worked almost every other department in between for 12 years.  I liked my job because I really enjoyed helping people.  Some would even keep me smiling all day, and of …

I'm not a fan of any kind of bug. I don't like them, but I take exception to the honey bee and butterflies. They are not pests.

It's devastating to think that the chemicals people are using to kill one pesky bug is killing off another that is vital to our society. The honey bee pollinates our crops-- we need him.

What's worse is that some people honestly think they are not doing harm to the human population when they use "new and improved" chemicals. They tend to think that the formula is the same as it always was and that is so far from the truth.

Big business is killing us off bit by bit in the name of the almighty dollar. They are making products cheaper by using synthetic chemicals in place of the real thing. That would be fine if the chemical wasn't harmful, but chemicals are harmful.

I am a huge fan of doing things the old fashioned way. Chemicals are just making our lives worse. They are making us a sick society with Rheumatic diseases. It…

I received an invitation for an interview from a website last night.  A lot of the questions had me thinking and it was great to put my thinking cap on for a bit.  I had such a blast doing it.  Many of the questions asked had to do with all of you, my readers, and I thought that you all might be interested in seeing the interview.

I also discuss a new book that will be available in print form and ebook.  The book is based on this very blog and will be formatted as such.  You will see my trademark Stay Fabulous ending in each post.  I have added my favorite posts to the book, as well as, a ton of new stuff.  The book will have a lot of surprises in it and you can read more about it in the interview.  A link to the interview will be placed at the bottom of this post.

WhoHub


Stay fabulous!
Love and friendship,

Kimberley

I came across this article and I thought I'd share it before the vaccines come out this year for the flu. I'm still debating about getting one myself because I have not done well for the past two years with the flu shot, but I'm still thinking about it.

Flu Shots, Swine Flu, and Fibromyalgia: Should Pain Patients Get Vaccinated? - Chronic Pain - Health.com

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National Invisible Illness Awareness Week may be over, but National Pain Awareness Month is still not!  Pain is not fun to deal with and the number of people who suffer from issues like back pain in America today is alarming.  Some 80% of Americans are affected by back pain at some point in their life and 50% of older Americans suffer from chronic pain.  Restless sleep is a big factor in these numbers.  100 million Americans suffer from sleep deprivation, so it should be no wonder to us that our bodies are getting cranky.

Pete Bils, the Vice President of Sleep Innovation, will be hosting a Twitter Party!  Sleep Innovation does clinical research for Select Comfort.  I had discussed Select Comfort in a prior blog a while back, along with a national contest they had been running.  This should be fun to virtually attend and I hope you can all join me.  Details about this event appear below.

Stay fabulous!
Love and friendship,

Kimberley

Pete Bils is hosting a Twitter Party Wednesday, Septem…

I shared an article on canning and an article on how to make your own solar dehydrator, so I thought I'd share this article on drying tomatoes.

How to Dry and Freeze Tomatoes

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I've had a lot of people comment on my energy.  "Kim, slow down!  You are making the rest of us look bad."  "How do you do it?  I don't have all that energy."  "You did a lot!"  I don't hear these as much as I used to, but when I do, it's hard not to take it as a compliment. 

Energy was something that I had always had when I was younger.  Looking back, some might say I took my energy for granted, "You're young, enjoy it now.", I'd hear.  I don't really think I took my energy for granted.  I just knew I had a lot to do on any given day, and only 24 hours to complete it.  My old catch phrase when people said I looked tired was that sleep was over rated, and I'd get enough of it when I was dead... that was when I was in my twenties in college...

Now?  Well, I still have energy, but not as much as I used to.  It can be amazing what fibromyalgia and 10 years of abuse will do to a body.  The big difference between then…

Some people have wondered how I can cook a healthy meal EVERYDAY and not feel tired. The truth of the matter is that on some days, I am tired and I need something quick.

After keeping track of my illness for a little while, I realized that on some days I'd have a ton of energy and could be productive all day long. On those days, I'd spend my reserve energy preserving food. It made sense to me to prepare extra home cooked food for the days I just couldn't do it.

I use many methods for preserving, but canning is one of my "new" favorites. I used to watch my Grandmother do it when I was younger and that gave me the confidence to try it for myself. Canning is not that hard and despite popular belief, you don't need fancy tools for it-- just the Mason jars.

Frankly, if you have a big pot to boil things in, the Mason jars, a set of tongs, oven mitts, and the internet, you have all you need. I have found tons and tons of preserve recipes on the net and have h…

Some of you may be scratching your heads at the topic of this post and wonder what I could possibly be talking about, but after I explain, you may not want to scratch any part of your body ever again. The topic for today is skin irritations and for some Fibro sufferers, this is a visible symptom that can plague us.  According to Fibromyalgia Network's interview with Doctor Charles Lapp of Charlotte North Carolina, skin irritations are very common.  He states "fibromyaligia-related rashes occur in the majority of patients that I see." Fibromyalgia Symptoms boasts a rather high statistic on its site claiming that 70-80% of Fibromyalgia patients have skin problems with their illness.  The skin problems can vary from person to person.  Some experience dry, itchy, and/or mottled (skin changes color, appearance, or in tone) skin.  Others have experienced skin that is tender to the touch, or have a rash develop due to itch and irritation.

I was born with skin irritations around…

1. The illness I live with is: Fibromyalgia
2. I was diagnosed with it in the year: 2005
3. But I had symptoms since: 1984
4. The biggest adjustment I’ve had to make is: Giving up my full-time retail management job of 18 years.
5. Most people assume: That I'm not sick and that I'm making up my illness.
6. The hardest part about mornings are: Trying to work through the stiffness.
7. My favorite medical TV show is: N/A
8. A gadget I couldn’t live without is: A jar opener and a Mr. Clean Magic Reach Mop.  Both have been great additions to my household to help me be able to be self sufficient.
9. The hardest part about nights are: When I wake up and can't fall back to sleep.
10. Each day I take _0_ pills & 4 vitamins. (No comments, please) I only take vitamins.  I am doing a natural approach.
11. Regarding alternative treatments I: Look to the simple and inexpensive alternatives like yoga, meditation, crystal therapy, chakra clearing, and aroma therapy.
12. If I had to cho…

National Invisible Chronic Illness Awareness Week is fast approaching.  The kickoff is on Monday, September 14,  2009.  Many of your favorite health bloggers will be discussing various chronic illnesses at this time because nearly 1 in 2 people in the US have a chronic illness.  From that statistic, about 96% of  illnesses are invisible.  These may be shocking numbers to some, but when you think about it, how many people with Cancer look sick?  They may loose their hair from Chemo, but aside from that, most of the time these people look healthy.  People with Fibromyalgia, heart conditions, Diabetes, ADD, ADHD, arthritis, Lupus, and Lyme Disease all look healthy too.

It is unfortunate at times that any of us with a chronic condition appear fine, because there are some people who don't understand how we could be feeling okay one day, and reeling in pain the very next.  Some of us with a chronic condition wish we could have some type of visibility to our illness, but I'm not one …

When I post any information on health issues for Fibro and Fabulous, I try to look for a lot of what this Harvard Report is saying. One study does not cut it when it comes to anything having to do with Fibro-- we sufferers know that.

Fibromyalgia is so diverse a disease that you would need several studies just to cover everyone's symptoms so this makes sense.

Most of us who have been dealing with this beast for quite some time have become desensitized to all the hype with a single study. But the newly diagnosed may not know what to think and I hope and pray that they come across this information first BEFORE they take the "truth" of a health study on the net.

How can I know which health stories in the news have the best information?

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I was listening to the Today Show this morning, as I do every morning, to keep up on current events. Dr. Nancy Snyderman, Cheif Medical Editor for NBC reported some interesting statistics about chronic illness and how some major companies are trying to deal with it.

60% of the reported bankruptcies in 2007 were derived from an illness that needed extensive medical care.

75% of medical costs today are from a chronic illness. These costs are from a patients lifestyle and are from four main factors: smoking, inactivity, stress, and/or food choices.

40% of premature deaths in the US are from poor lifestyle choices.

2.5 trillion dollars is the projected spending for health care in the US for 2009.

These statistics are pretty astounding to me. It's truly hard for me to grasp at the fact that chronic diseases like diabetes, heart disease, and even fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue, are running so rampant in the United States that it is overwhelming the health care industry. It's also …

When you have fibro, you sometimes have to get creative when it comes to paying your bills...

Don't get me wrong-- some people can have a job before diagnoses and manage to keep it. But most of us need to find ways to maintain our health and wallet by looking for ways to work from home.

This article is about three work from home options--- AND YES, they are definitely legit. I have done 2 out of the 3 listed for quite a few years now, and I agree with the magazine's take on the pros and cons.

My father always used to say, "Do what you love, the money will come." and he's right. Of course he also used to say, "You won't get rich working retail, but it pays the bills." I can't agree with him on the later-- retail only pays some of the bills, but it was a job for me BF (Before Fibro).

Sometimes we fibromites can feel useless because we have no energy to perform at a job, but we shouldn't! Especially when there are places out there where you …

That old adage, "You are what you eat" really has new meaning here. I read all of the testimony and I must say that I didn't know that animals were being treated with as many antibiotics as stated.

I am allergic to penicillin, I have been since birth. I'm actually so allergic that my throat would close if I were to ever take it. I can get that way with blue cheese too (penicillin is made from blue cheese). I had no idea that animals are being treated with penicillin regardless of whether they are sick or not.

Now, you may wonder why this might be a big deal for someone like me. Well, if I become immune to medicines (and in some cases I am thanks to fibro), I run the risk of running out of medications to help me fight off disease. I can't take penicillin or any of its other forms-- not good.

This is just more proof to have antibiotic free as possible meat. Because if we don't, we not only have the problem with our meats and vegetation, but we have the prob…

This is a great way to "go green", but this is also great for fibro sufferers with chemical sensitivities. I have not tried all of these paint recipes myself, but they are easy to make and look promising.

The paint you buy in a store contains chemicals so it will hold up to fading, mildew, mold, cracking, and peeling. And there are a lot of good paints out on the market today that are quality paints. Some are even low odor.

I tend to like Sears paint because it is thick, covers well, and is okay as far as odor. But even I'd like an alternative sometimes.

When you decide to paint a room and you are toying with the idea of buying a gallon, ask yourself this one question before you buy a gallon of fumes... "Am I going to love this color for the next 20 years?"

If you don't think so, try your hand at this homemade paint. It may just be the breath of fresh air that you need.

Make Safe, Natural Paint

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I love write about self help for fibromyalgia because it's a passion of mine. But I also have a lot of fun writing fiction of the paranormal and science kind. This is a short that's up for an Associated Content contest. It's a piece that was supposed to be a screen play for ScriptFrenzy but it turned into a short. I hope you enjoy it.

Forever Friends
Autumn thought her distaste for evil only went as far as slum lords, until her blood started boiling over a dream meeting.
http://www.associatedcontent.comarticle/2011946/forever_friends.html

I am an avid HGTV watcher. I love to see all of the wonderful ideas they come up with for room design and another favorite is the Gardening Guy from Gardening by the Yard. I even cheered on David Bromstad when he won the first Design Star.

Design Star has been a pretty good show. I enjoy watching the raw talent become polished as the show progresses. A lot of times, at least with the first 3 years, you could tell which one of the designers would be going home on the first day. This year was different, though.

For those of you that don't watch, or have not had a chance to see the first episode, I will try and explain this without ruining too much, but this story needs to be told because it's a sad one. And frankly, if this is the way that HGTV wants to go, it won't be watched in my household ever again.

There were two contestants on the show named NataLee and Tashica that decided that they wanted to do a dramatic Hollywood bedroom design. They both went shopping for t…

Living on Earth isn't easy when you have housework to do along with a full-time job. There are also a ton of other things that keep us busy like grocery shopping, getting the kids to soccer practice, and walking the dog. These types of day to day errands and chores can reek havoc on our stress levels when we are doing them, but for the most part, they can get done with little to no help. When someone who suffers from fibromyalgia, however, these tasks can be down right impossible without help. And that can make a chronic pain sufferer feel very dependent on others.

We all have to ask for help sometimes, but most of the time, we don't because we fibromites find ways to "cheat" through our day with special devices or tools. The devices or tools may vary from person to person in order to fit one's needs. I tend to use quite a few on a daily basis and they are pretty common household items.

This particular blog entry will discuss one of the valuable items I us…

This is the type of story that makes me mad. It's just unbelievable that someone would have to go through something like this in today's world. I know everyone of us out there has a tendency to label people we come across every once in a while-- it's human nature to do so because it gives us a way to understand or relate to others, but this, this is ridiculous!
When Police Don’t See Your Invisible Condition

One of the most common problems I've had over the years with Fibromyalgia is being chemically sensitive to everything out on the market. I can't begin to tell you how many times I've had to leave a store because of the strong smells of detergents, soaps, and chemicals.

It is very discouraging to a chemically sensitive fibro sufferer to try and live with the "to go" lifestyle of today. A lot of times we have to make our own products, buy organic, or, sometimes, we have to do without.

When I find something for sufferers that I know will work, I like to pass it along because I've always felt knowledge is power. This article is a way to make your own mosquito repellent that is all natural. What I like most about this way is the fact that you can make the scent as powerful or as minimal as YOU want and it will still work.

Stay fabulous!
Love and friendship,
Kimberley




Natural Mosquito Repellent

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