Odds and Ends

I've been in a flare for the past few days. Yesterday, I had to take the afternoon off so I could sleep. I napped for four hours. I woke up exhausted, my joints burning and in pain, my body just one big ball of exhaustion. There's nothing I can do during these flares except rest and accept that it's happening. If I get upset, I stress myself out, and that just makes everything worse.

Today, my abdominal adhesions caused such intense pain I could barely stand it. Worse, they're causing pain in my chest - I don't know if this is referred pain, or if this is my fibromyalgia, or what it is, but after work today, I sat on the couch, took some pain meds, and put my heating pad over the entire area. While it still hurts, the pain is under control now. I'm waiting to hear back from a pelvic physical therapist here in my city so I can hopefully get some relief.

Oddly enough, after the pain subsided, I wanted to work on my novel. I managed to write over 1,000 words, and it was a fun scene to write. My main character just turned 50, and had to quit her dream job as a director of a nonprofit. She has a chronic health issue - like me! - and is taking a long break to figure out what to do with the rest of her life. She meets other women in midlife who are also dealing with their own issues. I don't have the entire thing plotted out, but rather letting the story take me where it will.

I've written only a handful of contemporary stories - and never a full-length novel - so this is a departure for me. But I'm enjoying it. 

I'm reading a wonderful novel called Johanna Porter Is Not Sorry by Sara Read. I was in a reading slump for awhile, so I'm glad I decided to read this one. Sara also lives in Virginia, and we've connected via Substack. I hope we can meet in person at some point since she lives close to me.

I'm hopeful this dumb flare will end soon because look at these beauties!

I have a walking trail right by my house, but it is not smooth pavement. The rocks were digging into my other walking shoes and I determined I needed some sturdier shoes to protect my feet. These arrived today and they fit like a glove. Now I just need to feel better so I can go and walk!