Pleasure and Pain

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Pleasure and Pain

hey there....
This is my first ever post....i just learned about the digital world four days ago.....

i am wondering if anybody out there suffers from fibromyalgia or lupus...i suffer from BOTH ...
i have been in extreme pain lately and have been introduced to the pleasure of digital scrapbooking

I find i go into another world and the pain fades off to another place...
i love looking thru my old pics and new....it gives me a smile i lost for a while

wishing u all happiness and love within your layouts

xo

Awwwww Amber....your post has brought tears to my eyes.
So happy that you have found a new passion - if only you could be pain free all the time.
Continue creating those fab layouts....and creating those special memories for yourself and your beautiful babies smiley

smiley x

Aww, I'm so glad that digi-scrapping has helped ease some of your days!!!

Continue scrapping to enjoy your peace!!! God Bless

thank u ladies, and thank u sarah for introducing me to digi scrapping

you are more than welcome....knew you would smiley it smiley

Hi Amber - so glad you get some relief from the pain. I find all crafting reduces stress and makes me a happy bunny. Sorry to hear about the lupus and fibromyalgia - that sucks!! I have a friend with lupus and that can be the pits without anything else on top. Have fun creating!

So sorry you have a double whammy there. My college suitemate had fibromyalgia but wasn't diagnosed until a year or two after graduating. When she was finally able to get treatment, it helped her live again -- she struggled with depression prior to treatment.

I'm glad scrapbooking can give you a bit of an escape and relief from your pain! That's one of the best reasons I've heard so far for scrapping smiley

Your works during recovery would make a great gallery concept. smiley

Wow. You are a true inspiration. I hope DigitalScrapbook.com can be a fantabulous distraction from your pain.

Fellow newbie here, welcome to digi and PS!! I love it too smiley I've been struggling with depression for years and I feel like I found digi at a great time - I'm excited about something again, lol. It's so awesome to have an escape/creative outlet in such a welcoming community. smiley

Amber is a true inspiration....she is one amazing lady!

So sorry to hear that, Amber. I've been diagnosed with Fibro and had to stop teaching. Doing things from home on my own schedule has helped me to feel as if I can accomplish things again. I still tend to push and have to learn to stop that. Creative expression can do wonders for healing and I am happy to hear you are pain free when you are scrapping and you have found your smile again. I'm a newbie here, from what I have seen so far, the people here are wonderful and supportive. smiley

thank u all for ur amazing posts, an inspiration I am not, but I try my best with what I have been dealt. I love this site, it gives me great pleasure. once again I thank u all xo

ps I love the gallery idea smiley

an inspiration you are! smiley x

I agree with Sarah Amber You are an inspiration to us all. I wish I could find a cure for you.

Well, I don´t know if you are an inspiration for everyone. But you and a scrapbook designer with fibro I know are inspirations for ME, this I can reassure smiley

I have a degeneration on one of my ankles, that is not thaaaaaat severe for my country´s doctors, but they don´t know how painful it is for me :S I used to do dance classes, walk long distances to refresh my mind, sword play with my hubby and work with preschool kids... I can´t do either of it anymore without staying for one week on bed with hard painkillers.... So I had to quit my job (and couldn´t receive the retirement things, as it´s not severe), and completely change my lifestyle, which was sooooo hard for me, and took me a long to really accept that it would never be the same.

So, when I read about how you, that sure has to deal waaaaaaaay more with pain than I do, can keep on with your life, find pleasures and so, it "puts me back to my place" and makes me believe that there is still lots to do in life even with cronic pains smiley Thanks for sharing smiley

I've had fibro for a long time. Now it's combined with arthritis and a med that causes bone aching. Scrapbooking has been a good outlet for me also. I can tell you there is hope. The fibro pain comes and goes for me so sometimes I only have to deal with the fatigue and the other health complications. Hope it works out that way for you also. (The fibro easing and not the other complications!)

thank u ladies, so sorry u have to go thru the pain also smiley
I find if I sit too mong doing digi pages my eyes kill and I do gwt sore but it is soooooooooooooooo worth it.
I was up last night unable to sleep with restless legs and pain, and my kids wake early this morning, always the way for a sunday ay!
and NO DDs today....hmmpppfftt
ah well, happy sunday to u all xo

What a blessing your post is. I don't have the illnesses you described although they don't have any answers except neuropathy and very chronic pain. All over actually. But this does definitely help with my mind being involved in other things instead of concentrating on what all I cannot do any longer. Great people here and I'm very new!!!

Hi Amber! smiley

I know what you're going thru since I've had Fibro for 20 years. The key to making it thru
this is to find a 'new' normal for yourself. Try to focus on the things you Can Do and not on
the things you can no longer do. It will make a world of difference in your daily life. You have
a great start on it by finding scrapping and this fabulous forum.

I started and ran a much needed support group here for 13 years, while I kept working and
taking care of my dad for 7 years, who lost a kidney to cancer, had bladder cancer, went blind
and was Diabetic. There were many, many surgeries and hospital stays with him during that time.

By the time he passed away, I was completely worn out, physically, mentally and emotionally and
could no longer work. I cashed out my IRA and bank CD's trying to keep my home thinking it was
'mind over matter' and that I could go back to work again. It didn't happen. By the time I finally
gave up and applied for disability, I lost my home. When my car quit...I had to shut down my
support group because I didn't have the money to replace it. I tried to find someone to take it
over, but it's A Lot of work and no one wanted to take it on. Even tho everyone in my group knew
they could reach me by phone anytime of the day or night, one of my ladies committed suicide
6 months after my group shut down. It haunts me to this day and breaks my heart.

In spite of it all...I Refuse to let fibro take the rest of me. I keep doing as much as I can for
others and keep myself sane by making beautiful digi things to share with others...hopefully brightening
someone else's day just a little. When my hands work well enough, I continue to crochet beautiful
baby afghans, hats and scarves and donate them to the local churches and charities here.

As long as I can feel like I can contribute something to help someone else, I know I will be able to
stay strong enough to keep getting thru each day....even the extremely painful days...which are
most of them. The severe migraines still knock me down some...but once they ease, I get right back
to creating something...whether it's digital, decoupage or afghans...I do it!

It brings a lot of joy to me knowing that I can still make something that can bring a smile to
someone's face. I got a beautiful letter from a lady at a church here that put on a free Christmas
dinner every year for the homeless, working poor, families...for anyone that needs somewhere to
go for the holiday. She told me those baby afghans were gone first to some very grateful moms.
They said they couldn't believe someone would take the time to make such a beautiful afghan and
just give it to them for their babies. They felt like someone Cared....which is so important to anyone
going thru difficult times. As you can see by the replies here...people do still care.

Please take care of yourself. And if you ever feel like you can't make it...Please reach out to someone.

smiley Sending you tons of gentle 'fibro' hugs smiley Kathie

I live with daily pain, too, so I can relate with all of you... Some is scoliosis-related, some is disc degenerative disease related, some is Diabetes-related (esp. the foot neuropathy), some inflammation issues & I wouldn't be surprised if I have fibro, too (though no doctors have told me at this point). For years I used NSAIDS to combat the pain (esp. ibuprofen) until I learned about the damage that can occur to your organs from long-term usage. Now I try not to take it unless it's dire (like around "that time of the month," which increases my lower back pain & it wraps around my hips & into the front). I try to use moist heat to help loosen up my muscles & ice for inflammation - pretty much use those on a daily basis - and aqua physical therapy has helped a lot. I find I feel better physically after doing the aqua p/t, though if I've overdone it I'll know within an hour or two (when the pain sets in). I can't always tell when I've overdone it.

Like all of you I have good days & bad days... I've learned to try to take things day-by-day to keep my sanity, and to keep my stress-levels down as much as I can since I know first-hand there's a psycho-somatic connection when it comes to your overall health (for example, when the kids have driven me crazy I've found my blood pressure increases, my muscles tense up & my back pain increases). That's all we can do, right? Some good soothing music, a nice cup of tea, and a good soak helps, too. smiley

wow, thank u ladies for ur replies. I was bawling reading your reply Kathie, the last two days have been exceptionally bad. So yes the reaching out part got me. I have days where I can take on the world and other days I want the world to end. I try and stay strong most of the time, but the last few days I am totally and utterly exhausted, Physically and emotionally, I have cried so so much, tears are good but I have had enough.
Im hoping for a positive day tomorrow.
love and light and gentle hugs to you all, and again I thank each and every one of u
xo

Hi again ladies! smiley

I think for most of us...the reaching out to someone is Very difficult...it's something that does not
come easy. But it's the most important thing we can do when we feel like we're sinking.

Unfortunately, I do know the ripple effect suicide leaves in it's wake. For most of us living with constant,
chronic pain that has altered how we live so much...we don't actually Want to end our life...but I'm
sure many of us pray to just not wake up again when we can finally get some sleep. And it usually
happens when we get to the "utterly exhausted, Physically and emotionally" point.

Amber...thank you for starting this thread. I hope it helps you and everyone else that has found
it and is dealing with pain. I know how much it helps all of us to know that somebody does care.

It warms my heart to know that with all the rotten things that can/does happen online...
we can come here and find a home away from home with so many loving and caring people.

On top of that...there are soooo many beautiful things to download and to top it all off...
a Huge tutorial section that has already given me many ways to make using PS a lot
easier and I can do things much more efficiently!

~ smiley Thank You Marisa and Jordan smiley ~

((HUGS)) smiley

Reaching out sounds so good, but when you are exhausted and depressed from all the physical and emotional pain, it would be rare to have the energy to do that. So I think for us the days of reaching out will be the good days. It is too easy to just give up and isolate. This site is a good place to reach out, isn't it. I pray for you that you can find the energy to reach out to other people, just even for a quick conversation. We need both and I have to give myself a good kick to do that sometimes. Here's praying for good days for you!

I got so emotional reading this first post. I don´t suffer from the deseases as Amber does, but after a car accident 2½ years ago I suffer from cronic pain in my neck and the left side of my cranium. Despite doctors appointments, drugs and physiotherapy the pain seems to be here to stay. I´m just joining in on a class for cronic-pain-patients in order to learn how to live with constant pain. To me scrapbooking is a way to stray my mind away from the pain, although sitting for long times worsens my symptoms. It truly is awesome that in the darkness of pain, there still is a light shining so brightly - a desire to loose yourself in a creative moment -that gives you the joy that helps you keep the spirits up when the darkness returns.
I wish you all lots of scrapbook moments!

Hi Amber,
I also have Fibro and Lupus (SLE). It is a wicked combination for sure. There are many times that I can get lost in scrapbooking and forget about how bad I hurt. I have also found it to be a lifesaver as far as keeping me sane...as you know with Lupus we have to avoid the sunlight....this limits so many activities that I would love to do, and causes a bit of isolation from others...this gives me something to do so I do not sit around feeling sorry for myself. ♥♥

So sorry you're in such pain but am glad that you have found some relief in digi-scrapping. I don't know what it's like but I can imagine any relief is a gift. Have fun creating and I'll keep you in my prayers.

I don't have issues such as yours, but I do have some severe back pain that makes it difficult to do what I want to. I've also found that digital scrapbooking helps, as it's something I can do while trussed up.