Pain Management Tip: Keep Warm

It is, perhaps, an appropriate time to note that it is frigid outside these days.  We're expecting a low of -9º F tonight, windchill closer to -20º.  

My pain is mostly in my muscles.  And let me tell ya, my muscles don't like to be cold.  So today's tip is simple:

Tip:  Keep warm!

Shivering (as I'm sure you've noticed) is a response to the cold which involves your muscles tensing and shaking to keep your vital organs warm.  In that sense, shivering is good.  But, if you're like me, you don't need any more tension in your muscles.  So put on a sweater!  Wrap yourself in blankets when you're sitting and reading on the couch.  Drink some tea.  

My Experience:  I'm a total miser when it comes to heating my apartment.  I'm one of those people who thinks that the thermostat should never exceed 65º in winter.  This condition, known as "Thermostat Naziism," means that I am cold a lot.  And that's bad for my pain.  

So what do I do?  Well, I wear extra layers if I'm just going to be sitting around the house.  I find that if I'm active in the kitchen I can get by with a t-shirt and sweatshirt.  But if I'm just sitting I might need more.  I often wrap myself in a blanket if I'm going to be reading or writing for a while.  And I always drink lots of hot beverages.  

Also, heating pads can help a lot.  The negative side of using a heating pad in the winter is that when you take the heat away from your relaxed muscles, they end up feeling colder than they would have if you'd never used heat.  Kind of like how my grandmother used to yell at me for sitting too near to the wood stove.  She'd say, "You're gonna get cold!"  It never made sense to me that sitting near a heat source would make me cold, but she was right.  As soon as you step away, the normal temperature of the room feels frigid. 

Hot showers also help in extreme circumstances, or baths.  However, these come with the same drawbacks as the thermostat and the heating pad.  On one hand, you're wasting water, on the other hand you're gonna be cold when you get out.  

So, just bundle up and have some tea.  Keep those muscles warm so they don't freak out.

Disclaimer:  The Pain Management Tips in this blog are merely ideas and observations from my personal experience of chronic pain and pain management.  I hope my ideas and experience can help you, but I'm not an expert, and really I'm in no position to be giving advice.  Talk to a doctor or pain psychologist for more trustworthy input.  

Cashew Frosting

Since cutting refined sugars out of my diet, I have been on an inspiring adventure which has involved discovering some of the wonderful things there are to eat that are healthy AND delicious.

Case in point:  Cupcakes with Frosting; made with almond flour and no sugar.

I'm standing on the shoulders of giants, however.  The recipes I've been using have all come from the blogs of folks around the country who struggle with major food allergies and other health problems that require them to change their diets.  Here's an inspiring website you can look at if you're interested in beautiful photos of attractive and delicious food.

And that's where I got the recipe for these tasty cupcakes.  I used this recipe for Strawberry Cake, but left out the strawberries because I didn't have any.  And I used mini-muffin tins instead of an 8" pan.  Then I followed this recipe for Vanilla Cream Frosting.  This is what astounds me:  The frosting is made of cashews, and it tastes great.  I had a brain fart, though, and neglected to add the vanilla.  I also didn't have any apple juice, so I used orange juice.  Even though I barely followed the recipe at all, I found this stuff to be really decadent and tasty. 

A Floor with a View

Hanging out with some friends a few days ago, I was asked how I like my apartment after a year occupying these two rooms.  I spoke of the space as if it were my soul mate.  I love this place.  The walls, the floors, the kitchen, and most of all, I love the ceiling in the living room.  This comment about loving the ceiling triggered a round of uproarious laughter from my friends. 

I forget sometimes that a lot of people probably can't relate to what is a hugely consistent element of my daily life: spending significant amounts of time lying on the floor.  For many years I have pondered the paint cracks, discolorations, and textures of the ceilings of the many places I've lived.  One gets pretty well acquainted with these things after a few hours of staring every day.  It's a big part of my life.  So of course, it's nice that I now have a nice view from the floor.

It seems strange to me that anyone could live in a place and fail to think about the ceiling a lot.  That's as strange sounding to me as loving my ceiling must have sounded to my friends that night.  

 

Oh, well.  For now, I'm enjoying the view.  Simple pleasures often carry me through the rougher moments of this life with chronic pain.