Everyone knows how having to make schedules every week is a pain in the ass. However, it is even more-so when you suffer from Fibromyalgia.

---

When I was diagnosed with Fibromyalgia, the biggest issue I had to deal with was control my schedule in order not to burn myself out.

Fibromyalgia requires consistency. I don’t know any easier way to explain it but it’s like a baby’s schedule. If you don’t follow the baby’s schedule and they are thrown off chances are it will take several days for them to get back on track.

When I was diagnosed with Fibromyalgia, the biggest issue I had to deal with was control my schedules in order not to burn myself out.

Sleep: If you don’t have a regular sleep schedule you will either end up suffering from endless days of insomnia or sleeping several days in a row. There really is no in-between.

When I first got the diagnosis I was sometimes getting home at midnight and was up the next day at five am to go to school or work. The more this kept happening the more burnt out I was and the worse my body got.

*Because of this, I was also diagnosed with Adrenal Fatigue.

Now I am to be in bed by 10 and asleep by 11 and not have to get up early the next day. If I do, I make sure to have a 3-4 hour break in between to rest or nap.

Skating: There was a time where I skated some days at 6 am and would skate two three other times throughout the day. Or I would skate one day at 6pm and the next day at 6am. Whichever the case was, I had an inconsistent training schedule. Some days I would train for hours on end and other days would be twenty minutes and that’s it.

When I was first diagnosed with Fibro, I went to see an athletic therapist and I was given a proper training schedule that sent me from basically down to level 0. I was starting at 15-20 mins a day, 6 days per week and within 3 months I was at 3 hours a day for 5 days a week. But, I was not flaring as much. And when I did, it was maybe for a day or two.

Eating: When my schedules are out of whack or when I flare I don’t eat. So I lose a lot of calories/food and it causes me to binge or it causes me to be hospitalized. When I don’t eat my body uses even more energy so I go into mega flare.

I used to plan eating into my schedules, but lately I have done pretty well so I take it out to try and make it a natural habit.

Work/School: I have always asked for a consistent schedule. Even after years of being diagnosed. My body will do better in a routine day vs having random weeks all over the place. The more changes that are made the more flare-ups I have.

So in this case, if a make-up class is scheduled for a different day than I am used too and it is a one time thing a good possibility I will not be going because I will be out for 3-4 days after due to changing my schedule.

If work calls me because they really need me, I will make sure to have the next two days off to recover.

It is really not that I am lazy. It is knowing boundaries and limits. I would much rather be out one day than five. Yet some people don’t realize this.

 

The biggest question I have ever been asked is, How do you make schedules?

It takes about 2-3 days of preparation and I have 3 different schedules. One per semester, one per month and one per week.

For school I print out all the classes I need and the schedules that it would be. Followed by the coaching schedules, doctors schedules, training schedules, gym schedules etc.

Then I start to plan. I make my day into 30 min intervals and I start off with the sturdiest schedules. This is work and school as they will stay consistent until the end of the semester (for the most part).

Then I add in trainings, coaching and gym. But I try and have a two-three hour break in-between.

If I have to add a social event or a doctor’s appointment I replace it with one of the lesser issues. So a training will be replaced or a gym.

Now, this does not mean it is full-proof. Some days I will just be having a bad day where my body will need to rest so the whole schedule gets scrapped. Other days I will start my day and get about half-way before going ‘Nope’. Some days I can start the following day’s schedule and have no problem.

It is still a work in progress but I found something more consistent and see a huge improvement from when I was first diagnosed with Fibromyalgia to know (after years of living with it).