Fibromyalgia Book Review
I just recently finished reading Take Back Your Life: Find Hope And Freedom From Fibromyalgia Symptoms And Pain by Tami Stackelhouse. This is the first book about fibro that I’ve ever read. I was hoping that it would provide answers and a quick fix for my fibro symptoms. If that’s what you’re looking for you won’t find that in this book, but stay with me for a moment. To be fair to Tami there are no quick fixes for fibro. Doctors don’t know all the factors involved in causing fibro and why people experience it differently. So my expectations were unrealistic.
As I mulled over Tami’s book for this review, I went back and took another look. One of the most meaningful quotes for me was
“To live your best life with fibromyalgia, it’s necessary to pay attention to your body. Take care of yourself, honor your body, and know your limits. Treat yourself the way you would treat your most cherished friend or family member. Remember that your body isn’t the enemy-fibromyalgia is.” (Chapter 7)
Later in Chapter 7, she tells us what her doctor told her:
“My job is the really easy 10% of telling you what to do. Your job is the really hard 90% of actually doing it.”
“…90% of the medical care you receive comes from YOU.”
These ideas are really challenging, but they also offer hope. I think we all can do better at taking care of ourselves. I know that I certainly need to do a better job of taking care of me. She reminds us that it’s fine to put our needs first, instead of always putting other people’s needs first. This is a new idea for many of us or one we’ve heard many times before, but never believed.
Sleep, Pain, and Energy
Tami’s chapter on sleep encouraged me to really work on getting to bed by 10pm every night. On the nights when I get 9 hours of sleep, I feel much better when I wake up. Without enough sleep I feel so groggy, and struggle all day to stay awake. Her writing about taking care of ourselves, helped me to stop teaching Sunday School when it was just too much for me to handle anymore. When the guilt monster comes my way, I remind myself that I can’t do anything for others if I don’t take care of me first.
Tami covers how to improve energy levels, lessen pain, and work with healthcare professionals to help ourselves heal. She includes worksheets to really help us implement her ideas. She even includes this fun coloring page on her bonus website.
C. Anne Manera Designed exclusively for readers of The Fibromyalgia CoachHealing Is A Full-time Job
The hardest part of all of this, is realizing that we need to do the work in order to get better. I would definitely encourage you to read this book for yourself and to start to work on changing your attitudes toward your body, your health, and your self-worth. Without attitude changes, healing is probably not going to happen.
You can check out this book here. This is not an affiliate link. I purchased and read this e-book for myself. I have also purchased and plan to read Tami’s The Fibromyalgia Coach next.
Have you read this book? What do you think? Has implementing Tami’s ideas helped you? I would love to hear what you have to say in the comments below. If you enjoyed this post and would like to receive it in your inbox please fill out the form below. My subscribers also get freebies in their inboxes as I create them. Till next time, Kathy
Useful information here Kathryn. My fribro is mild in comparison to others I’ve seen; and mostly a result of chemo side affects.
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