Please see my CaringBridge site, https://www.caringbridge.org/visit/jenniferbcoleman/journal/view/id/5d9dc58a3f0a0388769e4279, for updates as this break from blogging has extended farther than expected. Gentle Hugs, Jennifer
Author: Jennifer Coleman
Writer/journalist. Partner. Head over heels Mommy to Junebug, 5 & Rosebud, 7. Feminist. Empath. Health advocate & proud member of the International Support Fibromyalgia Network Team. Charleston born, New Orleanian by choice, New Yorker at heart. Self-taught gourmet cook. I pine for my Mom every day. Life is too serious not to have fun. Feline fanatic. Fiction fiend. Khaleesi of pop culture. Budding gardener. Punny. True Cancer Crab. Fibro warrior since Winter 2018. So much more than a paragraph can sum up: aren't we all? I turned 40 in 2018 and my life as I know it is over. Or, I’m literally 40+. My viewpoint depends on the day. Welcome to 40 & Over.
Some of 40 & Over’s imagery and general mood comes from these lyrics: “I’ve got my ticket for the long way ‘round/The one with the prettiest of views/It’s got mountains, it’s got rivers, it’s got sights to give you shivers/But it sure would be prettier with you” -Anna Kendrick’s Cups/When I’m Gone, from “Pitch Perfect,” which piggybacks on a folk song from the 1930s.
Instagram & Facebook: fortyoverlivingwithfibro Twitter: fortyoverlivin1
Blog Break
Selling Snake Oil? No Thanks.
{Find a typo and I’ll gift you a snake charmer.} I "auditioned" a cognitive behavioral psychologist last week and finished my appointment feeling hopeful and happy. I so wanted to believe in him, and in the thing he said that I knew deep down couldn't be true: That he once helped a patient "cure fibro.” This week I … Continue reading Selling Snake Oil? No Thanks.
Yes, Mom, They Do Hang Low
"Do your ears hang low? Do they wobble to and fro? Can you tie 'em in a knot? Can you tie 'em in a bow? Can you throw 'em o'er your shoulder Like a continental soldier? Do your ears hang low?" My Mom frequently sang this silly old song, often substituting "boobs" for ears. It's … Continue reading Yes, Mom, They Do Hang Low
The Interviewee & Fibro Awareness Month
You can watch, re-watch, rewind, pause and come back to, fast forward, etc. my "let's be real about fibro" interview with Melissa of Support Fibro, link at bottom. It was very unusual for me to be the interviewee instead of interviewer. We covered many topics including the day I was diagnosed; what inspired me to … Continue reading The Interviewee & Fibro Awareness Month
7 Ideas to Help ME
After doing well for a while ("well" as in fibro- #spoonie-well, not pre-fibro well), I've been in a devastatingly bad way. Here's what I'm trying this time around: I was asked to join the Support Fibro Team: cue much needed, non-pill form happy hormones, and of course purple hair for Fibromyalgia Awareness Month in May! … Continue reading 7 Ideas to Help ME
#PutFibroFirst
I made up a new hashtag: #PutFibroFirst Why?!: The Fibromyalgia Community, purple hearts and butterflies and all, needs a change. YESTERDAY. NOW. ASAP. This stellar video discusses the bittersweet truth of living with Fibro. If you want to help, please click the following link from the International Support Fibromyalgia Network to donate; it's our 1st … Continue reading #PutFibroFirst
4+ Reasons to Donate to #SupportFibro!
And it’s LIVE! 4 reasons to donate to our #SupportFibro fundraising campaign on INDIEGOGO: 1. Choose your PERKS! 2. Help fibro friends who live in chronic/intractable pain. 3. Check off mitzvah or good deed from your list of things to do for the day/week/year! 4. This non-profit brightens my life, connects me to people with … Continue reading 4+ Reasons to Donate to #SupportFibro!
A Prayer of Sorts
Yesterday I had a fibro flare from Hades due to a period of poor sleep while my daughters were sick on rotation. How many times can two kids pass a virus back and forth?! It was a TV binge, wear Husband’s b-ball shirt from the early 90s for comfort, Uber Eats pity-eat, and CBD cream … Continue reading A Prayer of Sorts
11 Things I Did During March The Lion
I didn't know I needed a break from routine blogging in March until one and then two weeks passed without me sitting down to write. Being immersed in the #spoonie world has many and priceless positive benefits (empathy, helping, learning), but can also wear me down. I've felt better than usual on some days (not … Continue reading 11 Things I Did During March The Lion
40 & Over: Living With Fibromyalgia 