Brag to me about your good days! I want to hear what you Accomplished.

25 years ago while getting to know my husband we made individual lists of five bands we wanted to see. Over the years mine turned into a bucket list.

I haven't went out the last few years unless you count doctors. The pain hasn't been worth it.

Last friday night I went to see Social Distortion...the last band on my list. Took 25 years to see them. I don't know if it was my sheer joy or divine intervention....but I wasn't miserable. I was also fine the day after as well.

This is pretty minor for a good day but last week I made it through a 2.5 hour Zoom class while actually participating, and then a Zoom meeting with my academic advisor that was stressful. It’s not much, but usually I would crash after 30 minutes so this was pretty good for me.

I spent three hours weeding and had no pain. Normally I’d be wiped out either pain for the rest of the day. Physical therapy is what made it possible.

I cooked! I cleaned! I had two good days in a row!

This may not sound like a big deal, but it is. I haven’t felt well enough to stand in front of a stove for months, and had to clean in short bursts and suffer for days afterwards. 

The pain is still there, it always is, but the difference is I could actually work around it for a few minutes. It feels so good to at least pretend to be normal for a little while. 

My good day is a myofascial release massage from a specialist and then a chiropractor adjusting my posture. Both remove pain and that always makes a good day.

After my second lidocaine infusion I felt normal again, like superwoman combine that with my 51 pound weight loss I was hyper and full of energy. We do laundry once or twice a month cause we have to make time to go to the laundromat. It was 6 loads I folded and put away everything without help. I did the dishes and cleaned up the house. Helped my husband with some projects around the house. I was doing things for myself that my husband normally does. I bought some seeds and was gong to put them in a pot with potting soil and try growing flowers. I never got to do my gardening project and I haven’t done much in two weeks, mobility and independence is gone again as my last two lidocaine infusions didn’t have the same effect. My husband decided on his next day off he’ll take me to get the garden things I need and help me with it. I never had a good green thumb but when my grandma planted flowers I loved getting in the dirt even if my job was pulling weeds.

I have endo and my god the flares. But when I can buckle down, meds are working and my mind is clear I can do things like get my first apartment! I'll be moving w my partner n lil bro in about a week and this is the happiest I've been in years. We can do it despite it all. Biggest hugs and love to everyone 💖🫂💖

Since being diagnosed with CRPS I have gotten 2 degrees, advanced in my career, and started a business. I still struggle to get out of bed and brush my teeth. Everything is hard. But these were my goals and I prioritized it and I did it. :o)

I was in the last year of my degree when I became too sick to continue. That was four years ago. Last summer I decided I wanted to try and go back by taking an 8 month online course and I finished it two weeks ago. It was really hard because the way I think has changed along with other new disabilities, but I managed to finish.

I found out last week that I got an A. I’m just happy I finished, but it still made me feel good.

In my younger days, (Im 61) I was a professional motorcycle road racer. On my good days, I love to go out on my BMW 1200lt.

thanks for asking, & letting us remember th good ol days..

I was a professional dancer, fire breathing, fire dancing, performance artist (think circus but on stage)

I loved earning many solos.....

when you dance with fire, it's usually with kevlar soaked in kero (or similar) - & it makes an almighty WHOOSHing sound all around you, in front, behind, on both sides, whether twirling poi or staff, that fire is moving fast and it's like... nothing else....

other than fire breathing, (which is an incredibly dangerous act - I just loved it... I became someone else when I performed... I was fearless....)

I went rock hunting with a friend yesterday. I was having a good day pain wise, but a bad day energy wise. I managed to trek through the beach of Lake Michigan! Through the sand!! We stopped for coffee and a recharge and then decided to stop at another spot along the river on our way home and I was able to hunt for another good hour. I haven't been able to do that in years.

I told myself it would be worth it, expecting I wouldn't be able to walk today, but I can! My pain is still minimal! I'm so thankful my new therapy is helping. I thought this part of life, that I enjoy so much, was over for me.

Best part: I found some really awesome fossils.

Good day before chronic pain = running marathons!

Good day after chronic pain…this past weekend I got myself out of the house to sit in the sunshine and enjoy watching a college lacrosse game with my husband and son 😊

I won a powerlifting competition in Atlanta GA. Squatted 571lbs and deadlifted 661. I sure miss those days!

I saw that we were going to have thunderstorms this afternoon so I dug the spreader out from the back of the shed and weed & feed + insecticide for fleas and ants this morning. I hustled around and covered 2/3 of the yard so hopefully we don't get another flea infestation. I'm really happy I got it done. Since then I've mostly just lain around but this is going to make summer a lot more bearable for the whole family so I'm feeling pretty good, just not physically. Worth it!

I had my L4-L5 spinal fusion seven weeks ago today and this was my first day back to work. I work from home so all my colleagues are at the other end of a phone line or computer screen, but they still managed to make my heart grow three sizes from how happy they sounded in our team meeting.

My boss and I decided half-days would be best for easing me back into things (it’s a desk job, but you can understand how ‘just sitting’ isn’t just sitting). Today I spent the whole time going through emails (991 unread?! I’m not even an especially important person!) and catching up on the last month and a half of Teams chat messages. My team is awesome and I know the love is mutual, but I really didn’t understand just how much they cared until I saw their messages saying they missed me, counting the days until my return, and asking for/sharing updates with one another.

We all know it never goes away entirely, but I don’t remember the last time I felt this close to pain-free without considerable quantities of narcotics involved. I really am so fortunate and so grateful for the good people everywhere in my life supporting me and encouraging me to prioritize myself so I can keep being the tiniest bit optimistic about the future.

I really hope everyone reading this can easily recall something similar in your own lives recently. Sure- no one’s perfect, we’re all villains in someone’s story, etc. and so on and so forth, but I know you deserve every good thing you get. ❤️

Oh my gosh. A FUN thought! A few months ago, I was able to run 1.5 miles. I used to be a marathoner and I can barely walk now. That day was incredible. I was so happy I broke down and sobbed. It hasn’t happened since but on the bad flare days, I pray I get another good day like that.

I used to be head specials cook for an outdoor caterer that primarily does LARP events. We would travel to site, put up a whole tent-based kitchen and dining area, with in-character decor. Then there'd be several days of catering before we'd break it all down and return to base or go to a different site and do it all over again. Exhausting, painful, dirty, smelly work in all weathers, while camping. It was fantastic, but after a while, it's too much pain, too much stress.

I went to the National Goaltender Development Camp at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs the first year they invited female players to train there, and played competitive most of my life, until a bad crush injury in a car wreck left me with CRPS and an eventual below-knee amputation.

I learned to skate again the year before, and it felt amazing, but I've been discouragingly experiencing major issues with volume loss and pain no one has been quite able to figure out. I am hopefully an upcoming MRI might figure out what's going on, as to be quite frank this entire situation sucks on the twelve dicks of failure, and I'm sick of never being able to sleep but never really being quite awake, as the imagery from Fight Club goes. Folks often ask me why I need to go to the doctor so much, or make the 200 mile round-trip to my prosthetist somehow again, because I "look like you walk just fine to me...", but I don't think they realize the amount of effort it takes to walk and not let a thing show. My internal monologue is a constant stream of swear words though, because it definitely does hurt like eight bitches on a bitch boat. You'll just never see it if I can help it, because I'm not like that.

Part of me? Is excited to get this MRI done and hopefully find something. This happens to be the only MRI machine for 100 miles though, as you might be able to infer from my previous statement, unless you manage to get to one of the spots to the mobile one in a semi truck visits a couple times a month. Otherwise? I'd already have an MRI. But part of me is also dreading what I sort of expect could be some pretty gnarly damage if it hurts this bad. After all, if anyone could break their back and not realize what was up in my friend group? It'd be me and my shit luck. Ha

I made a shepherds pie today & it was so delicious. My kids went back for thirds. 🥧

Scenario:

Pain was a 3/10. Barley noticeable. Decided to change the office around. Just a desk a shelf and a recliner.

Now paying for it for the last week. Pain is 7/10 still.

But, I don't have glare on my work computer 🤔 bonus I say lol

I am back to walking daily around the block. It's not much, but for me it's huge.

My best days are the leg days at the gym my pain isn't bad enough to max out the calf raise machine at 400lbs, being able to limp or roll up to it and push it to its limits really makes you feel great.

For 28 years my best days were about a 4 out of 10, but 2 month ago I started Yoga 2 or 3 times per week and now my pain has stayed steady at about a 2 out of 10 for the last month. I am so stoked at the results.

I am still doing the same activities as before except at the gym, I am now pushing myself really hard, starting to see changes in my appearance, I also push myself harder at ball hockey and I'm not in more pain the next day anymore

Feeling so good compared to the previous 28 years has also done wonders mentally too. The suicidal thoughts have almost completely disappeared.

I have a bachelors degree and a Masters degree. There’s no way I would’ve been able to do that in my current condition. I used to go to lots of concerts with my friends. I saw Springsteen, U2, and lots of others I can’t remember. I used to go to Star Trek conventions with another group of friends. We would go for the weekend and stay in the hotel across the street. We would go have dinner and see a movie on Saturday nights. I worked as a Reference Librarian and I loved it. I really miss those days and those friends.

Today I baked home made burger buns for the family. Normally this would be an impossible thing but with the right pain day and an amazing gift of a stand mixer from a friend, I was able to pull it off. My shoulder is killing me now, but worth it for the victory!!

Love this.

Today I worked 8 hours remotely. I took a bath. And put on pajamas. I took my headscarf off and actually brushed my hair into a ponytail. I parented my 3 year old without any outbursts due to be sensory overwhelmed and frustrated while trying to navigate not feeling my best.

Biggest one: I spoke to my partner about how I felt lonely and unsupported.

Today is the first day in a week my pain didn’t go above a 4.

Sometimes I can work on my leathercraft.

My partner and I were able to shovel dirt in a wheel barrow to fill our raised beds, just 2 took 2 days but gosh darn it we did it. We both have chronic pain and miraculously had a good day at the same time. We took lots of breaks and had chairs in the shade and lots of water. We may be slow, it may take all damn day, but we did it. 🤣

We both did flare up right after but it was worth it LMAO. Still recuperating right now.

I hanged out with friends and I got to chill.

I got to do some gardening on Sunday! And hang out with my dog and the visitors to my pond. Of course the invasive wisteria that we had formulated a partial plan to try and control…. Decided to bloom for the first time! So it’s been saved temporarily. Also found a crapload of poison ivy has invaded my berry planter (gooseberries, blueberries, blackberries and raspberries) so I get to call my doctor for some emergency steroids, even though I’m pretty sure I’m not allergic it’s still a good reason to get an emergency medrol pack because they hate prescribing it when I actually need it but it’s not a problem when I tell them that I drew the poison ivy removal short stick!

And now I’m still in bed because everything hurts and it’s hot and I think I probably got sunburned and I still have to file my taxes with all my nonexistent money to pay for them so I’m just back to my usual Monday balance of bad stuff that I’m ignoring and good stuff that probably won’t happen any time soon 🤞🏼

I've had a rough mental health week. Stress and depression. However, I have a daily routine set up. I load or unload the dishwasher, clean the stove and countertops, and filled the ice maker and the 2 water bowls for the dogs. After resting, I swept the first floor. It was windy AF and raining off and on all day so I had 4 dogs to deal with each time I brought them inside. I did not take my daily walkabout today, 1.3 miles, due to the weather. I did do my daily exercises. (All 3 sets)

Oh, an exterminator comes by quarterly and treats outside, around the house, and barn. I had to keep the dogs inside while he worked. They did not like that and ended up crated when I got tired of the barking.

Long term, I moved in Jan. On arrival here, my new pain management Doc doubled my Morphine dosage. I had been working to build my body back up, after years of being sedentary, and the dosage increase enabled me to work up to a 1.3-mile daily walk, weather permitting, and I started physical therapy on my own. Medicare approved home visits by a physical therapist, I had not known that was an option, which has worked out really well.

I've been sad a lot lately, today actually isnt a good day for pain but it's finally a good day emotionally for the first time in awhile, so I've been pushing through the pain with some good music and finally throwing myself back into some hobbies.

I'm making a quilt:)!

I’m had to learn I can’t do things I did before. The 3 days to recover broke me from wanting to overdo it again.

I worked on 2 of my trucks this month! The first one was a little rougher than i thought itd be, it's lower and harder to get up from under. The second one went way better than I expected and only took me 2 days, spaced out lol. I'm hoping to get to Part 2 soon.

I've just been discharged from PT for my shoulders today. went from a resting pain of 4, spikes up to 8 on movement to resting pain of 1 (and even twice waking up with zero!) and spikes only up to 2!

still have terrible leg/back/hip pain due to my spine, but hey, one pain source licked, as long as I keep up at home exercises!

14th in the world with a nerve deterioration condition. Core of my nerves are deteriorating 24/7 constant nerve and muscle pain all throughout my body with a crap ton of fatigue. 2 weeks ago I finished 9 months of school to become a trainer and assessor. I'm the second person to complete the certificate in my area

I’m in a lot of pain at the moment. A good day is one that I was able to sleep 5+ hours in a row. They’re super.

I haven’t had a good day in 2 years.

I'm moving in a month and I'm already 85% packed. I've been going through it slowly so I don't burn out, but I'm way ahead of schedule now. That's a victory worth bragging about I guess.

I just completed my finals and was flaring all finals for 2 weeks about 2 days ago I started to feel things calming, and yesterday I finished 2loads of dishes, cooked dinner, and got to sit up a bit and watch some stuff with my partner for a while, it was bliss. Today, after a half month of flare, I woke up with my pain at a 2 out of 10!.

I had a spinal cord stimulator fitted at the end of last year to help with horrendous nerve pain. I managed to take my daughter shopping the other week and I was able to complain that my feet hurt! Rather than my back and leg pain!

I for some dumb reason keep going to work. It amazes me. I have no interest or desire to go to my company and earn a living. I would rather be dead sometimes but am too much of a coward to off myself.

I got to ride my motorcycle the other day. I wake up every day feeling like I didn't sleep, and the other day, I woke up feeling pretty good. This morning is a bit rough but I'm getting though it.

Physio is working, I've been sober (no tramadol) for a week now, now I can actually focus and study without psychological withdrawal

I started a Ketomine therapy and have found that is has reduced my flares to half and my anxiety and prsd are well under control. I have cut my pain meds byb1/3 on this. Currently am at 80mg ketomine daily.... some days I spilt the dose 40/40 when I know that it's gonna be a long hard day. Others I take it all at the same time. I use a program called Joyous. It's $126 ! Month and is the best thing I have ever done for myself.

I vaccumed the living room. That was a really good day for me.

I drove for the first time in months

Well not really good days ok days that I make good . Like Saturday I went out to shop and eat with my daughter, gbaby and husband . I felt ok but the next day I paid for it which I always do , doing much of anything puts me down for a few days

I’m 55 in Cincinnati Ohio been battling back from a debilitating infection in the now that I can partially walk again I decided to seize the days regardless of that morning pain and recliner chair saying don’t leave 🤓 I noticed other folks say some of the same things I feel and that’s isolating man.. we all gotta get out and seize the day mix it up whatever it is even if it’s seeing a friend family etc So I said screw it I’m gonna break camp and I have.. I went to a couple of Cincinnati reds games they have wheelchair sections with a nice view The staff accommodated me nicely 👍 it’s an awesome feeling to get there and see beautiful great American ballpark GAB. When ur isolated at home and finally get out it’s nice when someone smiles says hello stops n shoots the shit for a min We all need that human connection versus staring at the box watching Palestine Israel protests around the clock lol … Pro ballgames bring out great Americans that love the sport and represent I spent 3 hours at the last game as it lasted longer than usual and for that stretch of time I completely forgot about being disabled pain etc.. i actually started to tear up man and that’s not something I do usually. But i guess it’s all the emotions stress overthinking at home pain etc I felt free again! I connected with good folks and watched some excellent baseball 👍 I was like a kid in the Willie wonka factory lol .. lotsa eye candy 😜

Good times!

Seize the day!

On my good days I stand at my easel to paint. I like to paint in 2-3 hour stints in an effort to not waste oil paint so I have to be having a good day to stand for so long.