Plexus............. Definitely Does a Body Good

Let me tell you a story....

I was about 7 months pregnant with Connor when I first heard about Plexus. I looked into it more when a friend told me their TriPlex Combo products really helped people with Fibromyalgia. I was interested but skeptical as I had heard of other things that helped that didn't really help me. I've mentioned before that not everything works for everyone that has Fibro.

The more I looked into it, though, the more I was intrigued. From everything I saw it looked like it might actually work for me!

However, I was pregnant, and with other problems I had during this pregnancy I was hesitant to try something new on top of it. So, I waited.

Connor was born. I had issues with him and feeding after two weeks, and so found myself not having to worry about whether what I took affected him as he was only on formula now. At the time, though, we had to be careful with how much we spent. So, I waited more.

During this time events happened which I related in my last post. My fibro medication wasn't able to help me without hindering my effectiveness to take care of myself and my boys. I continued without it.

Finally, we were able to get the products from Plexus! Yes!!!

I ordered it, and in the meantime started birth control pills. Which proceeded to make me feel completely awful. I received my Plexus products the day after I called my doctor and he agreed I should stop taking the pills.

So, I had the Plexus products I had been waiting for, and I felt as bad as any of the worst times in my life.

In one way, this was one of the worst times to start taking them. Wouldn't it have been better if I felt pretty good and then could see if this helped me feel even better? On the other hand, I felt so completely awful that I needed something, anything, to help me feel even ok, let alone pretty good. So, this could have been the best possible time to try it.

In either case, this was the situation I found myself- Feeling completely awful and worse than I had in a long time, and hoping desperately that these products would do something to help.

After two weeks I felt better. I still didn't feel great, but I felt much better than before. I wasn't sure if it was taking the products or just stopping the pills though.

After three weeks on the pills, I still felt pretty tired but not bad. I was still wondering if it was really the products helping or just getting off of the pills. We were packing and leaving for an almost two week trip. I was going to run out about halfway through the trip and wouldn't get the next month's products till we got back. I didn't think it would be a problem, though.

My first indication that these products were really doing a lot to help was that we left on an 8 hour trip that turned to 10 with stops. Around hour 6 I realized that I felt a little stiff but relatively ok. This was a drastic difference to an hour trip I took to Philly towards the end of my pregnancy that put me in so much pain I could barely talk and could only close my eyes and pray for it to be over. Granted, I was pregnant which made my pain worse, but it still *shouldn't* have been that drastic of a difference because I had often had trouble traveling in the last few years (one of the reasons why I haven't gone many places either).

But, I felt pretty good. I could even turn in my seat to take care of Connor without too much pain. Still, I expected to be completely exhausted once I got where we were going as that's what usually happens after traveling. I always take days to recover. Not so much this time. I didn't have so much energy I wanted to go running around but then when do I ever? Still, after sleeping that night I was tired but ok. I could take care of the boys and play with them. I didn't feel like I couldn't even get out of bed like I so often do.

Even with realizing this, I didn't know how much better I was feeling until I ran out of the products later that week with travel still to go. I was much more tired. I was much stiffer. I was in more pain.

I got home and was thrilled to see that Plexus bag of products waiting! Taking them was one of the first things I did. Two days later I was feeling a lot better again.

Yeah, these Plexus products were definitely working! After that, I decided to become an ambassador so that I could get them at a discounted price as I was going to keep using them and hope they continued to work well.

Three months later, I decided I would try another product from Plexus- XFactor. Other people took it and it gave them more energy. Since my pain and stiffness was still greatly reduced but I was feeling fairly exhausted all the time, I decided to try it.

Within three days of starting it, I was feeling so much better! Again, I wasn't feeling so great I wanted to run around, but since I usually feel like only laying in bed or sitting on the couch, there was a lot of room in there for improvement. Instead of just getting through the day with the boys I felt more able to do things around the house and go out a couple times a week by myself or with the boys (Yes, that's how limiting I usually feel. Like I can't go anywhere or do anything as it takes too much energy and effort that I don't have).

That was in September. Now, in December, I ran out of X-Factor a few days ago and just ordered it again last night. I can tell a huge difference in my fatigue and energy levels. The fatigue is up, the energy is way down. I'm yawning all the time again. I feel like I have to push myself through the day again. I can function. I can do things. But, it's much harder than it was just a week ago.

So there's my story...

The products I've been taking have definitely been helping. They help people feel better even if they don't have Fibromyalgia!

If you want to look into them, please do! Check them out and see if it's something you could use yourself.

The Tri-Plex Combo is three products that help your body flux out fat, toxins, and other things that cause your body to slow down and feel bad, as well as help your body heal from the inside out. If you can only get one and you suffer from stiffness and pain, I would take Slim. 

X-Factor is a really good multivitamin that helps boost your energy and reduce stress. If you have limited money and can only try one with tiredness or energy being a problem, I would do this one.

To Med or Not To Med?

For me, that's always the question....

When you are in pain all the time, struggle with depression, and generally overall feel awful much of the time, it's something that has the potential to weigh on you.

With how bad I feel I could pop pain pills every day and still struggle, not to mention have the side affects of the meds. So, I just don't take pain pills. Not unless I've exhausted my other options and I'm in screaming pain, anyway!

When it comes to other meds it depends on the medication and the situation. From the time my oldest son was two months old till my youngest son was 4 months in my belly, I took an antidepressant and another medication that helped my fibromyalgia pain by blocking some of the pain receptors (there's a fancy medical word for it that I don't remember). I was struggling and I would have had a more difficult time without them. For the time I took them they were what I needed.

After I stopped taking them I felt worse, but I didn't think I should continue on them while I was pregnant. After our son was born I waited till my son was completely on a bottle. I was looking forward to taking them again so that I was not in as much pain anymore! The first night I took it again I was barely functional as a person, let alone a mom that needed to be awake to hold and feed her baby. I just couldn't continue to take it if it made my body too tired to even hold my baby, let alone take care of him!

[Sadly, this was not all that uncommon anyway during this time. It's much better now. :)]

So, that's what I decided to do. I would still be in pain, but I wouldn't have the side effect from the drug that made me super sleepy and tired and I could still take care of my baby.

That's as things were as of April earlier this year.

Sometime around early to mid May I started taking birth control pills. I had taken some before and been fine with them. Well, this time it wasn't so fine! I felt awful. I had been feeling relatively ok before this. Tired, but still able to do some things. In pain but not terrible. But, now I was dragging even more. I could hardly do anything during the day and at night my body kept overheating so that I kept waking up and getting restless sleep. And every day I took a new pill my body got worse and worse.

It only took a week to get to this point. I finally called my doctor and he had me stop it right away. The birth control pills, at this time, were not what my body needed.

Even after stopping them I was completely exhausted. I did not just bounce back to where I was before. I had a lingering malaise that was even worse than my normal exhaustion and pain. It was a struggle to get back to feeling any kind of normal, combined with discovering supplemental products that helped a LOT. More on that next post!

So, here's my answer to the question of, "To med or not to med?"

Sometimes your body and the situation requires it. And sometimes it's the last thing your body needs. You need to figure out which one it is for you for the time you are in. Sometimes you need meds, sometimes you need vitamins, sometimes you need supplements, and sometimes you just have to go without anything for a while till your body goes back to equilibrium.

The problem is that you won't always know until you take it, or go off of it. Every body doesn't respond the same way. Some things will help a lot of people and some things only help a handful. It's the way our bodies are, but even more pronounced with those that have Fibro. Perhaps because there hasn't seemed to be one cause for everyone yet. It's one of those weird things about Fibro that makes this process a little worse.

Don't just pop a pill though. Seriously consider if it's the right kind of medication or supplement for you to take. After you take them or stop taking them, then you can decide if it's helping, you don't notice much difference, or it affects you badly. It's good to talk about this with your doctor too! :)