When It Rains It Pours

Hello!
Yes, I'm still here. Been having a Fibro episode. Trying to deny it was happening, but there's really no denying it now. Too many symptoms, too many reactions in all the right (or wrong) ways.
I had started feeling like my pain was coming back in my back. It's the side from my surgery so I was making excuses to myself. You know typical stuff; I slept wrong, I picked up Little when I shouldn't have, etc... But in my head I knew what I was doing, so I started going low carb to see if it would help things. I wasn't super good, so I didn't think it was helping. Then, Saturday we celebrated my niece's birthday. I was good till it was time for cake. The thing about when you have chronic pain is that you crave things that will make you feel better.
Chocolate makes me feel better. Well, sort of.
Chocolate causes an endorphin rush. The endorphin rush gives you an sense of pain relief. You can see the conundrum this creates, can't you? So I have no self control when it comes to chocolate. I had no chance against the cake. (It was one of those big Costco chocolate ones, w/the chocolate pieces layered on the sides,) I ate a whole piece. And the next day, I was a mess. The back pain, pain in my ankles (that's a new spot for me) and the headache. The headache's from tension in my neck & shoulders. Usually those are the first spots to really bother me, but I didn't know how messed up they were till I went & got a massage & had to tell her to back off. I'm usually a dig your elbow in & put your full body weight into it kinda girl. But my neck & shoulder area was so tight I couldn't let her do too much. Not a good sign. The result of all that tension in my neck & shoulders is that I clench my jaw. Jaw clenching (teeth grinding) in turn give me bad headaches. All of this effects my ability to sleep well. And the cycle continues.
Oh yeah, with all that the girls got swine flu, my outlaws were visiting, Halloween occurred, my laptop died, etc.... My point is that it's been busy around here.