When my youngest baby was born, I experienced a serious flare, and was in a wheelchair for a while. I couldn't walk more than about five feet due to fatigue and dizziness. As the baby got older, I was able to put the wheelchair away, but I wasn't well, and I was still following the "very gentle exercise" and the "if it hurts, don't do it" rules.   Then everything changed. ... http://www.squidoo.com/fibrocize Mon, 08 Sep 2008 10:45:57 -0600 FeedCreator 1.7.2 Sun, 13 May 2007 22:21:44 -0600 http://www.squidoo.com/fibrocize When my youngest baby was born, I experienced a serious flare, and was in a wheelchair for a while. I couldn't walk more than about five feet due to fatigue and dizziness. As the baby got older, I was able to put the wheelchair away, but I wasn't well, and I was still following the "very gentle exercise" and the "if it hurts, don't do it" rules.   Then everything changed. My older son started a karate class, and the very nice people there invited me to join him, at whatever level I could, even if it meant I sat down during class. (Which I did!) We're told that exercise is recommended for Fibromyalgia and now for Chronic Fatigue Syndrome as well. Sometimes, it seemed to me that whoever came up with that idea must be completely crazy! It's not that simple! But I have finally come to believe it can be done. Note: if you don't have Fibromyalgia or Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, but you're here because someone you care about is sick, please read this article for healthy people. (Opens in a new window.) It explains what the "chronic" life is like in a way that healthier people can understand. August 2 update: Here's a picture of me at the end of a very difficult class. The Karate Snowball of Doom! Sun, 13 May 2007 22:21:44 -0600