Fibro Active in October
By Julie Barker, chairperson
Welcome to October and what a whirlwind of a month it became. First, I tested positive for Covid, along with my mum who was in hospital and the whole ward came down with it! Luckily Jane and Opkar held the fort and I was able to join via zoom to some of the sessions. This also put our plans on hold and put us under pressure for preparations for a very special weekend at the end of the month. So, let’s have a look what we have been up to!
Sat 1st Harvest Festival
We were invited to the Harvest Festival at Long Eaton Baptist Church. Aleyne, one of our tai chi students is the secretary there and we had supported a few new ideas for the church. There was a quiz and with the help of a young family, who knew the bits us old fogies didn’t, surprisingly, our table won!
Saturday however, I started with a very severe sore throat, I could not relieve it. The severity increased over the weekend and on Monday I had no voice. I kept testing for covid, but it was negative.
Mon 3rd Jane took the classes solo, I think I wasn’t up for joining on zoom at this point so I wrapped myself up at home and drank plenty of fluids.
Tuesday 4th Luckily our policy is, if you have any symptoms, you must not attend classes or group sessions, as I had now tested positive, I joined on zoom for group, to support Jane as it was my session – ‘Symptom of the Month’ and this month we were covering (SAD) Seasonal Affective Disorder. We had a few members saying they were struggling and were able to suggest things to help such as light boxes, vitamin D and going outside during the day to take in the daylight.
Thursday 6th Fibro Therapy Week 2
This was only the second week of the course and potentially one of the biggest weeks, I joined via zoom with no voice. Jane and Opkar held the fort. We scrambled through with Jane introducing all the conditions and symptoms. Jane had only seen the chapter the week before and doesn’t normally deliver symptom workshops. Also, she had, had her covid booster and flu jab the day before and she felt as ill as I did, but somehow found the strength to get through it. Luckily it was Jane’s week with the tai chi and she introduced the attendees to Dr Lam’s Tai Chi for Arthritis which was familiar territory.
Mon 10th Surprisingly, I tested negative but chose not to return until I had cleared 10 days just to be on the safe side.
Tues 11th It was craft stall preparation, we are standing a Christmas craft stall in November and we have asked the members to work in small groups and produce some homemade items.
Thurs 13th Fibro Therapy Week 3
I’m back face to face, I think to Jane’s relief! We are looking at pain for the next 2 weeks so, we started to look at the different types of pain. They were given Chapter 3 of the manual to follow. This week, attendees were given the choice of whether they would like to continue with Qigong or Dr Lam’s TCA. Four students chose the qigong. This was mainly for memory reasons. However, would it be the wisest choice?
Fri 14th Jo Briggs the manager of Strictly no Falling came round to help set up the registers, pass over the new starter forms and update me with all the plans in the project. Falls prevention classes are part of the SNF project and are open to the community.
Sat 16th I popped round Jane’s to fit in some practice for the Tai Chi for Memory workshop in Manchester.
Mon 17th Every moment we have before each class, Jane and I are also practicing Sun 73 ready for Manchester. Our students are becoming our audience and critiques.
Tue 18th we had a guest speaker at our group session. We’ve not had a guest speaker for a long while. Emma Duthie is a journalist who works for Erewash Sound Community Radio Station. She contacted me earlier in the year about the Pod Cast course and we got chatting. She was diagnosed with ME in her teens and I found her story so inspiring, how she had navigated her career and family around her illness. Afterwards members fed back stating how much they could relate and that it was like listening to their own story.
Wed 19th Committee Meeting
There was a lot to catch up on as we had cancelled the September meeting. We had a lot to plan because we needed to take our own gazebo to the Christmas Lights Switch on for our tombola as the local council had removed the permanent market stalls. The next night is Ilkeston’s Lights Switch On and we have a craft stall in the Cantelupe Centre near to the event; Dawn, one of our members, with her son Ben have organised it. Then on December 6th it is our Christmas Coffee morning including a raffle, cakes, book stall, bric-a-brac and guess the ‘second’ name of the Cinderella Doll lovingly knitted by Jane.
Thursday 20th Fibro Therapy Course Week 4
This week, was the second part of pain, specifically pain in the face and head region; different headaches and facial pain such as TMJ, also referring back to multiple chemical sensitivity which we touched on in chapter 2, this can cause a multitude of symptoms in the face and head region. Afterwards we split into our respective classes for tai chi and qigong.
Tue 25th Sue from open Minds
Sue was revisiting anxiety, but this time it was using arts for health. We created 3 different sized scrolls out of coloured paper, each one represented mild, moderate and severe symptoms. On one side we listed our triggers and on the other we wrote the coping skills we use to manage them. We rolled them up and tied them with some waxed string and a bead.
Thurs 27th Fibro Therapy Course Week 5
This week, we looked at Fatigue and the difference between fatigue, chronic fatigue and chronic fatigue syndrome. This gave us a chance to look back again, at chapter 2, recapping on pacing and limitations.
Each week, attendees receive the next chapter of the course manual so they receive the information in bite sized chunks. We run through the chapter and they can then digest the information in their own time. They also get links to the tai chi and qigong warm ups and new moves to keep up their practice.
Fri 28th Dr Lam comes to Manchester!
The weekend we have been waiting for, for 2 years had finally arrived. Chris our original instructor, Jane and I were honoured to be invited to practice the Sun 73 form with Dr Lam and Master Trainer Nuala Perrin and other senior trainers in Manchester.
We took the Queen’s Award on a rare outing and presented Dr Lam with our last QAVS pin badge which we had saved especially for this occasion. If it wasn’t for Dr Lam’s programme, we wouldn’t have been able to benefit from the gentle movement and go on to support our members / students today with our bespoke programme.
We were able to tell our personal stories, highlight the group’s journey and how it led us to being awarded this prestigious accolade. It was a very special moment for all of us, one which I will treasure.
After the practice session we all joined Dr Lam and Master Trainer Nuala Perrin at a local restaurant before retiring to our hotels. An early night was in order.
Sat 29th Tai Chi for Memory Workshop
The following day we attended Dr Lam’s Tai Chi for Memory workshop with around 20 other instructors and practitioners looking to become instructors in this form. We spent the day exploring the form and the intensions behind it. It was great to be face to face again which enabled us to connect with others and make new friends.
Jane and I are now able to help any members with cognitive dysfunction. This form will help them enjoy tai chi without having the fear of not remembering the moves. Furthermore, this will enable us to deliver Tai Chi for Memory to local dementia groups.
I just want to take this opportunity to recognise and thank Jane for all her hard work. We have worked closely now on this project for nearly 7 years and without her help and support, level head and guidance, we wouldn’t be where we are now. She is often over shadowed as people just see us as a team. She also works part time and had never done anything like this before we started the group. So, a BIG THANK YOU!