Portland Fibromyalgia - ME/CFS Group Logo
In This Issue
Upcoming Events
The Studio at The Frida Center is Open!
Special Resource: Healing Companion Journal
January Webinar: Gentle Health Goal Setting
January Meeting: Medical Deductions
December Recordings Available
Join our Private Web Group
Join Our Mailing List
Upcoming Events
Monday, Jan 16th from 6-7:30 PM:  Gentle Health Goal Setting for Fibromites; Tami Stackelhouse, Fibromyalgia Coach; Webinar
 
Saturday, Jan 21st from 1-4 PM: How to Help Your Medical Expenses Pay You Back; Samantha Pahlow, CPA; Pittman & Brooks; Local Meeting



Sponsor News
The Frida Center
The Studio at The Frida Center for Fibromyalgia is opening its doors!

From Art Therapy to Yin Yoga, we're your one-stop shop for fibromyalgia management. Join The Studio at The Frida Center for Fibromyalgia and participate in one of our many classes, courses, and events this winter!

Simply visit our website to create a free account and learn more about our activities. Registration is now open, and programs are filling quickly.

Our schedule begins January 9, so you've got plenty of time to recover from the holidays. We can't wait to see you!


 

Special Resource
 
Healing Companion Journal 
One of our group leaders, Tamara Staples, has developed a Healing Companion Journal to help those of us with chronic illness track our symptoms.

 

Tamara originally developed this to help her with her own conditions, but is sharing it with everyone who would like it. You can access the journal here.


 
Quick Links


Our Sponsors
 
The Frida Center

Tami Stackelhouse, Fibromyalgia Coach

Time Fairy, LLC

Creating Healthy Families, LLC

Wendy Rogers, True Health Medicine, PC
The Thriving Fibromite
JANUARY 2012
Greetings!  

Congratulations to Nancy Boicourt for coming up with our awesome newsletter title! It fits perfectly with our tagline - we can't believe we didn't think of it! 

Don't forget! We're now meeting at The Frida Center for Fibromyalgia in their studio. There is plenty of parking and the studio is a really great space with cork floors! You may want to bring a blanket and pillows and sit on the floor. (Tamara is seriously considering this option!) The Frida Center has some great directions and a map on their website here.

PS... Think of one person with fibromyalgia or ME/CFS who has told you, "I wish there was some support for people like us!" and  to him/her.

 

Gentle Health Goal Setting for Fibromites
Tami Stackelhouse

Monday, Jan 16th, 6-7:30 PM

 

If you're tired of setting New Year's resolutions that you never seem to keep, don't worry - you're not alone!

 

Learn a gentle way to set and reach your health goals this year!

 

Gentle Health Goal Setting for Fibromites, is our January webinar with Fibromaylgia Coach, Tami Stackelhouse. In it you will learn how to set goals that you'll feel like you can actually accomplish - while feeling good about yourself in the process.

 

During the webinar, Tami will walk you through the process of choosing an appropriate goal, creating a vision of what that goal looks like, taking stock of where you are right now, then writing down the baby steps.

 

After this webinar, you will have a plan of action that will help to pull you towards your goal - and the knowledge you can use this process on any goal you want to reach.

 

BONUS for webinar attendees! Tami is including one free coaching session for everyone who registers for this event  to help you complete your goal setting!

 

If you can't make the webinar, be sure to join our private web group so that you will have access to the recording after the event! (You can still get the free coaching session by registering, even if you can't attend on the day of the webinar.)

  

Register to attend...

Learn how webinars work...

 

 

How to Help Your Medical Expenses Pay You Back
Samantha Pahlow

Saturday, January 21st, 1-4 PM  

 

Remember, our meetings are now held at The Frida Center in "The Studio"! Get directions and a map here. 

 

Do you wish there was a way to get some of the money you spend on medical expenses back? There just might be!

At our January meeting, Samantha Pahlow, CPA, will walk through the IRS list of deductible medical expenses and teach us what we can take advantage of and how to document those expenses. You will be surprised at some of the things you may be missing out on!

You'll want to collect the proper documentation from the beginning of the year so that you'll be able to take full advantage of your expenses and mileage. Without the proper documentation, you can't make the deductions.

Samantha is not your typical boring CPA. She's smart, funny, compassionate, and does an awesome job of simplifying and explaining complex bits of information. (Still, we recommend bringing a support person to help your brain retain all the goodies Samantha will be sharing!)

After this meeting, you'll have the peace of mind that you can help your medical expenses pay you back for a change!

Get all the meeting details...

 

 

December Meeting Recordings Posted
Tami Stackelhouse, Fibromyalgia Coach
Tami Stackelhouse, Fibromyalgia Coach

Tami Stackelhouse, group Co-Leader and Fibromyalgia Coach, gave our December webinar on Weight Loss and Fibromyalgia: Can it Be Done? Would it Help?

Tami talked about the many things that contribute to our weight gain with fibromyalgia, as well as several studies that show that losing excess weight can improve our fibro symptoms. Tami also gave some tips on how to successfully lose weight with fibromyalgia based on specific studies done with fibro patients.


In order to access this recording, you do need to be a member of our private web group. Anyone can join, membership is free and there are no monthly dues. 

Note that there isn't a video of our in-person meeting this time. We had a holiday potluck celebration this month. It was so wonderful to meet so many of our new members in person!

Join our private web group here...

 

Portland Fibromyalgia-ME/CFS Group Ribbon
Join our Private Web Group

The Portland Area Fibromyalgia - ME/CFS Group provides a support system and social network for those dealing with fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome and other chronic illness and pain conditions. Our primary purpose is to encourage each other in thriving despite our illnesses.

By joining our private group, you'll have access to:
  • Videos of our monthly group meetings featuring knowledgable speakers on various aspects of coping with and healing from chronic illness.
  • Audio recordings of our monthly webinars featuring authors, doctors, naturopaths and other experts on fibromyalgia and ME/CFS from around the country. 
  • A compassionate online community where we share our stories and offer one another support.
  • A library of articles on fibromyalgia and ME/CFS.

There are no membership dues and it is free to join. We hope that you will find exactly what you need in our group and look forward to meeting you!

 

Join the Portland Fibromyalgia-ME/CFS Group...

 

 

Thanks for reading our January 2012 issue! We'd love your feedback on what you thought.

 

It would really help us if you would:

  • Think of one person with fibromyalgia or ME/CFS who has told you, "I wish there was some support for people like us!" and  to him/her. 
  • Join our private web support group.
  • Help us think of a clever newsletter title!

To thriving, not just surviving,

Tamara signature              Tami Signature 

Tamara Staples                                Tami Stackelhouse
tamara@portlandfibrocfs.com            tami@myrestoredhealth.com
(503) 476-9520                                 (971) 832-9322

Group Leader                                   Co-Leader
Portland Fibromyalgia-ME/CFS Group
 
We don't want to merely survive, we want to thrive!