I have fibromyalgia. You can read more on Wikipedia: Fibromyalgia is a term meaning muscle and connective tissue pain (also referred to as FM or FMS), is a medically unexplained syndrome characterized by chronic widespread pain and a heightened and painful response to pressure (allodynia). Other core symptoms are debilitating fatigue, sleep disturbance, and joint stiffness. Basically, I have invisible pain, every day.
If I do too much, I'll have worse pain. But the pain is not indicative of injury. It doesn't mean that if I don't stop what I'm doing, I'll suffer worse injury. It's not going to cause broken bones or swelling or deformities (like inflammatory conditions). On the other hand, taking an anti-inflamatory like Motrin won't impact it either. Since fatigue is a big factor, all I can really do is rest.
People have lots of opinions and antidotal experiences of treatments and cures. Usually, they have a family member who 1)changed their diet, 2)took herbal supplements 3)tried some alternative therapy and was miraculously cured. The one thing I've learned about chronic disease is that it's boring. People don't want to keep hearing that you still have it. "Why are you limping? Did you hurt yourself" -- No, it's just the FM. I know they have other things to think about rather than to remember that I still have this problem, day after day, after month, after year. Hell, it's boring to me.
The most unfortunate side effect I've had is that decreased activity has led to weight gain. The weight gain has led to sleep apnea. The sleep apnea disturbs my sleep cycle which negatively impacts the body's ability to lose weight. Which leads to more weight gain. Plus, the most effective treatment for FM is improved sleep. It's a vicious circle.
Whenever I mention the sleep apnea, people always ask if I have "one of those machines". A c-pap. A continuous positive airway pressure machine. Sure, I've got one. Know what it's like? Take your shop vac and put the hose on the out port. Now take that hose and stick it up your nose. OK, maybe not quite that bad, but it is a hose about that size hooked up to a mask that you strap onto your head like a jet-pilot's headgear. Woo hoo. Sexy. Then you try to sleep in that get up. I've tried, really I have.I know, it's better than dying. People die of apnea all the time. There's a strong history of heart disease in my family; both of my parents have had bypass surgery. My cholesterol levels, unmedicated, are poor -- high bad, low good cholesterols. Sleep apnea also is a contributor in car accidents, because sufferers have a lot of day-time sleepiness.
So, basically, I'm trying to work around it all. Aggravating the FM issue is that I have some osteoarthritis. Like in my thumbs. You'd be amazed at how often you need your thumbs! Last year, my left thumb got so bad that the slightest bump would take my breath away. I decided to have it surgically repaired. It's called Excision Arthroplasty. Basically, they take the last joint at the bottom of your thumb and replace it with a piece of tendon removed from your forearm. Hurt like hell, mostly from the brace and cast, and took a long time to recover. There is still some pain there, probably in the connective tissue (remember the FM?), but the take-your-breath-away inflammation pain is gone. Of course, it doesn't help that this is the same wrist I broke a few years ago. I fell backwards and put my hand out, bent it back and broke it and damaged the tendon. It healed, but the pain has never gone away. Gotta love that "excess response to pain" part of FM.
The right thumb hurts, too. Not as bad, thank goodness. At least not yet. Since I'm an accountant, I need to be able to use the computer and the type of mouse I have makes a big difference. I'm planning on trying some less invasive therapy, like steroid injection, rather than surgery on this one. However, I've had steroid injections in other sites that did not help. Guess I'll just wait to see how bad it gets.
My husband has rheumatoid arthritis. It's debilitating. He took prednisone for several years, until it began to aggravate his liver. Since he already knew he had "fatty liver", which doesn't mean actual fat on your liver. It has to do with triglycerides and lipids collecting in the liver. Most people who have it are alcohols or obese. He's neither, he's just an odd ball in the sample. Now he takes Embrel, an injectable. VERY EXPENSIVE. (I'll leave that for a later post, all about insurance...>
Anyway, he's always trying to get me to take anti-inflammatories. They help him. They don't help my FM much, plus they upset my stomach a lot, mostly due to the hiatal hernia. I can keep this mostly symptom-free by taking Prilosec everyday. But, man, I sure don't want to miss a dose. It's no wonder that people go to the hospital thinking they are having a heart attack when they are having heart burn. I've had some heart burn attacks that made me want to go to the hospital for relief, even knowing what it is.
Migraine headaches run in my family, like New York marathoners. Like my Mom, both my siblings, my nephew, my niece, and other extended family members. I was on gabapentin for them for a while, mostly because I got into a cluster-string that wouldn't stop. Unfortunately, the side effects of gabapentin are anxiety and weight-gain. Like I need anymore of that. Once I got the chronic clusters to stop, I went off the med. Now I just have them intermittently, not constantly, and take tramadol.
When I went to the neurologist about my headaches, he discovered that I have Peripheral neuropathy in my hands and feet. Most people who have it are diabetic, but, thankfully, I'm not. I'm not sure that's all together bad; it means you have reduced sensation in your hands and feet, so at least they don't hurt as bad as they used to!! He also diagnosed my carpal tunnel syndrome; I had a lot of problems with it a few years ago, but it's much better now.
As I said, my left leg is really giving me grief today. When I was last pregnant (in 1982), I developed sacroiliitis. As time has past, it has settled into a chronic irritant. In the last few years, it has impacted those last few vertebrae called the "tail" bone and apparently is aggravating a nerve in that area.
Other than the TMJ, violent cat and crab allergies, generalized North-Texas area allergies, chronic depression (hey, you'd be depressed too) and persistent neck pain of unknown origin, I think that's all. So far. I used to have other problems, but I had that hysterectomy and solved that. I try not to let these things stop me from doing things I like. I spend a lot of time at the theatre, working on different parts of productions including set building. I do lots of things with my grandson, including going to the zoo and other physical activities (although we won't be trying bowling again). Since most of these things just cause pain, and I've got pain anyway, I just try to deal with it (sometimes with meds - I'm not against living better through chemistry).
Besides, everyone has something, right?
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