It' Been A While

It's been a while since I lasted posted and wanted to catch up tonight.

I started swimming again because walking around the neighborhood in Florida at this time of year is just too darn hot.  I tried to go slow. Not sure what that even means.  I just started swimming around and using my legs and arms and it felt great. I probably swam for around 20 minutes or so.

After a few days I thought, Wow! this is going to be a piece of cake. Wrong!  I woke up in the middle of the night and my arms and legs were screaming with pain.  Sort of like when you had growing pains as a kid only much stronger and constant. The only relief is to walk around and keep moving my arms.

I finally just took my pain meds (tramadol) even though they keep me awake because I can't take anything else.  I can't take aspirin or advil because I break out in hives.

So the night was a short one, and now I am extremely careful to not overdo in the pool, but I will not quit!  I will not give into this as long as I can keep moving.

Today was a great day and my pain is manageable again. 

Until Next Time :)

Things are Looking Up

I am so happy to say that my fibromyalgia has been better the last several months.  I still have the everyday aches and pains but nothing like when I was first diagnosed.  At that time my lower back and neck were giving me constant grief.

I truly believe it's been a combination of a good chiropractor, a massage once in a while, and keeping to my walking schedule.  I would like to be doing more than just the walking, but am not brave enough yet to venture into lifting weights or yoga.  Although, I do hear yoga does wonders for some.

Our pool will be warm enough in another few weeks to start swimming.  I just have to remember that I have to approach it slowly.  It's difficult to do as I don't have any pain at the time; just a day or two later.

After reading about people who suffer from CFS I don't feel like I have any room to complain but I know that each of us has our own situation and we need one another's support.  That is truly the reason I started this blog.  I hoped to reach others who suffer from chronic illness.

I am amazed at how many wonderful people I have met online from my blog.  They suffer considerably more than I do yet they always have something cheery to say and I so appreciate them.

Until Next Time :)

I May as Well Laugh

My husband is out of town this week on business so I decided I would do a few home projects while he was away.  That was my first mistake.lol

I painted the grout throughout all the tiled areas in our house about 4 years ago so I thought I would freshen it up this week.  Bending over and crouching down is not a good thing for fibro sufferers as you are probably using muscles you wouldn't normally use.

I knew when I started this project that I should go slowly (which is difficult for me as I used to charge through everything) so I worked on it about a half an hour or so.  I could feel the muscles running up the back of my thighs being used but I had no idea how much until I woke up the next morning practically crippled.

The muscles hurt so bad that even the Tramadol didn't completely numb the pain.  Fortunately it lessoned during the day as I walked around but the thought of continuing with my grout project wasn't looking too inviting.

So here it is Tuesday and I haven't finished the grout yet!  I did work on a small section yesterday but am paying for it today.  I will get it completed but it will take the entire week to do that.

This is the part of the fibromyalgia that frustrates me the most.  You don't know what you are doing to yourself until you wake up the next day and can barely move.

When I woke this morning (due to pain) I could feel all the muscles around my rib cage and my thighs.  I was so uncomfortable lying in bed that I was forced to get up even though I could have slept longer.  I can't figure out why my ribcage is so sore unless it's from sweeping out the garage.  Good grief!

It's almost comical really.  I try to have humor in it because it looks like it's here to stay so I may as well laugh about it.  It's so absurd to have this much pain that I can't help but laugh because it's like someone is playing a terrible practical joke on you all the time.

Until Next Time. :)

What's Next?

I am several days into the colon cleanse and feeling great.  I have no idea if one is related to the other or not as I have good days and bad days normally.  All I can say is:  if this is how normal people feel on a regular basis, no wonder they get so much accomplished.

I get up in the morning and I don't hurt at all.  In fact one morning I completely forgot to take my pain pills.  A few hours into the day I began to feel a bit tired and achy before I realized this.  Other days I would feel so good that I didn't even need my second set of pills, which I normally take around 2pm.

Partly the reason I don't have the pain is because I am not exercising or stretching.  With fibromyalgia it takes time and patience to build up to a regular exercise routine and I know that if I start it again that I will have the pain back. 

I was able to walk around the neighborhood last night without any pain in my foot so I am pleased with that and hopeful I can continue my nightly routine.

I am grateful for the reprieve from the monotonous pain and plan on enjoying it while I can.

As to what happens next? I don't have a plan for that, just one day at a time for now.

Until Next Time. :)

I'm Mad Now!

I have been using Tramadol for over 2 years as my main pain reliever for fibromyalgia.  I use 4 a day on average, but occasionally require a fifth one if I do something out of the norm.

I can generally call in my prescription 3 days in advance and have no problem getting it refilled. Not so this time.  I called on the 27th to my doctor as my refill was out and I needed to make sure I wouldn't have any problems.  The nurse  called over to our pharmacy and ordered the prescription.  When my husband went to pick it up he was told that this was a "watched drug" and that it cannot be refilled until the exact day it was due and that I would have to wait the 4 days.

Of course I called back my doctor and was told by the nurse that the pharmacy was quite rude to her and even accused her of sounding like she was driving in a car while she was reordering my meds.  Apparently the pharmacy made it a point to call the doctor's office back to confirm that they were indeed the ones who called it in at all.

So now I wonder; is there a new mandate about certain controlled drugs or was this pharmacist on a power trip? Either way I am the one who suffers.  I had to go 3 days without any medication at all. I can't take Advil, aspirin or Tylenol as I break out in hives.  My doctor did call over for another pain reliever (Darvacet) for the interim time but it has never worked for me so the pain just escalated.

I couldn't sleep as my arms and hands were throbbing with pain. I would try to get comfortable in bed but found myself getting back up and trying to figure out what to do. This must have happened at least 5 times as I was so tired.

Have you ever been so exhausted you can barely function but cannot go to sleep due to pain?  I have experienced this before when my "restless legs" were at an all time high, but this was beyond anything I have ever endured.

Finally at around 4am I decided to take a very hot bath to see if it might calm down the throbbing and jerking of my arms.  It did seem to work so I was able to sleep.

It's a very scary thing to realize how dependent you are on drugs to get you through a normal day.  It is also quite sad to realize that your life as you once knew it is forever gone.  You will never be normal and function as others do.  You will forever be subjected to the doctors whim as to whether they will continue your medication.  Fortunately I have a great doctor who was the first one that realized I have fibromyalgia and works closely with me on medications.

I finally got a new prescription and am doing much better but I can guarantee you that I will never allow myself to get so low on my pills again. 

Until next time. :)