Re: Progression?

[Guest guest]

I wonder why you find it necessary to say twice that If your fibromyalgia had

progressed you would be in you doctor's office trying to find out what else is

wrong with you besides the fibro.

Do you not think the people on this site are looking into that all the time. We

post about finding new doctors and different doctors and finding other things

wrong with us. None of us are sitting back just watching the pain, etc of Fibro

progress. We are trying to live our lives just like you are. We do go to the

doctor and look for other causes for the symptoms. It is just that in most of

us the symptoms are just the Fibromyalgia getting worse.

I know that's true for me and believe it is true for most people with

Fibromyalgia. Why wouldn't you think we would investigate any alternatives just

the same as you would?

Blessed be, Marti

Melody wrote:

I think with this fibro thing, we all know it affects each one of us

very differently. It's just as individual as we are.

Some it may progress, but some it may not - like me. All I know is it

if were to progress in me, I'd be in my doc's office trying to find out

what else is wrong with me besides the fibro. Because with me and my

Mom, sister, and Mom's cousin, there is simply no progression at all.

None. Mom is 61 and vibrant, healthy, but has some flarey type days

here and there. She is still working and traveling and going and

doing. Hers never ever progressed.

My sister hurts like I do, maybe worse because she's raising two young

boys and flares more than I do. But she has not progressed, in fact she

was worse off ten years ago during a bad marriage and the stress from

that took its toll on her ibs and other parts of the body.

Mom's cousin is doing great, no progression at all.

Me, as I've mentioned, in 2000 I was in so much pain that I quit my

job. But that was the best thing I could have done for myself, because

I'm much better now than I was then. No progression.

I've gotten to where I'm better than I was, and I am maintaining this

thing as best as I can. My body agrees with what I'm doing and I have

more good days than bad. It just took a lot of trial and error, and a

lot of years to get there. I just didn't give up and didn't stop fighting.

Anyway, maybe in my family it is just genetically 'that way' that our

fibro just 'is' and we manage it and truck on forward despite it. I

just found what works for my body. But if I was getting worse and

worse, I'd be in the docs office wanting more answers other than just

fibro.

[Guest guest]

> I'm glad your Fibromyalgia isn't progressive and that you manage it

> and " truck on " forward despite it. I'm glad it is that way for the

> others in your family too. I'm also glad that you are better than

> you were several years ago. I'm happy that you didn't give up and

> quit fighting. It's a true blessing. I have known people who have

> had a very different time with fibro than I have and even some that

> had theirs go into " remission " or were " cured " . It is really great

> that you are one of the lucky ones. I hope yours doesn't progress.

Interesting discussion; I hope it can continue without anyone's over-

reacting because I think it's worth discussing!

The kind of pain that I have has been pretty constant since about

1961. Sometimes I have it, sometimes I don't. It is the same all-

over, unexplained pain where clothing hurts, it hurts to be touched,

it hurts to move, all my joints hurt, and everything in between. The

roots of my hair hurt, my fingernails hurt.

What's different is that I can no longer push through it. You know

how, when you're an adolescent/young adult, you can pull an all-

nighter, go to class all the next day, and party the next evening?

Eventually you reach a point in your life when you can't do that

anymore. It's the same kind of thing. I can no longer push through

and keep functioning and out-last a severe flare. When a flare hits,

like it did today, I have to go to bed. It was a trip trying to

explain that to the disability company last August. She kept saying

" What do you mean, you have to lie down? " I kept saying " I just have

to lie down. " I hope to <insert name of benificent deity here> she

never understands it from experience.

I don't really think that we ever go into remission. If, as that

article in the link implies, there is a permanent difference to our

brains, I don't think it goes away. I think that the variables are

our external situation. I suspect we can go into a flare-free period

for quite some time. I wish to <insert name of wrathful deity here>

I would. I have stretches of days when I feel quite normal; witness

my " teaspoon-at-a-time " construction of my French drain. Those

times, I start building up hope of being able to go back to work. I

tend to push too hard on those days; it's a real temptation to make

hay while the sun shines (can I cram any more cliches into this

post?!? ;D). But I don't really think that triggers flares. For me,

the weather and fronts moving through seem to have more of an effect.

For me, as I've probably described before, I've been trying to clear

out other physical causes of pain from my life. I got a running

(well, hobbling, anyway) start with my weight loss surgery and the

physical therapy from my two knee replacements. I'm trying to get

myself in as good physical shape as possible. But as much as I try,

the fibro is still there, and I can't push through the flares and

keep going like I could when I was 17, and 27, and 37.

Z