Newbie here, Connie from Alaska with lots of questions

March 2, 2008

Well, here goes! I have so many questions I do not know where to

start. What is this hideous dragon that has shredded my body! Why

don't the docs know what to do with it? What can I do about it?

Well, probably those are the questions that we all have.

I started hurting several years ago, a spot on my back, about the

right shoulder blade. I had a couple of docs look at it, both said

nothing was wrong. I have been to massage therapy as well as

chiropractor. Sometimes it helps and sometimes it hurts so much that

I cry. As the years rolled on I complained about my back less, since

the docs just dismiss it. I had breast cancer back in '92 at the

ripe old age of 34! It was a bad one, already spreading into the

lymph nodes, but I had the best care and I am a survivor. I get

regular checkups, of course, but the body paid is never addressed,

just no help there. My rear end and hips have been hurting for a

couple years now. I just blame it on the weather and hard work.

Most of my joints hurt, but I take something and keep going.

Sometimes after work, I cannot even move. I fight the tears that

would just flow like a river if I let them. I do not have time to be

sick, I refuse to give in. For some reason now the bottom of my foot

is killing me. If I sit for a while and then get up, I cannot bear

the pain of my own weight on my foot and I nearly fall. I consider

myself a very strong person, but if I sit, I nearly have to get help

getting on my feet again. My co-workers jokingly (and lovingly) call

me Granny! I also have restless leg syndrom, but when that was

finally diagnosed and I got the pills (Requip) It irritated my

stomach so badly that I was vomiting every night. When I had the

upper GI to look at the stomach, the doc said it looked like I

swallowed a grinder! So, still I suffer!

I take over the counter herbs for what ails me. I try not to be sick

or even unwell. I just hate this stuff. It gets depressing to say

the least!

I am married to a very supportive retired Army Sgt who is also

disabled 100%. Money should not be a problem, but it is since we

both like to spend. I work full time as a cashier and cashier

trainer at Fred Meyer, and I am sort of retired as a teacher. We are

both outdoorsy, but that has been on hold for a few years while my

hubby has had 3 knee replacements (no typos here) a year of chemo,

several bouts of pneumonia and staph infections. He raises racing

pigeons, we just built a greenhouse for better gardening. We built

our own log house a few years ago, and now we just have little

ongoing projects all the time. I used to train horses, I have also

run a sled dog team. You name it, we have done it! Now I sit and

cry from the pain.

It is getting warmer now, newrly 20 degrees in the daytime, so very

soon I will be back outside. I am looking forward to getting to know

youall. I hope to learn more about this thing that has attacked me.

It does need a bit of updating, but if you would like to know more

about me, I have a website that shows my pretty log house and my

hubby's pigeons. (how we built it is linked on 's page)

www.geocities.com/mrspiddles/firstpage.html?1042436907440

I will fix that address some day!

Thanks for the ear,

Connie from Alaska

March 2, 2008

Hi Connie- I can only imagine Alaska how beautiful, but cold! I had two

brothers who use to fish on those big boats up there. Now I can only tell u

from my experience, and you will learn also as you read posts, and anything else

you can find on this disease. I use to be strong, a fighter of the disease, it

was not going to put me down, as the pain came on more and more I would work

harder and harder at my job, take more hrs, at home go crazy cleaning,mowing

lawn and anything I could find except to take time out, rest, give into the pain

some, it was screaming at me that I was overdoing, and needed to slow down, but

I didn't. My Rhuemie told me I was unbelieable, and though head strong needed

to learn my limitations as with this disease we need them, I needed to stop and

plan take more time in doing things, I needed to think about cutting back on

work, as I kept suffering some new area of pain,swelling, sprained knee etc. I

did not listen, finally she told me I needed

to only do a reg. hr work wk instead of night and day. I since did, but it was

to late, I now have not been able to work since Nov. I pushed myself, not

wanting to sit and feel the pain, I choice to drag myself into work go full

force come home and cry with pain. I suffered tendernitis, 2 shoulder surgeries

from over working them, which by the way this disease loves, surgeries cause the

disease to flare, and that it does. Now I wish I had listened. So my only

advice is take it slow, if your tired rest, if your sore, treat it, and take it

easy, if you have to work in the yard, do only a little bit at one time, and

then rest. I have the same trouble as u if I sit for any length and try and get

up, I am all crippled until moving for a bit. I found of all the treatments I

have tried, was accupuncture gave me the most relief for longest periods, but my

insurance does not cover but 4 a yr! Chiro killed and no benifit, massage was

good while given and would need it daily.

Good luck and each one of us have it different so you can have fun looking

through and take ideas, and then trial and error on what works. Hope the best

that it goes lightly on you, and stay warm Sharon in Maine

Connie Grudzinski wrote: