NEW ,NO IDEA where to begin., story...(sorry, LONG) :)Welcome Kandi ! ! !

[Guest guest]

Hi Kandi I'm one of the few guys but I can relate to all your

symtoms except for the OBVIOUS ones..lol..I went thru a few years of

bizarr symtoms before my DX(diagnosis) I saw one Dr. in particular

that did nothing but insult me so I waited for another 18mos. to see

yet another Dr. an internist who ran $$$$$$ worth of test and the

only flag was a high RA factor then on to a Rheumee(rheumatologist)

who confirmed FIBRO..Well finally a diagnosis, but for what a few

muscle relaxers and Tramadol which did absolutely NOTHING for my

pain. Almost a year now and I'm seeing a Fibro specilist who is

giving me Trigger point injections,Lyrica,hydrocodone,Darvon 65 and

Adderall for fatigue, BUT I still suffer and it's up to me as to when

I want to take my limited supply of hydrocodone.

Oh by the way welcome to THE Fibro group!!! This is a wonderfull

group full of great people amd me..DUH..olo..lol..L@My Self L (AT) MS (DOT)

This group has been a life saver..Not long after I joined I attempted

suicide and the group was just AWEsome. I never felt so much LOVE ine

my life.. This group really really cares for the individual..

Kandi I HOPE YOU find the Love, Encouragement and Support that I have

found since joining April 07..

GOD Bless YOU Kandi ! ! ! . . . .................... . . .

S.E.Arkansas

>

> This is my 1st support group so I'm feeling a little shy & am not

> sure where to start with all this. Fibro is such a complicated

illness

> & there are so many things I'd like to pick all your brains

about.

> But I'll save the brain picking for later.

>

> First off, a little bit of my history. I'm 34, married, mommy to 1

> amazing little girl. We live just outside of Pittsburgh. I was just

> " diagnosed " about a year ago. The quotes are because I'm not yet

100%

> convinced that there isn't something else going on but thus far

fibro

> seems to fit. I'm what I'd call a functioning fibro sufferer...I

have

> good days & bad days. My worst symptoms began approx. 1 & 1/2 yrs.

> ago but I knew something was " different " shortly after my daughter

> was born Dec. 2005. Actually, I'm not positive if it set in during

the

> pregnancy or after. I was VERY tired throughout the pregnancy &

> started having REALLY bad aches in my arms & hips around my 3rd

> trimester... & swelled up like a float in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day

> Parade for the last month. At the time I just figured that this is

> the way my body is responding to pregnancy & there wasn't anything I

> could do about it. I fully expected to feel like my old self again

> after my daughter arrived...but I'm still waiting & she's 2 yrs. 2

> months & 3 wks. old now. I had to have a c-section because she was

> getting so big, I was a week overdue & my uterus was overextended &

> was not contracting despite all the inducement methods they tried. I

> lost a lot of blood during the surgery & came VERY close to losing

my

> uterus & almost had a transfusion but they decided at the last

minute

> not to. The next few days in the hospital I was so exhausted & so

> drugged up but I was unable to sleep. I felt then that something in

> me was different. Something in my brain just wasn't working

> right...like I'd been short-circuited. I got about 2 hours of sleep

in

> the 3 days we were there & that was only because of an Ambien the

> nurse gave me which made me wake up with a " psychotic episode " (as

my

> husband lovingly calls it) which was really scary. Anyway, the next

> few months were spent recuperating & still not sleeping much...but

> again, I figured this is just what having a newborn is like, right?

So

> I did my best & figured it was just taking me longer than usual to

> bounce back because of all the blood I'd lost. To try to make the

rest

> of this long story short, I'll try to condense the rest...

>

> When my daughter Zoe was almost a year old, the onslaught of bizzare

> health problems began...one right after the other (or as the dr.'s

> like to call then, all the " non-specific " symptoms). Lump in

> throat...chest pain...palpitations...fatigue...numbness & tingling

in

> hands/arms/back...unexplained aches in my neck, arms, legs, hips,

> shoulder blades...carpal tunnel...brain fog & difficulty

> concentrating/remembering...stomach problems/IBS/abdominal

> pain...bizarre periods & breast tenderness... & the hair loss (that

> one's my favorite). 3 ER visits ( " there's nothing more we can do for

> you maam " )...switched PCP's twice...started regular chiropractor

> visits...x-rays, CT's, MRI's, bloodwork all " within normal limits "

> (how I hate those words). Always sent home to suffer & wonder. Then

> the anxiety set in...which is then blamed for all of the other

> problems. I'm sorry, but I wasn't like this before. Something's

> different...I can feel it. The anxiety didn't cause it...IT has

caused

> the anxiety. Had 2 gastroscopies in the last year...revealed GERD &

> sm. hiatal hernia. When abdominal pain increased I returned to the

> gastro. who not only didn't do any kind of physical exam but his

only

> suggestion was that " you need to be on Lexapro " (which, when I

> insisted upon asking him questions, he repeated to me at least 5

> times)...gee, thanks for your help. I finally got in to see a

> rheumatologist & she is the one who diagnosed me. Bloodwork there

> revealed a slightly elevated ANA but nothing else. Recently had an

> appoint. w/an endocrinologist who seemed very thorough but bloodwork

> there came back...drum roll please...within normal range! My problem

> has been determined by their office as " not endocrine related " , even

> though I have a TON of symptoms that point to some kind of hormonal

> imbalance. The only thing out of the ordinary in that bloodwork was

a

> slightly high Alkaline Phosphatase...which I wasn't even informed of

> by the endo. but by my chiro. who'd requested copies of my recent

> bloodwork. He said that it can mean a lot of different things but

> that it definitely shows I've been having some kind of muscular

pain.

> My newest development is this strange vibrating sensation through my

> arms & upper torso that comes & goes. It really has me baffled. It

> feels like a vibrating electrical current pulsing through me. I'd

LOVE

> to know if anyone else is experiencing this!!!

>

> My chiro. is great & does trigger point massage (which I highly

> recommend if you can stand it) & has me on some whole food

supplements

> which seem to have helped a little. I'm currently on Zyrtec-D,

> Prilosec, Xanax (as needed & to sleep) & a buttload (can I say

that?)

> of vitamins. I occasionally take hydrocodone if I'm having a bad

spot,

> which I've been having recently because of the cold weather. I do a

> lot of research on my own & have a lot of theories, but it's so easy

> to become overwhelmed by all that... & it doesn't help with the

anxiety

> either.

>

> My husband is wonderful & supportive, but at the same time, he just

> doesn't understand. He's never been sick much in his life & when I

> try to describe my aches & pains, I just know he doesn't get it.

I'm

> sure he gets tired of my complaining, even though he wouldn't say.

> He's always trying to get me to be positive... & I try, but again, he

> just doesn't understand just how hard that can be when you feel like

> you have the flu 24/7. He always thinks that I'm mad at him for

> something. I try to explain that I just don't feel well...but I'm

> afraid that it's putting a strain on our marriage. He works from

home

> for a health insurance company & I stay home & care for my

daughter. I

> don't have much of a support network because my parents are both

> deceased & I don't have much in the way of extended family. My

> husbands parents help out as much as they can but they live an hour

> away. They take Zoe for an overnight visit once a week to help me

out.

> We've lost touch with most of our friends because they moved & we

> moved & well, you know how that can happen. That's why I'm here. I'm

> just hoping for some connection with people that can truly

understand

> what this feels like, to want your " old self " back again, so badly.

I

> think so much about all the things I used to do. I used to work full

> time...have friends...go out, do things...had hobbies...the energy

to

> clean my house, go for walks & exercise. I know I don't have it as

bad

> as some others do & my heart goes out to all of you for whom this

> disease has become debilitating. I just miss feeling normal. I just

> want to feel 34 instead of feeling 74...

>

> OK, I'm done complaining. Sorry this was such a long introduction.

> I've been reading some of your posts already & you all seem so warm

&

> friendly. I'm really looking forward to hearing from some of you &

to

> being part of this group.

>

> Hopes for good days for all... ~Kandi

>