Newbie to the list - Can't Sleep, Imagine that, problems sleeping!

[Guest guest]

Hello Everybody,

I just joined the list tonight because I am up and can't sleep.

Imagine that!

I'm 29 years old and was diagnosed last September by my Physical

Therapist. I have the best husband in the world and two darling

little girls, 3 & 4 yrs old. I had been having problems with

different body parts for about 9 months and finally my doctor

referred me to a PT to help with my shoulder. She was awesome - told

me everything I needed to do to help with the pain. But I didn't

listen for about 6 months because I decided to do the drug therapy

first with my PCP. It's easier to pop pills. After going crazy with

all of the side-effects (which included depression, mood-swings and

crying every hour) with different medications, I decided to go back

to my PT and talk with her again. She told me to drink 64oz of water

everyday and stretch out in the morning and evening. Use this " S "

bar to relieve muscle knots in my shoulder, neck, and back. This

truely helped a great deal....Because after two months of feeling

great, I slowing backed off of my water and now I'm back to feeling

poopy again. I have noticed that when I hit a certain weight I

really feel miserable. So, I'm back on my quest again to drink

water, stetch and try to lose that extra 20 pounds.

I'm looking forward to chating with ya'll on the list.....

With a smile,

Karyn

> Hi everyone!

>

> Finally getting around to introducing myself after

> lurking for several weeks. So far this seems like a

> really great group and I look forward to corresponding

> with everybody.

>

> My name is , I'm 37 and was diagnosed with fibro

> in October of 2000. I live in Houston, TX and have

> been married for 13 years to a wonderfully supportive

> husband. I probably would have gone off the deep end

> years ago without him. :-)

>

> >What are the symptoms?

>

> In no certain order....

> General muscle/joint pain and stiffness, chronic

> muscle tension (especially in neck & shoulders,

> causing pain), fatigue, Myofascial Pain Syndrome,

> Irritable Bowel Syndrome, reactive hypoglycemia &

> insuline resistance, cognitive problems (fibrofog),

> sleep problems, chronic headaches (sinus, TMJ &

> tension), sensitivity to loud noises & strong odors

> (especially cigarette smoke), Tinnitus, Carpal Tunnel

> Syndrome, suseptibility to skin infections & rashes,

> heat intolerant.

>

>

> >Has you illness been diagnosed?

>

> Yes.

>

>

> >How long did you suffer before you got help?

>

> Approximately 4 years. All spent bouncing from doctor

> to doctor.

>

>

> >Is there a time that you can remember when it

> started?

>

> Sort of. I recall going on an extended vacation in

> early 1996 and experiencing an unusual amount of

> fatigue. It continued to worsen slowly and over time

> the muscle pain and cognitive problems began to set

> in. Followed closely by everything else.

>

>

> >Some of us have found lack of exercise we are

> overweight. Have you found this to be a problem also?

>

> Yes. Seems like I've done nothing but gain weight

> since I became ill. And the anti-depressant I'm on

> doesn't help.

>

>

> >Are you on disability?

>

> Nope, still trying to plug away at my job of 7 years,

> though I've cut back drastically on my hours.

>

>

> >What have you found that helps ease the pain, warm

> baths, medications etc.?

>

> Going on Zoloft right after I was diagnosed helped

> with the worst of the muscle pain from the fibro.

> Cutting way back on sodas has helped as well. The

> pain from the extreme muscle tension and MPS, however,

> are another story.

>

>

> >Do you have sleep problems? How do you deal with it?

>

> Yes, I do. I've found that in some instances 3 to 6

> MGs of melatonin just before bed can help me drop off

> to sleep fairly quickly. (30 minutes or so as opposed

> to several hours) Other times, however, I can't get

> to sleep until around 3 or 4 am. Or else if I do drop

> off to sleep without any problem I wake up at some

> un-Godly hour and can't get back to sleep.

>

>

> >Some have found certain foods causes problems with

> CFS or Fibro, have you?

>

> Only in regards to my hypoglycemia and IBS. I find I

> feel best when I avoid refined sugars and starches and

> eat a diet of protein balanced with complex

> carbohydrates and veggies. Indulging in too much rich

> or fatty foods can aggravate my IBS, as can

> overeating. Initially the complex carbs & fiber

> triggered my IBS, but after gradually including more

> of these types of foods into my diet I found I had no

> problem with them.

>

>

> >What type of Doctor have you found that has helped

> you the most?

>

> So far, none. I'm still on the great sympathetic,

> competant, informed doctor quest. Either they're

> sympathetic but have no clue how to help you... or

> they're apathetic 'specialists' who figure since

> there's no known 'cure' that you're on your own... or

> they're downright condescending and arrogant.

>

>

> Hope those answers helped somebody in some way.

> Personally I'm still searching for that balance that

> has been a consistent thread lately. Recently 'fired'

> both my doctors after continually being prescribed

> either drugs that made me extrememly ill or else

> weren't doing anything more than just heavily sedating

> me. So I'm still in the process of physically

> recouping from all that and trying to better refine my

> diet (read: eat like I should!) :-) Plus trying to

> find the right combination of supplements.

>

> Look forward to hearing from everyone!

> -

>

>

> __________________________________________________

>