Moan, Whine, Ache, Complain....and Owie!

looks like I am the only one up at midnight and reading so the first to send you warm thoughts and hugs for Monday. I know others will be along to add to that .

((((((((((((((((hugs))))))))))))))))))

Good evening MsBunky! You know that I will be there to support you! Hang in there, and I expect a good report on you tomorrow afternoon. Will you have your meds refilled by then? Today was a rough day for me here on the forum, but all is well now, and I appreciate your support. Makes me think of the song, "We are Family" See you tomorrow! :)

SE

Good Luck today Pam. I am sorry I wasnt up to see this but being up on and off for 2 days straight I passed out last night for 11 hours. You are in my thoughts and prayers.

Best wishes, Pam.  I hope the injections help, and that you are feeling better soon.

Butterfly4

Hello my friends! Thank you for your wonderful support....I really needed it today. I had the injections done this morning after a night of horrible pain - PALady, you're right in that you sure know when your pain meds are working, when you have them taken away. Every part of me hurt this morning - every joint, every muscle...ugh!!!

The injections today are my third set, and the second with Botox. It was the most painful injections I've had so far....the doctor doing them said that he's never seen a psoas muscle as tight and knotted as my right one (the psoas muscle runs along the pelvis and back, thru to the hip and helps to support the pelvic region). The left psoas muscle wasn't too bad, but even with triple the local anesthetic to numb things, it still hurt enough to make me cry, mostly as the doctor advanced the needle deeper on the right side. I was shaky afterwards, cried a bit while waiting the required 20 minutes after the needles (in case of reaction) and generally just felt like crap. I had a good cry in the car after it was done and then we stopped at Burger King so I could eat...a Jr. Whopper always makes me feel better. I took my meds when I got home and then slept for about an hour and a bit.

I'm still sore and achy...the injections always cause a Fibro flair for me, which sucks. I can feel some relief in the pelvic/hip area though, so that's a good sign. I'm hoping for at least a month's worth of pain relief this time in that area. Dr. Patel (who did the procedure) recommended that next time, I have the injections thru both the back and the stomach to reach the muscle, for extra coverage, and he's also suggesting injections right into my right hip joint, for some pain relief there while I wait for an appointment with the Orthopedic Surgeon for a consult.

So, that was my day and I thank you all for your thoughts and good wishes. I thought of all of you as I was laying there on the table, and it helped to know you were cheering me on. I see my regular doctor tomorrow for refills on all my drugs, and then I see my pain doctor next week (Monday) to talk about next steps

I hope everyone is feeling as well as possible today. I appreciate each of you more than you could know. It's nice to have another family to rely on.

Big hugs,
Pam

ps: Anniedaze, I am still working with my insurance to have them provide coverage for the Botox...each set of injections costs about $460. We have a pharmacist friend who gets it for me at his cost though, so that brings the price down to just over $300. Friends are sure a wonderful gift!!

Hi Pam,

Thanks for the update...I eat pretty much all organic now but once in a blue moon...a Whopper JR. with cheese and their fries..YUMMY!!!!:) LOL...

Sorry to hear about being so sore and will pray for relief for you as well as maybe you can take it easy the next days to prevent a big Fibro flare...I've learned over the years to buffer in those days to keep them from lasting too long..

Let us know about what the next steps are with PM Dr...

Hope tonight you can just chill out, watch some tv and rest...

Sending big 'gentle' hugs (( ))

Pam,
I sure hope you get some relief, too, especially with what you had to endure.

You know, I think the muscle you're talking about may be the same one that's given me trouble (along with many others!) for years. Is there something called the ilio-psoas (sp????). My PT tried to teach me all these names but I keep getting them confused.

Anyway, the one that gets to me is right at the base of my butt, so it affects sitting bit time. I do daily exercises to try to stretch it some, and I think awhile back one of my PM's tried injections that never hit the right spot, so I stopped going. I think they were steroid injections, not botox. It's interesting your doc talks about how hard it is to reach the muscle. I know my PT would say the same thing about many of the muscle groups that keep giving me problems.

I don't have insurance that would pay for any injections right now, but I'll be curious to see if the botox works for you.

Does ice help after these injections the same way it does after epidurals and nerve blocks? I always find it helps at the site of the injection for the first day or two, but if it's the same muscle I'm thinking of it's really deep and hard to get to.

Take care!

PaLady

Pam,
Would you believe I was lying in bed last night thinking about this muscle and realized I was recalling the wrong muscle. The one I was describing to you (bottom of my butt) I think is called the periformus (sp???? - my PT tried to give me all the correct spellings and I have forgotten them!). But the reason I remember the iliopsoas is because that's also one that's a problem for me.

I can see that our situations are probably different, although I don't know if my hip socket fits properly, but I do know my SI joint is always giving me problems. But my PT does some sort of active release process with the iliopsoas. It's a very painful process, but doesn't last long so worth it. He puts my let up on his shoulder, then has to press very deeply around the top of my leg and even he has trouble finding the muscle but when he does I sure know it! I can feel it go all the way to the attachment somewhere in my back. It feels like a knife going through you and has brought me to tears when he does that, but once the muscle releases, it usually stayed released for awhile. But like I said, your situation is probably different. Now I know why your doc has such a challenge finding the right spot, though, and why it's so painful for you. That one bites, big time!
I've had a lot of deep tissue massage, and whole lots of PT in my life, but I do think that one active release movement of that muscle is the most painful maneuver I've endured. Worth it, but still very big ouch!

Hope the botox starts to help soon!

PaLady

Hi Mikel,

I have been quite conscious of my diet lately as I was overweight and needed to lose at least 40lbs. I've gone from 180 to my current weight of 148, and I'd like to get to 135 (I'm only 5'2"). I've cut most processed foods out of my life and am eating more lean proteins and veggies...but I haven't tried juicing yet.

Why would juicing be better (or is it?) that eating the same foods in their whole state (apples, carrots, etc.)? Is there something in the actual juicing process that makes them more powerful? I'd love to hear your thoughts on this. I'm currently taking 40mg of Oxycontin slow release in the morning and again at night, along with Cymbalta for my Fibro, and some other drugs. I still get breakthru pain after about 4 hours, so also take Tramacet as needed. I'm finding my pain is being well managed with my current dosages, but it would be great to lessen those amounts or be able to go off them completely. Perhaps I'll look up juicing next time I'm at the Library.

Thanks for your thoughts!

hugs,
Pam

My question is, does adding the veggies together in a blender cause some lose of fiber? Fiber is very important in the diet especially for colon health. I would think that just eating more fruits & vegetables would improve health regardless of how it is ingested.