I am hoping that there is a wise soul out there that can give me some insight.
I do not claim my diagnosis, because I believe that what you claim as yours becomes yours. I want my freedom and that is something that I do want to claim. However, I was diagnosed with Fetal Alcohol Syndrome shortly after I was born and it has affected me my entire life.
Although I do not claim these diagnosis as my own, my doctors have. They are as follows: 1.Arthritis in neck, back, knees and feet (requiring three surgeries and steroid injections thus far). 2.Degenerative Disk Disease resulting in a disk that ruptured in my sleep and complicated by injury to three lower lumbar disks and neck in serious car accident. Suggested and refused treatment was an epidural each month to be followed by steroid injections on either side of my spine. 3. Fibromyalgia that has escalated to large collections of lactic acid within muscles that causes what I call "knots" that are easily seen and felt all over my body. They come and go at their own discretion. 4.Chronic Headaches including Migraine, Tension from stiffness in neck and shoulders that does not go away, Sinusitis and I am seeing a Neurologist next month to determine whether or not I have Cluster Headaches. 5.Constant pain at base of skull due to deformity of connection of spine to skull, which also comes with bone on bone crunching sounds when moving head in certain ways. 6.Constant stiffness and pain in joints and muscles due to the marriage of all listed above. 7. Killer Acid Reflux. 8. Irritable Bowel Syndrome.
The only things listed that I currently being treated for are headaches and acid reflux, but I am scheduled to see a Rheumatologist next month, in addition to my visit with the Neurologist. My only therapy is stretching and self-massage.
I will be going through another sleep study for sleep apnea after the first of the year. I also have Rosacea on my cheeks and chest and the outbreaks can sometimes be itchy and painful. Outbreaks are usually triggered by pain or stress so I obviously have them often. It really is a tiger chasing it's own tail.
Aside from the above listed ailments, I have been diagnosed AM being treated for the following: Bipolar Disorder and Social Anxiety Disorder. I am also diagnosed with ADD and OCD, but am not undergoing treatment for either. My doctor feels that I am being affected more critically by the first two. Unfortunately, I feel that controlling the second two would be extremely beneficial to getting the first two under control.
After the nervous breakdown, I was on 17 medications a day which left me bed ridden for a year and a half. After somewhat stabilizing, I experienced the car accident and the spinal injuries and was in bed for an additional 8 months. Due to medication side effects and inactivity, I have also gained 100 lbs.. Carrying an entire person around with me on a daily basis has only exacerbated the symptoms of all I have listed.
about
two weeks ago, I became very ill and had severe pain in my right side that led me to believe that I had appendicitis. I went to the ER and it was confirmed that it was not appendicitis. CT and ultrasound confirmed a mass in my right side measuring 4 cm that was connected to nothing and had no blood flow. After four days in the hospital, I was released. Within four days, I awoke with the bed completely soaked in my sweat. My hair was so wet, it was as if I had just showered. I had back breaking shivers, severe pain in my side, chest pain and difficulty breathing. The ride back to the hospital was interrupted due to the need to stop and vomit until I thought my stomach would come up through my throat. This is the same type of vomiting that preceded the pain in my side in the beginning. I was hospitalized again and the mass had apparently burst just prior to waking that morning and I was suffering from septicemia which required an additional four days in the hospital. I am weak, but currently on the mend.
Yesterday I started having cold symptoms and before bed I had a fever yet again. Today has been barely tolerable with high fever, severe headache, runny nose, burning when breathing, sore throat, painful cough, etc. I have no cold medicine or any way to get any because I simply cannot face getting dressed or driving my car. I took two Loratabs that had been prescribed to control my side pain after being released from the hospital.
My current medications are Effexor XR, Lamictal, Xanax morning and night and xanax sublingual for panic attacks, Trazadone, Imitrex, Cataflam, Omneprozal, Prosacea topical ointment. I also take a womens multivitamin and an extra 1000 mg of vitamin C to boost my immune system.
Oh, and I am also going through Menopause. My OBGYN recently prescribed Neurontin for hot flashes and improved sleep. I am not taking it, because I do not have a lot of faith in her and am planning on talking to my psych about
it first, just in case it will have interactions with my other medications.
Now, if you are still reading...
Does anyone out there have any advice or encouragement. Although I seek healing from my Heavenly Father, it is apparent that he would have me continue to seek medical attention. I am weak and am grasping for some understanding of all of this.
I know that there are so many of you out there suffering. What inspires you to continue each day? I know that I have overcome the day if I can even build the energy or confidence to even get in my car and go buy a loaf of bread or dress myself and walk out to the front yard and check the mail. Our lives should consist of so much more. I refuse to believe that this is it. Endless doctor's appointments, medications to cover the side effects of other medications, pain that seems to have no end, an inability to concentrate or remember what happened yesterday or even recall the date or day of the week...
Is there anyone with a success story about
anything that I have mentioned? What has been effective for you or what medications seemed to have a real impact on your condition? How do you eleviate your pain regarding any of the conditions above?
Has anyone been successful in losing weight while fighting any of these issues and how did you do it? When I asked my family doctor about
weight loss she told me to exercise. I stretch regularly to release the lactic acid that accumulates in my muscles and loosen up my joints, but exercise?!? How do you exercise when 15 minutes of washing dishes requires 30 minutes of rest?
I hope I am not the lone tree that falls in the forest and no one can hear it.