I am new here and would like to share my story. I am a thirty-five year old mother of three. I have a 16 yr. old daughter, 10 yr. old son, and an 18 mo. old daughter. And boy do I have my hands full! When I'm not changing diapers, I am texting my 16 yr. old and reminding her not to drinking and drive (or drink period!) or ride with anyone drinking... And my son is in a Division 2 baseball league, that requires alot of traveling.
I will try to make this long story as short as possible. During my recent pregnancy, I was having a lot of back pain from an old injury to my spine. I couldn't wait to have her and get out of this pain. Little did I know that was just the beginning. When she was just 3 mos. old my husband and I lost our home as a result of him losing his job. We moved to a much smaller home and no one was happy about it. My 16 yr. old went to live with my parents after much fighting about who was to blame for losing our home. (No one said blending a step family would be easy, especially with a teen.)I started to slip into a terrible depression. That is when I began noticing odd things happening to my once health body. My shins ached, my muscles felt exhausted, my legs would vibrate from the inside out, I couldn't stand to be touched, (it physically hurt for my kitten to brush against me) my hands ached and my fingers felt like I had rubberbands around them, my knees hurt when my pants would rub against them. I could go on & on. I didn't know what was going on! My family doctor ordered an MRI of my brain, that came back normal. He referred me to pain mgmt. I was put on 4 Lortab 10mg a day. Which helped the pain for a couple of hrs. and I continued to have all the other issues with my body. The pain doctor did not want to look into it and just kept giving me pain medication. He finally ordered an x-ray, after much hesitation. It came back "NORMAL." After 8 mos. of this I went to a Chiropractor (I've been to several over the years and never had much success-actually it made it worse.) But I was desperate. He also did an x-ray and he said I had 2 pinched nerves and refferred me to a Nuerologist. He also diagnosed me with Fibromyalgia. I had to wait 2 months to get into the Nuerologist. They confirmed the Fibromyalgia and ordered a CT Scan of my spine. They also diagnosed me with Facet Joint Syndrome, (with arthritis) Restless leg Syndrome, and Pernicious Anemia. They also tested me for RA and it came back "NEGATIVE." The Nuerologist referred me to an Orthopedic doctor (who was so mean to me!VIEW IMAGE ) He even threw down his equipment in frustration with me! By this point, when I would tell doctors that the pain medication only helped for a couple of hrs. they assumed that I was a "Seeker." But the Ortho. doctor did tell me that you can test negative for RA when you are actually positive for it. I went back to the Neurologist because the Ortho. doctor said he couldn't help me. The Nuerologist ended up dropping me as a patient. By this point I was at the end of my rope. I felt so hopeless! Even though I had already been diagnosed with terrible health issues, I knew there was still more going on. I went back to my family doctor and he referred me to a wonderful Rheumatologist. She was so compassionate and she confirmed that a negative Rheumatoid Factor doesn't rule out Rheumatoid Arthritis. She did a panel of blood test and I just got the results yesterday. I do in fact have RA. My CRP test came back very high. This test measures the protein in your blood. My white blood cell count was also very high. And I was also diagnosed with Scurvy- a rare Vitamin C Defiency. (Like I needed something else added to my list of diseases and syndromes!) But I have to keep positive thoughts and be grateful that after a full year of unexplained health problems, we finally got to the bottom of everything.
I can't even explain how sick I am some days! I honestly have laid in bed praying that I would die. At the age of 11, I watched my identical twin die from a massive asthma attack. I have questioned God, asking why I lived if I am going to be in misery.
My quality of life has gone completely downhill. And to make matters worse. I lost my job 4 months ago. I had been the Childcare Director of a School Corporation, overseeing five other ladies and two schools for 7 yrs. I loved my job! The children there were like my own. The school was aware of my recent health issues, but showed no mercy! On the days that I was running to the bathroom to throw up (sorry!) I would go on home and work from my home computer. I had to keep my program running smoothly inspite of my health. In February, I was called into a meeting where I was repramended for taking work home and was placed on a 2 wk. suspension. A few days later I get a knock on the door and it is a police officer. He wanted me to go to the station. I was freaking out and didn't know what was going on, my mind was racing. When I got there, I was informed that the school wanted to have me arrested for "Timesheet theft." Since I had left the school grounds with paperwork and got paid for working, I had apparently commited a "crime." I am still waiting to see if an arrest warrant will be issued.
My husband is still unemployed. We had to move again! We are in a 2 bedroom home with 3 children! We are surviving on unemployment benefits. I feel terrible that my health has put such a burden on our family. My out-of-pocket medical expenses are almost as much as our rent. I think about how much I could do for my children with the money I am spending to survive. But I am a strong Christian and I know that GOD will not put more on me than I can bare! This to shall pass.....And my family will be stronger because we made it!
I hope that someone out there has taken the time to read this- Sorry it is so long. And I still have thoughts racing through my mind. I could write for days! If anyone has any comments/questions about their own battles, please feel free to contact me at my personal email address: [email protected]
Shannon
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