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Posted 1/31/2009 6:06 AM (GMT 0)
I'm a sophomore in high school and lately I've been having trouble staying in school all day. I can only make it through my first four classes, 3/4 of those are electives so I'm basically missing all of my important classes. I have so much pain that I can't bear to stay all day.

I was diagnosed only a few weeks ago, but I've been having pain issues since 7th grade. I am on Elavil and Celebrex...

If anyone here is in high school (I guess it applies to people who work as well) do you have any tips on how to cope?
Posted 1/31/2009 6:35 AM (GMT 0)
Hi Kelly!

Welcome to our fibro family!! I'm so sorry you have to suffer with the pain of fibro, especially at your age. Yes, we do have a few teens here. We do have one teen who's very active on the boards. Here name is TeNNiSd0C09 (Christi). I'll email her and let her know you're here...altho she may find you before I get hold of her...lol

If I were to suggest just a couple of things strictly for pain it would be warmth and movement. Sitting or laying still only makes it worse. Keep moving at a rate that's comfortable to you. You will likely need your doctor to write you a slip for your PE classes so you don't cause more pain by over doing it. Then remember to keep those muscles warm. We are very sensitive to cold and it makes the pain level go up.

Coping is not easy but it can be done. I know this is easy to say and hard to do but over time I've come to believe attitude is a huge part of it. No, it won't take away all of the pain but it will have a huge impact on how you deal with it and how severe it may be. Plus, if you are constantly thinking and worrying about it then the pain will definitely get worse. There's no way you can never think about it but keeping your mind active truly helps. We all share ideas on how we can make our lives easier and more fun. Come join our Koffee Klatch posts each day and have some fun.

Another thing many people do is to talk to a counselor about the best way to deal with pain. Often it helps with the way we deal with our pain. As a teen I'm sure it's getting in the way of your entire life. One of our moderators, Jeannie, has had fibro ever since she can remember. She just thought everyone hurt like she did. I'll email her also because she has some wonderful things to share.

OK, enough rambling for now. Please keep in touch and we'll do anything we can to make your life easier. Feel free to email me if you'd like. I'm not a teen but I would be happy to help.

Hugs,
Chutzie
Posted 1/31/2009 8:52 AM (GMT 0)
Would it be possible to get your schedule changed so you can take the classes you need in the morning? I know it's not fun to change everything but at least you won't miss as much. You'll probably need some forms filled out by your doctor and your parents will need to meet with the school.

Depending on your school district, you may also qualify for a home tutor. The programs vary by school district.

You may also qualify for accommodations with your classwork and testing. Some options are: small group testing (so it's quiet), unlimited test time, more frequent breaks, a reduced workload (less written homework!).

good luck
Posted 1/31/2009 2:41 PM (GMT 0)
Hi Kelly,

I am not in high school anymore, but wanted to welcome you to the forum. You will find that this is a nice place to come and ask questions and even vent.

I hope that you can work something out with school and i hope that you are feeling better soon.

Hugs, Karen
Posted 1/31/2009 3:12 PM (GMT 0)
Hi Kelly and welcome. I'm so sorry you have fibro though. I read an article in a magazine the other day about a 12 yr old that was dxd with fibro, the magazine was old and I was at the hos so I brought it home with me. Lyrica helped this little girl. Christi is great and will have lots of tips for you on fibro.

 

luv and hugs

Marlee

Posted 1/31/2009 4:01 PM (GMT 0)
Kelly,
I have had symptoms of fibro all of my life, from as long as I can remember at age 3. I know where you are coming from. In my case, my mom was a nurse and it was the late 60's (yeah, I'm old!) and since she couldn't see bones sticking out or any blood I must be faking. I had to keep going and keep my mouth shut because the alternative was a slap across the face. (another story for another time...)

Back then we took aspirin, and I about lived on the stuff. This was before the discovery of Reyes Syndrome so aspirin was ok. I told my mom I had headaches from my period at first then eventually bought my own aspirin with my babysitting money so she didn't know how much I was taking.

I know that if you lay down and feel bad with this disorder it just gets worse and takes over your life. You have to get P.O.'d and fight back. Don't let it get you down! Gently start taking your life back. You can start with Flexibility Yoga. Easy to do, and helps a lot. Only do 3 of each at first and only do what you want as you start out. Slow and easy wins the race. https://www.msu.edu/~medyoga/flexibility_series.htm

Come back here and rant away! We've had several teens who have grown up and moved on to adulthood. They stop in eventually, but they have learned to cope so well a lot of them have left us for good. turn

Also, you may ask your doc about aspirin or tylenol to help with the pain. You must be careful with the over the counter meds because they do have side effects. Too much of the ingredient in Tylenol can harm your liver so you must follow dosage instructions very closely. Aspirin may help with the pain but does have stomach bleeding as a side effect. Your doctor and parents will be able to help you with this. Over the counter analgesics (pain medications) sort of block the "pain feeling" part of your brain so they don't fix the pain-causing disorder, just stop you from feeling all of the pain. Narcotics or opioids bind with certain receptors in your brain. They don't always stop the feeling of pain, but sort of make it so you don't care about the pain. Sometimes they also make it so you don't care about much of anything and this is why they aren't offered to patients unless their pain is really terrible.

Mostly, learning to cope with pain through rest and hot showers will be your best bet. I'm sorry that you have had to learn to live with this disorder but I know you can do it. You have caring parents who got you to a doctor. You know what the disorder is and can research it on the web. If you read back in the posts you will find ways that we have learned to help ourselves with the pain and how to keep going. We will be here for you. Hang in there.
Posted 1/31/2009 8:51 PM (GMT 0)

Hi Kelly, and welcome. Like Jeannie, I have had this since I was a child. Ppl didn't know what was going on w/ me back then, some still don't want to hear it or believe it, but it is real. I had a  hard time w/ school, had a prob w/ running to the bathroom all the time. My teachers didn't allow you to use the bathroom, the drs. didn't see a reason for my prob, so I never got a note. I found it hard to follow a lot of talk, but they didn't allow for different methods of learning at that time. I was told, I was 'stupid, lazy, not living up to my potential, etc.' I was so hurt, thinking 'I am trying so hard'. I would be drained from gym class, usually 2nd or 3rd period, so the rest of the day in HS was kinda lost. I had to work twice as hard to hold my own.

I was tested and found to be rather 'bright', it seemed to be to everyone's surprise! I went to college f/t, worked f/t and took extra classes in the summer to boot. I graduated w/ a degree in teaching, I worked for many yrs. w/ sp needs students. It was such a good feeling to help children that really needed me. 

I'm not able to put that kind of effort into a classroom anymore, physically or mentally, but I gave it everything I had while I was there.

I would suggest you talk to your dr. and get a report from him to bring to your counselor at school. Maybe they could change your class schedule, to one better suited to your energy levels. You are not asking for the moon, you are asking for help to make this work for you. I wish you luck.

I'm not able to take many meds, and none so far for FMS. I try to exercise as much as I can, stretch, keep my mind as busy as possible, and pray for strength. I do hope you find what works for you, keep reading the posts, asking ???, we will try to help as best we can.

God bless.  Alice.

Posted 1/31/2009 9:26 PM (GMT 0)
Just got the email! lol Havent been on the computer much, school is invading my whole life!

Okay, first, welcome to the board. I'll tell you like many others, high school isnt easy, and FM doesnt make it any better! Im sure you know that though!

I've had pain problems since 7th grade also. Its hard for me to relate to people who cant stay in school because of there FM, I dont miss school unless Im really really sick..I hate the makeup work and such. BUT I understand what its like to feel like you cant make it through the day...

I dont have a really bad school day. Only 5 classes, only 2 of those are important. If you have a counselor that works with your schedule, I'd suggest talking about it with he/she...maybe change your classes around or something. I know alot of people are on homebound. If you just cant do the school thing, dont worry about it. I know quite a few homebound students that have FM. They have someone bring them there work and such. Im sure it helps because you dont have to go to school, walk to classes, sit in desks, constantly do work and such. You probably need some breaks...

Maybe you could have a meeting with a parent and your counselor(or whoever does your classes) and talk about what you can and cant do. Maybe work it out so you could go half a day and do the important classes and do homebound for the rest. Or something.

You have the right to change things so that you are comfortable and able to get an education. So, do what you need to because thats very important.

If you need someone to talk to, Im here, you can email me, just click on my name and my address is there. Im kind of rushed right now, so some things may make no sense at all! Im sorry! But, like I said, I'll do the best I can to help you out and Im here if you want to talk or have questions, anything, dont be afraid to ask or whatever! lol So, have a good weekend!
Posted 2/1/2009 1:26 AM (GMT 0)
Wow, thanks to everyone who replied, I wasn't expecting that much support...Seeing as none of my friends really seem to care that I have fibro or anything.

I am working on setting up a 504 with my school, which is basically a piece of paper that makes it so my teachers have to treat me differently than everyone else, and it is illegal for them to not follow it. I'm putting on it that I don't have to do speeches (my costochondritis makes it hard to breathe), leniency on homework assignments/tests, and that if I need to I can walk around the school during class for fresh air and to move my hips around (it's hard to sit in a chair for 50 minutes, let alone 90 on block days!)

So I actually am having a meeting with one of the assistant principals, my mom, and my teachers this week to let them know what's going on.
Hopefully that goes well.

And I'm working on getting my PE credits waved. My school does a lot of running, which I am excused from because of my knee problems. It's hard for me to exercise because my knees are so bad, but I am in PT which is helping with some other problems.

I wish I could change my schedule... But I have advanced choir fourth period and that's the only time of day it's offered, and I can't bring myself to drop it, I love it a lot. There's been a lot of new condos/apartments/homes being built so we have way too many kids in all the classes, so I can't really move my schedule around. I wish I could though.

Anyway thank you to everyone who replied, I really appreciate it. :-) Good luck to all of you.
Posted 2/1/2009 11:32 PM (GMT 0)
HI,

I just wanted to express my sympathy that you have to go through this at such a young age. Ive had some symptoms my entire life but havent had the full blow pain and fatigue till i was 24. I wish you luck in getting your teachers and school to accomodate you and hope that this forum helps you to find answers and support.

 

Posted 2/3/2009 1:55 AM (GMT 0)
Heyy,

I'm also a sophmore and have amplified pain syndrome which is a child's form of fibromyalgia. I also have had trouble staying in school. I tried staying in half day but it seemed to be getting worse. So, I've been out of school since November. I got a tutor from the district so now I don't have to repeat. I'm actually going back in half day again starting out and then gradually all day. I am also on Ellavil. I'm also on Mobic and Lyrica. If you're not already, I'd go to physical therapy. It doesn't help with the pain but keeps me stretched out and gives me a little bit more energy.

With the pain & fatigue of fibro, it's been tough. But, it's been nice talking to people my age who hav it on here, than doctors that have just read about it. If you ever want to talk, I hav an email! Good Luck!
Posted 2/4/2009 4:17 AM (GMT 0)
I begged my mom to let me get a home tutor, but she won't let me because she says I need to learn to cope so I can go to college. Because if I don't go to college, I won't get a good job and I need a good job so I can have good health care. Blah blahhhhhhh.

Yeah, I do go to PT and it's improved my range of motion in my shoulders which has helped a lot.

Thanks, good luck to you too :)
Posted 2/14/2009 6:25 PM (GMT 0)
To kAyLa1771 and kellywashere,
I know that it can really stink having something wrong with you at such a young age. I have scoliosis and back then (1971) I had to wear a Milwaulkee spinal brace. It literally went from under my chin down to the top of my thighs. I was a sophomore in high school and I wore it until I was 21 yrs old. I was blessed with really good friends and no one in school made fun of me at all. I had to wear maternity clothes because they were the only things that really fit over the thing. I had to carry a pillow around to class because I couldn't sit in anything that had a little "dip" in the seat or the brace would be pushed up and would strangle me. I was able to go to school because the fibro didn't set in until I was about 19. I'm new to this site and it has been good for me to talk to other peole who understand...........really understand. Learning to take one day at a time is something you aquire over time....I'm 53 now. There is hope for both of you. You just have to keep at it and believe that you can overcome. Good luck to both of you. Be brave and never give up!
Nurse2
Posted 2/15/2009 6:18 AM (GMT 0)

Kelly,

Just wanted to welcome you to the board. Looks like you have already received some great advice and met a few of our high schoolers. I hope everything works out for you at school. Being able to get up and move around when you need to should help. It is very hard to sit anywhere for 50 minutes. I can't imagine sitting in those hard school chairs for 50 minutes!

You've come to a great place to learn more about Fibro & meet some really great people. Anytime you need to talk, just holler and someone is always around.

Hugs!!   Margie

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