Just New To The Forum

Hi,

I was diagnosed with fibro in 1990 and was a strong active, fit person, I am an artist, I did landscaping, interior design & decorating, lugged 600, 20kg blocks up hills to build walls, ran, swam, spent hours at the gym, danced, painted and maintained boats. For several years before my many symptoms were finally given a name, I went through all the usual medical stuff, all to no avail until one day I finally found out that I had something with a name, all these symptoms, that "didn't exist, it was only in my mind'!!! were actually fibromyalgia. Over the years I have experienced so many things, sometimes I lose use of my hands, knees and various other body parts, but hey they come back to life. I now wear hand splints and in addition have been diagnosed with De-quervians, my hand splints vary between total immobilisation to just supports, I jazz them up with sparkles and stuff to make them more fun!! On somedays, I can't stand the pain, my lower back is grinding and screaming out, my muscles are knotted and sore, my hands don't work and my brain is scattered, I get a feeling of a knife which goes from under my boobs right through to my back and radiates right through, all these things and so much more feel debilitating, I've had all these things and heaps more for over 30years.

I have battled on with migraines, brain fog, joint and muscule pains, loss of hands, went through menopause, night sweats, hands looking like breakfast sausages, joints that swell up with fluid, not a good look!! Sometimes I would just love to stay in bed and snuggle down, but the alarm is set at 6.00am each morning and regardless, I make myself get up and out with my doggies and walk, knee not working...pop a splint on, no need for hands, just tie the dog leads onto the belt!! I used to walk at least 15klms a day but now , due to my knees and hips and all the other crap m looking at may be 5klms. Get depressed and yes, the pain makes you feel like crap, I find several glasses of champagne do it for me, at least you can get a good sleep and nice dreams!!, eat lots of veges and take magnesium.  If all else fails I dive into a 5mg Valium and 2 Mersyndol ( has a sedative quality + pain relief) which gives me a good healing sleep for at least 4 hours. Tried lots of other pain medication, but it's not for me. But most of all, you so have to have a positive attitude and drag yourself out of that dark, miserable place, the one we all know!!!!!

Hi, Gilly.

Glad to meet you. I understand about hating to lose what you could do before. I was really active, too. I'm much lazier mentally than physically, which makes it hard to drag myself out of that "dark, misearable place," as you said!  I would much rather shovel snow, rake leaves, garden, vacuum, dance, move furniture, and do weight-training than do the little tasks I actually (sort of) can do around the house.  Trying to keep paper records organized turns me into a blithering idiot!  I also think not being able to really get my motor running contributes to the cobwebs that cover my brain. 

Oh, well.  Those are the cards we were dealt and all we can do is what we can do.  It sounds like you're managing to do a lot in spite of fibro, and that's great!  I'm looking forward to getting to know you.    

Debbie

Gilly I wanted to welcome you to the fibro forum. I hope you will get as much as I have out of it. I have had fibro for over 20 myself. I have been down some long hard roads with it also. I hope I never go backwards again. I give a large amount of credit to this forum. I came here in horrible shape. I was greeted with so much support. I learned a wealth of information and still continue each day on my journey of staying well. I told my Dr's it's a full time job, just to stay well for one day I have to eat well, stay postive, excercise, bathe, walk the dog, and rest. That sounds like a full time job for me. LOL

I wish I had some of your qualities. You mention interior decorating. I have zero in that field. I can't match anything! You want to come visit Alaska? LOL

I am glad you came board! If you could see how much healthier I have become since I started here. People look at me and are amazed how mluch better I look. I think one of the biggest things is the depression has improved. I dont have this ball and chaines as I described it waying me down daily. My spirit and attitude is more spunky. It helps when you feel validated also. As you said the pain causes ones depresson. That is mine main reason for depresssion too. Now that I have better pain control, it improved as I said.

Well. I hope to see you around on the forum. Feel free to ask questions or need talk to someone for support.

Post Edited (ak angel) : 7/23/2012 2:01:31 AM (GMT-6)

Hi Sherrine, and thank you for the warm welcome and from all the other members too. I was diagnosed with de-quervains  about four years ago by a hand specialist, ultrasounds and a cortisone shot in the wrist, followed by two months of immobilisation, then physio to get things moving. It flares up quite often, (I do do things I'm not suppose too!) hence the splints and much worse in the cold, due to the arthritis I have in the hands. I wear the hard splints when it hurts too much to move them and the semi hard ones, which give me support when I paint. I have to keep my hands going as I have a business painting pet portraits and this is something that I absolutely love, it gives me great pleasure and I especially enjoy the reaction from my clients when they receive their painting.

I moved from the city up the coast to a small seaside resort a couple of years ago now and after losing my doctor in Sydney ( he died suddenly) have had no luck locating a new one, so I just haven't bothered. The last one I went to with severe back pain just told me to put some Emergel and rub it on, he, as many others said 'rubbish, no such thing, all in the mind', truly I just can't deal with this it makes me feel like a complete hypochondriac.

I recently started going to a Chiropractor, at least he got me back on the road for walking, upright!! Went to a remedial massage person last week as the muscle knots in my back are getting quite annoying, they give me hell. After being elbowed, pumbled and contorted, I thought maybe it best to keep the knots, he proudly said at the completion of the visit "Mmm, so tight, but I reckon that'll help" after returning to the car feeling like I had just played a game of football, I moved slightly to the right and locked up. Have now decided not worth paying $70.00 to feel worse!!

I have taken your suggestions on board and the Robaxin sounds good, does it help muscle knots? and yes I will try to find a Doctor that knows or "believes"!! there is such a thing as Fibro. But I can't complain at home as my Husband is in a much worse state than me, he had severe back problems and is on anti-depressants and pain patches, virtually immobile so have to keep my pecker up to keep him cheered up!! So if I winged to you too much, just tell  me to button up!!  PS have never done this forum thing before so not sure wether I have to answer each thing or what I should do!! so if I have offended anyone I didn't meen too!!

Have a great day to all, Cheers, Gilly.