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Fibromyalgia
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Posted 6/12/2023 12:54 PM (GMT 0)
I had a total knee replacement a little over 4 months ago. Last week I was feeling and doing great. But I have realized that the rest of my body is still 73+ years old. Anyhow, out of the blue a few days ago, I got sooooo fatigued, totally lacked any motivation and every single joint/muscle in my body started hurting. What a bummer! I had a bunch of lab tests drawn this morning (husband could do that), in case something else was going on, but dang..........just when I was starting to enjoy life again.... Maybe it was just too much for my system to start doing so much again? It was heaven for about a couple weeks......I was weeding the garden, taking care of my little water gardens, cooking great meals, enjoying walking and seeing all the birds.......Then boom. I had energy and interest in doing housework (very unusual!)....
It's soooo hard to think it's "just" FMS flaring up. It feels like something terminal and we're missing what is really is. . On top of it all, last year my old Internist quit and a new young guy took over. But now he's quitting in a month and I'll have to start all over. Sorry for the whine............I'm just bummed and am feeling a bit paranoid about how unfair life can be to some of us. Thanks for listening.........
Posted 6/13/2023 10:04 PM (GMT 0)
I have had that happen to me many times…especially if there is a front coming through weather wise. And age can be part of it too. I’m 76 and I do ache more and I’m tired a lot and sometimes quite fatigued. You are putting yourself under a lot of stress for probably no reason.

When my daughter was 42, she had a heart attack and had 2 stents put in an artery. Then she was diagnosed with Superior Vena and Cava Syndrome when she kept fainting whenever she would bend over. The superior vena cava was being blocked by a lesion in her lung and her brain wasn’t getting enough oxygen so 3 more stents were put there! She had four more lesions in her lung and she went through radiation treatments to help. They were all benign. Then one of the lesions started getting larger so Moffitt said they need to take it out so she went through lung surgery and, yes, it was malignant. They said they got everything but had her do four courses of chemo infusions. These made her terribly sick and I took care of her during the three month ordeal. The infusions are finally over. All of this has taken place in a two and a half year period of time! She just turned 45 years old but has moved forward with her life and smiles all of the time.

Now this is what I call an unfair life. You are very blessed Cathy! Having fatigue and joint pain is pretty common for seniors.

Sherrine
Posted 6/15/2023 11:45 AM (GMT 0)
Thanks Sherrine. You and your daughter both are so very good at being positive! We're all at different places in our lives.........we have different experiences and challenges. And we all have different brains. I have lead a very challenging life and I have been very strong with all the things I have gotten through........and continue to be. Whatever I have going on isn't just getting older. I've struggled my entire life with some of these problems. I'm very happy for your daughter, but please don't dismiss my problems as minimal. You really don't know anything about me, except for the times I might come here for support.
Posted 6/15/2023 7:50 PM (GMT 0)
Thank you, Cathy. You are correct that no two people are alike. We all have gone through huge challenges while we are sick. My worst challenge was when my husband and I were in the process of moving to Florida from northern Ohio. We had sold our home, put a deposit on a home in Florida and the move was to take place in two weeks. He was staying with my Mom at the time. He called me and we talked and told each other we loved each other and then hung up. Fifteen minutes later he had a massive heart attack and died. I was 50 and he was 51 years old. I had to cancel the house we had placed a deposit because now I had no income and fly down to Florida to buy a different home. It before I could do that I had to have a memorial service for my husband. Shortly after the service I got a call from a hospital in Florida. My Mom had just had a brain stem stroke and was in intensive care. So when I flew down to buy a home my first stop was the intensive care section of the hospital.

I had a ton of pain, cognitive memory problems from fibro, I needed to lip read to understand speech, couldn’t hear on a phone, didn’t know anyone down there but my Mom who was desperately ill, and I wasn’t familiar with the area and didn’t know how to get around. And I had to make extremely important decisions about my life with no help at all plus I was dealing with intense grief. I needed to find doctors and I needed to find health insurance since the insurance companies wouldn’t cover me because I had too many chronic illnesses.
Because of this I had to take Social Security early so I could get Medicare.

I’m not a Pollyanna. A positive attitude was hard to come by. I became very depressed but had to move forward. I had my three children to think about so I worked to move around my problems and continue to move forward in my life. So, yes, I have had very challenging times in my life and this is just one instance of what I have gone through.

So when I saw your symptoms in your initial post I had to respond. You said…“Anyhow, out of the blue a few days ago, I got sooooo fatigued, totally lacked any motivation and every single /muscle in my body started hurting.” You went on to say you thought this could be terminal. I was trying to help you “get a grip”! Yes, I do know something about you. You have had 1,658 posts and I have responded to nearly all of them in trying to help you. And this has been over an 18 year period of time. You’ve seen so many doctors too. I really would love to help you because you aren’t happy.

Are you getting any help for your depression? If so, you could check out another doctor and see if things get better for you. I’m saying this because my husband was always negative and he didn’t always react in a normal way. He was getting more and more withdrawn. He was extremely successful but said he was a loser…and things like that. I finally got him to see a psychiatrist and he was diagnosed with clinical depression. He had a chemical imbalance in his brain and was put on medication. Within four months he was the “social director” of the neighborhood! Everyone could see the change in him that the right medication made. So this might be something to think about. I’m not saying your physical pain is all in your head. I know all about the pain of fibro and other illnesses I have. It seems you need help on how to work around your problems and stop all the worrying and start enjoying your life.

Sherrine
Posted 6/19/2023 1:46 AM (GMT 0)
It seems those of us dealing with all the kooky levels of fibromyalgia find ourselves "all over the map" no matter what we do! I can cruise through a day and accomplish much, and the next day I struggle to get much of anything done.

I do think we with fibro have an extra burden. My current and former doctors commented on all the complications and unusual health issues I've had and currently deal with. It's always something with fibro! We have to be good to ourselves just a little extra, I think, because of that or it can wear on us both physically and emotionally (been there; done that many times!). I have a friend 2 years younger than me who is overall healthy and seems to sail through life. She means well, but can't understand what fibro does to a body. Because of my unrelated neuro issues, I can't do things like ride a bike, or my feet would be "mad" at me (cramp up) for days! Odd stuff, but it is what it is, and I guess we just do our best to explain it to others who don't deal with as much as we do.

And, aging sure doesn't help! I soon turn 66. I think the past 2 years or so have been the "trickiest" I've ever dealt with, though I try to stay on top of things, stay focused, and not overdo. And the stresses of our wacky world certainly are not helpful to any of us.

I'm currently dealing with a bill I really don't owe, but somewhere along the line, either the dentist or my insurance messed up, and it seems I'm expected to pay (complicated and I won't give all the details here). I've been on the phone to insurance and wrote them twice (they don't accept phone calls or e-mails through this part of my insurance, but I've talked to (other) insurance associates there who have tried to help). Insurance says the dentist owes the bill and the dentist says insurance owes it. My insurance lady looked into it but wasn't overly helpful and appears to have moved on. I'm still fighting and trying to get clarity. I'm going to phone again this week and request the insurance company do more to correct the issue, and they can work with the dentist. Taking action has helped me, though it doesn't solve every problem. But I'm going to give this issue another shot.

I'm also dealing with somewhat uncomfortable pelvic prolapse issues and doing my best, but will see an ob/gyn soon and am praying I won't need surgery and it's a simple fix, such as a pessary. I don't have to tell you medical costs are high, even with insurance, so I'm going to try to keep it as simple as possible.

I'm sure anyone with fibro can relate--those "extras" like that which pop up don't make our lives easy, when we're already carrying a heavy load. I guess we have to 'pick apart' the problems as best we can, and whittle them down to a manageable size. Not simple, often times, but when I'm able, I know it helps me a lot from feeling overwhelmed.

Wow--do I ever pray more than ever these days! A little time for gardening, reading, hobbies, etc. is an immense help to me, as is being entertained by my grandchildren, also. We sure have to stop and smell the roses! I do find the little things help, such as taking a few minutes to listen to favorite music, or a few minutes reading a book.

Sherrine and Cathy, you're both dealing with so much right now!! Keeping you in prayer and hoping things smooth out for you both soon. Blessings to both of you!
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