Topic : Living with Chronic Pain

hi dianah --

 

i was up.  in fact, i never slept.  hank keeps asking me why i am up now... and i don't know.  my eyes are burning.  one of the side effects of my glaucoma drops?  IRRITATED EYES!  does that not make you laugh? right now, it feels like there's gravel under the lids... but, hey, at least i am not blind!

 

you hang in there with the good eating!  i am on a new med called starlix to help lower my blood sugar after eating -- supposed to take it from 1 minute to 30 minutes before eating anything more than 250 calories.  i keep forgetting it, and then i wonder -- "hmmm," says i, "hmmmm.  i wonder if it will still work if i take it 5 minutes after i start my meal?  hmmmm..."  that's the kind of thing i'd like to call the doctor about in the middle of the night... on a holiday weekend.

 

i'm glad your friend is better!

 

hit the snooze button sometime today...

love,

prof

 

 Hi, I'm new to this message board thing. But I love this idea of the chronic pain topic here on Dr. Phil. I have fibromyalgia which for those who don't know is a chronic pain disorder which they think is caused by chemical imbalances in the brain. But since they aren't sure of the cause, there is no cure, just treatment.

  I love to garden and do as much as I can. Some days a lot, others none, it just depends. I also like to make quilts, sew, read, paint, and do other crafts. Unfortunately though I've become very limited in my activities because the fibro causes what we call "fibro fog" which means we don't think too well at times. We lose our train of thought in mid-sentence, and will just forget what we were talking about. Or go into a room to retrieve something only to get in the room and by then have forgotten what we were going to get in the first place!

 It's been a long hard struggle for  me to reach this place of acceptance with my illness. My life as I knew it came crashing down on me and it plunged me into the deepest darkest pit I ever knew. It was very scary and for the first time in my life I seriously contemplate suicide. That scared me even more. Then one day, my husband told me to basically pull myself up by my big girl panties and stop giving into it so much. I realized that he was speaking the truth. And that, along with better medications, started me on the road to living a happier life.

 I now rejoice that I can get out of bed everyday, even if I can't always make the bed. If I have a bad day, I know that tomorrow is a new day and it brings the hope of a better day at that. Most important though is I have a wonderful group of family and friends who are so supportive of me. That is the biggest blessing of all. If it weren't for them I don't know where I would be...

I just wanted to let you all know that I havent went away and disappeared. I have been very busy with school. Well I recently went to my orthopedic(my  new one) and he had me update my MRI's of my back and when I went four days ago to the appointment, there was bad news. My discs(herniated) in my back have gotten worse and have advanced to the next stage and one of them is on my spinal cord. Now I know why I have been getting horrible headaches and why I have been in some much pain everywhere, especially my neck. My orthopedic said that since my injuries are so bad, that surgery is mandatory since if i dont have it, my injuries will continue to get worse and progress over the years to point that there is a possibility of me becoming paralyzed. So I decided to get the surgery although i havent scheduled a time to do it. i am looking on trying to have it done in January or February so I can finish my semester at college off instead of having to withdrawl. The orthopedic has me on a mild narcotic and it seems to be helping out, at least taking the edge off and helping me sleep. i am worried about the surgery though because there is a chance i can come out of surgery worse or paralyzed. But its a chance that i am wiling to take. As far as college, its going good. Lots of work but that is normal. my grades are good. I will repost later if anything chances or if something new comes up.

Uggg, you were up all night.. oh.. me, four hours of sleep, but not a good sleep and I feel lousy today. Can feel that it would not take much to send me in a total "bitch"mode...

 

Did get over 3 hours of work done on our garage sell stuff and a ton of box's thrown out and our crap corner now looks and is boxed much better. In Oct going to our Cam-plex to a big in door garage sell. So, will be way easy now to haul our junk...

 

250 calories and you have to take a pill.. I would be a mess on that one also..

 

Hope you got a good nap today... Not me, so bed I hope by 8...

 

Hang tight.. Love Dianah

you wrote:  "Prof-Good Morning Prof, how have you been lately? I have been trying to catch up on all of the posts earlier this morning and it's been difficult seeing as though it's been at least two weeks worth. I just wanted to say hello, I hope that you've been feeling better. Has the increase in your pain meds been helping? My PT once a week has been beneficial. I have been referred to another PT clinic almost 3 hours away. The one PT therapist that I've been seeing has decided to leave going to yet another clinic. She had been the only therapist there in the clinic that had worked with people suffering with chronic abdominal pain. So I'll have to go 3 hours away for PT now. I'm not too happy about it, that'll just put more stress and strain on my trying to get there and back before the kids are released from school. But where there's a will, there's a way right? I am sending sunshine your way this morning. I'm wishing you a very productive day indeed. Love you as always, take care for now."

 

good to hear from you!  i cannot believe that you are sitting with your grandkids throughout the school day!  is that common?  (i know nothing about classrooms for the little ones!)

 

i would be irritated as all get out if i had to travel 3 hours for PT!  they'd best do a good job with you!

 

today turned out fairly productive -- played with my plants and cooked a nice dinner, did laundry... nothing memorable, but something.

 

love, be well,

prof

Hi, I'm Becky.  I also have fibromyalgia...that "fibro-fog"...feels like early old age to me...I'm constantly losing my train of thought...have good days and bad...I enjoy painting animals, crafts, Cub Scouts (as the mom), helping with the high school band, helping at our youngest son's school, plus I'm now the mom of a college student living away from home...so now I do the worry thing too.

 

In addition to fibro, I also am a breast cancer survivor, have bipolar disorder, asthma, Narcolepsy, sleep apnea, and a heart arrhythmia...my medical charts are very fat!!

 

I also have a very supportive family, and friends.

 

Well...got an early day tomorrow...time for bed...Becky 

You lucky folks.. still on my first cup of coffee.. Folded a load and one more in the washer and dryer..

 

The gal that I am a sponsor for, is getting "out" on Wed.. So, just helping her out and getting all of her laundry washed up and boxed up for her.. We will pick her up Wed morning at out Womens State Pen.

Ha, they call it the Womens Center... okay...

I just have great "hope" she will "make it".. Dr Phil had a show on this and they said 70 % of all Women end back in Prison after they are released.. OUCH... that is a high %......

 

Ha, I keep getting told I need to go to school and get PAID, for all my advice and help..  I am thinking of just putting up a "can" by my back door and as the all the "wild" people enter my house, they can just donate. HA HA HA HA...

 

MS LASHY.. GOOD MORNING.. Is it still raining your way?? We were back in the low 80 yesterday and sounds like the same today.. then a cool off again this week...

You need to hirer a sitter and you and that wonderful Hubby need a night-out.. just dinner and movie or a nice drive would be "fireworks"... heeee ha ha ha..

I remember.. time and energy.. but, you have to do this, for the two of you.....

 

So, another fast week almost ahead of you.. How is youngest daughter feeling and doing in school? How are the two other's that were in the car with her doing  now??

Wishing you a wonderful Sunday and a Great Week..

 

Prof.. Tell me what you made for dinner?? Please don't tell me TACO"S...  Fish on the grill and spaghetti squash and rabbit food..  Sounds like you had a good productive day..  You Go Girl....

 

Everyone... Wishing you a "as good as it can be" Sunday and as "low as we can go" on Pain....

 

I am feeling a new pain this AM.. pulled some muscles on my right shoulder and down-wards.  I bet moving all that garage stuff yesterday.. YIKES...

 

Sending a hug and hope and all My Love... Dianah

 

 

i don't know what is going on -- ALERT THE PRESS! -- but i woke up feeling cheerful!  who is this woman sipping coffee and smiling to herself and to dobby the little nitwit idiot savant?

 

dobby loves the dr. phil.com site now.  he sits and swats at the annoying scrolling, purring all the while. my poor little nitwit.  you know how most cats have different meows for different things -- d'uh! -- not dobby.  he has one loud SCREECH for everything.  but he looks at you like the sky is falling!

 

driving me batty.

 

okay -- what did i cook last night?  i wanted to use a lot of basil because i cut the plants back yesterday, so i did a basil chicken stirfry with wasabi peanuts, broccoli, celery, onion, (beaucoup) garlic, and THREE of my home grown cayenne peppers!  i made a sauce/marinade out of balsamic vinegar, soy sauce, sesame seed oil, ginger, and (more) garlic 'n onion.  and, of course, we had good sticky rice.

 

you know the ADLs (activities of daily living)?  well, i have been having a hard time with some of them!  so

i did all the prep work -- which is really most of the work -- while hank was out running errands.  i made myself go slow, turned on the radio, and tried to be very careful with the knives!  hank is an amazing cook, so we have every kind of knife, and more -- but there really are only two that i can handle now, and they're both large... gulp.  anyway, cooking really worked on my ADLs!  i am a little peeved that the sink is full of cold water and dirty dishes -- we usually trade cooking-for-clean up -- but i guess not.  so i will have to go tackle that in a few.  my crps/rsd does NOT like cold water at all, so getting the drain out will hurt.

 

ah, but nothing can ruin my mood today!

 

anyway -- no TACOs, just good, wholesome, low cal, eat-yr-veggies fare!  sorry!

 

today:  the gym, i hope.  vacuum all the dirt i tracked in with the wheelchair last night.  fold clothes.  clean bathroom, MAKE HIM PLANT THE BUTTERFLY BUSHES (he swore last night that he would do it -- these poor plants have been waiting for about 2 months.).  then watch whatever dvd he's rented...  i cannot watch any more "dexter," have you seen that show (from showtime)?  he loves it but it just gives me the creeps.  so i watched 2 episodes last night... unfortunately there are 2 more on the disc.

 

well, if i don't start moving, my plans will go to waste.

 

ah... the obvious reason for my good mood?  I SLEPT!  NINE HOURS!  for those of you who haven't tried it, i highly recommend it...

 

love,

prof

dear all,

 

it has been roughly two hours since my last post.

 

i have:

1. put up last night's dishes
2. washed the dishes left "soaking" in the sink -- ick
3. folded and put up clothes and a load of towels
4. washed and dried a quilt
5. vacuumed the WHOLE house (our offices, excepted)
6. managed to remember to take the stupid blood sugar pill before scarfing down two hot dogs (i know, i know -- but i did use low carb, whole wheat bread, with ketchup as my vegetable)
7. fed the cats
8. did shoulder and leg stretches in anticipation of going to the gym
9. carefully reminded hank that he "promised" to plant the butterfly bushes today... gave him the option, though, of exchanging that chore for what is behind "door #2"! 

i am rather proud of moi. 

 

confession time, though!  it took 15 mg of percocet to get me through.  do any of you ever feel guilty when you can only get things done after taking a hefty dose of breakthrough pain medication?  i would love to be able to say -- 'hey, i slept well, and because of that i suddenly became able-bodied for two hours.'

 

and now... well, i knew that stopping to rest a few minutes and logon to drphil.com would be relaxing... but i could also easily close my eyes and nap for hours.

 

but there is the gym and another of my regular sunday tasks remaining -- filling the weekly pill containers.  i have the week divided into 28 different boxes.  ever since getting the wrist drop and radial nerve damage, then the elbow surgery and ulnar nerve damage, doing this particular chore often takes me to wit's end.  crps/rsd pain kicks in and pills end up going every which way.  frustrating. 

 

oops... i seem to be talking myself into negativity.  nuh-uh. 

 

tanya?  please don't come back only to disappear again!  i want to know how you are -- and what movies i should watch!  how are your kids doing?

 

love,

proud prof

hi angelicspirit!

 

it's good to hear from you -- i've wondered how you were doing.  congratulations on your good grades -- what are you taking?

 

bad news about your back -- and i am really sorry that surgery is necessary.  what exactly is he going to do?  i know next to nothing about spinal surgeries, except, of course, that they are serious stuff.

 

it is good, though, that you've finally found a pain medication that your body won't reject.

 

keep in touch and be well,

prof