Topic : Living with Chronic Pain

Good morning everyone, 

I didn't read any posts from Dianah or Prof yesterday.  I hope that everything is OK.  You guys were correct.  The Dr had me increase my Xanex and I actually slept for 6 hours last night.  I feel like a new woman.  I will see her later in the month to talk about different anti-depressants.  Thank you so much for your suggestions. 

I also took my third dose of methotrexate yesterday and the pain seems better today.  Maybe I'll be OK just taking that.  I hope so. 

Hope that you have good day. 

bloomin 

Mornin All..... 

         No bats last night and slept in this morning so I am feeling a little better this am.  

Bloomin..so glad you got some sleep and that doc increased your meds and your feeling better. 

I wonder about diana and prof too and where is maggie and the rest? I hope your all doin ok and as pain free as possible.  

dear all, 

i have been lurking and wantiing to write something up-beat.  just can't seem to do it. 

it is great to have newcomers -- new stories, new ideas, fresh voices.  forgive me for inquiring about some of the regular cast of characters -- andrea, dianah, millhouse, maggie, pickles, cheryl and so many i can't remember.  the old and the new. 

my neurologist recommended last week that i get moving on two fronts: 

1.  get dr. pain-man to give me a quick ulnar block  to the left hand -- very easy and not at all like the lumbar sympathetic blocks i had before... 

2.  contact dr. t. and "tell him my story" (??) and see if he will consider me for a SPS.  he spoke about it in a fairly negative fashion before giving me the contact information. 

the teletphone woke me up this morning and i felt something odd.  i could not swing my right arm around.  ( i love waking up to a wrong number. )  

my right arm is cold, numb, swollen.  i thought that perhaps i had let it hang off the side of the bed -- and that this would pass as soon as i began using it and moving around.  but no. 

so now what do i do? i show up to dr. pain-man's appt tomorrow with TWO messed up hands? 

sorry, i am bleeding blue all over the place. 

the good news is that it is lovely outside... abundant green. 

love, 

prof 

Prof.. you don't have to be upbeat... I mean you can if you want to.. I can supply you with some upbeat.. 

My girls are going to have a Birthday Party soon, they will be 2 and 3.. we are inviting a bunch of kids from the chruch. Its going to be water party.. wadding pools, beach toys, lunch.. ice cream and cake. The kids are so young i am thinking that i will entertaing there parents as well which is fine with me. I just worry because it is going to be outside from 10:30 untill everyone leaves.   But I don't care I am going to enjoy it. The girls deserve to at lest have one day where mommy doesn't matter. 

As you can tell I am all excited about it. 

I am going to take another trip to Dollar Tree and pick up some leis and beach items.  

Love you guys 

Have a 'good'day 

Karen 

Sorry to hear that you went hungery for a day.  Around here they have several avenues of getting free food.  We've taken advantage a few times.  We live on my husbands non service related VA pension.  I went through so many denials for receiving SSDI I gave up.  My husband has not been able to work since forever really.  He held down a few various type jobs before 1991 and he did around 2 years in the army.  He has too much trouble trying to deal with being around people too much.  Long story how we met.  Anyway, I have fibromyalgia and osteoarthritis in around 10 spots from my skull to my tailbone.  I was told I probably have non serum RA and possibly Lupus, but no solid dx.  I've lived with pain since 1983.  I've managed to work various jobs from 1975 to 1997.  I went into recovery from alcoholism in 1986 and have been sober since.  I was divorced in 1988 and went back to college.  I was able to work at my dream job for 6 years (occupational therapy assistant).  In 1997, I fell apart and have not been able to hold a job for more than a few weeks since.  I have not worked at all since the year 2000.  That was when we found out hubby could get the VA pension.  Saved our lives.  Even though, I have no medical coverage and the pension is not enough to get that for me.  It's enough to take care of us month to month.  Can't afford a car though.  We manage through the Family Dollar and a convenient store/gas place.  We can make it on foot there with a shopping cart along we bought. 

Anyway, beginning in 2004, I started back to college at Kaplan University Online.  I've spent this time sleeping a lot, helping out a soso friend who is not around anymore really.  I managed to get pain meds I needed through a clinic and another freebie source.  I can not afford for them to run any further tests.  I had x-rays in 2000 which showed that I have a granuloma in my lung, benign.  I finally have over 3 months again off cigs (quit for 3 months in 2003).  This time I found support online.  I think with this I can keep it going.  If this latest pain flare does not screw me up, I think I can graduate college in the spring of 2007.  Hoping and praying I can get something from it that will pay fairly well.  It's a BS in Tech and Design.  I'm scared though.  This pain bout feels so much like it is going to take my legs from me this year.  With the quit, I've gained a lot of weight and can't even consider how soon I can lose that, much less even hope that I will not gain anymore.  I just pray I don't. 

I will try to check in here daily, check on how you all are doing and if you have any new ideas.  Nice to see others struggling a day at a time and hanging in there. 

Celeste 

Dearest Profs, 

You go right ahead and write something upbeat. 

What is an ulnar block? I can imagine somthing looking like a brick and feeling like a brick to carry around! 

I just wished that there was a better way to take your pain away. Have you tried heating pads! Heat I find is the best form for combating pain. I wake up in pain from the shoulder and go to bed to bed with pain. It is actually starting to affect my right hand now. The whole hand goes funny and so and then a bit like restless legs - call it restless hand! Don't know what to do with my fingers so they are forever on the go. 

Glad it's lovely outside - here it's freezing cold inside (sit in front of a heater all day long while I work) but outside you can without a jersey. But our weather is funny here. Hate the winter! 

Here's hoping that dr. pain man can do something for you. 

Lots lov 

Pickles 

yes, karen, i must be upbeat!  i must be happy!  i am singing in the rain... looking for the silver lining... having a grand old time. 

your upcoming beach baby birthday party sounds like a lot of fun (really!).  was it yesterday or the day before -- dr. phil interviewed a mother who was repulsed by her "obese," ugly child -- with a skin disorder.  her other child was, to her eyes, perfection personified.   

the perfect child had an awesome birthday celebration (at some hotel) while the ugly duckling didn't even get acknowledged with a birthday cake.   

eerie.  so it is lovely to think of all the good mothers out there, doing their darnedest to make childhood what it is supposed to be. 

my first memory of birthdays is at age 4, i think.  i was all dressed up -- probably in pink -- and did stupid things with my cake....  after the presents and the food, me and my crowd, my little gang... we were on the floor playing.  some little runt girl wanted to play with my doll (she talked and drank from a tiny bottle) and i had to shooo her off.  wimp.  she goes crying about how i wouldn't share.  i mean, hey, i just got the thing, cut me some slack! 

my mother promptly took me to her bedroom and spanked the bejesus out of me -- because i did not share.  nice girls share. 

point well taken.  thanks, maw! 

funny that i still am uncomfortable sharing food -- i don't like to share pizza, i don't like to share chinese food, indian food, ethiopian food!  i get called on that often... but i think, hey, what are they gonna do, SPANK ME?!! ar ar ar. 

i guess i will get used to the right hand being numb.  i would just really like to know the when, where, why and how of it.  how do you go to bed with two bad fingers on one hand, only to wake to find 5 more fingers giving up the ghost.  creepy. 

off to the shower -- i did my 60 minutes of cycling (over 10 mph today) without stopping... and the best place to be is above-wind of moi. 

have a great evening, everyone.  and thank you, karen. 

love, 

profderien 

Hi Everyone 

Just checking in and catching up on all the post.. 

Had my Dr's apt yesterday and I was all "happy" about only having one bad day of pain and the Dr was all smiles... Then, my hubby steps in and tells him that I all want to do it SLEEP... and that he has been worried about it... and that I have no energy. 

Okay, it's all true..... 

So, new game plan, take my morphine at NIGHT and cut me down to ONE vicodin a day and only 2 Lyrica a day... and we would like for me to walk in water  five days a week.. well, I will get back to some kind of exercises, but not sure about the water.... think I will start back on my bike first.............. 

But was up at 4:15 AM yesterday and on the road all day and then back up early this morning and headed up to the mountains. Saw two elk and one moose and a bunch of deer and some baby antelope and the wild flowers are so pretty..  

 So, slept a few hours early evening and now wide awake... Grrrrrrrrr..... 

I was reading and wanted to talk to Celeste, first hello and welcome to the board.. Also wanted to congrats you on your schooling and for marching ahead. It's always great to hear that someone is working on their education, but when it's someone suffering, it's really GREAT.. Also, anytime you are feeling down, just jump on board and someone will talk to you.. 

I am just behind due to traveling the last two days... 

Also for anyone new or anyone who missed the post about the foundation that can help with medications for the folks who do not have Insurance.. wanted to pass the phone number along again... it's 1-888-477-2669..  

Pickles... I was so happy to see you and wanted to send you a hug.  

Prof...  I can't wait to hear more about this new thing. Also, hope you got some ice on your ouch.. I can't imagine the pain you are having. Back in Nov I broke my 4th toe in two places and that baby HURT.. I was shocked something so small could hurt so much. Then I did not tell anyone why the heck I was in a boot. I was so embarrassed about it.. 

Also, thanks for sharing about the "dark side".. I am so funny, I have talked about my anxiety for yr's and have been so open about taking Zoloft.. but the dark side, I've been very quiet about. Not sure why?? But, it's there, it's been there for years, but never talked much about it.. 

Huh, gives me something to think about.. 

Andrea..made my night tonight and got to see pictures of her daughter and her and the hubby. Oh, talk about a young lady that looks just like her Mama. And our girl Andrea has a new hair color and I love it. Told her it's sexy and it's so cute on her.. She's a little hottie this summer.. 

Karen.. So glad to see ya and that you are hanging in there this week..  

Well, it's time for bed or should say, it's late and I need to go to bed.. 

Sending Everyone a hug and hope and all my love.... Dianah