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Mameblanche
Member
08-24-2002
| Friday, August 17, 2007 - 7:32 pm
Pamydoll - hope the new meds work their magic and that you are in less pain than you were a few days ago! Good luck finding that massage school. I don't know how large your town is, but if it's near a huge metropolis then it should be relatively easy to get in touch with one. A neat trick might be to phone a reputable massage therapist and ask them where they went to school. If they get defensive thinking that you are checking up on their credentials, maybe you could tell a little white lie - that you want to learn to be a massage therapist yourself. Or your daughter, or whatever you can say that will make them less defensive and more willing to give you that info! 
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Pamy
Member
01-02-2002
| Friday, August 17, 2007 - 7:46 pm
good idea Mame! Doc upped my pain med dose and gave me a spasm med Flexeril
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Mameblanche
Member
08-24-2002
| Friday, August 17, 2007 - 7:52 pm
Flexeril is the muscle relaxant I am usually referring to when I say I've taken a muscle relaxant! (Only thing is that I think it makes me irritable.)
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Pamy
Member
01-02-2002
| Friday, August 17, 2007 - 8:07 pm
he wants me to take 3times day for couple wks...but it says may cause drowsiness....do not sure if i can take before wk...gonna test it on sunday
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Karuuna
Board Administrator
08-31-2000
| Saturday, August 18, 2007 - 8:06 am
Pamy, I tried Flexeril for my spasms and it made me loopy as heck. Couldn't even walk straight. I tend to very sensitive to drugs, so it may be different for you. Good luck!
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Mameblanche
Member
08-24-2002
| Saturday, August 18, 2007 - 8:13 am
PAMY - Flexeril knocks me flat - get heavy sleeps out of it, (mind you I usually take it with tylenol 3) but PLEASE it's safer not to take it before or during work. I'd ONLY use it at night if I was working or during the day ONLY if I was at home. Definitely do NOT use it if you will be driving, etc. It's a reliable drug and does what its supposed to as a muscle relaxant... but it's potent and will make you groggy.
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Pamy
Member
01-02-2002
| Saturday, August 18, 2007 - 7:49 pm
I took one about hr ago and not sleepy..prolly got lower dose than you....it says take 3 times day
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Pamy
Member
01-02-2002
| Saturday, August 18, 2007 - 7:51 pm
of course vicodin doesnt make me sleepy either, so dont know if its just my system now Trazadone...I have to take that and make sure I am close to the bed I can be wide awake and be totally asleep within 30 min
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Knightpatti
Member
12-06-2001
| Saturday, August 18, 2007 - 8:55 pm
Hugs to everyone here!
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Mameblanche
Member
08-24-2002
| Sunday, August 19, 2007 - 8:46 am
Hiya KP and Pamy! Pamy how did it go with the Flexeril, did it ever knock you out, or at least make you a bit dozy?
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Pamy
Member
01-02-2002
| Sunday, August 19, 2007 - 9:11 am
Thx KP! xoxoxo Mame, it didnt last nite..I just took one this morning...I will let ya know
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Mameblanche
Member
08-24-2002
| Sunday, August 19, 2007 - 9:22 am
(((((((((((Pamydoll)))))))))))) Sooo the big question is... is it helping? And do you STILL have that weird broken glass feeling?
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Sage
Member
07-20-2000
| Sunday, August 19, 2007 - 9:41 am
I used to take a combination of Flexeril and Elavil at night to help me sleep, and it really worked. (If I took the Flexeril anytime other than night, I was screwed up the whole day.) I took those meds for about 4 yrs, then a doctor switched me to Doxepin for sleeping, which helped even more than the other two. I did that for about 18 months, and then my GP decided it was time for me to quit them about 3 months ago! I have had insomnia ever since. The withdrawals from the Doxepin were very tough. I hate the insomnia, and wish I could sleep a full 7 to 8 hrs again without relying on sleep aids, but I'm having my doubts. I will probably always suffer from insomnia... sigh.
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Sage
Member
07-20-2000
| Sunday, August 19, 2007 - 9:50 am
Also, in reference to the post made by Juju on Aug 4 about disability, I did apply for SSI, and last year, after waiting 3 years, I had my hearing, that was very difficult to endure (emotionally), and ended up losing my case. It was a nightmare, and I never want to go through that again.
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Pamy
Member
01-02-2002
| Sunday, August 19, 2007 - 12:11 pm
That sucks Sage! I am sorry it didnt work out. I have a feeling it will take a few more years for the govtmt to realize this is a real disease. we went to universal yesterday and I walked the whole day so I was pretty pooped this morning...prolly not best time to test the fleril..cuz I didnt feel sleepy but layed down cuz I hurt and slept for over 2 hrs...so I dont know for sure.....gonna have to wait til next weekend to test it during day the broken glass feelin has subsided for now..... Hope all of my FFF are having a good fibro day today xoxoxoxo
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Mictay
Member
09-29-2006
| Tuesday, August 21, 2007 - 5:11 am
I just wanted to say thank you to you all, the reason is my mom has fibromyalgia,she was diagnosed with it several years ago,and is on disability because of it,anyways I never realized the severity of it until I was reading all of your posts,I actually thought my mom was exaggerating the pain,well I called my mom the other night and apoligezed to her for not being more sympathetic to her pain,reading all your posts made me realize how much pain at times she is in.
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Mameblanche
Member
08-24-2002
| Tuesday, August 21, 2007 - 10:16 am
(((((Mictay))))) Sweetie you are NOT alone. Even in the medical community there are some folks who still think its a psycosomatic (sp?) syndrome. I wrote an article pointing this out a few years ago. I started this thread by posting that article. I'll repost it for you, hopefully it will help. Btw, I think it's awesome that you called your mom and had that talk!
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Mameblanche
Member
08-24-2002
| Tuesday, August 21, 2007 - 10:21 am
COPING WITH FIBROMYALGIA By JSD © 2000 (MameBlanche) It’s disheartening being saddled with an illness that is often referred to as a ‘garbage-can’ syndrome by the medical community. I have Fibromyalgia, sometimes called Fibro, sometimes FM. Let me cut to the chase - there is no cure. You know that run down, low energy, achy feeling you get when you come down with the flu. That’s me most days. A few of the overall symptoms include chronic muscle pain, difficulty sleeping, constant fatigue, gastrointestinal complaints, and migraines. Some of the doozies are temperature sensitivity, and environmental sensitivity (to light, noise, odours, taste, and weather fluctuations.) My personal nemesis is a cognitive disorder commonly referred to as Fibro-fog, which pops up mostly under stressful situations. Fibro-fog features frequent short-term memory lapses (doubly embarrassing in my line of work) and being easily overwhelmed. I’ve dubbed it cheese-brain, because I picture my memory as a piece of Swiss cheese, with holes in it. Here is where the frustration comes into play. It took at least a couple of years before I found someone who could tell me what the constant pain and fatigue were all about. It seems like one third of the medical community completely discounts FM as a haven for hypochondriacs, and one third tend to dump their patients into this category when they are stumped, (ergo the garbage can nickname), while one third are truly knowledgeable about this complex syndrome. It’s difficult enough not feeling up to par most of the time, but to have something that often takes years to find a correct diagnosis, adds enormously to the misery. One day, in the Fibromyalgia and Chronic Pain newsgroup, Iris Weverman, RPT, posted her reviews of several books on the subject, and indicated that her physiotherapy clinic was located in Toronto. I was lucky. This was the Internet and she could just as easily have been based in Katmandu. Her credentials include speaking engagements on the topics of Chronic Pain, Fibro, and Myofascial Pain Syndromes. At my first appointment, she immediately did the ‘tender point test’, (where you must have pain in at least 11 out of 18 specific sites on the body), which unfortunately I passed with flying colours. Since this is mostly a diagnosis of exclusion, (meaning after everything else is ruled out, then chances are you have this) Fibromyalgia is often mistaken for illnesses with similar symptoms. According to Weverman, one should picture the spokes of a wheel, one spoke representing FM, one for Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, one for Lupus, and one for Multiple Sclerosis. I know of someone who for years was told she had Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. They just discovered that she really has Multiple Sclerosis. It’s a frightening situation when you have so many illnesses that mirror one another. Mind you, I’m not complaining. Over the past 4 years, since my diagnosis, I’ve grown accustomed to its vagaries, and have figured out how to live with it, on a truce-like basis, day to day. I ignore it and get on with life on my good days, and I coddle it with massage and the occasional painkiller on my really bad days. And truth to tell, some days it just pays to huddle under the covers, until I can regroup, and face the world, once again, re-energized. I don’t mind fighting Fibro. But it’s exhausting fighting smug disbelief. Although according to Iris Weverman, while eight years ago it wasn’t unusual for her peers to discredit it, research is finally beginning to prove, unequivocally, that this ‘garbage can’ disease really does exist in and of itself. Saturday, May 12th, was Fibromyalgia Day. This is a giant step in a hopeful direction. <END>
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Mictay
Member
09-29-2006
| Tuesday, August 21, 2007 - 11:41 am
Thanks Mames,very insightful article.
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Pamy
Member
01-02-2002
| Tuesday, August 21, 2007 - 6:04 pm
Mictay, I am sitting here with tears in my eyes! thanks so much for sharing your story....knowing this thread that I have used as part of my therapy has helped a mom/daughter makes my pain worth it right now. Mame, thx for reposting that! I vow to post in this thread so that it will never go away again!! honestly, dont know what i would have done without ya all these last few weeks....they were my worst ever.... I didnt even put a pain patch on today!!!! first time in 3 wks!!!! I still had some pain but it was prolly at a 5 instead of an 11! lol
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Mameblanche
Member
08-24-2002
| Tuesday, August 21, 2007 - 6:08 pm
YW Mictay sweetie! Pamydoll - let's hope those nasty pain levels keep dropping quickly so you can feel like yourself again VERY soon hon! Glad you felt well enough to skip the pain patch! I was in a terrible flare yesterday, and had insomnia for 2 nights and incredibly fatigued today. Planning to be smart and head for bed now, as it's around 10:00 PM. Yawwnnnnn. Wishing all my fibrobuddies a great night! xox
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Pamy
Member
01-02-2002
| Tuesday, August 21, 2007 - 6:47 pm
aahhh Mame, hope you get a good nites rest.....thought ya took a sleep pill......out of all my pills I thnk my sleep pill is the one I couldnt live without..trazadone rocks
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Mameblanche
Member
08-24-2002
| Wednesday, August 22, 2007 - 5:43 am
"G'mornin' Pamy & Mictay!" Nope didn't take ANY pills these last couple of days. Just finally went to sleep naturally last night. Was asleep by 10:30. Now i just have to get dressed and and get downstairs in the next 25 min for my neighbour Milton who is my exercise trainer. We're mostly doing stretches and upperbody strenghth I think, cuz my knees are crap. Still haven't had my exrays done yet as I've been a cyberhermit again, lately. (Boy is Milton C-U-T-E! He looks a lot like the guy from FAME - Gene Anthony Ray who played Leroy Johnson, but older. Actually they may be the same age right about now. LOL.) This is NOT Milton, it's an old pic of Gene Anthony Ray... but they look similar. Just fast forward about 20 years. LOL.
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Serate
Member
08-21-2001
| Wednesday, August 22, 2007 - 9:19 am
Gene Anthony Ray died November 14, 2003.
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Mameblanche
Member
08-24-2002
| Wednesday, August 22, 2007 - 10:49 am
Aw crap. Serate, I remember that he was having problems resurecting his career. But I had no idea he'd passed away. 41 is simply way too young! 
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