Those of us who have been told we have fibromyalgia know what it is..for those who don't know:
it is almost constant pain..
it is when a simple hug can hurt..
it is when you have not slept in days for more than an hour or two tops..
it is also when you just do nothing but sleep..
it is not being able to go buy your groceries as it hurts too much to walk the isles..
it is staying home when you would rather be at a yard sale...
it is people looking at you and thinking they look okay to me...
it is when it hurts too much to wash your own hair...
it is when too much heat renders you almost useless..
it is when too much cold renders you almost useless..
it is being too depressed or to filled with anxiety to go out of the house..
it is the above and so many more things!!
Now a clinical description is:
(Taken from Google Health https://health.google.com/health/ref/Fibromyalgia)
Fibromyalgia is a common condition characterized by long-term, body-wide pain and tender points in joints, muscles, tendons, and other soft tissues. Fibromyalgia has also been linked to fatigue, morning stiffness, sleep problems, headaches, numbness in hands and feet, depression, and anxiety.
Fibromyalgia can develop on its own or along with other musculoskeletal conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis or lupus.
The overwhelming characteristic of fibromyalgia is long-standing, body-wide pain with defined tender points. Tender points are distinct from trigger points seen in other pain syndromes. Unlike tender points, trigger points can occur in isolation and represent a source of radiating pain, even in the absence of direct pressure.
Fibromyalgia pain can mimic the pain that occurs with various types of arthritis. However, the significant swelling, destruction, and deformity of joints seen in diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis does not occur with fibromyalgia syndrome alone.
The soft-tissue pain of fibromyalgia is described as deep-aching, radiating, gnawing, shooting or burning, and ranges from mild to severe. Fibromyalgia sufferers tend to wake up with body aches and stiffness.
For some patients, pain improves during the day and increases again during the evening, though many patients with fibromyalgia have day-long, unrelenting pain. Pain can increase with activity, cold or damp weather, anxiety, and stress.
Specific symptoms:
* Body aches
* Chronic facial muscle pain or aching
* Fatigue
* Irritable bowel syndrome
* Memory difficulties and cognitive difficulties
* Multiple tender areas (muscle and joint pain) on the back of the neck, shoulders, sternum, lower back, hips, shins, elbows, knees
* Numbness and tingling
* Palpitations
* Reduced exercise tolerance
* Sleep disturbances
* Tension or migraine headaches
Well, that is some of what the experts say (please do read the Google article), but what is it to you? To me it has been almost 17 years of working through my paid and trying to live a normal life as possible.
I do not know if you are a praying person but that is the thing that has helped me most is my faith in a greater power and my love of that power I know as God. And the love of my family.
Those two things plus my ability to be creative has helped me to cope. what gets you through a day and the pain?
God Bless you all!
Gen
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Gen ...I feel for you.And I KNOWjust how you feel hon.I have been diagnosed 10 years ago with Fibro.. but it did'nt stop there..It had been progressively getting worse over the years,And 3 years ago..I lost all feeling in my left side..my left hand had crippled up as well so it almost looked like a deformed claw.They rushed me to the Hospital thinking I had had a stroke.My Blood pressure is high anyway..and it was off the charts..they told my Husbandthey believed I had had a Massive stroke,and if they did not get my BP down..I may not make the night.Well they hooked me up to an IV with a high dose of meds and it came down some... but did'nt bring the feeling back. Then they did a CT Scan and somethingodd showed up on it..They found what they thought was a blood clot on my brain. So they ordered A series of Tests and 3 MRI'sI was in the Hospital 3 days .. by the second day..the feeling was comming back slowly... by the 3rd it was all back except for my hand..and it looked worse by then.The long story short.. The found that I had 4 lesions on my brain..and one on my spinal cord.Diagnosis..the Fibro that was already there...and Multiple Sclerosis.But since then I have had surgey on my arm..they moved some nerves around andI only have 2 fingers that are permanantly without feeling.I have learned to adapt to that.The pain is always there.. but sometimes Unbearable...Iam very forgetful..but ya know what through all the anguish ,,I keep going..and Although I do'nt sleep well..and can barely get out of bed in the mornings..I push myself. Because for me..I know it's the best thing.I wo'nt give up..dispite thease Horrible diseases I have alot of living to do.And if it means living on Pain killers..that barely take the edge off by the way lol!! Then so be it! Gen as hard as it is.. You have alot of living to do!!! I craft.. not as well or as much as I used to but I love it.Speaking of Which.. I better go eat one now!! the others wore off!! lol!!
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