Hello all

[MEFMJanet]

Hi, I posted this in the "introduce yourself" thread but I wasn't sure if many people read that...so I'm posting it here too.  I hope that's okay.  :)

Hi everyone,

My name is Janet and I'm 43 years old.  I've been sick for 5 years and was diagnosed with CFS and FM about 3 years ago.  I also have nodules on my thyroid, sleep disorders, quite an impressive curvature of the spine from scoliosis, mild epilepsy, permanently elevated white blood cell count...and on and on.  Many of these things were uncovered during testing to figure out what was wrong with me.

I no longer work due to my pain and fatigue.  I take a lot of meds but feel my conditions are not very well controlled.  I am VERY sad about being removed from life.  I feel so guilty for not being able to be a good Mom to my 13 and 17 year old boys.  They're tired of hearing that Mom is sick.  It means nothing to them now.

I'm divorced but have a fiance that I've been with for about 4 years.  We started dating right after I had a bone marrow biopsy and he's stuck by my side ever since.  :)

I'm not depressed but sometimes I feel that there's just no quality of life and I feel there's no point in all of the meds, the acupuncture...it's all costly and yes, I get most of it back from my insurance company but the paperwork is overwhelming.  ARGH.  lol.

Re-reading my post I sound like a Debbie Downer but I'm really a happy person.  Very caring and supportive of others.  That's one of my problems actually...I put everyone else's needs before my own.  Have lots of stress from having teenagers and there's no way to escape that.  Putting myself first is easier said than done.

Thank you for having this forum.  It's a great place to gather and be supportive of one another as well as information sharing.

Janet

[jmbirds]

ok, but I have to decaf slowly... my Dr said 50/50 coffee  is a start, she said caffein stimulates fatty lipomas? so my trigger points are now lipomas? keep me posted

[squirtatious]

Jimbirds, I wrote a topic called: fibromyalgia: the diet connection and caffeine is one of the 7 foods to stay away from.

[squirtatious]

I'm Deja and wow do my problems look simple when I hear of urs!!!! *hugs* I was diagnosed with FM thru a trigger tender point test 5 years ago. I've had neck and back pain for years. I have organic reasons for my neck and back pain. I just got done feb 22nd having open back surgery fusion with instrumentation. My symptoms of FM are mainly the annoying secondary symptoms such as dry mouth, eyes, skin, and peeing a lot. Oh and it takes me longer than sumone without FM to recover pain wise from things. Such as piercings, surgeries, ect. God bless u all!!!:)

[dustybrown]

Hello Janet,
Welcome to MedHelp,
You do not sound like Debbie Downer! You sound like the rest of us- just trying to make a connection with people who understand what it's like to hurt and struggle with pain and fatigue. It is a battle we fight every day and having people who understand what it's like is very important because most people you will come across in the "real" world won't get it. Half the people I know think there is nothing wrong with me although I have a stack full of MRIs and other various reports dating back over 15 years that could tell you otherwise.

Don't ever feel guilty for things that are out of your control. I am sure your kids love you no less because you were ill and just because you are sick doesn't mean your dead, it just means you need to find a way to manage your symptoms. That can be done. I am sure your kids love their mom very much and are very proud of her for fighting as does your fiance. You sound like a very tough cookie with a great sense of humor. Don't ever stop smiling and searching for info. One day we will find the answers we need. Again welcome!!!!
-Dusty

[acker]

welcome to the forum and great you can be part of the sharing that helps those of us that can make it to the computer...! ...
seems we are living near-parallel lives; others might say 'it's life jim but not as we know it'. i've had cfs for almost 3 years now. i call it f.s., just to make me feel a bit better. i have a couple of good hours/ days, here and there. i've also been off work for over 2 years. i had been doing too much to start with, and now i feel like i'm doing very little except recovery is a full-time job, so i don't expect to ever be working to the capacity i used to - which would be healthier...
sorry about your boys distance, not much you can do about that?, they're also at a certain age that dealing with anything's bothersome..., i also had a couple of friends disappear in all this; took a while to accept it.
i noticed that if you have a good dr, then all that follows is the best you can possibly hope for and get! had to find that out by dealing with a couple of quacks in the beginning. but i'm blessed beyond blessedness to have the right people and the right treatments granted to me. i probably would've turned to illegal substances if not for this providence..!
take care
and three cheers for your fiance - gives the rest of us hope!  :)

[jmbirds]

hi, i'm 45 f  i was dx with sluggish hypo-thyroid /goitors which causes fibromyalgia symptoms,on synthroid 37.5 mcg alot of my pain is gone per sae, my dr found my vit d was dangerously low was on 50,000 iu my b12 is low, i am also exhibiting IBS/ celiac i'm gluten free now feel better but i'm growing fatty lipoma all over that r painful . stress which is my main staple, and coffee is wiping me out no hubby no bf to help balance out my budget so i am working non stop HHA  so my Dr said to slow down, blood test are normal yet my body says not, i am avoiding RX at all costs, too many bad side effects for my liking tried savelle 1 dose was enough NO WAY, lyrica NOPE cymbalta NO taking DHEA natural hormone estrogene testoserone read about it used for alot medical issues.. taking carnipure l carnitine  fights fat an amino acid, alot of fibromyalgia have food allergies and may not realise what is causing issues, i will use flexeril 2.5 mg break my 10 mg in 4pcs, my body hates medication. had bone spur on shoulder, tendonitis bursitis,arthritis it would pop and lock up, went to chiro for ultra sound and tens treatments, it helped but i had bone spur removed got frozen shoulder, using tens and u/s it helps me. so  this may help you?
webmd.com /fibromyalgia/features/diagnosing-fibromyalgia-common-misdiagnoses