On Friday morning bright & early I headed out to Calgary for a long awaited appointment with a rheumatology specialist....a 2 year wait to be exact.
See, I have been suffering with pain all over my body & joints forever, too long to even put a date to it. The pain comes & goes, can be mild, or excruciating, can last 2 days or a few hrs., or overnight. It involves my neck, shoulders, chest, lower back, elbows, wrists, hips, knees,& ankles. I feel tired all the time, sluggish, like I could sleep forever, even after a full night of sleep. Some days I feel like crying, so I wondered is it depression? I would often say to Wendy & Amanda I feel dizzy, or drunk, like my head is foggy :))
You start to feel silly, like a hypochondriac, your Dr. does numerous xrays but all looks good, just normal wear & tear for a 50 year old.
I saw Dr. Fitzgerald at the Foothills Science Center, she did a complete history on me, then a complete exam of my body. I had numerous tender areas, one in particular was at the side of my right knee, I was shocked at the pain I felt when she pushed there, I actually yelled out it hurt so bad, sorry Dr. :))
I also have had on going pins & needles in my right hand, mostly my thumb & first 2 fingers, it is really annoying actually.
In the end Dr. Fitzgerald explained to me that I have fibromyalgia. I have heard about it before & actually read about it, just wasn't sure if this is what I really had. After the pain in the knee when the Dr. touched it I have no doubt now that she is right ! The best way to describe the feeling of fibromyaglia is like having the flu, you just ache.
I didn't realize my sleeping habits are also part of the condition, I have always been a light sleeper, I can wake up at the drop of a pin. I also wake up every hour, every night :(
The Dr. explained that fibromyalgia sufferers never get into the deep dream state, we hover just on the verge of wakefulness, mostly because of the pain. She is going to recommend a drug to my family Dr. to help me with this.
Also the pins & needles is most likely carpal tunnel, I was a dog groomer for 30 years, so I'm sure she is right. I will be having a nerve conduction test & may require surgery to open up the nerve in my wrist. I will have it done, I can't stand the constant feeling of pins & needles in my hand.
So that is it in a nutshell, I am already doing something right by staying active, the Dr. said most people with my condition curl up on the couch & don't move due to the pain. That is not me, I have too much living to do so I push past it. I might get frustrated alot as I can't run in agility like I want to, or move fast enough when showing my dogs, walking the dogs with pain in my hips gets frustrating, even housework can be a problem, but I do what I can & rest.
At least now I don't feel crazy anymore :)), oh & that foggy feeling I was mentioning, it has a name , fibro fog!!! Go figure!
5 comments:
I feel for you. I have that too and it sucks! (sorry to say). I couldnt get through an agility trial without ultracet and lyrica. I know its silly but the pain is just to bad. The Lyrica makes me tired but its a toss up. Tired or pain. I hope you can find the right balance for you. Just know you are not alone.
yay for answers. At least now you know for sure.
Have a friend with the same problem. It sure isn't just in your head. Hope you can figure out a way to get improvement for the pain. Have had both wrists done for carpel tunnel. Sure is worth the surgery!
My mother has it. It really got bad when she retired. The good news, the collies got her better! They kept her active and stopped the depression. Good weather helps too. She rarely has trouble now.
Remember I told you I thought the doctor would tell you that? It is good to have an answer. It will make it better because it won't be a mystery or you won't feel like you're making up shit. I feel the same way a lot of my life.....not fun.
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