If you have ever had the pleasure of suffering a migraine headache than you know just how daunting the word chronic in front of migraines really is. After the last year and a half my battle with fibromyalgia has finally gotten as "under control" as it could ever really be. I have a wonderful new doctor who is a specialist in Fibromyalgia who has really been able to help me. I am stronger and feeling better than I have in a very, very, long time. But when it rains it pours, and I'm now fighting an even tougher battle. At my lowest point this last year or so, I really didn't think things could get any worse. I was wrong.
What I love about this photo is that most people would look at it and think; this is what it feels like to have a migraine. I look at this photo and think, this is what I would like to do to myself to relieve the pain of my migraine. I often feel like I want to bang my head against a wall when I have a migraine. It’s quite intense and lately it’s been overwhelming.
I told my Fibro specialist that my hair was falling out and breaking and asked if that could be from fibro or stress. He said it could mean my iron is high and sure enought the blood test came back with my iron unusually high. The specialist was concerned about it enough to call me personally to discuss it with me. He told me that he thinks I have hemochromatosis and that I should get genetic testing to confirm it and have my husband tested. It's a resessive gene, so if my husband is not a carrier of the Gene, my daughter can't have it. He also told me to contact my family especially my siblings and tell themt o get tested as well. That was an interesting conversation. Of course as soon as I got off the phone I did some research...
I have had a very good friend struggling with the effects of fibromyalgia now for several years. I have watched the struggles and pain cross her face as she tried to complete daily homemaking activities such as cleaning, cooking, and washing the dishes. She would be in conversation and finishing up something really quick and all of a sudden, a whimper of pain would escape her lips as she grabbed at several parts of her body at once. Sometimes, her back would bother her, other times, would be her wrists, or legs. Everyone began to look around the room with curious expressions across their face trying to understand or figure out why the pain surfaced in the first place.
I went to Vanderbilt yesterday to see the only Fibromyalgia specialist int he state of TN and the first thing that I want to share is how GREAT it was to talk to a doctor about my Fibro that knew so much about Fibromyalgia. I don't normally like talking to doctors but I felt so comfortable talking to a doctor who was really listening and taking me seriously! He thinks he can help. That's a great thing to hear. That's the first time any of my doctors has said, I think I can help you. He doesn't just focus on the Fibro as one entity but belives in treating the syptoms seperately.
I started on lyrica, and after almost a year I gave it up because of side effects (I didn't want to live the rest of my life with the side effects). AFter about an hour and a half of taking the 150mg dose I would get overwhelmed with dizziness, my head would spin, I could walk, my vision would get blurry, I couldn't focus or think straight. I couldn't even carry on a conversation. This would slowly ease away after several hours went by but my head never felt quite "clear". I felt the Lyrica wasn't helping enough for it to be worth this. So my doctor decided to switch me to Gabapentine. The Gabapentine did very little for me, even at high doses.
When you hear people recomend exercise do you cringe as much as I did?
Starting any kind of exercise program may seam like a insurmountable mountain but it really makes a difference. The thing I learned when I started exercising was that the pain I felt during exercise was temporary and once I was able to push myself past that pain, my muscles started getting stronger.
