Hello,
I am new and just found your board so I thought I would check it out. I have mild to moderate fibromyalgia/mps. I am semi-diagnosed; let me explain. In 1999 I had mono and that took a better part of a year to heal. After that, things seemed better but in 2001 I started having repetitive motion injuries and was diagnosed with tendonosis in my fingers and wrists along with cubital tunnel syndrome in my elbows and carpel tunnel syndrome in my wrists. It made sense because I was at a very stressful job and spent 10+ hours a day working and at the computer. I went through 3 years of treatment under workers comp for these injuries and was put on reduced work for that period. I went to physical therapy for two years but that did not provide a significant amount of relief. The diagnosis changed many times depending on which "specialist" I was seeing. Even though my physical rehab doctors were positive I had carpal tunnel syndrome, there was no concrete physical evidence and surgery was ruled out. Most tests I had came back negative with the exception of my nerve conductivity tests/EMG which showed abnormal response and some nerve damage. Since this was all done under workers comp for work-related injuries treatment and diagnosis was focused on my upper extremities (shoulder, arms, hands and fingers). I was treated with rest, physical therapy, anti-inflammatories, muscle relaxers and pain meds along with anti-depressants for the nerve pain, none of which ever really did anything. Now the key thing is my very first doctor, who was also my gp at the time also diagnosed me with myofascial pain syndrome. I had no idea what this even was, but because this was all tied into a workers comp case and fibro/mps are no accepted as "work related" conditions it was pretty much cast aside by the rest of my doctors. After about 3 years of treatment my case was "settled" and I was diagnosed with a permanent loss of 55% use of my upper extremities from repetitive motion injuries.
Of course I also experienced the doctors telling me it was in my head or that I was just getting older... um I was barely in my 30s! On my own I had discovered other ways to "cope" with the pain including learning when to stop what I was doing and rest, accepting things I should outright avoid, using heat therapy, gentle self massage, nutrition, etc. I did some soul searching and decided that I had to leave the job that was sucking the life right out of me. I had made several visits to North Carolina to visit friends and made the decision to relocate from California to North Carolina. In 2006, I made the big move across country, which was one of the best decisions I have ever made.
Fast forward to now. I have not been to a doctor for my condition since I left California in 2006. I know that is probably the wrong thing to do, but I was just so tired of being poked and proded with never getting any real help or relief from them, not even an accurate diagnosis. I know at some point when I can no longer function with just OTC pain relievers I will have to seek medical help again. I am 95% sure I have fibromyalgia and mps, perhaps more mild to moderate. I still have problems with my fingers, hands and arms but its no longer limited there. I have shoulder pain, knee pain, feet pain, thigh pain, hip pain, back pain, all over. It comes and goes for no apparent reason. Its especially hard when I have been sitting still for too long when I move it hurts. I can be almost fine one minute and in agony the next. Or I can have a good day and wake up the next feeling like I have been ran over by a truck. It used to just be those upper extremities but lately I am having more problems with my legs and feet also. I can't walk far distances or for very long without pain in either my sciatic, knees, feet or ankles and I get that "prickly" pins and needles thing on the bottom of my feet. I find I have to change positions a lot to relieve the pressure or whatever. I use pillows a lot more than I used to. hee I am also fighting fatigue a lot. Some nights I come home and just can't do anything I am so exhausted. I know there are things I need to do, but instead I just collapse in my recliner. Its more than just being tired. My friends get a good nights sleep they overdo it and they are fine. I seem to take weeks and weeks to recover if I over do it. I know some of you understand what I am not articulating very well. There are times I just have no strength or energy at all and the pain is also worse when that happens.
As I said before I live in North Carolina now and I have a much better life here. Things are more slow paced. I work for a non-profit organization as an office administrator. My job is far less demanding and less stressful. I am able to work at a slower pace and take breaks. I could not do the old job I used to have but I can do this one most days. My co-workers know about my issues and are understanding and help to accommodate them quite a bit. So much of the working world is about doing more more MORE that stepping backwards was hard at first. Feeling like I was not living up to what I could handle mentally. But the truth is I had to change to what I could handle physically as well. I don't have any pain free days; I have forgotten what that is even like. I just do the best I can.
On a more personal level, I enjoy digital photography and video editing; anything graphic oriented. I am creative and like arts and crafts kind of stuff. I also like to cook and to organize things. When I am up to doing those things they are very therapeutic and great distractions. I also love music and tv. I have two kitties named Wango and Tango. They are just over a year old now and are brothers. They are my babies. I am single so its just me and the kitties but I am happy with that. I can do what I want and rest when I need to. If the house doesn't get vacuumed nobody is gonna be complaining. *g*
I am looking forward to reading around this site and talking to people who understand what its like to live with pain everyday and perhaps find some new ideas that will also help me. I truly think you can have chronic pain and still have a happy life. That is what I strive for anyway. I won't let it take away my joy. Some days are good; some days are bad but all in all life is a blessing...
I am new and just found your board so I thought I would check it out. I have mild to moderate fibromyalgia/mps. I am semi-diagnosed; let me explain. In 1999 I had mono and that took a better part of a year to heal. After that, things seemed better but in 2001 I started having repetitive motion injuries and was diagnosed with tendonosis in my fingers and wrists along with cubital tunnel syndrome in my elbows and carpel tunnel syndrome in my wrists. It made sense because I was at a very stressful job and spent 10+ hours a day working and at the computer. I went through 3 years of treatment under workers comp for these injuries and was put on reduced work for that period. I went to physical therapy for two years but that did not provide a significant amount of relief. The diagnosis changed many times depending on which "specialist" I was seeing. Even though my physical rehab doctors were positive I had carpal tunnel syndrome, there was no concrete physical evidence and surgery was ruled out. Most tests I had came back negative with the exception of my nerve conductivity tests/EMG which showed abnormal response and some nerve damage. Since this was all done under workers comp for work-related injuries treatment and diagnosis was focused on my upper extremities (shoulder, arms, hands and fingers). I was treated with rest, physical therapy, anti-inflammatories, muscle relaxers and pain meds along with anti-depressants for the nerve pain, none of which ever really did anything. Now the key thing is my very first doctor, who was also my gp at the time also diagnosed me with myofascial pain syndrome. I had no idea what this even was, but because this was all tied into a workers comp case and fibro/mps are no accepted as "work related" conditions it was pretty much cast aside by the rest of my doctors. After about 3 years of treatment my case was "settled" and I was diagnosed with a permanent loss of 55% use of my upper extremities from repetitive motion injuries.
Of course I also experienced the doctors telling me it was in my head or that I was just getting older... um I was barely in my 30s! On my own I had discovered other ways to "cope" with the pain including learning when to stop what I was doing and rest, accepting things I should outright avoid, using heat therapy, gentle self massage, nutrition, etc. I did some soul searching and decided that I had to leave the job that was sucking the life right out of me. I had made several visits to North Carolina to visit friends and made the decision to relocate from California to North Carolina. In 2006, I made the big move across country, which was one of the best decisions I have ever made.
Fast forward to now. I have not been to a doctor for my condition since I left California in 2006. I know that is probably the wrong thing to do, but I was just so tired of being poked and proded with never getting any real help or relief from them, not even an accurate diagnosis. I know at some point when I can no longer function with just OTC pain relievers I will have to seek medical help again. I am 95% sure I have fibromyalgia and mps, perhaps more mild to moderate. I still have problems with my fingers, hands and arms but its no longer limited there. I have shoulder pain, knee pain, feet pain, thigh pain, hip pain, back pain, all over. It comes and goes for no apparent reason. Its especially hard when I have been sitting still for too long when I move it hurts. I can be almost fine one minute and in agony the next. Or I can have a good day and wake up the next feeling like I have been ran over by a truck. It used to just be those upper extremities but lately I am having more problems with my legs and feet also. I can't walk far distances or for very long without pain in either my sciatic, knees, feet or ankles and I get that "prickly" pins and needles thing on the bottom of my feet. I find I have to change positions a lot to relieve the pressure or whatever. I use pillows a lot more than I used to. hee I am also fighting fatigue a lot. Some nights I come home and just can't do anything I am so exhausted. I know there are things I need to do, but instead I just collapse in my recliner. Its more than just being tired. My friends get a good nights sleep they overdo it and they are fine. I seem to take weeks and weeks to recover if I over do it. I know some of you understand what I am not articulating very well. There are times I just have no strength or energy at all and the pain is also worse when that happens.
As I said before I live in North Carolina now and I have a much better life here. Things are more slow paced. I work for a non-profit organization as an office administrator. My job is far less demanding and less stressful. I am able to work at a slower pace and take breaks. I could not do the old job I used to have but I can do this one most days. My co-workers know about my issues and are understanding and help to accommodate them quite a bit. So much of the working world is about doing more more MORE that stepping backwards was hard at first. Feeling like I was not living up to what I could handle mentally. But the truth is I had to change to what I could handle physically as well. I don't have any pain free days; I have forgotten what that is even like. I just do the best I can.
On a more personal level, I enjoy digital photography and video editing; anything graphic oriented. I am creative and like arts and crafts kind of stuff. I also like to cook and to organize things. When I am up to doing those things they are very therapeutic and great distractions. I also love music and tv. I have two kitties named Wango and Tango. They are just over a year old now and are brothers. They are my babies. I am single so its just me and the kitties but I am happy with that. I can do what I want and rest when I need to. If the house doesn't get vacuumed nobody is gonna be complaining. *g*
I am looking forward to reading around this site and talking to people who understand what its like to live with pain everyday and perhaps find some new ideas that will also help me. I truly think you can have chronic pain and still have a happy life. That is what I strive for anyway. I won't let it take away my joy. Some days are good; some days are bad but all in all life is a blessing...
Mosken
Jilly
USA
Rosie
Gadget Girl and welcome to our wonderful forum.
and have chronic back pain from failed surgeries as my
main problem, and are sitting disabled because of this.
