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My Pain. My Meds. My Pain. My Meds.

This vicious cycle of crazy ass pain and taking pain medication is never-ending. I often wonder what would happen if I stop taking my pain meds, but the fear of that excruciating pain is just too much to handle. Yes, I am one of the folks taking prescription meds. I am not taking narcotics on a daily basis, I was taking Darvocet and I have yet to find a replacement for that damn drug. I never took it daily, but it did help take the edge off on those days when the pain was at level 10+. Now I have nothing.

I have hated this process to get to where I am at, but at the very least, I know what to do and my doctors are willing to work with me. They don’t look at me like I am crazy and Kaiser believes in chronic pain and Fibromyalgia and has a program to work with you. That does not mean that it’s easy to figure out the meds, it’s absolutely not easy. I have a fundamental problem with putting this crap in my body. I don’t believe the long-term effects are clear and honestly, it’s scary. I’m watching TV and seeing these lawsuits going on and the meds they are advertising class action suits for? I am on today or have been on in the past! Seriously? It’s not cool! What do I do? I can’t afford the natural path, it’s just not in my current budget. I did try it, and it is a nice way to go. I believe in it, I support it – I just can’t afford it. I wish that it was part of my medical benefit, that would make a big difference.

Even though I have been taking some of these meds for over a year, I still read the papers every single time I renew the prescriptions. Topiramate has the same side effects as Fibromyalgia! This is crazy to me. I think about this a lot. I believe the meds are helping me, but sometimes I have to wonder if the meds are also introducing their own issues. Foggy brain seriously sucks! Is the Topiramate helping or hindering?

If you read my last blog, you know Kaiser ran out of one of my meds. I didn’t end up getting that scrip for 2 weeks. Well, by the time I picked it up I had pretty much become used to not taking it. I decided to go without it. That medication was initially introduced for pain and to help me sleep at night. After being off the medication for two weeks, I believe my pain and sleep is the same as it was while I was on the medication. That was a great “pro” for Kaiser running out of the med, at least I was able to determine I don’t want to take it anymore. One less pharmaceutical in my body.

One of the other meds I am taking is Cymbalta. I am a believer of this med. I have chronic depression and this has definitely worked for me. If I have to choose between being in pain or being depressed, I’ll take pain. I have had depression for much longer than I have had FMS and it is a kind of pain that is unbearable for me and those around me. To be at my lowest point in depression and my highest level of pain and to have to choose between fixing one of those? Wow. That would not be cool. Both are so unbearable.

So… back to Darvocet. I have been having a lot of flares in the last six months. Darvocet was very helpful to me when it was available. Since it has been removed from the market, and for good reason, I have not been able to find anything that works. I have tried Vicodin – this less than mildly takes the pain away, so it doesn’t really feel like it’s worth it. Tylenol with Codein – this does less than zero, feels like I am taking a placebo. The only other alternative my Dr. could offer was Methadone. Hmmmm, at this point I pretty much am not really feelin’ that drug. It just feels wrong, I don’t know. Anything else interacts with the stuff I already take. Very frustrating. Especially with the number of flares I have been having. I need your advice Fibromites and fellow chronic pain mates!!

Well, that’s all I’m thinking about today, thanks for stopping by! I could really use your comments on this one, I would love to hear how you are coping on your meds.

Stay cool!

Tamiko

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What Would You Do? Stand Up For Your Pain!

The cameras are rolling…. All eyes on you…. You have probably seen the TV show, “What Would You Do?” I was going to blog about a situation I was in a couple of weeks ago. A truly, stupid situation that I needed some time to get through, mellow out and say to myself, GET THE HELL OVER IT! I wanted to vent and get that shit out of my system, but it would not have helped and it would not have helped any of you! I have to keep reminding myself every hour, every minute of the day to stay positive these days. It’s a challenge, but sometimes that’s what one has to do. Right now, that’s what it is. Prayer and giving my cares and worries over to God is what I’m doing.

My life has been seriously out of balance. Work has been crazy busy – way too many hours. Family and friends close to me are in need of God’s healing hands. The weather has been crazy, mostly rainy and cold. I’ve been in a constant flare for what seems like forever – it’s only been a few weeks. For the first time in a long time I have increased my dose on one of my meds. It sucks, I don’t know if any of you feel this way, but increasing meds makes me feel like a failure, like I’m not managing my pain like I’m supposed to. I agree to a certain extent that I shouldn’t feel that way, but at the same time, I also feel I should be in control of my body. FMS is a crazy place to live. Depression has stolen a lot of my mind the past few weeks and I really want it back. I have fought and fought and fought, I FINALLY feel like I may be starting to come back, it’s so damn hard. It’s like climbing up hill through quicksand (because I have done that before, right?). Trust me, my family really, REALLY prefer the not deeply depressed mother/ wife over the scary/ ugly mean lady that’s been living in the house lately. She scares me too.

Speaking of my family, well specifically my husband… I am not CO-dependent, I am SOUL-dependent (and yes I meant to spell it that way) on (on? of? to?) my husband. I have been blessed with a husband who takes wonderful care of me. He does everything for my children and me. He literally does all the cooking, cleaning, driving, care-taking… this man does my hair, when my daughter isn’t doing it! He also deals with all that comes with chronic pain and depression, oh yeah and let’s not forget – throw in a little bit of ADD. What an effed-up combination! After almost 25 years together he has to be wondering what the hell he signed up for!! There is no return policy here. He had 30 days, but those days have passed and he’s now stuck with me. Thank God!

So! I started out talking about a TV show that puts folks in really awkward situations. A show that ultimately pushes those same to people make uncomfortable decisions. Now I ask you, when you are in a situation where you need to stand up for your pain, do you? Do you stand up for your pain or do you end up suffering? I made a decision to stand up for my pain and I also ended up suffering because I stood up. I am happy I made that decision because I was able to really see some true colors come out.

At the end of the day, most of us can barely stand up for long periods of a time, so why suffer any more than you have to, right? I mean, c’mon! Please do yourself righteous and STAND UP FOR YOUR PAIN!

Thanks for reading! Please tell me what you think, leave your comments and, as always, stay cool!

Tamiko

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This Roller Coaster We Call Chronic Pain…

I have spent the last few weeks in a complete funk. I felt like shit. My flare kept me down. I had a difficult time overcoming my depression. Life was not fun.

Chronic pain is an interesting condition to live with… it’s like living on this ultimate roller coaster. Your life is literally going in these huge swings of ups and downs depending on the levels of pain you are in. YOU have to constantly be in control of your emotions. Everyone around you depends on YOU to constantly be in control of your emotions, your pain medication, your antidepressants (if you use them), your diet, your exercise regime, your sleep hygiene, basically every minute and second of your life. Let’s be real… this is just unrealistic. I know this… my chronic pain friends out there know this… but 99.9% of the people who live normal lives will never understand this. It’s incomprehensible to get this. Although they (folks without chronic pain) deal with it, they want a consistent “YOU”, not this sometimes  emotional, sometimes irrational/ erratic/ sensitive person. Sure we live in the straight areas of the roller coaster and we appreciate those times, but we all know that there are going to be the ups and downs.

Here’s the reality. The reality is, no one is perfect here. No one. Not us – the chronic pain people. Not them – the support people. We all have to understand this. So, there really should not be an “US” and “THEM” in theory, but in reality once again I challenge everyone to  think about this difference in groups. How do we bridge this gap? Is there a need to bridge the gap?

How do we better educate our family and friends around us? I still find it very difficult to talk about all the conditions I have. I don’t want people to feel sorry for me, I don’t want to get “that” look. I realize I need to be okay with how people react, their reactions are normal. I realize it takes time for people to accept and be okay with change. I want to educate people so they can understand the conditions that I have. I want people to understand that I am in pain everyday. Some days are better than others, but even though I look good on the outside (okay people I am not trying to say “I look GOOD!”, I’m saying I look healthy good), the pain I feel is real.

So, let me get back on track (good pun, huh? Sometimes I am pretty good! lol!)… I was on the down side of this roller coaster and I was falling fast. I had no sight of things getting better and I really felt like the pain was going to keep getting worse, my stomach has been upset, I’ve been using my cane, my depression has been bad… that dark cave was getting smaller and smaller. I was trying to find ways to get out, but I didn’t feel like I had options.

I have been praying and I pushed myself to spend the 4th with friends and family and you know what? That dark cave opened up and the light shined through. I allowed myself to just relax and my husband and my kids took care of me and I enjoyed time with old friends and family. I had a fabulous time! I am not a social bunny (understatement of the decade). I generally do not like to be around a lot of people, but I had a really nice time. When my pain got to be too much, I looked at my husband and he knew exactly what I needed and we said our g’bye’s. We came back to the house and rested for a bit and while I rested my husband took Tani out for a run and then we all went next door for the annual fireworks and then back home for the night. All in all a great day to bring some well needed light into my life!

Sometimes, it just takes the simple things in life. Some friends to light up your life. Say “YES” to the invitations to go out, even if you stay for an hour. You might be surprised by the smile on your face when you leave. Wear something easy and don’t be hard on yourself about having to look perfect, people want to see YOU! I have missed out on many opportunities and I am sorry for that. I can only hope to work harder at this.

Also, let’s find ways to better educate those around us, and remember we aren’t all perfect… it’s just not possible. Let’s find a way to bridge this gap. The responsibility is on us, we are the ones with the medical conditions and we have the knowledge. Let’s find better ways to share in a user-friendly way. If you have ideas, please share with me.

Thanks so much for stopping by! Stay cool!

Tamiko

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When the Anger & Frustration Get The Best of You, What Do You Do? Choose Calm…

I am counting down the days… less than two weeks away until my son graduates from high school. While there is a lot to celebrate, I feel like I am seriously being tested. Mentally and physically…

This is one of those “how much can you take?” tests. All I’m saying is…. REALLY???? Right now???? First of all, I am not complaining. Okay. I’m complaining a little bit. So, as you read this, you must want to know what I am going on about. Well, I’ll tell you.

Work…. on top of Life…. on top of … Work … on top of Life… on top of … well you get it.

It is exhausting.

When the anger and the frustration get the best of you, what do you do? It’s interesting, either it’s age or all of the training I have received in the last couple years, I feel like I am a lot more calm now than I have ever been. This is another way for me to keep a flare away. If I lose my temper, I am guaranteed a flare within 24 hours. So, honestly, it’s a choice I make. How about you?

How about your surroundings? Do you notice people around you are getting mad a lot quicker? It seems to me people also get really mad at the small stuff. It’s crazy to me. I just don’t get it. It’s such a waste of energy. I guess, for me, I have so little energy to start with I see no reason to waste it on the small shit. Maybe if people were in pain, they would feel the same way. It’s an interesting way to learn such a profound lesson, but that’s how I learned! He said/she said… why do YOU care what people think of you? What is really important is what YOU think of you. Think about what makes you angry and figure out WHY. Is it worth spending the little energy you have on that anger? Or would you rather do something else with that energy… like LAUGH?

We are surrounded. There’s no doubt about it. Road rage. The daily news. TV shows. Movies. Rude people. Rude people in general. I am amazed at how rude people are these days. Rude people raising rude children…. and so on and so on…

So! Don’t stand for it. Smile. Don’t let the small shit get to you. Don’t get angry, get over it! Treat people with respect… ya hear me? Let’s use our energy for positivity!! Stand up and shout about it!

If you feel like you are about to lose it… close your eyes, breeeeeeeaaaaathe, count to ten.

If you want to scream at your boss, your husband, a rude person, your doctor …. take a deep breath, close your eyes, breeeeeeeaaaaathe, count to ten.

So… I think you get my point. The person who is going to suffer the most at the end of the day is the fibromite in the anger game.

Choose calm. Thanks for checking my blog out. Please leave a comment.

Stay cool – and chillax!!

PS. It’s funny how I always start off with one train of thought… and I always seem to end up somewhere else. Oh well, I did say I had ADHD, right? LOL!

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Expect the Unexpected… The Life of a Fibromite

Expect the unexpected… that should be the motto of our lives. Each day we wake up we never know which part of our body will function, or not. This is always an interesting part of my morning routine… I wake up and lay in bed for a few minutes and sort of have a chat with my body:

“okay feet, what’s going on… crazy nerves or are you going to be cool today?”

“legs and knees, numb this morning? can we stand up? walk?”

“back… oh back, let’s just rest a bit and then stretch out and … we really can do this… right?”

“shoulders… breathe…  breathe… release (I always have to remember to let my muscles relax in my shoulders!)”

“neck.. relax.. relax! .. oh I mean …. breaaaathhhheeeee… relaxxxx”

I have had one flare free week and what a blessing that was. I haven’t had a relatively pain free week like that in a very long time. Today is a new day. I will take it for what it is. I have new challenges to face today and I will face them and I will use my tools to manage through the pain and I will fight the flare monster away!

Today is a new day.

Expect the unexpected… and accept, sometimes it’s good and sometimes it’s not so good. Everyday is a new day, which means every day you have a new opportunity to make it a GREAT DAY!

Thanks for stopping by!

Stay cool.