Weight Loss
November 6, 2009 8:11am
Lost 4 more lbs.
Progress
65 %
Current Weight (Lbs)
227
casch
6:32am, October 19, 2009
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About Me
casch
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About Me
I’m a disabled veteran & a Christian with a fantastic wife, 2 grown children, & 3 young grandchildren, ages 2-7, with another due on 12/24/09. I'm prior navy I've been diagnosed with fibromyalgia & CFIDS, (as a result of environmental exposure to some type(s) of organophosphates during a brief period of time while I was on the ground in the region of the 1st Gulf War, Degenerative Disk Disease in my lower back & neck, Osteopenia, Arthritis, numerous bone spurs on my spine, numerous pinched/damaged nerves in my back, migraines, Crohn's Disease, Sleep Apnea, Carpal Tunnel, Severe depression/anxiety disorder....among others. I have always been the very active, physical, powerful, ever busy type of person, always up & doing something. I’ve been referred to as a workaholic. I had a pretty sharp mind at one time also. Now, with the ever invasive "fibro fog", it feels as if my brain has been removed & replaced with that of someone else. Simple problems aren't as simple now, & short term memory is intermittent at best. After returning from that deployment in the Persian Gulf, I felt a little run down, sometimes a little more than others, & was having more aches & pains than I was accustomed to, but it didn’t slow me down too much. I thought that, since I was pushing 40, that’s just the way life was going to be. At work, after the Navy, as an electronics engineering tech, the problems that weren’t that difficult to solve before, became more challenging. Then one morning in early July, 2000, I woke up with what felt like the combination of the worst flu I ever had & like I had been beaten & battered. My joints felt locked up &, even with all my effort, could barely move & with a pain I never imagined possible. There wasn’t a place on my body that could be touched, the pain was so intense. And my legs wouldn’t support my then normal weight. The 1st DR I went to didn’t comprehend the magnitude of my pain or the debilitating fatigue & I later learned that just mentioning fibromyalgia or CFIDS would prompt a chuckle from her. After months of different meds & many tests, she concluded that the “aches & pains” were just part of the depression I was suffering from. During the time I was having different tests & taking a variety of meds, I tried working as much as I could. but my full time job turned into a more part-time role because even when I could get to work, much of my time was spent staring blankly at what I was supposed to be working on. The company I worked for carried me for 6 months of this before I was let go in 1/01. I then found a DR who believed me & understood fibro/CFIDS. After a few visits, he & his nurse practitioner, who has many connections in the V.A. in other regions of the country, with people who work with those with Gulf War Illness, sat down with me & we did a much more detailed history. I was only on the ground in the Gulf Region for a few weeks, but the DR & nurse practitioner, who spoke to some of her contacts about my case, concluded that my fibro/CFIDS is a result of some environmental exposure while I was in the Gulf Region. The DR wrote a letter to provide to the V.A stating his findings & theory, which I submitted, along with the appropriate paperwork, through my advocate, the Disabled American Veterans, & even though I was still in denial & somewhat apathetic, I still went through the process of submitting any proof I could to support my case & got approved for V.A. disability shortly after my physical & psych eval. I haven’t yet proven my case for unemployability, but for now. I am blessed with a high enough disability rating that all my meds & care are free. As for Social Insecurity, I got denied 3 times before I hired a lawyer, took my medical records & other proof before an Administrative Law Judge, & won. While we all know everyone is different & we all respond & react differently to any given thing, whether it’s meds or other treatments, physical activities, or anything, and after 9 years now of research & communicating with many contacts, it blows my mind just how differently 1 person may respond to these debilitating diseases from another, as well as how much different the level of severity fibro/CFIDS can be from 1 person to the next. It’s frustrating that I haven’t responded well to the many treatments that I have tried, between prescription drugs, herbal/homeopathic remedies & change in life habits. I have proven that being up & moving around is important in keeping this debilitating affliction from getting worse & will one day be the key to getting my life back. I've also come to understand that there are times that forcing myself up & about is more harmful than beneficial. And I've learned that even though the average person afflicted with fibro/CFIDS has found a way to live a somewhat normal life, whether it be through meds or other treatments, changes in lifestyle, or a combination of different things, I do feel blessed that there are still those that have it worse than I do. I really feel for those people. I am currently in the process of getting off prescription meds & onto more natural/homeopathic remedies & meeting with some success so far. Baby steps.
I’m a disabled veteran & a Christian with a fantastic wife, 2 grown children, & 3 young grandchildren, ages 2-7, with another due on 12/24/09. I'm prior navy I've been diagnosed with fibromyalgia & CFIDS, (as a result of environmental exposure to some type(s) of organophosphates during a brief period of time while I was on the ground in the region of the 1st Gulf War, Degenerative Disk Disease in my lower back & neck, Osteopenia, Arthritis, numerous bone spurs on my spine, numerous pinched/damaged
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Interests
Serving God in any way I'm able. Gardening, outdoor cooking, home improvement. Anything outdoors and/or physical that I can get away with ... and a lot that I end up not getting away with. I was once an avid reader. I read as much as I can, which isn't much more than a blurb or caption most of the time thanks to the ever-present "fibrofog". I do read all I can & work different types of puzzles - anything to work my brain as much as possible because if you don't use it, you lose it.
Serving God in any way I'm able. Gardening, outdoor cooking, home improvement. Anything outdoors and/or
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Recent Activity
November 6
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casch wrote a journal entry updating their Lose Weight goal 8:11am
Lost 4 more lbs.…
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casch changed their mood to OK 8:11am
October 7
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casch turned 49 12:00am
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Journal
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Hugbook
Hug
Friends who take the time to care are really Angels unaware. I saw this earlier today and felt it applied to my friends who really take their time to get to know me. God Bless you and have a great day...Hugs~Kim~xoxo
Hug
update journal, hugsssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss and lovessssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss and prayerssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss
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Hug
evryone calls me the hugger lol,hugsssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss and lovessssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss and prayerssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss
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Hug
hugsssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss and lovessssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss and prayerssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss
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Hug
welcome to ds. I hope your life will be as blessed as mine has become since joining this wonderful site! Hugs~N~Blessings, Kim xoxoxoxo
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Photos
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Goals
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Support Groups
Close Fibromyalgia
Treatments
- Acupuncture Working / Worked
- Aqua Therapy Working / Worked
- Water Aerobics - as able. Great low impact workout.
- Baclofen Working / Worked
- 30 mg/day for spasms. Not perfect, but it helps.
- CoEnzyme Q Working / Worked
- Helps a little with the debilitating, constant exhaustion.
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Somewhat Helpful
- The therapy reinforced the mindset that I have had all along. Even though I may get up feeling awful, I don't automatically accept that the day is going to be all bad.
- Depakote Not Working
- Elavil Not Working
- Lyrica Not Working
- Severe swelling in legs/feet. Blurry/tunnel vision
- Morphine Working / Worked
- Take for break-through pain.
- Neurontin Not Working
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- Physical Exercise Somewhat Helpful
- On decent days, what seems like a good workout one day is WAY too much on another. On bad days, the pain/exhaustion gets worse w/each movement.
- Support from Friends & Family Somewhat Helpful
- Ultram Not Working
- Vitamin B12 Somewhat Helpful
- I'm not completely sure if it's helping or not.
Close Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
Treatments
- Acupuncture Working / Worked
- Just started again. its helping. I tried some acupuncture several years ago but ran out of funds after only a few treatments. Insurance didnt pay for it like they were supposed to.
- DHEA Working / Worked
- Been taking this for about 4 yrs. I have stopped taking it several different times because it didn't seem to be worth the cost. When I stop taking it, I realize how well it worked & how much it really helps.
- Duragesic Patch Working / Worked
- 100mcg Fentanyl patch, changed every other day. Add morphine for breakthrough pain.
- Glucosamine/Chondroitin Working / Worked
- Very helpful. Quite soothing to my joints
- Methadone Working / Worked
- Worked for a while then built up a tolerance to it. Switched to percocet.
- Morphine Working / Worked
- Take for breakthrough pain.
- Zoloft Not Working
- Alergic
- Oxycodone Working / Worked
- Took for breakthrough pain then built tolerance switched to morphine.
Open Veterans
casch hasn’t entered any details for this support group.Open Migraine Headaches
Treatments
- Zomig Working / Worked
- Usually does the trick if I catch it early enough. Also take Ibuprofen along with.
Open Degenerative Disc Disease
DDD in lower neck & lower back discovered 2 years ago, along with numerous bone spurs up & down spine.
Open Depression
Type: Clinical (Major) DepressionSevere depression
Treatments
- Celexa Not Working
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Working / Worked
- Although I sometimes am down & feel sorry for myself, CBT has shown that my mindset is generally what it needs to be & that I WON'T let this thing beat me..
- Effexor Working / Worked
- Worked , but blood pressure was uncontrollable.
- Positive Thinking Working / Worked
- I try to focus on how much I'm blessed rather than cursed.
- Prozac Not Working
- Began taking & something in my head snapped. Lost all control over depression & anxiety. Taking mirtazapine (60mg) & clonazepam & still need something.
- Wellbutrin Not Working
- Dizziness & dreams that were more like psychotic episodes.
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Fanned Experts
