Fibromyalgia Support Group
You're not alone in your pain. Fibromyalgia is a condition that can be difficult to diagnose and manage. If you're trying to cope with pain throughout your body, sleep problems, general fatigue, or other common fibromyalgia symptoms, you're in the right place. The community is here for you to talk about therapies and share your challenges.

Good morning! I noticed we have many new names posting on the board. Welcome! Join in and read or reply on the group check-in! We're here daily. Or try to be.
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I'm up at oh-crap-early. It allegedly snowed. All it did was cause ache with a dusting of white fluff. Eh. I am unimpressed. And very tired. I'll nap later. I hope.
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Adventures in Cat Wrangling yesterday: LilMiss has realized I own cat toys. these are new and baffling to her. She is a cat who preys, not plays. Fortunately, "string under a rug" works wonders to fascinate her. Lowers my BP about ten points,t oo. We've a bamboo mat/area rug, and I brought out the old long long shoelace, tied a tiny knot in one end, hid most of it under the mat, and dragged it a tiny bit at a time. Instant LilMiss joy! She's a good hunter --- as we know from the "gifts" she leaves us --- but she seemed to enjoy the idea of hunting without freezing her tail off. Yes, she just walks into my house every day now. WHatever. I'm too tired to argue. Or chase. Or whatever.
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The paper punchboard was patented today in 1905.
What the hell i s a punchboard?
Originally, it was of wood, with holes drilled in it, and each hole held a slip of paper or token that denoted you'd "won" something. The punchboard was a feature at many taverns, and you paid for your chance at it, and you might get a jokey "loser" bit or a free pint of booze or even a bit of cash. It was inexpensive, and popular, until of course people figured out the bar owners weren't letting anyone win the big stuff, and it was cumbersome, and cheating was too easy, and people stopped gambling by betting on their chance at te punchboard.
Then, in the late 1800s, people got the idea to use paper on both sides of the punchboard. This kept the operator "honest", inasmuch such a thing is possible, and you'd pay five cents, take a metal stylus and punch the hole and get your prize (or lack thereof). Basically, it's teh ancestor of the modern scratch-off lottery ticket, and the tickets are more honest, as they've got serial numbers tracking them. Punchboards --- whether in an old drugstore or whatever c. 1900-1950 -- could be more easily tainted without the customer knowing it. In fact, punchboards were used to advertise everything from beer to cigarette lighters in the Depression era, and somet punchboards put out by companies as ads? Held an actual *item* inside. Worth a penny to try, right?
Fans of the TV show "The Price is right" will reocgnize this from the feature "Punch a Bunch". I had to find a pop culture example of this darn thing. Seriously. A punchboard... Wow.
OK, and in other news for this date, the Pro Golfers Association was born, so happy golfing to our resident golf fans!
In 1995, the Kobe, Japan, earthquake hit 7.2 on the Richter scale, killing about 6,000 --- exactly one year after the Northridge, California, US earthquake killed about 60-plus, with a magnitude in the 6.7 range, and causing $2B in damages. To the day. Yeesh.
And in 1945, Warsaw was liberated from Nazis by Soviets. Yeah. Frying pans and fires, y'know?
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Blessed day to all.:-)
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I'm alive, I'm sleeping like a rock, and for some reason I wanted cherry juice so that seems to be helping. (??? Weirdo that I am.)***Infamous therapies over history:1. The Attic. The madwoman in the attic is a motif in literature going waaaaaay back: the nutty female relative is locked in the attic. (See: Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte for a grotesquely racist version of it, and Charlotte Perkins...
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Welcome to the Perseid meteor showers, the "biggies" usually every year. (The Leonids beat 'em one year IMHO).AND today much of the northern hemisphere will see 5 to 99% solar eclipse. How cool is that? Your best bet is to be in the UK or norhtern Spain, where totality is excellent before sundown. Me, I'll get a super duper tiny itty bitty slice of it, so little that it won't be noticeable. New...
Hope everyone doing ok. And welcome to new members. This boards great. I love the daily check ins- thanks leo! X
Just got up & made some green tea & took some medicine, hope it helps
Hope everyone has spots of pain free comfort in there days
Hugs <3
Sorry for the aches from the tiny snowfall, Leo. Hope you can nap later. Thanks for checkin and for watching over LilMiss.
Lilbeany, sorry your shoulders are bothering you. Have fun shopping. I go overboard for my grandkids. Take care.
Lilmissy, sorry you are in so much pain. I hope the tea helped a little and that you can rest later.
We made it home last evening. On the way home I fell on black ice at a gas station/convenience store. There was water covering it so I was soaked from head to toe. I bruised both knees and have aching everywhere. Especially my back and ribs. I was so glad to get home and get out of those wet clothes. I didn’t sleep so well last night.
Hubby is still in bed with his cold. Hope he feels better.
Today is laundry and resting.
My MIL seemed a bit confused yesterday just before we left. It is good she won’t be going home.
Blessings to all.
Lovelilbeany-I hope you can find some inexpensive birthday presents and you enjoy your haircut
Lilmissy-I hope you can get some rest today and your pain eases
I got lucky this week...snow day today (paid) and no surgeries scheduled for tomorrow so I'm off. And I cancelled therapy for the weeks I'm working Thursday mornings so I don't have that either. So today I'm going to go grocery shopping, get a haircut I need badly, and cook dinner. I have some errands I might get done today or tomorrow, depending on how the roads are today. Also my mom's friend texted me yesterday, she's going away next month so she needs me to go to her house and give her cat some meds once a day, which will be good because I'll make some extra money doing it. It'll be a small dent in the roughly $7,000 in repairs that I need to get done before next year, but its something. Anyway... I hope everyone has a good day today
Lovelilbeany, I hope your hair turns out great and that you are able to find some good gifts for your niece. Sorry your shoulders are so tight. When my muscles get tight, I sit in a really hot bath as hot as I can stand it. It really helps me.
Lilmissy, I hope your pain gets better today so you can sleep.
Ida, that’s so terrible about your fall. Do you see a chiropractor? You might want to make sure you didn’t do some damage to yourself. Glad you’re finally home so you can rest up. I hope your hubby’s cold gets better.
Miki, so glad to hear that you don’t have to work today or tomorrow. Hopefully you’ll get some good rest and feel better.
Twin, I hope you feel somewhat better today. When I left a message for the nurse at the pain clinic, their message says it could take three days for them to return the call so not to keep calling because that would not make them call any sooner. So there’s that. Lol I guess they’ll call eventually.
Well, it’s really snowing here in Charlotte. At about 6:30 this morning, there was nothing, only wet streets. Then, when I left at 8:00, there was a layer of snow on my car and everything else and it’s still coming down strong. I did make it to work, but I’m the only person here in the building. I hope to at least make it until noon. It’s supposed to snow all day and then get down to 15 degrees tonight, so I definitely won’t be driving tomorrow because the roads will just be a sheet of ice. Wow. Other than that, I feel pretty good today. I heard on the radio on Bob & Sheri that Sheri bought a calm collar for one of her cats. She got it at PetSmart. I think I’m going to go there on my way home today and get one for Ben. Can’t wait to try it out. I hope everyone can have a good day today. Take care.
Susan
It's amazing how levels of hunting vary from cat to cat. We've had a few great hunters and a few that could barely hunt their food dishes! Tweak, who recently passed away, was our greatest hunter...calm, patient and yet alert. Elsa, our remaining cat, is a pretty fair hunter (having learned from Tweak) but she is a very big cat...That hurts her ability to get into some of the tight places. She also doesn't want to really hurt her prey so carries stuff around in her mouth still kicking most of the time.
lilBeany,
I hope you get some relief from your shoulder pain. I tend to go overboard when I buy for pretty much everyone.
ida,
I almost fell on the way to work today. The ice was hidden under some loose snow but I somehow managed to stay on my feet! Hope you can kick back and let the pain back off today!
Miki,
It sounds like you caught a couple of nice breaks. That's great to hear! I hope you enjoy your days off.
We're suppose to get warmer here over the next few days....starting today (mid 20's). Hopefully the warmth will help ease some of the pain for a short while. I'm looking forward to heading down to the cities for a Timberwolves game on Saturday. Last time I saw them live, I was with my Dad and he passed away over 13 years ago. I'm sure I'll be thinking about him at the game.
I hope you all find some peace today!
Kel
Susan, glad you feel pretty good today. Hope it continues. That would be cool if the cat collar works.
Kel, enjoy the Timberwolves game. I love sports, except the pain from bad seats. Glad you didn’t fall on the ice. Not so for me.
Lilbeany -- Cheap presents are around if you look. We have stores here that specialize in things that cost less than $10. I often buy prizes for events we host at them. Picked up some chess sets for $3 a piece the other day. Kiddos enjoyed them and already lost pieces, which is why I purchased the $3 chess sets!
Lilmissy -- I'm up since 4AM as well. There is hopefully a nap in my future.
Ida -- OUCH. Take care of yourself and hope Hubby is soon feeling better.
Miki -- Have a good snow day off and be careful out there!
WVgirl -- I've been meaning to mention, regarding the spinal cord stimulator, you may want to check your state regs about driving with it. I am told in my state it is not legal and they suspend your license. Not sure if you are one of us that drives or not, but thought that I would mention it.
Kel -- Your Elsa reminds me of the cat I had last. He was so large people thought he was a dog! Got me in trouble once at my apartment complex because someone saw him in the window and reported me for having a dog. Complex maintenance came over to verify he was in fact a cat. Not just a "big boy" at 16 lbs, but he was so tall he wasn't chunky, if that makes sense?
So I had a meeting at work yesterday. Turns out I am doing a stellar job! (Gives everyone a moment to recover from whiplash at this turn of events.) The opinions expressed by one individual, apparently on behalf of management, are just that persons opinions. In fact that person launching their own little rebellion which has not gone unnoticed. Best part was I didn't even have to bring it up, it came up as part of another conversation. I am still working the long hours just to cover my behind, at least until this all comes to a head.
We got some not so great news at the vet the other night. Yippy, our older dog, appears to have some sort of respiratory issue. So far not pneumonia or any heart thing that they can hear. So she is on antibiotics and we re-check in 2 weeks. They are not sure if it is infection or a result of the dryness and dust from our woodstove. Sniffy, our younger dog, has been labeled "very slow . . . to mature" (pause the vets). She is one year and acts like a dog less than 6 months old. Vet said this could be why she is so difficult to train. For the past year the vet has been thinking that I forgot what it was like to have a puppy. But at the visit on Monday she observed the normal actions of the dog and commented they were far too immature for a dog of 1 year. However she didn't give me any clues on how to work with the dog. Unfortunately this is just more reason for the ones in the family who feel I should "take her back" to dislike the dog. But I am nothing if not stubborn, so now I have a "project" figuring out how to reach her and teach her (although I may have to give up on the "sit" command, which is OK, I have trained dogs to do a "hold" or standing stay before, including Yippy.) I'll check back in later.
I was reading your message from yesterday. We haven't been ice fishing yet but plan on going a week from Saturday. You can still make it! I'll even take the fish off your hook for you! :-)
Be careful out there in the snow! We've been very cold but really haven't had a big snowfall yet. Probably have about a foot of cover but that's mostly because it never melts...well at least not for a month or two still.
puppyMom,
Sorry to hear about Yippy, hopefully he'll recover soon! We've been having trouble training Spartacus to do pretty much anything. He is stubborn and very wound up. After two years of trying we can almost get him to sit once in a great while...don't know if it's by chance or he is being good.
He is supposedly a full dachshund but without papers, which is not important to us. Very stubborn and yes, very smart.
Leo, we do the string thing here too for Iz and Pudge. Izzy goes apenuts for it and Pudge....eh...if she's in the mood. She's also one who doesn't like catnip until Iz comes along and munches on it. Then since Iz got to have some Pudge wants it.
But if you break out the lazer pointer....the fun knows no bounds or boundaries, LOL.
Sorry the aches are settling in and the snow is hanging on down there. By the sounds of it, it seems you have gotten more snow than we have here.
Lovelilbeany, I love spoiling kiddos. It's just hard not to. Hope you have fun playing beauty shop today.
lilmis, I hate it when pain keep you awake. It's just not fair! May there be more sleep than pain tonight for you.
Ida, that is no way to end the trip from over here. I'm so sorry you went down. I've done that in parking lots. Watch your knees for swelling...sometimes it take a day or two....which is weird. Then again, knees are weird, even how we spell the word is weird.
Rest up if you can and I hope your hubby starts to feel better soon. I thought I was going to end up with a cold last night, I was blowing my nose like crazy just before bed and woke up feeling fine. Super thankful for that.
Praying also your MIL makes a good and safe recovery. Poor thing.
Miki, this is the kind of break you needed, snow (paid) day, day off tomorrow, more cash coming in....feels like the sun is shinning on your shoulders finally. Enjoy your beauty shop day too. I did my nails yesterday....(It's a curse, don't ever start them). And I really need to whack some length off my hair too. Just haven't found the time yet...but I refuse to pack my scissors, LOL.
Susan, what you explained there about the pain clinic...is one of the reasons why I don't put up with them. I was told that "pain is not considered an emergency". Huh, yet every other doctor in the world will say that if you are experiencing pain, then your body is demanding you seek attention. I'm sorry your clinic is treating you that way also. I tend to be a very patient person but my threshold is how the pain clinic treats me. So I sit with my puffed up ego here in pain....too stubborn for my own good! Hope they call you back today.
Kel, I bet you're going to have a great time. Be careful where you park downtown. The adjacent parking lot to the Target Stadium is known for some brutal robberies. My hubsters boss (former company) was robbed at gunpoint and beaten (lost a few teeth from it) in mid day. Lost of rapes and such happen in that parking lot also. If you want a ride, let me know, I'd be happy to play limo driver for you.
Puppymom, awes, I'm so sorry to hear about the breathing issues for your pup. I hate it when my furbutts get sick. As for your younger one. Our Lexi (black lab) never ever outgrew her pupphood. She was nine when we had to put her down (spine issues). And although I could get her to sit upon coming inside if I had a treat in my hand, she would not do so otherwise. I never gave up trying though. But the command she took to? 4-on-the-floor. I was okay if she couldn't "sit"....as long as she stood in one place. So that was her thing. Goofydog. She was my Marley & Me dog. She didn't destroy furniture or walls though (thankfully)...just tennis balls and ropes. That dog could jump though....never over fences, but she could clear our sliding glass door from a laying position. I think she was 1/2 lab and 1/2 jackrabbit.
Not much going on here in the wide world of Wonder. Just navigating our way through the house....I'm trying to organize the boxes now....it's an illness this organizing thing. I just know I'm going to be that cooky old lady who organizes her dust piles when I'm old and gray.
So with that being said....I'm off to go shuffle boxes around. Send help, please?
lovelilbeany, your day sounds great. Enjoy your haircut and the shopping for your niece. They definitely make life worthwhile don't they.
lilmiss, sorry about your lack of sleep and intense pain. I hope you get some relief and find a way to enjoy your day.
ida, you poor thing. I can't believe you fell that hard. Sorry to hear how your MIL seemed, but really glad things got sorted out on her living situation. I hope you get some rest and take care of yourself today. It sounds like icing and heating pads are in order. I prefer the heat. :-)
Miki, yay for 2 days off! I'm so happy for you. Please enjoy them to the fullest even if it means crashing some. I'm glad you get to make some extra money too, every little bit counts.
Susan, if it's passed 3 days though, you need to call. My doctors have the same voice message but I've had a no call from my neurologist and my thyroid doc many times before and it took me calling back. I hope you hear from them today. Thank you for thinking about me. My stomach is actually hurting a lot but it's not just digestion upset, I'm praying I don't have a hernia on my stomach. I knew I was still doing too much. Have a good day and a safe drive home. I hope to one day live in NC. :-)
Kel, I'm glad you didn't fall again. How is your cut on your leg? I hope it warms up nicely for you and you enjoy the game over the weekend. I still like to catch a little boxing here and there because it makes me think of my time with my dad. :-)
puppymom, I'm very happy that you got a great review at work. Sorry Yippy is sick and Sniffy is showing some signs of immaturity. I think that's why you got that pup, most people would give up on her. Hang in there and be the best momma possible to that dog.
I'm beginning to wonder if I have a hernia on top of all of this pain. My stomach is hurting to the left of my belly button and right on the incision at my belly button. It's slightly bulging so that may explain things. I'll probably call the nurse this afternoon or tomorrow if it progresses. It's been hurting for awhile but the intense pain was always short-lived so I presumed recovering from surgery. This morning it's been hurting nonstop.
I hope everyone has a good day.
Praying it's nothing more.