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! (Or afternoon, evening, etc.) I slept little, but it wasn't fibro. It was Hubby's wristwatch. He accidentally set it to go off every hour on the hour and has yet to figure out how to undo it. I'll note he's had the same watch for 25 years. I gave it to him. I know. Aiee!
So what do I do now? No book chapter in a textbook for me. Mom doesn't trust me, and is pis*ing away every good opportunity I worked for her to have despite her not always qualifying for the goodies. I dunno. I just... yeah. Very Existential What Now sort of morning. On the plus side, my backyard is so overgrown by this one kind of weird weed that I may finally see it flower and get a positive ID on it! (And figure out if it's native, and allowable, or invasive, and killable. I go no-mow native-species. My little way of flipping off the HOA and embracing my environmentalism. Mwahaha! We're not up to eight houses doing no-mow yards in our HOA, and startedd with just me seven years ago, soooo.... I'll get these silly humans to evolve yet!)
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What's on your schedules today? (I already known half of you will do too much, btw, let's not kid ourselves here.)
I found a use for my "kitten sleeping bags". They smake very nice dusting mitts:-) Lousy mittens, but hey, dusting mitts!
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Speak of identifying plants, I went to the USDA plant ID site. Turns out I have a small problem. I need to know its scientifie data before I can find out what it is. Wait, what? Who wrote *that* search?! If I knew what it was called, whyw ould I need to ask its name?
So what plants are not native but we think might be? (Or have "gone native" after time?)
Surprise! The tumbleweed! That's actually a Russian plant, whose seeds snuck in with some flax at some point. No, the Old West did not roll with tumbleweeds... Tho' by Hollywood time, it did. You can actually find the classic "tumbleweed" of the Western US piled up against fences in huge banks during certain times of year. These plants rather understandably dispense seeds by drying out upon maturity, their roots die, and the wind blows them all over, and their seeds with them. One species in Australia shed enough seeds during one outbreak that people had to *shovel* them like snow. Yikes.
The dandelion? Not native to the US, but it fits in well, so we don't worry abou it like we do, say....
Kudzu. Brought in to prevent erosion, killing trees ever since. *headdesk*
The lovely pasture wildflower Queen Anne's lace is also a non-native in the US, but I can't imagine a pasture without it. Lovely flower. Don't confuse it with yarrow or wild carrots. Not taht the former is all that great if you screw up, being a "medicinal" plant (yeah, so is cocaine in some places), but you really don't wanna think Queen Anne's Lace is edible stuff.
The everyday daisy, poison hemlock (now native to where I live), and various thistles all came to the US via immigration, either intentional or otherwise. The idea that someone intentionally introduced poison hemlock---when we already have varieties native to the Americas---is just creepy.
BTW, the tomato and potato are both members of the same plant family as the poison hemlock. So're peppers. Weird factoid: The poison hemlock berries are yellow an dlok like unripe tiny tomatoes, and can be mistaken for ripe ground cherries if you don't know your stuff. For one thing, ground cherry fruits are covered in a weird papery husk like a paper lantern...
Ivy isn't native, either, tho' it's taken over. If you live in the Eastern US especially, you know it. Stuff's like kudzu for cold climates. Agh.
Another invasive that likes to take over is Scotch broom. Lovely yellow flowers, and a habitat-eater. WHen you see one? Kill it. Or you'll see nothing else. Trust me on that one. Stuff doesn't just live nicely like dandelions, oh no, it has to just overrun... Gah.
Speak of Scotland, thistles aren't native here, either, and who brought those?! OMG, I stepped on one barefoot once. You can't even make *noise* when that happens!
Periwinkle is another gone-native ground cover, but it loses out to ivy and while it grows wild, it gives way to natives pretty well in my area. (Ground pine, etc.) Hey, I can't get too fuzzy or I'd have no plants at all....
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Sorry, that was random.
And today in 79 AD, Vesuvius went boom. That eruption entombed Pompeii and Herculaneum, and today they still uncover more information as the archaeolgists dig down. Right down to carbonized food still in the ovens... Weird, right? The good news is, you die quickly if you're lucky in such situations. If you're not so lucky.... Well, yeah.
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I'm out. Fibro brain. "Cognitive fatigue" is what it's officially called right now. No kidding!
Purrs to all....
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We're all troubled.WSo, to remind ourselves we're not at rock bottom (this is a reverse optimism thing I learned as a kid):We are not living on the island of Krakatoa when the volcano goes boom!Yeah, okay, that sucks.***Toay in 1942, Pierre Laval announced that the way to free France was for Germany to win WW2. Pierre did not win a lot of friends. When the war ended, quite quickly he was tried...
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Another day, another ouchie?My bruised achilles tendon (don't ask) makes my foot numb. Wonky on meds, whacked it.Now, as to fibro:A lot of reports are going around some parts of social media that fibro (and dang near anything else) are caused by post-Covid, post-flu, post-vaccinations, post-pick-something.1. Your risk of death or serious complications beyond "ow, that shot hurt!" are typically...
Sometimes you gotta kind of kick back, take a deep breath and think. Hopefully an answer will come to you! (I'm fairly good at kicking back, halfway decent at breathing but can't think for @$@%).
Great info on all the non natives. We're overrun with them here too, on land and in lake superior.
Oh, I will work today then go home and cook supper and put on my nursing outfit (very flattering by the way) and keep an eye on Spartacus.
Speaking of Spartacus....he continues to do well, wish I could say the same for me. :-)
I call him Spartacus and my wife calls him Sparky...ultimately he'll be a confused "Sparky".
Hoping everyone has a foot loose and fancy free Wednesday! (I know in a lot of places you have to keep the fancy covered up but GO FOR IT!)
Kel
Kel, I don't think you are very good at sitting back. But, who is?? I am glad to see that Sparty is recovering so well. Oh what it would be like to be so young and heal so easy. I hope your pain lessens a little bit more today.
Well, the girl is off to college. I didn't hardly even cry. I was at the point of pain getting intense and exhaustion when we left. It was a 13 hour trip (drive time, unpacking, etc). My feet are back to bothering me again. They were doing well and then I wore sketcher flip flop type shoes to the mall and it inflammed my bursa in my ankles again. UGH. Tomorrow we are heading up to land to dry camp for the races. Sonny is working the race, I plan to indulge in some adult beverage a bit. We will be gone Thursday-Sunday. It is about 20 min from my house, but it will be nice to have a somewhat carefree weekend. Then I get told my cousin is stopping in from Scotland. I am not sure what to do with that. Maybe he will get a look at hill billy racing. LOL The racing type is Harescrambles. You have everyone from people in tents to toderhomes. I am somewhere in the middle!
Okay, rambling on. Have a good day all.
Kel, My yorkies name is Pixie and sometimes I call her pee, as if her name is long and I need to shorten it, and Jason calls her peep peep. She comes by all of her names. LOL. I'm sorry you are in so much pain these days.
BBmom, I'm glad you kept it together to take your daughter to college. That is such a long trip. My feet and hands are killing me, so I know how much pain you are in. It makes walking impossible. I hope your pain gets better before this weekend. You have a lot on the schedule.
Well I'm about to shut my office door and call my stupid insurance BCBS regarding Addison. They have not approved her special school for autism and ADHD. The school she attends teaches life skills and has group therapy and individual therapy during the day, so insurance has to approve the life skills and therapies in order for her to attend. The bastards haven't reapproved her this week and she is at home today with my mom. I'm so mad.
Kel, glad Spartacus is doing so well. Wish you were doing well. Take it easy.
Glad you got the girl off to college, Bbmom. That is hard work. Sorry your feet are bothering you. Take care.
8 month old is very needy today. Poor guy. He hates a bottle and wants his mom. They have a half day at school and should be home around 12:30.
Time to go. Little wants grandma.
I'm tired. Not sleeping again and when I do, my partner launches a snore fest that probably keeps the entire block awake. I'm ready to smother him with a pillow. So, I'm napping a bit but trying not to so my sleep schedule doesn't get completely screwed up. Yesterday, I worked outside for about 4 hours thinking that would just knock me right out last night. Yeah, not so much.
We've had a bit of a scare here. My mother who is 89 *may* have breast cancer. Her thermography study (doc prefers that to a mammogram) came back with one side showing a possible 4 out of 5 for cancer. Thermography is very, very sensitive and can detect a problem as early as 8 years prior to being operable. She needs more testing and initially said "no" punctuated by some cussing (lol - she just started swearing here and there). Her paternal grandmother and a maternal aunt had breast cancer. So, after some plotting and scheming we pointed out that this isn't just about her. There are five other women in the family that may be affected if this turns out to be anything serious. We'd benefit from having more information going forward. So, she has relented and will do what the doctor recommends.
My three cats all have crazy nicknames. They answer to all of them including their real names.
Leo, I am sorry that you were excluded from the chapter/book. That stinks and karma will get them all. I am probably going to do some more yard work today. I have a couple of lily beds to deforest now that they've died off. I'm hoping to find a toad or two in the toad house that I have out there. I have several toad houses spread out in my various gardens. I was outside after dusk last night and noticed that we have a bumper crop of bats this year. They do figure eights over the house at night. I get some strange looking weeds especially in the back yard gardens. I always wear gloves because I never know what I might be grabbing that could cause a problem.
Kel - It sounds like Sparty is doing just fine. I'm sure that your nurses uniform is very flattering. Have a good one.
BBMom - I'm glad that your daughter is all settled in at college. My youngest niece leaves for college next year. I'm sure that this one is really going to do me in as she is my favorite. Your cousin would probably really enjoy the racing. My people come from Forfar in Scotland. The ancient Kingdom of the Picts. It is about an hour 1/4 drive time basically North of Edinburgh. Sorry that your feet are bothering you again. Have a good day!
TwinMom - I have BCBS too and they drive me to drink sometimes. I have a self appointed person that I deal with now. Out of all the reps that I have had to talk to, she is the only one that makes any sense/knows the policy. So, I just call in and ask to have her call me back. I hope that you can pound some sense into them. Addison should not be home from school because they are too busy sharpening pencils to authorize her care. So stupid and exhausting for you. I hope that you get that resolved easily. Piles of chocolate chips coming your way!
AngelaJo - You are amazing! You have gotten a lot done but probably should try to pace a bit more lol. It was nice of you to make a meal for your new friend. That is such a great pick me up when things aren't going well. I'm glad to see that you are going to relax before tackling the bedroom. Great news on the Oxy and H2O!!
Hi Ida - Sorry that your grandson is so fussy today. It sounds like you have been very busy this week. I hope you can get a bit of rest in this afternoon. Have a good day.
I've already got laundry working. I was lazy last night about cleaning up after dinner. That's been rectified and the dishwasher is ready to be started. Now, if I can just get myself started (where is the *on* button) and out the door to garden. We have rain coming around mid afternoon. I want to garden, swim and then find something on Netflix to watch. Group hug and a shout out to Blue, Bobbii and Bear!
Leo, thanks for all the invasive species info. Although, other than a tumbleweed and dandelion (which I heard can be a medicinal herb), I don't know what most of those are. I hope you identify your weed.
We found wild black raspberries here up the mountain and after a little research learned they aren't native and in fact are considered to be an invasive species. Some websites are telling people that if they find any, to kill them. My husband said "screw that", he loves hiking up there and eating them.
Up early thanks to another nightmare.
I saw my new rheumatologist who flies in once a month from Oahu. She is ordering a blood panel to screen for misc. autoimmune problems including lupus. I've been tested for lupus before, though, some years ago. What caught her attention was my mystery rash i've had for many years that no doctor has been able to solve. Remember when I went on a trial of plaquenil back in the spring for sjogrens? Well, my mystery rash mysteriously disappeared while on the med. And then when I stopped taking it, it came back with a vengeance. I told my doctors about it back then, but none could explain it (because all this time the docs had assumed the rash was either eczema or an allergy). The new rheumatologist said my rashes may be in fact something autoimmune related. It explains why none of the creams or ointments they gave me worked, but why the plaquenil did work. She said that the treatment for it is in fact plaquenil. So she recommends going back on it, but since it upset my stomach so much she said I could try cutting up the pill and see what happens.
I also saw a social worker at the VA regarding my counseling and told her what was going on, the nightly nightmares, physical pain, muscle spasms, etc. She was recommending I go to an in house facility for a 24/7 program where I'm monitored all the way in California?! WTH. I said heck no. I told her there has to be something else out there for us vets that doesn't involve torment or prison. Gee louise! So she is setting me up with regular counseling, but it's not a therapy program. I'm honestly shocked. Now I see why vets are offing themselves at an alarming rate. More than 22 suicides per day. Oh.... and she gave me more numbers to call that might help me get ready for when mom gets here and for programs for her.
Man, this little box kills me. I have another acupuncture appt today. Horse therapy tomorrow morning and then PTSD therapy in the afternoon.
back in a little
Bbmom, I'm glad the girls are off to college. I'm sorry you got to the point of total exhaustion. I was there last week with all the running around and I do hope you get some rest and recover. Sending peace and relaxation your way!
Ohmygosh, Twin... your insurance company sounds frustrating! Your situation plays on my heart strings. I will be praying so much that they approve. Hugs, chocolate, and prayers!
Ida, I hope you are holding up. You sound like you have your hands full. Sending energy...
Fantod, I'm sorry about your mom. I really hope she does NOT have cancer. Boy, that can keep the patient and family on edge till they figure it out. The VA got my medical records switched with someone else one time and gave me a cancer scare. They sent me in for emergency screenings, biopsies, etc. OMG! I kept trying to tell them I thought they had the wrong person. After an investigation they found out about the medical record switch. Oh, I felt so bad for the person who really did need the biopsies and time had been ticking. My husband snores like a train, too. I can hear him through my ear plugs. Yuck. Perhaps your partner should sleep in another room tonight so you can get some rest.
Take care, everyone....
Fantod, bless you for more chocolate sprinkles or showers! I gave BCBS an earful this morning. It sounds like you have a busy day before the rain comes. I hope your pain stays under control despite more yard work and you enjoy Netflix when the time comes. Can you sleep on the couch when his snoring gets too loud? I love my couch, but not everyone can sleep on one. Take care!
Blue, WTH is exactly how I would have reacted. I understand they are limited in what they can provide, but like you said they seriously don't have something else out there besides putting them in house 24/7. I'm glad she gave you more numbers that may be helpful for your mom.
Okay so far I have spoken to 3 people with BCBS. The first one showed nothing on the account regarding Addison's care at this school since June. So she transferred me, and then that person basically said the same thing. And now get this, that call took 1 hour. Then I called Addison's school back to get the contact name of who they talked to on Monday. So I called Judy with BCBS, not a 800 number, and she knew all about it. Nobody can tell me why when I look at our account, the general customer service team can't see anything on Addison since June. WTH. They approve her every 2 wks and I get a letter in the mail every 2 wks. They are idiots! I'm waiting for Judy to call me back on the doc to doc call they have requested between Addison's doctor and the BCBS doctor. I told them in the meantime my daughter can't go to school. Her response was, oh I didn't know it was a school too, it just shows up as therapy for us. Yeah well you are denying my kid an education right now, thank you very much. I was very rude. If they needed to talk to the doctor, why couldn't they do it last Friday before her approval ran out! I'm ready to get this day over with.
Twin, that's crazy... Praying Judy calls you back asap! fingers and toes crossed for you!
On the up side, my spouse purchased a tens unit for me last night. I think it's the best present he has ever given me!
Ida, so sorry you are dealing with a cranky boy today. But I'm glad you get to spend time with them and hubby and kids.
Angela, sorry you are paining, but glad you are able to get up and do things.
Fantod good luck in your flower beds. I gave up on mine this year. My cousin is from Edinburgh. My mom was born and raised in Cambridge England. I would love to get more info on my ancestry but I work on it for about an hour then lose interest. Plus I don't have a lot of info on my moms family other than her parents names.
Blue, I'm sorry your hubby is being a butt head again. I hope changing your therapy helps. It is no wonder the suicide rate is so alarming. They do all they can to brain wash you but nothing, or very little, to help you later.
So hubby is off to his stupid Chief Selectee hazing. He will be home at 1am. I'm so sick of it.
Alright I am going to take a nap. I lifted something I shouldn't have yesterday and it hurt my stomach. So I'm resting today.
Precious, sorry your moods are swinging and I hope you do not end up in the er. My mom has bipolar, so I know how that goes. Sending peaceful vibes your way....