SOMETHING NEW

Zanaflex.

I went to a new pain management doctor that was recommended by my orthopedic surgeon. I'll be getting epidural injections and I'm also still waiting for the MRI results. 

He asked about my history and I mentioned the Fibromyalgia. He then prescribed Zanaflex. He said it would not only relieve the cramping in my muscles but it would help me sleep. 

What am I taking?

Zanaflex is a short-acting muscle relaxer that addresses the problems of muscle spasms. It's been effective in relieving the muscle spasms that accompany either Fibromyalgia and/or spinal injuries. 


Great. I'm two for two.


So now it's a new doctor who is going to aggressively treat the pain that is constant in my body. I had a concern about all the medication but when he explained it, it makes sense. My body needs help to repair itself. 


So I'll try it. 


At least someone is trying something.


Has anyone had any experience with Zanaflex?

RAIN, RAIN GO AWAY. MRI ANOTHER DAY

It's amazing that a beautiful and much needed rain can wreak so much havoc on my system but that will be the story of my life; at least this week. With that said......what else can be as bad as the pain that comes with the rain?

What you ask?? 

Just a quick MRI and nerve conduction test. 

Helga's House of Pain

It shouldn't be too major, just a  few simple electrodes placed strategically on my legs and feet. A couple of stabs and .......voila! I'm done. 

I swear the woman that tested me today not only worked there but was the manager.

No. Such. Luck.

First, it's advisable to keep me waiting over an hour. I love that. Then I have this dominatrix taking off the first three layers of skin trying to get the electrodes on my head and legs. Once applied I'm gently asked to get my already sore body on an ice cold table. Then Helga the terrible says, "Ready?"  and before I could say, "HELL NO!" she shot an electrical current that could keep New York lit for a week through my legs. 

As I'm flopping like a fish just out of water on the table, she zaps me again! I raised my head and glared at her and asked if she could wait a few seconds. She looked at me again and started in with a SERIES OF 8.  

At that point I figured it was time to take some action. I grabbed her hand and said STOP and if she didn't warn me before the next series I wanted someone else to do the testing. I looked down at my legs and I have lovely little blue marks where she burned me from the current.  

What a wonderful day.

So I proceed to the cigar tube for an MRI. This isn't bad because I'm not claustrophobic. At least I got to rest but I had to wait because my legs still had spasms from all the electrical currents playing with my nerve endings. 

When I finally got out of there I realized the pain in my body wasn't that bad after all.

At least Helga wasn't giving me a massage.

GLOOMY AND SAD

It's coming.


Rain.

It's supposed to rain all week and I know that while the clouds are a beautiful thing, it isn't a beautiful thing for my body.

My hands already hurt and it's getting worse.


I've watched the clouds and the gentle rain coming down through my window and I can't even think of the beauty. All I can think is how much I hurt.


Is there a silver lining?


In the "Art of War" by Sun Tzu one of the principles is to know your enemy and know yourself. I'm beginning to think of this as the enemy.


So I need to know myself and know Fibromyalgia and only then can I prevail.


Right now I want to curl up. It's hard to find hope in the middle of pain.


Am I the only one that feels that way?

I'm not doing well with any coping mechanisms right now and the only thing I want is to bury my face in a quart of Haagen Daz but I know I'll hate myself afterwards. I've tried finding my zen place but my zen place is ice cream....no that's not what I mean. I'm not real disciplined, but I guess it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure that one out. 


I mean....................... 4 or 5 of those little things make a nice snack.

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NIGHTSHADE? LOW DOSE NALTREXONE?

Low dose Naltrexone. 


Would it work?

It's thought that the central nervous system is compromised in people with Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue. Naltrexone is an anti-addiction drug in normal circumstances but in low doses it acts differently.

Stanford is preparing for a study of Low Dose Naltrexone as a treatment for Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue. This is the first study of it's kind but this drug has been prescribed off label for the past few years.

It isn't a cure-all and not without side effects. 

Some of them are:

dizziness

headache

fainting

anxiety

nervousness

insomnia 

fatigue

nausea & vomiting

diarreha

joint pain

excessive muscle contraction

sore throat

Now, look at that list. I'm a little confused. If those are the side effects how would they know if it's working? A lot of those are the same symptoms that we feel with Fibromyalgia.  I know, in the Stanford study, that the side effects are rare and short-lived but there are people that will be on either side of the "average." Given my tolerance of medication I'll just bet I'd be one of those people.

Are the side effects worth it?

I have a hard time with drugs. Not to say that I don't use them to stay out of pain but the opiods are solid. The relief is there and the side effects are minimal. It's the drugs that make you weigh them on the balance bar to see if the side effects outweigh the benefits.

It's like Lyrica. Given the litany of side effects that there are who in the hell would put that in their mouths? I know everyones different. I guess that is a different view of the balance scale. For me, no fricking way. I think it's the weight gain that did it for me. I have enough self esteem issues without more weight gain. I've put on 20 pounds and I'm one of those all or nothing women. If I'm not a 10 I must be a zero and I don't need Lyrica to help that issue along.

A more natural road.

Then theres the whole nightshade issue. When I first heard about it I thought it was a new kind of curtain. I didn't have a clue that there were foods classified as nightshades.

Nightshades are a family of foods that include tomato, potato, eggplant, tomatillos and peppers as well as spices like paprika, cayenne pepper and tabasco sauce.

Nightshades contain a toxin that in normal conditions bodies process very well but given the compromised system in Fibromyalgia it is thought that by removing these from your diet it will help with your pain. These vegetables contain high levels of alkaloids that remove calcium from the bones.

Now I haven't seen ANY studies on this so I'm not sure if it's just a reach but I do know that certain foods affect people in different ways.  I can't be sure that it's not a food allergy. 

Part of me wants a dietary fix and the other part doesn't think that a nutritional avenue is the only way to go.

What to do? 

I'd love comments to hear what people feel about these two treatments.

HURT LIKE HELL

TODAY IS A REAL BAD DAY.

I don't think there's a place on my body that isn't in pain today. I need another MRI and nerve conduction test next week. Between my back and the Fibro I think I just want to get in a hot bath and forget who I am.

The only silver lining about being laid off is that if I had to see people today I don't know what I'd do. To get up and smile and pretend everything is fine is more than I'm capable of today.

OW.

Tears.

OW.