One week ago a rheumatologist officially diagnosed me with Fibromyalgia... I have to admit, I came out of that appointment smiling. Just knowing what is wrong with me and having a plan to get better is a huge weight off (not that I'm sleeping any better, but that's another story).
I was skeptical when my primary care doctor first brought up this diagnosis, for a few reasons. One: she explained it as a diagnosis of exclusion, which sounded to me more like Sherlock Holmes and less like definite science. Two: the description of Fibromyalgia on the Mayo Clinic web site gives a possible cause of the condition as a low threshold for pain. That is NOT a problem I have; at my CT scan with contrast they had to stick me something ridiculous like 5x for an IV, and I think I took it like a champ. So. Three: The facts that clinical depression can cause body pain, that Fibromyalgia is treated with anti-depressants, and that depression is often a co-existing condition made me raise an eyebrow (or two. I can't actually raise one at a time). Talking with a rheumatologist made me a lot more comfortable with the diagnosis, though. He explained it as a cyclical sleep and pain disorder- an inability to get stage 4 sleep that causes connective tissue pain. It was wonderful to talk with him and to validate the pain and tiredness I've been having for so long. I also felt better about taking time off of work- some people with Fibromyalgia (10% according to a source I can no longer remember...) end up on full time disability, so I feel less like a wimp for needing a little time away. This diagnosis even explains why I basically feel like I never got over my kidney infection(s) last year. The rheumatologist said that Fibromyalgia can be brought on/worsened by serious infections. Personally, I wonder if I haven't had it for awhile and it's just gotten worse since then, but it doesn't really matter. What's important is being given the opportunity to move on and get better!
I'm starting this blog to try and help encourage me to start a new, healthy routine and to have a record of what works and what doesn't so I can best manage this going forward. Sleep, right now, is my biggest hurdle.
Along those lines, for the past week, I have been working on the treatment plan my doctor gave me (along with his recommendation to read The Arthritis Helpbook- so far a lot of it seems like common sense. I'm hoping the exercises will be useful :/). One week into it- not doing so great. I am having amazing troubles falling asleep (which the nortriptyline will not help with, from my understanding- I was told it is to help achieve stage 4 sleep). All the advice I can find seems like things I already do; relaxation exercises are apparently what I already do to try and relax. This is partially because they used to make us do them at night at summer camp and partially because some relaxation exercises are pretty instinctual. Sigh. I did get over a major hold up (which resulted in one completely sleepless night) when I realized the Sunkist orange soda I bought as a non-caffeinated beverage has caffeine (attempting another eyebrow raise...). Who on god's green earth came up with the idea to caffeinate orange soda?? It was the drink of my childhood before I was allowed caffeine- Sprite, 7 up, and orange soda were always safe. Well, it turns out NOT drinking one of those at 11:30 at night really helps me sleep!
Last night I managed to doze off around 2 and woke right up at 5. At least it felt like productive sleep- UNLIKE the night before when I had a terrifyingly vivid dream that my medication caused me trouble breathing and that I couldn't wake up. I am still not convinced this was a dream, but Ian swears I was breathing fine until I woke up. Yeah, after that I grabbed a couple Sunkists out of the fridge and watched Netflix in bed all night (NOTE: I know it is not recommended to do anything other than sleep [and "be intimate" according to the aforementioned book ;)] and I must confess I am in bed now... I tried only being on my computer downstairs, and then I started falling asleep down there, so I don't think it's a problem for me).
I guess that's it for a first attempt at writing these... Klaus is obstructing me by trying to eat my sweatshirt's zipper (OTHER NOTE: For anyone who doesn't know me and has just magically stumbled across this- Klaus is one of my cats, Ian is my husband. Just to be clear).
