Friday, December 11, 2009

Pain meds - necessary and toxic?

I received some disturbing news from my doctor's office today: my liver count is high. And since I don't drink alcoholic beverages at all, this little problem is undoubtedly being caused by taking pain meds that are formulated with acetaminophen.

I knew taking acetaminophen products could be harmful to the liver but I didn't think I took enough of them to have to worry about it. But, over the last few months, pain meds have become a lot more necessary.  Excedrin Migraine helps best for migraine headaches, Tramadol works pretty well for my afternoon body aches and the occasional Hydrocodone helps take the edge off my severe pain. All of these meds contain acetaminophen and I guess I've been taking enough of them to affect my liver, even though I never take two different kinds of pain meds on the same day and I rarely take more than one dose a day.

My doctor said I need to come back in a month to have my liver count checked again and, if it's still high, they will have to run more tests. She also said I don't have to completely stop taking my pain meds but I should take them only when necessary. Um, hello! I DO only take them when necessary. I'm very conservative about taking medications. But the past few months have been really rough and I have been taking a lot more than normal just to get by.

This news couldn't come at a worse time. December is the month that is the hardest for me to get through.  I always have a flare when the seasons change and December is when we usually get our first wintry weather (and this year is definitely no exception - we've had daytime highs in the 20's all week). Add to this all the stress and busyness of the holidays and I can barely get through, even with pain meds.

When I see the doctor next month, I will insist she looks in to some of the new pain meds they are coming out with for chronic pain patients. And in the meantime....????? I honestly don't know how to get through the shopping, cooking and socializing of the holidays without quite a bit of pain medication.

Thursday, December 10, 2009

Fibro and Massage

Massage is supposed to be a positive experience, right? I used to think so anyway. Sometimes, when I have a lot of muscle tension or painful trigger points, it's not the most pleasant experience but I always used to feel better afterward. Now? Not so much. At least not in the hours right after the massage.

For the last nine months or so, I feel very depressed after getting a massage, to the point where I just want to sit and cry. I have no idea what I want to cry about, I just feel really sad.  And, I find myself reaching for comfort food, which isn't something I don't do all that often.

I had a massage about 1:00 today and I've been feeling sad ever since, even though I felt pretty happy before. I wonder what causes this?

One theory about fibromyalgia is that people store unresolved emotions in the tissues of their body. My massage experience makes me wonder if this could be part of the picture. Massage detoxifies the body and releases toxins, it makes sense (to me) that it could also release emotional toxins.

I'm not sure what to do about this except drink extra fluids and take sea salt baths to help flush out the toxins. Massage does help me. If I go longer than a month without a massage I have more trouble with my arms and shoulders aching and my hands falling asleep at night. And just letting everything build up wouldn't be good either. When it comes to toxins, emotional or otherwise, I think of what Shrek says about gas, "better out than in, I say!"

Yes, I figure it's best to get all the pesky, troublesome toxins and emotions out, even it's temporarily uncomfortable. But that's probably because I do get a massage every month. If I hadn't had a massage for a long period of time, I would feel very apprehensive about how it might affect me. My very first massage caused the worst flare of my entire life. It was that flare that made me sick enough to get diagnosed with fibromyalgia. It was seven years ago but I still remember how miserable I was and how hard it was just to stay awake to watch my kids. At the time, if I would have made the connection to massage, I wouldn't have had the courage to get another one. Lucky for me, my second massage a couple of years later didn't bother me as much and they've just kept getting easier since them. Well, except for this weird emotional garbage I'm dealing with now.

What are your thoughts? Are you able to get massages? What happens when you do?

*While writing this, I realized I'm also getting a migraine. I don't know if it's related to the massage but I'm pretty sure it's affecting my ability to type and use language. Please forgive any errors or lack of coherence!

Wednesday, December 9, 2009

WHAT DOES CHRISTMAS MEAN TO ME?


What does Christmas mean to me, Is it lights upon the tree

Sharing presents with friends and family,

Is it snow falling down, On a Winter's morn

Reading postcards from those far from home.............


Cho. -

No it's Heaven coming down, Glory all around

The angels singing, "Glory to the King"

A baby being born, GOD in human form

The blessed Messiah, come to redeem this world


What does Christmas mean to me, Is it having company

Carolers singing in perfect harmony,

Is it shopping in the malls, Buying gifts for one and all

Waiting in wonder to see Santa Clause..................


Cho. -

No it's Heaven coming down, Glory all around

The angels singing, "Glory to the King"

A baby being born, GOD in human form

The blessed Messiah, come to redeem this world


Repeat Chorus

Tag-

Yes the Blessed Messiah come to redeem MY world.

Monday, December 7, 2009

Merry Christmas!

I just wanted to say a Very Merry Christmas to all our Fibro Friends out there. I'm sorry it's been a while since I've blogged. I've had a lot on my plate.
The holidays are hard enough on us with fibro without other problems getting in the way, but I've really had a handful of things going on.
First, my daughter has been sick...........forever! She gets over one illness and then has something else. She is only 5, will be 6 in January. She had pnumonia 3 months ago and has stayed sick almost ever since. She caught the flu and was sick for 2 weeks with it. Before that she had a sinus infection And now she has some other upper respiratory virus. Poor baby! And as much as I enjoy taking care of her, this is getting very tedious. I'm worn out~
ON top of that, both of my parent have bad cases of pneumonia. My Dad was in the hospital for almost 2 weeks and now has been transferred to a nursing home because my Mom can't take care of him and there's no one else who can. It's not that I and my siblings don't want to, we just aren't able to take care of him 24 hrs a day. At this point, he's so weak he can barely walk. They will be doing rehab at the nursing home to strengthen him and hopefully he will be able to come back home in a few weeks. It all depends on how much he works while he is there.
And then my mother is sick with pneumonia as well. She's on her 3rd round of antibiotics. Hopefully this last round is helping. She seems to be getting a little bit better now. Praise the Lord.
On top of all of this, I've been in a major flare with my fibromyalgia and arthritis. I just feel like sitting around and crying, but I can't because it will cause a migraine (which I also have had yesterday and today!).
So what do I have to be saying, Merry Christmas, about? Well, because God is still good and He is still faithful. Throughout this entire ordeal, He has been with me every step of the way. Giving me courage and strength to go on. I love Him so much, but my love for Him can't even begin to compare to His love for me. HE is the reason I celebrate Christmas.
So I wish you all a very Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays and say a prayer for all our fibro friends that God will make your Christmas merry and bright as well.
Love to all,
Teresa