Hello from a new member

[Guest guest]

Welcome !!! Glad you found us... I'm Helen from Ohio-USA--Have two children boy 31 - girl 27 and three Grand Daughters 7 - 6 - 4 and an Angel of a daughter who would have been 30...

NEVER worry about a long post !!! No Post is Too Long or Too Short on here )

I am So sorry for all the things that you have to go through...Fibromyalgia is a Terrible disease... Some folks aren't affected that bad with it, its just an inconvience and others are barely able to funtion in a day because of it...I'll send ya some link's on here that will help you decide if you think it is the fibro that is causing all this to your body...

A Suggestion, Raise the head of your bed by at Least 6 inches, if you haven't already, I don't know what that is in cm., sorry,and that will help with the Gurd(acidreflux) once you get the gurd under control, it will be easier to take care of...My bed is raised 8 inches and has been for over 20 years...Don't use silk sheets, you will slide out at the bottom ) Good to have a foot board at the foot of your bed also:o) Esophagitis hurts something terrible ( I only have half of the closing of my stomach left as it ate it away mine got so bad...

tingling sensations in legs---possibly Restless leg Syndrome

50 Signs of Fibromyalgia,

check off what you have out of these, I already have...

x-I Have

x 1. PAIN

x 2. FATIGUE

x 3. SLEEP DISORDER

x 4. MORNING STIFFNESS

x 5. COGNITIVE OR MEMORY

x 6. IMPAIRMENT IRRITABLE BOWELS

x 7. CHRONIC HEADACHES

? 8. TMJ SYNDROME

x 9. NUMBNESS AND TINGLING SENSATION

x 10. MUSCLE TWITCHING

x 11. SKIN SENSITIVITIES

x 12. DRY EYES AND MOUTH

x 13. DIZZINESS

x 14. ALLERGY SYMPTOMS

x 15. MITRAL VALVE PROLAPSE

16. HEEL OR ARCH PAIN

x 17. BRAIN FATIGUE

xdid 18. PAINFUL PERIODS

x 19. NON-CARDIAC CHEST PAINS

20. DEPRESSION

x 21. PANIC ATTACKS

x 22. IRRITABLE BLADDER

x 23. MULTIPLE CHEMICAL SENSITIVITIES

24. JOINT HYPERMOBILITY

25. SUICIDAL

26. PERSONALITY CHANGES

x 27. LIGHT HEADEDNESS

28. DISEQUILIBRIUM --Don't know what this is

x 29. MUSCLE WEAKNESS

x 30. INTOLERANC OF BRIGHT LIGHTS

x 31. CHANGES IN TASTE, HEARING, OR SMELL

32. LOW FREQUENCY, SENSORINEURAL HEARING LOSS

x 33. DECREASED PAINFUL SOUND THRESHOLD

34. RINGING IN THE EARS

35. EXAGGERATED INVOLUNTARY RAPID EYE MOVEMENT

x 36. CHANGES IN VISUAL ACUITY

37. ALCOHOL INTOLERANCE --I don't drink

x 38. ENHANCEMENT OF MEDICATION SIDE EFFECTS

x 39. INTOLERANCE TO PREVIOUSLY TAKEN MEDICATIONS

x 40. SEVERE NASAL & OTHER ALLERGIES (SINUS INFECTIONS)

x 41. WEIGHT LOSS OR GAIN

x 42. MUSCLE & JOINT ACHES

x 43. NIGHT SWEATS

x 44. HEART PALPITATIONS

x 45. MUSCLE SPASMS

x 46. RAYNAUD'S LIKE SYMPTOMS

x 47. CARPAL TUNNEL SYNDROME

x 48. HEARTBURN

x 49. DIFFICULTY SWALLOWING ==Very Very Bad

xhad 50. INTERSTITIAL CYSTITIS

Muscle Disease??? Fibromyalgia??? only your doc will be able to determine that... Fibro is hard to diagnose, but if they rule everthing else out then Fibro it probably is ( Almost All of your symptoms I also have ( Here is my list of things I have wrong... I started all of this when I was around the age of 11 - 12...

What's Wrong With Me

1-Fibromyalgia--F.M.S.

2-Chronic Fatigue Syndrome--C.F.S

3-Systematic Lupus Erthematosis--S.L.E.

4-Mitral Valve Prolapse--M.V.P.

5-Hypothyroidism

6-Hyatal Hernia

7-Acid Reflux--(Gerd)

8-Migrains

9-Poly Neuropathy

10-Osteoporosis

11-Osteoarthritis

12-Hypertention---High Blood Pressure

13-Degenerative Arthritis in head,neck, shoulders,

spinal column, arms

14-Restless Leg Syndrome

15-Hypoglycymia---Low Blood Sugar

16-Irritable Bowel Syndrome--I.B.S.

17-Arrthymia's---P.B.C's--P.A.C's.---Ventricular---

Tachycardia

18-Emphysema

19-Myofacial Pain Syndrome--M.P.S.

and am on 16 different meds...

Fibromyalgia causes a lot of problems...When I go shopping or like to the zoo, I have to use a wheelchair, otherwise I walk around the house unaided... When we take our walks, I just use my cane...The swelling is terrible...The stiffness is terrible...Memory is terrible...Dropping things...Try finding the milk???Should be in the Refrigerator right!!! Wrong, finally found it in the cuboard with the glasses ) I will go to pin point vision and they have never found out why ( My prescription for my glasses change quit often...I keep the old glasses, because it will go back to them at times...Be careful with your teeth...Cavities plague some very bad and I'm one of them...The sensitivity on the teeth is terrible...I went through the depression stage of it in the 70's (during my 20's)...I do pretty good now, I just had to accept all the diseases I had and pick myself up and said I Won't let the Diseases beat me !!! It's working pretty good for myself )

Glad you are here... Post whenever you have the time...

((( Welcoming Hugs )))

Helen

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PANDORASBOX8

Hi Everyone, My name is and I live in Finland. I am 38 years old and the mother of 2 children, ages 4 & 6. A very good friend, Terri , told me about your wonderful & caring group and I knew that this is a group that I have been searching for.... Please let me give you all some medical history.

I was diagnosed in October of 1997 with panic attacks, In March of 1998 chronic depression, in February of 2000 Fibromyalgia and July of 2000 Diabetes; my diabetes is controlled by 2 tablets taken 2 times a day. My doctor has also prescribed an anti-depressant (1x daily), 5 mg valium (2 x daily) and another anti-depressant/pain tablet taken about 3 to 4 hours before I go to bed. These medications I have taken for several years now regularly with quite good results.

Just this week I had to have a gastroscopy because of stomach problems that I have had for a long time... I should have gone to the doctor about this a long time ago but I was just too afraid of the gastroscopy! *smile* Thankfully I do not have an ulcer but I found out that I have gastroesophageal reflux disease, or GERD and it has been untreated for so long that I have developed a condition known as esophagitis the gastroscopy (endroscopy) showed that the lining of my esophagus is severely inflamed and irritated by stomach acid. So now I have to take some kind of med called SOMAC for 1½ months and then after that I will have to continue taking the same medicine, but a lower dosage, every day to prevent the same thing from occurring again.

In the last 2 years I have been losing muscle strength. In February of 2000 when I was diagnosed with the fibromyalgia my muscle strength was tested with some kind of meter that I had to squeeze. In Feb of 2000 it registered 21kg left hand & 19kg right hand but in November of 2000 when I was tested again the results were 9kg left hand and only 8kg right hand and this past November the reading have dropped even more. I am right-handed. Also this is a list of other symptoms that I have: vision problems, tingling sensations, especially in my legs, that come & go in small patches in different places on my legs. I am always extremely tired all the time even though I have slept a good 8 hours, I must lay down to rest or to take a nap daily. I am having a funny sensation, especially in my hands & arms, like there are small ants crawling under my skin. I experience light-headedness quite often & my brain functions slower than before. I had straight A’s in school now it seems that quite often-simple math is difficult; it’s like my brain is in a fog! I can no longer write a letter by hand because after 2 sentences my hand becomes stiff and I can’t move the pen anymore. When I go out for a walk, after just a few minutes my legs, especially the calves, become very sore & the muscles feel so tight. Also my lower back muscles are always tired and achy so that sometimes standing & washing dishes is very difficult. It is difficult for me to climb stairs because it feels like so much work to get my leg to rise up to the next step. My fingers & hands have become very klutzy and I am always dropping things. I can’t hold a book or even the newspaper slightly elevated in my hands because my arms & hands become so tired & sore that I must keep the paper or book on the table to read it. My fingers are increasingly more stiff and I am even having trouble getting them to obey sometimes when I pluck away at the computer keyboard. I have a very difficult time doing any thing that requires my arms to be in a raised position, like washing my hair, hanging curtains, washing windows, etc. I must lower my arms repeatedly until I slowly get whatever I am doing finished. I have muscular tiredness often also in my facial & jaw muscles and sometimes it feels hard to swallow, especially if I am physically very tired. I tire too easily from simple housework or a short slow paced walk. I have very weak neck muscles that sometimes it feels very difficult to “carry my own head†and I have lots of headaches and pressure pain in & behind my eyes and forehead. I have other symptoms also but I will not continue to list them all right now.... *smile* ..... I think I have rambled about them too much already!!

I have had 2 spinal taps and a complete MRI and they showed no abnormalities. In March of 2001 I had to go to a special lab that did an ISOMETRIC (my right hand) Tolerance test(don't know if that is the correct translation). The blood tubes were flown by special currier to a University Hospital in Southern Finland and after 3 weeks the results were back showing definite abnormalities, which in a letter from my neurologist said indicated a muscle tissue metabolic disorder, so she ordered a muscle biopsy. The biopsy was performed in may of 2001. Then this past October I was sent to the main hospital in Helsinki where the only MD specialist in Finland checked me out & ordered another biopsy. I just got all the results last week and it was a very depressing phone call because the doctor said he still cannot explain my loss of muscle strength. So I have to use a walker to get around outside and when I go shopping, etc...ALL the symptoms continue but I remain undiagnosed.

Could someone please tell me does this all sound like a muscle disease or can Fibromyalgia be this disabling? I thought that maybe someone out there has the same problems . I just want to know what I may possibly be dealing with. Thank you for taking the time to read this and thank you for allowing me to share my story & my pain with you all.

God bless....

in Finland

[Guest guest]

Hello

I'm Denisa, age 37, from Ohio, USA. I have Cerebral Palsy, bipolar (manic depression), and have a 8 CM cyst inside my skull (very long story) that causes mental confusion, wobbliness and severe headaches.

I am also a recovering addict with 12 years clean. I go to a lot of AA meetings, but sometimes it's hard because of the medical issues and a bit of agoraphobia.

This is a good list, hope you like it here

Denisa

Hello from a new Member

Hi Everyone,

My name is and I live in Finland. I am 38 years old and the mother of 2 children, ages 4 & 6. A very good friend, Terri , told me about your wonderful & caring group and I knew that this is a group that I have been searching for.... Please let me give you all some medical history.

I was diagnosed in October of 1997 with panic attacks, In March of 1998 chronic depression, in February of 2000 Fibromyalgia and July of 2000 Diabetes; my diabetes is controlled by 2 tablets taken 2 times a day. My doctor has also prescribed an anti-depressant (1x daily), 5 mg valium (2 x daily) and another anti-depressant/pain tablet taken about 3 to 4 hours before I go to bed. These medications I have taken for several years now regularly with quite good results.

Just this week I had to have a gastroscopy because of stomach problems that I have had for a long time... I should have gone to the doctor about this a long time ago but I was just too afraid of the gastroscopy! *smile* Thankfully I do not have an ulcer but I found out that I have gastroesophageal reflux disease, or GERD and it has been untreated for so long that I have developed a condition known as esophagitis the gastroscopy (endroscopy) showed that the lining of my esophagus is severely inflamed and irritated by stomach acid. So now I have to take some kind of med called SOMAC for 1½ months and then after that I will have to continue taking the same medicine, but a lower dosage, every day to prevent the same thing from occurring again.

In the last 2 years I have been losing muscle strength. In February of 2000 when I was diagnosed with the fibromyalgia my muscle strength was tested with some kind of meter that I had to squeeze. In Feb of 2000 it registered 21kg left hand & 19kg right hand but in November of 2000 when I was tested again the results were 9kg left hand and only 8kg right hand and this past November the reading have dropped even more. I am right-handed. Also this is a list of other symptoms that I have: vision problems, tingling sensations, especially in my legs, that come & go in small patches in different places on my legs. I am always extremely tired all the time even though I have slept a good 8 hours, I must lay down to rest or to take a nap daily. I am having a funny sensation, especially in my hands & arms, like there are small ants crawling under my skin. I experience light-headedness quite often & my brain functions slower than before. I had straight A’s in school now it seems that quite often-simple math is difficult; it’s like my brain is in a fog! I can no longer write a letter by hand because after 2 sentences my hand becomes stiff and I can’t move the pen anymore. When I go out for a walk, after just a few minutes my legs, especially the calves, become very sore & the muscles feel so tight. Also my lower back muscles are always tired and achy so that sometimes standing & washing dishes is very difficult. It is difficult for me to climb stairs because it feels like so much work to get my leg to rise up to the next step. My fingers & hands have become very klutzy and I am always dropping things. I can’t hold a book or even the newspaper slightly elevated in my hands because my arms & hands become so tired & sore that I must keep the paper or book on the table to read it. My fingers are increasingly more stiff and I am even having trouble getting them to obey sometimes when I pluck away at the computer keyboard. I have a very difficult time doing any thing that requires my arms to be in a raised position, like washing my hair, hanging curtains, washing windows, etc. I must lower my arms repeatedly until I slowly get whatever I am doing finished. I have muscular tiredness often also in my facial & jaw muscles and sometimes it feels hard to swallow, especially if I am physically very tired. I tire too easily from simple housework or a short slow paced walk. I have very weak neck muscles that sometimes it feels very difficult to “carry my own head” and I have lots of headaches and pressure pain in & behind my eyes and forehead. I have other symptoms also but I will not continue to list them all right now.... *smile* ..... I think I have rambled about them too much already!!

I have had 2 spinal taps and a complete MRI and they showed no abnormalities. In March of 2001 I had to go to a special lab that did an ISOMETRIC (my right hand) Tolerance test(don't know if that is the correct translation). The blood tubes were flown by special currier to a University Hospital in Southern Finland and after 3 weeks the results were back showing definite abnormalities, which in a letter from my neurologist said indicated a muscle tissue metabolic disorder, so she ordered a muscle biopsy. The biopsy was performed in may of 2001. Then this past October I was sent to the main hospital in Helsinki where the only MD specialist in Finland checked me out & ordered another biopsy. I just got all the results last week and it was a very depressing phone call because the doctor said he still cannot explain my loss of muscle strength. So I have to use a walker to get around outside and when I go shopping, etc...ALL the symptoms continue but I remain undiagnosed.

Could someone please tell me does this all sound like a muscle disease or can Fibromyalgia be this disabling? I thought that maybe someone out there has the same problems . I just want to know what I may possibly be dealing with. Thank you for taking the time to read this and thank you for allowing me to share my story & my pain with you all.

God bless....

in Finland

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[Guest guest]

, so glad you found us. You will find a lot of caring, helpful people on this list. For those of you who don't know, and I met on another list dealing with adoption and have become friends through IM. I told her about the group and am so glad she has decided to join. Just remember, she has an 11 hour time difference from us! Please make her feel welcome. Hugs Terrisearching for Deborah dob 1/14/57 in nna, FlRelinquished in Chicago, 1961brother and 5 other siblings searchingHalf-sib found 1-16-00!

[Guest guest]

Hi ,

Welcome to the group! I'm Ling from Singapore, with diabetes too and also have chronic headaches

Please do feel free to post! I'm sorry I can't help you with the muscle weakness issue you mentioned, but I'm sure there are others in this group who can.

Ling

Hello from a new Member

Hi Everyone,

My name is and I live in Finland. I am 38 years old and the mother of 2 children, ages 4 & 6. A very good friend, Terri , told me about your wonderful & caring group and I knew that this is a group that I have been searching for.... Please let me give you all some medical history.

I was diagnosed in October of 1997 with panic attacks, In March of 1998 chronic depression, in February of 2000 Fibromyalgia and July of 2000 Diabetes; my diabetes is controlled by 2 tablets taken 2 times a day. My doctor has also prescribed an anti-depressant (1x daily), 5 mg valium (2 x daily) and another anti-depressant/pain tablet taken about 3 to 4 hours before I go to bed. These medications I have taken for several years now regularly with quite good results.

Just this week I had to have a gastroscopy because of stomach problems that I have had for a long time... I should have gone to the doctor about this a long time ago but I was just too afraid of the gastroscopy! *smile* Thankfully I do not have an ulcer but I found out that I have gastroesophageal reflux disease, or GERD and it has been untreated for so long that I have developed a condition known as esophagitis the gastroscopy (endroscopy) showed that the lining of my esophagus is severely inflamed and irritated by stomach acid. So now I have to take some kind of med called SOMAC for 1½ months and then after that I will have to continue taking the same medicine, but a lower dosage, every day to prevent the same thing from occurring again.

In the last 2 years I have been losing muscle strength. In February of 2000 when I was diagnosed with the fibromyalgia my muscle strength was tested with some kind of meter that I had to squeeze. In Feb of 2000 it registered 21kg left hand & 19kg right hand but in November of 2000 when I was tested again the results were 9kg left hand and only 8kg right hand and this past November the reading have dropped even more. I am right-handed. Also this is a list of other symptoms that I have: vision problems, tingling sensations, especially in my legs, that come & go in small patches in different places on my legs. I am always extremely tired all the time even though I have slept a good 8 hours, I must lay down to rest or to take a nap daily. I am having a funny sensation, especially in my hands & arms, like there are small ants crawling under my skin. I experience light-headedness quite often & my brain functions slower than before. I had straight A’s in school now it seems that quite often-simple math is difficult; it’s like my brain is in a fog! I can no longer write a letter by hand because after 2 sentences my hand becomes stiff and I can’t move the pen anymore. When I go out for a walk, after just a few minutes my legs, especially the calves, become very sore & the muscles feel so tight. Also my lower back muscles are always tired and achy so that sometimes standing & washing dishes is very difficult. It is difficult for me to climb stairs because it feels like so much work to get my leg to rise up to the next step. My fingers & hands have become very klutzy and I am always dropping things. I can’t hold a book or even the newspaper slightly elevated in my hands because my arms & hands become so tired & sore that I must keep the paper or book on the table to read it. My fingers are increasingly more stiff and I am even having trouble getting them to obey sometimes when I pluck away at the computer keyboard. I have a very difficult time doing any thing that requires my arms to be in a raised position, like washing my hair, hanging curtains, washing windows, etc. I must lower my arms repeatedly until I slowly get whatever I am doing finished. I have muscular tiredness often also in my facial & jaw muscles and sometimes it feels hard to swallow, especially if I am physically very tired. I tire too easily from simple housework or a short slow paced walk. I have very weak neck muscles that sometimes it feels very difficult to “carry my own head” and I have lots of headaches and pressure pain in & behind my eyes and forehead. I have other symptoms also but I will not continue to list them all right now.... *smile* ..... I think I have rambled about them too much already!!

I have had 2 spinal taps and a complete MRI and they showed no abnormalities. In March of 2001 I had to go to a special lab that did an ISOMETRIC (my right hand) Tolerance test(don't know if that is the correct translation). The blood tubes were flown by special currier to a University Hospital in Southern Finland and after 3 weeks the results were back showing definite abnormalities, which in a letter from my neurologist said indicated a muscle tissue metabolic disorder, so she ordered a muscle biopsy. The biopsy was performed in may of 2001. Then this past October I was sent to the main hospital in Helsinki where the only MD specialist in Finland checked me out & ordered another biopsy. I just got all the results last week and it was a very depressing phone call because the doctor said he still cannot explain my loss of muscle strength. So I have to use a walker to get around outside and when I go shopping, etc...ALL the symptoms continue but I remain undiagnosed.

Could someone please tell me does this all sound like a muscle disease or can Fibromyalgia be this disabling? I thought that maybe someone out there has the same problems . I just want to know what I may possibly be dealing with. Thank you for taking the time to read this and thank you for allowing me to share my story & my pain with you all. God bless.... in Finland

[Guest guest]

Dear

Welcome to the group. We are a caring group. We discuss anything that you need to. We are not judgemental, and you can talk as long as you want. We don't mind.

I have many of the same symtoms that you have, but I am not a Dr. What I have is Myasthenia Gravis. This is an autoimmune disease. Have you been tested for this? The test is very simple and only takes a minute. I had a neurologist do the test on me. There are some really good sites on the internet that might help you. Myasthenia Gravis Foundation of America has a wealth of information. Hoping you are able to find the answers you are looking for.

Hugs

Carolyn

[Guest guest]

Hi Ling! It is nice to meet someone else that is living outside the US. Were you born in Singapore? I sympathize with your headache problems. I also suffer from chronic headaches that are sometimes migraines & sometimes a result from the weak muscles in my neck & shoulders. When were you diagnosed with your diabetes? Do you find it easy to follow the "recommended" diet? Here in Finland everything that is healthy & low fat is so much more expensive for someone living on a small disability income. Also I need to lose weight but am having a hard time even though I do not snack and not being able to do a lot of physical exercise doesn't help......

Well I better stop rambling for now.... *smile*.... I look forward to getting to know you & all the others in the group.

Hugs,

in Finland

Hi ,

Welcome to the group! I'm Ling from Singapore, with diabetes too and also have chronic headaches

Please do feel free to post! I'm sorry I can't help you with the muscle weakness issue you mentioned, but I'm sure there are others in this group who can.

Ling

[Guest guest]

Hi , my name is Marsha, mom to Amber,16 and April,9, both with asthma and allergies and April also has reflux or GERD, just like you. She had it as a baby and never out grew it, up until a year ago, when we met her PP, she was sick, miserable all the time, and uncontrolled asthma, even with a shoe box full of meds, he asked about reflux, treated it with Prevacid, which she takes 15 mg at bedtime, along with Singulair, and Rhinocort, Zytec, Serevent, Pulmicort Turbihaler 2X2. Amber does Advair, Rhinocort, Zyrtec and Singulair. Right now both my girls are sick with the crud, and April now has to go on Prelone for 20 days what they call here alternate day therapy to get handle on her asthma, we have lost controll, due to our bad weathr here in Texas, USA.

I have just had a needle biopsy on my right breast about two weeks ago, benign, fibersystic tissue, FU in six months for breast exam and mamogram, this is at MD in Houston at a Breast Diagnostic Center.

You have two children?? Are they healthy??

I look foward in getting to know you. Marsha

[Guest guest]

Hey Terri, thanks for introducing to our group!

Ling

Re: Hello from a new Member

, so glad you found us. You will find a lot of caring, helpful people on this list. For those of you who don't know, and I met on another list dealing with adoption and have become friends through IM. I told her about the group and am so glad she has decided to join. Just remember, she has an 11 hour time difference from us! Please make her feel welcome. Hugs Terrisearching for Deborah dob 1/14/57 in nna, FlRelinquished in Chicago, 1961brother and 5 other siblings searchingHalf-sib found 1-16-00!

[Guest guest]

HI !

Yes, I was born and bred in Singapore, hehe........ have lived here since I was born.

My chronic headaches are due to my neck problems too..... got so bad at times until no medications help, and I need nerve blocks which as done by anasthesiologists.... now undergoing physiotherapy for the pain.

I was diagnosed with diabetes when I was 20, so that is almost 3 years already. My Mum had diabetes, and my father's younger brother has it too. I actually attributed my diabetes to my family history, this, I admit, makes me feel much better.

I actually do not have a recommended diet for the diabetes, actually. I have not seen a dietician before. This is because my doctor, and endocrinologist, was also my mum's doctor. I was the caregiver for my mum, so when the doc saw me, he just think that I am able to handle the dietary aspect without a dietician. As my weight was ok and cholestrol levels were fine too, so the doc was not too worried, just put me on medications, that's all. Presently what I am doing is just to control my food intake, and test my blood sugar regularly. If the readings are too high, I know I am eating too much or eating the wrong food.....

How is your sugar control? Don't worry, weight loss takes time. Have you told your doctor about your weight loss problem? Have your tried taking more fibre? Maybe you can try taking more water before meals - that helps to reduce your food intake too.

Are you controlling the diabetes through diet and exercise? Are you on oral medications or insulin? I am on Avandia and Diamicron.

Ling

Re: Hello from a new Member

Hi Ling! It is nice to meet someone else that is living outside the US. Were you born in Singapore? I sympathize with your headache problems. I also suffer from chronic headaches that are sometimes migraines & sometimes a result from the weak muscles in my neck & shoulders. When were you diagnosed with your diabetes? Do you find it easy to follow the "recommended" diet? Here in Finland everything that is healthy & low fat is so much more expensive for someone living on a small disability income. Also I need to lose weight but am having a hard time even though I do not snack and not being able to do a lot of physical exercise doesn't help......

Well I better stop rambling for now.... *smile*.... I look forward to getting to know you & all the others in the group.

Hugs,

in Finland

Hi ,

Welcome to the group! I'm Ling from Singapore, with diabetes too and also have chronic headaches

Please do feel free to post! I'm sorry I can't help you with the muscle weakness issue you mentioned, but I'm sure there are others in this group who can.

Ling

[Guest guest]

Hi Denisa it is so nice to meet you. You certainly have a lot to deal with and sometime if you feel up to it I would like to hear about that long story about the cyst if you want to email it to me privately.

I am also sober now. I quit drinking all alcohol 3½ years ago. When I started to experience panic attacks & then the depression my alcohol consumption rose, I was using the alcohol as a medicine...at least that is what the doctor told me. Now that I do not drink at all and take my medicines I feel so much better about myself.... though with the fibro, etc... I still wake up feeling like I am "hung over" but at least I know I didn't do it to myself!!

I am so happy that Terri introduced me to this list as I have been getting to the end of my rope lately. It seems that my list of illnesses just keeps growing....

Hugs, in Finland

Hello

I'm Denisa, age 37, from Ohio, USA. I have Cerebral Palsy, bipolar (manic depression), and have a 8 CM cyst inside my skull (very long story) that causes mental confusion, wobbliness and severe headaches.

I am also a recovering addict with 12 years clean. I go to a lot of AA meetings, but sometimes it's hard because of the medical issues and a bit of agoraphobia.

This is a good list, hope you like it here

Denisa

[Guest guest]

Terri, I am so glad that you introduced me to this group. I just know already that I am going to love it here. *smile*

By the way, the time difference isn't quite as much as 11 hours... I am in Finland so if you are on the east coast I am +7 hours from you, central +8 hours, etc... but I am not sure about Singapore...???? What is our time difference Ling?

Hugs, in Finland

Re: Hello from a new Member

, so glad you found us. You will find a lot of caring, helpful people on this list. For those of you who don't know, and I met on another list dealing with adoption and have become friends through IM. I told her about the group and am so glad she has decided to join. Just remember, she has an 11 hour time difference from us! Please make her feel welcome. Hugs Terrisearching for Deborah dob 1/14/57 in nna, FlRelinquished in Chicago, 1961brother and 5 other siblings searchingHalf-sib found 1-16-00!

[Guest guest]



Hi Helen, it is so nice to meet you!! I am glad you all don't mind long posts cause sometimes I tend to go on non-stop... lol :-)

I am just finding out that fibro can be delibating..... When I was diagnosed I wasn't as bad as I am now. I was given a lot of literature and it seemed that while fibro was a not an easy illness to live with it was painted as one that left a person still able to live a normal life. Now I am reading more & more how it can actually be so bad that to get from one day to the next is a miracle!!! It seems that I happen to be one of those people, sometimes getting to take a shower seems like so much work!!

You sure do have a long list of illnesses. How do you cope with them all??? My list keeps growing but so does my depression and it doesn't help that I have so much guilt about not being the "active" mother that I should be. It is also hard on my girls, 4 & 6, to see Momma always feeling bad!!

I have seriously thought about CFS. The symptoms match mine but the neurologist seems to not want to give me her opinion on this matter. I am constantly tired... I mean a total fatigue like I just ran in a marathon or something... anyway, I have an appointment with that neurologist in February so I will bring it up again.

I don't have to use a wheel chair but I have a walker with wheels that I use when I got out of the house. It has a basket attached for my shopping & other stuff cause my arms are so weak that I am unable to carry much..... I have a cane also that I use if I go by car somewhere and no that I am not going to be doing a lot of walking or carrying. The memory stuff...oh boy is that familiar. I have also found the milk in the bread cupboard... and am always looking for something cause I never remember where anything is.... Good thing my heads attached... :-) I use those little yellow post-its so much the stationary store should give me a discount!! Once when I knew that the next day I had to give a urine sample to the lab I had to put a post-it on the toilet so I would remember in the morning to use the jar & not the stool.... lol :-) I have a lot of vision problems also. I see a lot of shadows and also a grey spot in the field of my vision when I try to read a book, etc... it is a real pain!!

Well I will end this long post and thank you for the warm welcome. I have checked off all the symptoms that I have in red below.

Hugs, in Finland

50 Signs of Fibromyalgia,check off what you have out of these, I already have... x-I Havex x 1. PAIN x x 2. FATIGUE x x 3. SLEEP DISORDER x x 4. MORNING STIFFNESS x x 5. COGNITIVE OR MEMORY x x 6. IMPAIRMENT IRRITABLE BOWELS x x 7. CHRONIC HEADACHES ? ? 8. TMJ SYNDROME x x 9. NUMBNESS AND TINGLING SENSATION x x 10. MUSCLE TWITCHING x x 11. SKIN SENSITIVITIES x x 12. DRY EYES AND MOUTH x x 13. DIZZINESS x x 14. ALLERGY SYMPTOMS x x 15. MITRAL VALVE PROLAPSE x 16. HEEL OR ARCH PAIN x x 17. BRAIN FATIGUE xdid x 18. PAINFUL PERIODS x 19. NON-CARDIAC CHEST PAINS x 20. DEPRESSION x x 21. PANIC ATTACKS x x 22. IRRITABLE BLADDER x x 23. MULTIPLE CHEMICAL SENSITIVITIES x 24. JOINT HYPERMOBILITY 25. SUICIDAL 26. PERSONALITY CHANGES x x 27. LIGHT HEADEDNESS ?? 28. DISEQUILIBRIUM --Don't know what this isx x 29. MUSCLE WEAKNESS x x 30. INTOLERANC OF BRIGHT LIGHTS x x 31. CHANGES IN TASTE, HEARING, OR SMELL 32. LOW FREQUENCY, SENSORINEURAL HEARING LOSS x x 33. DECREASED PAINFUL SOUND THRESHOLD x 34. RINGING IN THE EARS 35. EXAGGERATED INVOLUNTARY RAPID EYE MOVEMENT x x 36. CHANGES IN VISUAL ACUITY 37. ALCOHOL INTOLERANCE --I don't drink I don't drink either x x 38. ENHANCEMENT OF MEDICATION SIDE EFFECTS x x 39. INTOLERANCE TO PREVIOUSLY TAKEN MEDICATIONS x x 40. SEVERE NASAL & OTHER ALLERGIES (SINUS INFECTIONS) x x(gain) 41. WEIGHT LOSS OR GAIN x x 42. MUSCLE & JOINT ACHES x x 43. NIGHT SWEATS x x 44. HEART PALPITATIONS x x 45. MUSCLE SPASMS x 46. RAYNAUD'S LIKE SYMPTOMS what is this???x x 47. CARPAL TUNNEL SYNDROME x x 48. HEARTBURN x x 49. DIFFICULTY SWALLOWING ==Very Very Badxhad 50. INTERSTITIAL CYSTITIS

[Guest guest]

x 46. RAYNAUD'S LIKE SYMPTOMS what is this???

this is when the hands turn white in the cold..and they are always

cold..

joy

[Guest guest]

,

I was dying at the time they gave me the test so I don't know what it was called. They checked my strength then gave me some meds and then checked it again, MG immediately showed up. I am a very bad case of it. No one is allowed to work on me except my neuro, and my primary. I can't let ER work on me even.

Hugs

Carolyn

[Guest guest]

Hello Carolyn & thank you for the welcome! :-)

Yes, my neurologist has had me tested, ENMG, for Myasthenia Gravis and she says I do not have this disease. What kind of test did your neurologist do on you?

Hugs,

in Finland

Dear Welcome to the group.

<<<What I have is Myasthenia Gravis.

<< Have you been tested for this? The test is very simple and only takes a minute. I had a neurologist do the test on me.

Hugs Carolyn

[Guest guest]

Hi ,

Sorry for the slow reply......

I do not know how to tell the time difference, I only know Singapore is GMT +8 .....

Ling

Re: Hello from a new Member

, so glad you found us. You will find a lot of caring, helpful people on this list. For those of you who don't know, and I met on another list dealing with adoption and have become friends through IM. I told her about the group and am so glad she has decided to join. Just remember, she has an 11 hour time difference from us! Please make her feel welcome. Hugs Terrisearching for Deborah dob 1/14/57 in nna, FlRelinquished in Chicago, 1961brother and 5 other siblings searchingHalf-sib found 1-16-00!

[Guest guest]

Hi Ling,

You needn't apologize for not being able to reply sooner.... no time limits :-) I sure know how it is trying to keep up with emails, kids, illnesses, life.... :-)

I am GMT+2 sooooo you are +6 hours from me here in Finland. Cool!! Now finally someone's clock is ahead of mine!! :-) I am writing this at 9.45 pm so I hope you are enjoying a good nights sleep. How's the headache?

Hugs,

in Finland

Hi ,

Sorry for the slow reply......

I do not know how to tell the time difference, I only know Singapore is GMT +8 .....

Ling

Terri, I am so glad that you introduced me to this group. I just know already that I am going to love it here. *smile*

By the way, the time difference isn't quite as much as 11 hours... I am in Finland so if you are on the east coast I am +7 hours from you, central +8 hours, etc... but I am not sure about Singapore...???? What is our time difference Ling?

Hugs, in Finland

[Guest guest]

Hi ,

Wow, so our clock is faster? Headaches still there, as usual....still hanging on though. have to, as my doc himself is on medical leave, so my appointment is postponed to 15 Dec.

How's things at your side?

Ling

Re: Hello from a new Member

Hi Ling,

You needn't apologize for not being able to reply sooner.... no time limits :-) I sure know how it is trying to keep up with emails, kids, illnesses, life.... :-)

I am GMT+2 sooooo you are +6 hours from me here in Finland. Cool!! Now finally someone's clock is ahead of mine!! :-) I am writing this at 9.45 pm so I hope you are enjoying a good nights sleep. How's the headache?

Hugs,

in Finland

Hi ,

Sorry for the slow reply......

I do not know how to tell the time difference, I only know Singapore is GMT +8 .....

Ling

Terri, I am so glad that you introduced me to this group. I just know already that I am going to love it here. *smile*

By the way, the time difference isn't quite as much as 11 hours... I am in Finland so if you are on the east coast I am +7 hours from you, central +8 hours, etc... but I am not sure about Singapore...???? What is our time difference Ling?

Hugs, in Finland

[Guest guest]

Hi Ling,

Boy I sure sympathize with your headaches. I have had a real bad one for 2 days..now I have just the residual pain and that terrible pressure feeling. It is so hard to function when the pain is real bad. Do you have a good pain med for your headaches. I have nothing because my system doesn't like ibrophins (sp?) etc... :-( What is the worst is I can't just go under the covers when they get bad because I have 2 small girls..... I can sometimes, like late this afternoon lay down for about an hour but no more.... They protest by getting into things they are not supposed to... :-) But I used a cold pack under my neck & shoulders when I laid down today & it has helped some. How do you handle your headaches? You said that you had to hang on until 15 December??? That is almost a year away still... How are you going to manage to wait that long??? Doesn't your doctor have someone that takes his cases in a situation like this? I will be keeping you in my thoughts & hope that you get some relief soon.

Hugs,

Hi ,

Wow, so our clock is faster? Headaches still there, as usual....still hanging on though. have to, as my doc himself is on medical leave, so my appointment is postponed to 15 Dec.

How's things at your side?

Ling

[Guest guest]

Hi ,

CORRECTION!!! Brain Fog! I meant my appointment is on 15 Feb, not Dec........... I'm really sorry for the blunder, I must have been dreaming........

Sorry to hear about your headaches...... hope you are feeling much better! No one understands what a headache can do to a person until one gets a real bad one or gets them so very often... The worse thing about a headache is that we cannot rest as much as we want badly to, with all our commitments - children, work, studies, etc.... Glad to hear that the cold pack works for you though! That does not work for me..... but heat sometimes help me a little.

As for a good pain med, well I had tried so many, lost count. Presently I take tramadol when the headaches get real bad, and am also taking baclofen every night. The pain meds do not work well for me actually, and I often cannot tolerate the side effects. For now 50mg of tramadol works ok for me, but it is not helpful in a bad headache. If I take 100mg, I will become so sick and giddy that I can only lie in bed and not function.

Previously, since about 3 years ago, as the meds do not work, I had nerve blocks done by an anaesthesiologist. They helped with the pain for a while, but they have to be repeated. Until recently a new pain doc [the one on medical leave now] started me on the tramadol and baclofen, and also physiotherapy.

Ling

Re: Hello from a new Member

Hi Ling,

Boy I sure sympathize with your headaches. I have had a real bad one for 2 days..now I have just the residual pain and that terrible pressure feeling. It is so hard to function when the pain is real bad. Do you have a good pain med for your headaches. I have nothing because my system doesn't like ibrophins (sp?) etc... :-( What is the worst is I can't just go under the covers when they get bad because I have 2 small girls..... I can sometimes, like late this afternoon lay down for about an hour but no more.... They protest by getting into things they are not supposed to... :-) But I used a cold pack under my neck & shoulders when I laid down today & it has helped some. How do you handle your headaches? You said that you had to hang on until 15 December??? That is almost a year away still... How are you going to manage to wait that long??? Doesn't your doctor have someone that takes his cases in a situation like this? I will be keeping you in my thoughts & hope that you get some relief soon. Hugs,

Hi ,

Wow, so our clock is faster? Headaches still there, as usual....still hanging on though. have to, as my doc himself is on medical leave, so my appointment is postponed to 15 Dec. How's things at your side? Ling

[Guest guest]

Hi Ling,

I take 2 tablets of Diformin Retard in the morning and 2 more in the afternoon with my dinner. What are Avandia and Diamicron? Are they tablets or insulin injections?

Hugs,

>>Are you controlling the diabetes through diet and exercise? Are you on oral medications or insulin? I am on Avandia and Diamicron.

Ling

[Guest guest]

Hi ,

Avandia and Diamicron are oral tablets. Avandia [Rosiglitazone] works to help the body use the insulin better. Diamicron [Gliclazide] works to make the body secrete more insulin.

Is Diformin Retard similar to Metformin? I used to take Metformin / Glucophage before. It works to keep the sugars down, but I kept having diahrrea, so the doc stopped it.

Ling

Re: Hello from a new Member

Hi Ling,

I take 2 tablets of Diformin Retard in the morning and 2 more in the afternoon with my dinner. What are Avandia and Diamicron? Are they tablets or insulin injections?

Hugs,

>>Are you controlling the diabetes through diet and exercise? Are you on oral medications or insulin? I am on Avandia and Diamicron. Ling

[Guest guest]

Hi Ling,

Yes I think that Diformin retard is similar to Metformin. I have been taking the Diformin now since July 2000 and so far haven't had any problems. The doctor selected Diformin because it is especially good for over weight people with diabetes, though I haven't seen any benefit as to it helping with weight loss. I need to lose 50lbs but for some reason the weight isn't coming off... I do not snack, do not eat "junk" food, maybe Mc's twice a year...lol.... I like veggies, etc... But because of my muscle problem I do not get much physical exercise so that effects my weight loss & also my sugar levels....

After I get my stomach biopsy results on the 7th, next week, then I am going to see a nutritionist so we can plan my dietary needs according to all my illnesses. It seems to be almost a scientific project, my diet, since I have so many illnesses that are effected by what i eat, when I eat, :-) Also there is a possibility that I have Celia (sp?) because the gastritis/GERD doesn't explain the stomach bloating, gas problem, and diarrhea. the doctor says that the biopsy results will show whether I have this illness or not.

Hugs,

Hi ,

Avandia and Diamicron are oral tablets. Avandia [Rosiglitazone] works to help the body use the insulin better. Diamicron [Gliclazide] works to make the body secrete more insulin.

Is Diformin Retard similar to Metformin? I used to take Metformin / Glucophage before. It works to keep the sugars down, but I kept having diahrrea, so the doc stopped it.

Ling

Re: Hello from a new Member

Hi Ling,

I take 2 tablets of Diformin Retard in the morning and 2 more in the afternoon with my dinner. What are Avandia and Diamicron? Are they tablets or insulin injections?

Hugs,

>>Are you controlling the diabetes through diet and exercise? Are you on oral medications or insulin? I am on Avandia and Diamicron. Ling~~~~ *** ~~~ *** ~~~ *** ~~~~ The Being Sick CommunityMemorial Pagehttp://www.dreamwater.net/lovingmemory/Message Archives and Digest Attachment Pictures:-/messagesChat:- Scheduled Daily Chats at # on IRC DALnet./files/chat.htmBookmarks:-Add a website URL you have found useful./linksPersonal Complaints or problems:-Please contact a moderator email: -owner Subscription Details:-1) Individual email - means that every email sent to the list you receive.2) Daily Digest - sends you 25 messages in one single email for you to browse. This is an excellent option if you receive alot of email.3) Web only/No mail - means that you can pop into eGroups at your convenience and receive no email.To modify your subscription settings please visit:- /joinTo subscribe or unsubscribe please email:--subscribe -unsubscribe ~~~~ *** ~~~ *** ~~~ *** ~~~~“Hold on to what is good, even if it's a handful of earth. Hold on to what you believe, even if it's a tree that stands by itself. Hold on to what you must do even, if it's a long way from here. Hold on to your life, even if it's easier to let go." - Pueblo Prayer~~~~ *** ~~~ *** ~~~ *** ~~~~

[Guest guest]

> Melinda in Santa Fe

Welcome Melinda

We are a very chatty group of friends with several things in common.

We have all been obese (or super morbidly obese- in my case). We

have all decided to take charge of our lives and change them

forever. And we all love Dr K & Dr Z.

We have a miriad of experiences and welcome all questions. Someone

on the board will respond to any question that they have experience

in and if it is one which we dont know...if that is

possible..lol...then we will find the answer, even if we have to call

the doc ourselves. So ask away.

Sharon in Onyx

12-20-01 335lbs 3xl shirt and 32 pants

09-05-03 192lbs med shirt and 16 pants

[Guest guest]

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> I have joined this group for guidance and knowledge of what to

expect from the post-opers. Also, to share anxieties,etc. with

other pre-opers!

>

> Melinda in Santa Fe

Hi Melinda! I'm Donna from California, and I had my surgery on Aug.

14th....so far, things are going as expected. I joined this group for

information also, but have found many new friends in doing so. In

addition, we share not only surgical/ins details, but have a lot of

fun too!

Welcome to the group! Donna

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