RE: lets welcome radiologymt

[Guest guest]

Hi Radiologymt, Welcome to the group.. This is a very supportive group Everyone here is great.. Looking forward to reading your post's and getting to know you better.. Gentle Caring Hug's Marie Marie A. Roomsburg pretty_n_cute2002@... marieava@...

[Guest guest]

Thank you, Lianne, and hello everyone:

My name is Donna and I am a radiology (x-ray) transcriptionist. I'm 49 (just recently - yuk!). I've been married 29+ years and we have two grown children and 5 grandchildren, 4 girls and 1 boy. DH is a wonderful man and he takes good care of me. We were high school sweethearts and are madly in love even after all these years. We live in Colorado (USA) in the mountains on 10 wooded acres. We have about 12 inches of snow on the ground right now and winter storm advisories out.

I have had health problems since 1985 when I had a bad fall but was not diagnosed with FM and UCTD (undifferentiated connective tissue disease) until 1996 after going through many doctors and being told numerous times it was all in my head and how could I be sick when I looked so healthy? I'm sure you know the drill. The UCTD label is something my rheumatologist (a wonderful Christian man) has given me because he can't decide if I have lupus. I have a lot of the symptoms but I don't have the accompanying strong blood work on a consistent basis. I don't care what labels he gives me as long as he treats me, and he agrees. I also have asthma and some other minor health problems. I think I may also have chronic fatigue syndrome but I haven't been officially diagnosed with that. I am a former migraine sufferer but don't have them so much anymore.

I currently take Ultram and Vicodin for pain and Soma for muscle spasms, Plaquenil for the UCTD, Motrin (800 mg) for arthritis, and asthma and low thyroid medications. Ultram has been a lifesaver for me. Before I started taking Ultram, I waited until the pain became unbearable then I broke down and took Vicodin, which I hate taking because I don't like the way it makes me feel (all spaced out). I can make 10 Vicodin last me a year. But I couldn't survive FM and UCTD without Soma and Ultram. I have horrible insomnia and take trazadone for that. It works most of the time.

I am very lucky because my occupation allows me to work at home, and the company I work for gives me a lot of latitude about my work hours. They know I have health problems and have been very good to me. Even so, I only work about 4-5 hours a day and not all at the same time. Any more than that and my hands really start giving me fits. I recently went through about 10 weeks of physical therapy for trochanteric bursitis and found out a lot of my hip pain was due to the fall I had in 1985 which made my left hip go up and out, my right hip go down and in, and my whole pelvis skewed to boot. I had all that pain that got compounded all those years and never got any help for it because doctors would not listen to me when I told them all my health problems started with that fall. The PT helped tremendously so that now I am just left with the typical FM pain (as if that isn't enough) and the extreme fatigue I feel most days.

When I feel good, I overdo it and then I am in bed for anywhere from 1-5 days, and I am a perfectionist although I am trying to get away from that. I have problems with fibrofog (sometimes really bad) and have been gently teased by my family (usually I laugh along with them, but I'm sure all of you know how it makes you feel to forget things and feel so dumb sometimes). One time I actually forgot how to type! And I have been typing since 1970!

I was really dreading Thanksgiving because everyone was coming to my house, and my husband and I wound up doing all the cooking because my nephew's wife was put in the hospital and my kids were both with their spouses' families, but I found a website that helped me set goals and get all my ducks in a row. I usually get very overwhelmed with all the details of cooking and getting the side dishes on the table (DH does the turkey), and usually we eat hours after our intended time to eat because the fibrofog takes over and I invariably do something stupid like not turning on the roaster for the ham or completely forgetting to put the frozen rolls out, but this year I'm proud to say we had it all together. I can post the name of the website if anyone is interested. I have no financial interest in it, but I have joined the group and think it will help get me motivated clean my house 5-15 minutes at a time, which I MIGHT be able to handle if I have the assurance of rest after that! Anyway, I made it through dinner all right and then was only in bed until noon the next day. Not my typical recovery time at all.

I haven't been part of a support group for while and I have missed the fellowship. I have been greatly blessed in my life by DH and my family and they do give me support, but of course they cannot know what it is like to live with this thing every hour of every day. However, DH's family doesn't understand because they are all overachievers, that is, until DH's sister was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis; even now my FM and UCTD aren't as high on the sympathy ladder as SIL's RA is, so I get very little support from them. That's okay. I love them but I don't see them very often so I don't have to deal with the lack of support on a daily basis.

I hope I can keep up with the volume of email. I don't like getting digests (that overwhelms me even more if you can imagine). If you don't hear from me for a while, it means I feel awful and I've withdrawn from everything (much like the animal that goes to lick its wounds). I'm more likely to post when everything is going all right.

Thanks for listening to this rambling. I didn't mean to write a book.

Donna N

lets welcome radiologymt

Hello and welcome to the group. You have joined a very supportive and encouraging group, so, make yourself at home here and if you have questions or want to vent, please do. I am sure someone will have answers and vent right along with you. I look forward to getting to know you and reading some of your posts. hugs,

Lianne

Lianne Crisci

[Guest guest]

Donna N..

Welcome hun to a great group of friends here... wow you have had your hands full .. Congrats on the wonderful Thanksgiving dinner you had... what a consept of a web site that you found so glad it helped you out so much. I can relate to a lot that you wrote, i was diagnosed in June of 2004.. so am sort of new to all this.. though like everyone else am sure I had it long before they said i did. I am 41 with 5 children, 3 still living,, ages 23, 17, and 4. All girls and I also have 2 grand babies.. girls as well ages 2, and 1. I have a boyfriend and live in Oregon..... cant wait to get to know you better in the group and hope you find the support and stuff that you need here. hugs you

Huggles you lots

Sophia

-------Original Message-------

From: Donna N

Date: 11/29/04 07:19:51

[Guest guest]

Thanks, Sophia. Sorry the drug company suggestion hasn't worked for you. Ah, to be 41 again! I saw your picture on the group site and you sure don't look like 41. More like 25 or so.

BTW, I'm rather like Detective Columbo. I never can remember EVERYTHING I want to say, so I will add here: I also have multiple allergies, to most everything that has a strong odor, such as household products, deoderant, laundry detergent, and perfume, etc. Everything in my house is perfume and dye free except for a candle I bought at Bath & Body Works that smells like cinnamon and pumpkin. It makes my house smell like I've been cooking all day!

Well, I need to get to work. I could spend all day reading email but would make no money. My hands are already protesting, though! Will have to plug in the wax spa so I can dip my hands in it later.

Donna N

RE: lets welcome radiologymt

Donna N..

Welcome hun to a great group of friends here... wow you have had your hands full .. Congrats on the wonderful Thanksgiving dinner you had... what a consept of a web site that you found so glad it helped you out so much. I can relate to a lot that you wrote, i was diagnosed in June of 2004.. so am sort of new to all this.. though like everyone else am sure I had it long before they said i did. I am 41 with 5 children, 3 still living,, ages 23, 17, and 4. All girls and I also have 2 grand babies.. girls as well ages 2, and 1. I have a boyfriend and live in Oregon..... cant wait to get to know you better in the group and hope you find the support and stuff that you need here. hugs you

Huggles you lots

Sophia