Another Newcomer

[Guest guest]

Hello all. I go by the name of Femme and I'm a 35 year old single mom of the

bestest little girl you ever saw!! I have been lurking for a while now, but

really I don't have alot of time to get on-line. I just wanted to introduce

myself and tell you how nice it is to finally have other people who know what

I'm going through. One would think a city as big as Indianapolis would have a

support group but I haven't been able to find one. Hell you can barely find a

dr who knows anything about it.

So let me tell you my basic story. I was diagnosed about 8/9 years ago, about 1

year after receiving an injury called spondolythesis - which is basically one of

my vertebrae is broken in a weird way and the broke part " floats " and can put

pressure on the spinal cord, which is not good. The break is at L4 and there is

a very large very hard " knot/spasm " thing right in that area on the right side.

When the fibro really kicks in the spasms and trigger spots start there and go

all the way to my shoulders. I have alot of problems with sciatica on the right

side and the past year or so, also on the left. My buttocks

HURT almost all the time. What's a person to do about that, huh??? '-) I mean

you can get a back rub, but a butt rub!! Be careful who you ask! ha ha ha. Oh

well, I digress. I seem to be in a somewhat stable period right now but I have

learned to say no to just about everything. I am selective about what things I

try to do and try to rest alot. And really hot baths with epsom salts seems to

help alot. I sleep better since was born (she will be two on Dec 27!!!)

but I don't know why, maybe it's just 'cos of her. I have all the weird

symptoms like my vision being blurry sometimes - one day my glasses

are fine, the next I can't wear them at all, bad memory and depression. I've

noticed twitchs and muscle jerks in my face, my shoulder and armpit area and my

legs. It's usually my legs when I can't sleep - they get twitchy and restless

and won't hold still. Menstrual cramps are UNBEARABLE!!!! I don't feel it in

my stomach like I did when I was a teenager - it's just intense pain in my lower

back for three to five days each month or more, above and beyond the " normal "

amount of pain I'm in. You can just imagine what 48 hours of labor did to me!!

There's alot of stuff connected with the whole child birth story

but I'll save that for another time.

Really, I am luckier than most because when I hurt my back I was a federal

employee (GS4) and a member of the National Guard (E4). So I got an honorable

discharge from the Guard and took disability retirement from the

government.....at age 28. I receive a very small pension each month so I have

not gone back to work since was born. For two years before that I worked

16 to 20 hours a week at a mortgage company and still got in trouble for calling

in sick. We are poor, that's no doubt, we live on less than $8000 a year, a

little better if I get child support. But my trailer is paid for and I can save

my

energy to spend on my daughter rather than wearing myself out trying to work to

pay the baby-sitter. I was " let go " from my last corporate, 50 hour a week type

job because I just can't do it anymore. I just couldn't cut it anymore. Stress

doesn't help any either! I try to avoid things that are extremely stressful,

like rush hour traffic in the city - I just don't do it. The more things like

that you can avoid, the better you will feel. This tactic has helped my alot

but of course there are tons of things I can not avoid, like carrying ,

waiting in line at the bank, carrying groceries or even doing the

shopping, etc. etc. etc. Lots of things don't get done at my house unless I can

pay someone to do it but I'd rather have the energy to roll with on the

floor and do fun things with her then try to do everything myself and have a

set-back or relapse.

I do not have health insurance and am currently applying for disability

Medicaid. They said I make too much money to qualify for it with out jumping

through all the hoops. Isn't that hilarious!! I haven't been treated in almost

two years. But maybe I'll be able to go back to the pain clinic soon. I don't

know if any of you have tried this, but I used to get injections of some sort of

lidocaine type drug and a medicine combined. They stick the needle right in the

middle of the trigger spots and let me tell ya, it hurts like hell! But you go

home and take a hot bath to spread the medicine around more and within

a few days - Relief!! A week or so after was born they stuck probably 20

different places in my back during one session!! I was so bad, I was getting

major pain killers one hour and muscle relaxers the next hour but nothing helped

until I got the shots.

Well I've rambled enough for my first posting. I have some info I will post

later tonight that might help some of you. Oh yea, I almost forgot. I never

heard the phrase " fibro fog " before but I recognized it immediately!! It's the

state I've been in all week and couldn't explain. I don't really feel bad, my

pain level is low but I'm tired and just don't feel like doing anything, but

it's not like I can put my finger on anything specific. So know I have a name

for this feeling anyway.

Also I wanted to ask what is Arnold Chiari Malformation? I have never heard

that before either.

Thanks everybody!! Hang in there!

Femme