Savella and Pain Update

Ok. So here is an update on I've been feeling and such lately.

The Savella has been interesting. When I first went up to full dose, I had weird side effects, and what I called a "shifty" feeling. It was a really horrible day. But it got better and started to go away, so I felt better and continued the dose.

I feel like the Savella is helping with the pain. I really do. It was rainy here the past couple of days and even that didn't make immense pain like it usually does. It could be a coincedence, but I really don't think it is. And even on normal days, I don't feel as much pain. I am still sore, but not really in pain as much, if that makes any sense.

The problem I have found with stopping the Cymbalta to switch to Savella though has been my emotions. I'm like a rollercoaster. Not an extreme one though. But sometimes I just seem to get really anxious or whatever, and up freaking out/crying. I've always had anxiety though, and I think the Cymbalta was helping it. The Buspar I'm on doesn't seem to do much of anything for my anxiety anymore. But I don't like these random crying "fits," they aren't like me at all.

So there's the update on how I've been feeling and such. Have a doctor appointment tomorrow. Dr. Winn wants to check my fibro tender points and see if the Savella is helping, and he is gonna give me some free samples of it to save me money. I'm so glad he's so good with giving me samples!

That's it for now...hope everyone is doing well! <3

Fibromyalgia Pronounced "Real Disease"

Fibromyalgia Pronounced "Real Disease"

Neurologic signs common with fibromyalgia

Last Updated: 2009-09-22 13:01:04 -0400 (Reuters Health)

By Michelle Rizzo

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Fibromyalgia isn't
all in your head, new research suggests.

In a study, researchers found that people with fibromyalgia were more likely than those without the chronic pain condition to have poor balance, tingling and weakness in the arms and legs, and other "neurologic" signs and symptoms.

Fibromyalgia, a debilitating pain syndrome that affects 2 to 4 percent of the population, is characterized by chronic pain, fatigue and difficulty sleeping. It's a somewhat mysterious condition with no clear-cut cause. Many people with fibromyalgia have faced the question of whether the condition is real.

The new findings, reported in the latest issue of Arthritis and Rheumatism, support a growing body
of literature suggesting that the condition is real and also support the possibility that a "neuroanatomical" cause may underlie fibromyalgia.

Dr. Nathaniel F. Watson, of the University of Washington Medicine Sleep Institute at Harborview, Seattle, and colleagues studied 166 people with fibromyalgia and 66 pain-free controls.

All of them were examined by a neurologist who was unaware of their disease status. All study participants also completed a standard questionnaire on neurologic symptoms.

In 27 of 29 neurological categories tested, significantly more neurologic symptoms were seen in the fibromyalgia group than in the control group, Watson and colleagues found.

The greatest differences were found for light sensitivity, or "photophobia," seen in 70 percent of fibromyalgia patients but in only 6 percent of pain-free controls; poor balance, which plagued 63 percent of fibromyalgia patients but only 4 percent of controls; and weakness and tingling in the arms or legs, seen in more than half of fibromyalgia patients but in only around 4 percent of controls.

In addition, those with fibromyalgia had greater dysfunction than controls in certain nerves in the brain. They also had more "sensory" problems, motor abnormalities and gait problems.

Within the fibromyalgia group, there were significant correlations between several neurologic signs and symptoms. For example, numbness in any part of the body or tingling in the arms or legs correlated with neurologic test findings. Poor balance, poor coordination and weakness in the arms or legs also correlated with objective findings on neurologic tests.

These observations, Watson told Reuters Health, underscore the need for "careful neurological examinations in all fibromyalgia patients, particularly those with neurological complaints."

Watson cautioned that this study does not confirm a neuroanatomical basis for fibromyalgia and that
much more work is necessary before this can be known with certainty.

SOURCE: Arthritis and Rheumatism, September 2009.

Copyright © 2009 Reuters Limited.

Quotes

Since I've been realllly bad and not updated my quotes journal in forever, and nobody probably checks it anymore, I think I'm just gonna post some quotes here. Enjoy!

"A true friend never gets in your way unless you happen to be going down." ~ Arnold H. Glasgow

" Everybody is gifted; it's just that some people never open the package." ~ Unknown

"You can fail so very often. But you are not a failure until you give up."

"Never be afraid to try, remember...Amateurs built the ark, Professionals built the Titanic." – Unknown

"A hug can lift pain and worries from the heart. Bringing hope and love back into the heart". - Nicole Strange

"Go for it now. The future is promised to no one." - Wayne Dyer

"Why are trying so hard to fit in, when you're born to stand out" — Oliver James

"God gives us dreams a size too big so that we can grow in them." ~Unknown

"It's hard to beat a person who never gives up." ~ Babe Ruth

"Love is not finding someone to live with. It's finding someone you can't live without." — Rafael Ortiz

"Never let anyone tell you that you can't; show them that you can." — Gloria Mallette

"Love is not blind; it simply allows us to see the beauty in everything."— Michelle D. Pierce

"There is nothing more beautiful than believing in yourself."— Sam Kao

"When you love someone you let them take care of you."— Jodi Picoult

"Problems are not stop signs, they are guidelines." ~ Robert H. Schuller

"Anyone can hide. Facing up to things, working through them, that's what makes you strong." — Sarah Dessen

“If you really want to do something, you’ll find a way; if you don’t, you’ll find an excuse.” - Frank Banks

"There is no exercise better for the heart than reaching down and lifting people up." — John Holmes

"Life isn't a matter of milestones, but of moments." - Rose Kennedy

“Just as hope rings through laughter, it can also shine through tears.” ~ Maya Angelou

So Bad At This...

I'm so bad at updating this blog lately. I'm just so exhausted and don't ever seem to have the time or energy to do it. But it's been long enough now, so here it goes.

I got a job. I'm now a Sales Associate at Toys R Us. As far as that type of job goes, it's pretty cool, and I absolutely love the people I work with. Everyone is good friends and talks and jokes and whatnot. Makes the work environment much better, especially compared to my last job at East Coast Marketing. The only downside though is that it is EXHAUSTING me. I feel dead after every shift, and usually end up feeling sick during work. I get so tired. And tonight, my pain has been extreme. But there really isn't much I can do about it. We need the money, so I have to endure.

My doctor has put me on Savella, which I'm hoping will make some kind of difference. So far I'm not on the normal dosage yet, I'm still on the increasing dosages. Or however you word that. I haven't noticed too much change yet, though I haven't felt any negative side effects either, so that's a plus. I just hope it really does make some sort of positive difference, because honestly, I'm going crazy.

I'm also really upset that my facebook group hasn't taken off like I had hoped for it too. Don't get me wrong, many people have joined, but donations are at a minimum. I know times are hard, but I'm just so frustrated. I really really really want/need this treatment, and I just have no way of getting it. I'm not mad at anyone, just at the situation. I don't feel like its fair that I can't get the treatment that I need in order to live my life.

Well, that's it for now. Just a short update.

<3 you all!

Complaining

Ok, so this post needs to be done, because I can't stop complaining lately it seems, so maybe if I get it out on here, it will help me shut up about it! lol.

But seriously, I just haven't been feeling life lately. I feel so crappy most of the time, whether its extreme fatigue, extreme pain, or both. I feel like my body and my life is not my own anymore. It's like it has been taken over by some horrible creature or something. I have so many ambitions for things I want to do, and then never ever seem to have the energy to complete them. Sometimes even simple things like getting out of bed is too much for me. What kind of life is this? Seriously, what did I do to deserve such a horrible thing happening to me?

I'm not one who wants people to feel sorry for me, or to pity me, I'm really not. But sometimes I just wish people would understand. People just don't understand what its like. And so many people think that its just all in our heads. I WISH! I wish it was something all in my head so that I could just go to a psychiatrist, get counseling and medication, and then it would all be gone! That's so much better then knowing you have to live with this for the rest of your life.

And while I'm on that topic, isn't that just a cheery thought? I have no real hope for this to get better or to go away. I try to remain hope that they will find a cure or just an effect treatment in my lifetime, but really, what if they don't? I have to live like this the rest of my life? How is that even living? I know I sure don't feel like I'm living most of the time.

I want help, and I need help. I need to go see specialists. Too bad that the closest one to me is forever away and not covered by insurance. No way in this world I can afford that. So oh well. I'm just stuck. Stuck living a life that I don't want. Honestly, all I really want is my life back, is that really too much to ask?

When You See Me - Fibro Poem

WHEN YOU SEE ME

by Mary Hastings

written May 2003

When you see me on a "good day"

I may look as if nothing's wrong,

But I, myself, am very aware

That the energy won't last long.

You may think that I am lazy,

Or I just don't like to try,

Or maybe I am just depressed,

When sometimes you see me cry.

You may not understand me,

It's not easy to explain,

The struggles that I so often endure,

As I live each day in pain.

People may offer their opinions,

Thinking that I just need some advise,

Yet they don't really comprehend,

Although they are trying to be nice.

What for some may be so easy,

Is almost impossible to me,

But because I may look healthy,

Many around me fail to see.

Perhaps it seems that I'm sloppy,

If I would only take more pride,

It's sad that many don't stop to see,

The person who is inside.

Planning things is so hard to do,

With each day uncertain fate,

The best that I can do is try,

And oftentimes I have to wait.

Life can be so stressful,

Even when you have your health,

Many people cannot even imagine,

Giving up their dreams and wealth.

While some people may worry,

How to fit everything into each day,

Others of us must struggle,

To even find a way.

So often misunderstood,

Some say that is must be "in my head,"

Yet there are days that it takes all I have

To even get out of bed.

You'd think that if one is weary,

Then why not just take a nap,

But the fatigue at times is so severe,

That nothing seems to help.

I guess it would be a better thing,

If there were a little more support,

Everyone longs for acceptance and love,

As they keep their life in sort.

If I could make the world aware,

Help them to see things in a new light,

Be careful on what they base their view,

That they may receive a new insight.

Then maybe when someone else comes along,

Who is going through something unknown,

They may not feel so hopeless and scared,

And will know that they're not alone.

Whether it be a terminal thing,

Or something chronic with no known cure,

There are many processes that will be faced

In this we can rest assured.

The grieving over loss is hard,

Whatever the loss may be.

What may be just a bump for you,

Could seem like a mountain to me.

For I faithfully trust in God above,

And no matter what the future may bring,

I know that He is holding my hand,

And He's in control of EVERYTHING.