For those of you who may be interested, posted here is a x-ray with dye contrast photo of the epidural needle in my lumbar spinal dura that my anesthesiologist placed there. I had this injection the first week of April and was honestly petrified to have the procedure done. With everything I have had done in my life in the category of health care even this fear seemed irrational to me, but there it was. Still I wasn’t going to pass up the odds given to me that the steroid would help me not only be able to walk again with much less stress and discomfort regarding my back, but also the potential for calming down my Fibromyalgia. I’m was all for tossing the infrequent but necessary use of pain killers that I had been recently and reluctantly taking under my doctor’s supervision. Most importantly I was hoping for an improvement in my personal quality of life. The negative and painful consequences that were mostly invisible to friends and family, were very much alive and hard to live with for my most awesome husband Jerry and I. After the procedure was done I walked out of the Surgi-center feeling hopeful and optimistic, a feeling I had been harboring but strongly trying to squash for fear the said possitive outcome would be a big let down.

The following 2 weeks after the epidural have been a series of personal and emotional ups and downs in realizing and living with these results. In a positive note there has been a huge improvement with the amount of back pain I was experiencing prior to the procedure, even a decrease in the level of nerve pain that would shoot down my back, attack my glutes, race down the nerve highway in the back of my thigh and calf and finish their red hot journey under my foot. The epidural has helped my pain levels and my mobility issues tremendously and I will sign up for another when the time comes, given I can have the same doctor administer it.

My Fibromyalgia seemed gorgeously calm at first and for a brief moment in time I drank that feeling up like it was the sweetest liquor I had ever tasted. No pain. Imagine. None. How many years had it been since I had that feeling? It was almost as if I had been transported into a physically strong and beautiful female version of Jake Sully played by Sam Worthington in one of my favorite new movies Avatar. I was a Na’vi! Of course some of it was from the pain medication given to me for the procedure, this I was aware of. Yet just as my anesthesiologist had said (he gave me a second and changed opinion of the outcome immediately prior to the epidural injection) my Fibromyalgia started sneaking out of the calming blue Na’vi body I was occupying, and reality slowly set back in. Whether or not the new Fibromyalgia medication I am on is partly to blame for the remaining Fibromyalgia pain and strength issues I don’t know yet. I do know my rheumatologist and I will be discussing this and more at my next checkup.

My arthritic and Fibromyalgia riddled body, along with the recent upsetting diagnosis of AIED and Meneire’s Disease have created a highly emotional journey in my life right now. I’m looking for a much needed rest stop exit from this particular unwanted and uninvited “bumpy highway”. May I find strength, acceptance, and a certain calm I know is awaiting me just around the corner. May those around me find empathy, love and a desire to accept and support if they so chose along with the knowledge that I am doing the best I can with what I have. So, who wants to join me in that grove of trees up ahead? There is a green grassy hill, plenty of cool shade and a ice laden drink waiting to comfort us both.

It started quite some time ago when I began experiencing the unpleasant side effects of one of the newer drugs I was taking to treat the disease. I kept in close contact with my doctor and eventually changed from this new SNRI (serontonin-neropinephrine reuptake inhibitor) to another anti-depressant commonly use to treat Fibromyalgia. When the side effects of this new medication began taking its toll on me, my rheumatologist and I decided together to see how my Fibromyalgia would react without the aid of any medication, something I hadn’t done in years.

Going off these drugs must be done slowly, stepping down week by week until you are off of them. Even though I’ve been treating my disease with these medications for some time I would still have flare ups, some of them for what I knew at that time, to be fairly bad. By the second and third week stepping off this last medication I could tell the changes that were happening to my pressure and trigger points was unlike anything I’d ever experienced before. The hardest hit ones were in my calves and thighs, although my arms and shoulders were also experiencing extreme pain, tenderness and muscle weakness. And yet I honestly kept thinking it would get better, that I just needed to rest more. When I could no longer stand or walk because of the pain and weakness I figured it was time to call the doctor to make an appointment and had my awesome husband Jerry take time off work to drive me in.

I have been with this rheumatologist for a long time, trust her completely and was happy with our next plan of attack. Rest, change of medications, for both my fibromyalgia and my rheumatoid arthritis and a short course of steroids followed by a checkup. Oh and patience. Plenty of that. I am very fortunate I don’t have to work outside the home. Like I said before I am grateful and thankful for my awesome husband, without him I could not focus on my health. I am going to get better, it may take me longer than I like, but I am focused on that positive outcome.

For those of you who are skeptic about my course of treatment or who believe in alternative therapies, or even have a whole different idea of how one should go about treating this or any other kind of illness I will just say this. To each their own. I have tried many other kinds of treatments. I do not believe in using pain pills alone as treatment for my conditions. There are many theories on how to treat this disease, please do not judge me.

For some additional home massage treatment I use the items shown in the photo above. The hand held massager is one I’ve had for years, it is a Homedics brand and has several variable speeds. I have tried several other brands over the years yet keep coming back to this heavy duty massager as my favorite.

The tennis ball may seem like a impossible massage tool but placed inside a sock it can become very useful. Hang on to either end of the sock, lean up against the wall with the ball against your back on a pressure point and dig deep. Sweet relief!

The S Hook Massager can be found on line or at your local Mother’s Market. While not cheap, they work really well at quick release work on your pressure points. Excessive digging with this tool will only aggravate your pressure points so do be careful.

The large dense white massage roll is an excellent way to work on your back while getting an arm workout at the same time. They are also good for IT Band massage or glute massage. These rolls can be purchased on line or at a larger local medical supply in your area. Instructions on how to use them can be found on line.

I hope that by sharing some of my story you can better understand what it is like to live with this frustrating and silent illness, Fibromyalgia. Coupled with several arthritis’s, and Sjogren’s Syndrome it can be challenging at times. What you see is not always all there is. Be kind and patient, take time to look beneath the surface and I believe we will all be better for it.

It would be hard to explain just how much I love my husband. I’m not even sure I could come up with the right words to express how I feel. He is my best and closest friend, my better half, my lover, my companion. And much more. He is an all around great guy.

He is also the owner of 1 really great elbow. You might think that is kind of a strange or obvious statement as most people have 2 elbows, both something the average joe appreciates and uses. And yes Jerry does have 2 elbows. But right now I am speaking of his right elbow. A really great friend of mine that right elbow is. Why you ask, is his elbow such a good friend?

First let me tell you, if you didn’t already know, I have Fibromyalgia. Ouch! Yes it is a real pain. It is also characterized by pressure points. This is where Jerry’s right elbow comes in handy. Positioning the point of his elbow on the exact spot of one of my ever present and large pressure points and massaging it relieves a lot of the pain and stiffness that stretching can not.

I recently learned through my massage therapist that the person applying this technique needs to be careful as they can injure their shoulder, She said that appyling pressure for an extended period of time can cause the shoulder muscles to be stressed. Since in some cases I can tolerate long periods of Jerry “elbowing” my pressure points I will need to be considerate of his health too. We can’t have both of us with health problems, now can we?

My joints are a hurting…
My strength is reverting…
I’m really not slacking…
My arthritis’s attacking.

Wii Fit, then the gym…
Trying to get trim…
Working and resting…
Strive for the best thing.

So the insult was glaring…
The TV was blaring….
Too busy eh Pat?
You’re gonna get fat!

She hulla and hooped…
Till she was pooped…
Lunged and ran…
Yoga she slammed.

No, Wii will not beat…
Pat says…No Defeat!