I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia and psoriatic arthritis in 2010. Later diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis. I really think the FM symptoms are the worst. I feel like I have the flu all the time with the aching, but my worst symptoms are the lack of mental clarity. I feel soooo confused, depressed, and even literally dizzy. I work from home as a medical transcriptionist. Its not a physical job but a mental job. And this is tragic for me with the FM. Not all doctors are good dictators. My employer requires that I edit the doctor's dictation and fix all their messes when they dont stick to the format of the patients' records. And of course we have to fix reports when a foreign doctor cannot speak English that well. It's sooo unnerving when the FM is flared up. I've been on intermittent FMLA since 2011 because I always run out of sick/vacation time. Its hard to explain the psychological symptoms to my employer. I usually just say thatv"Im flaring" rather than tell them that Im so discombobulated and confused and cannot process things. And the depression that comes with it is frightening. So is the confusion. Ive realized that sugar, and especially ice cream, are the major offenders to my flare ups. But Im starting to wonder if certain grains could be too. I made a big dish of Mexican Quinoa Salad last week, and the flare up was one of my worst, and Im still flared up but it is slowly diminishing but still just comes in waves throughout the day. Ill be fine one minute and then within an hour be curled up in bed. I dont get paid for FMLA days off, so Im always trying to catch back up on work, working many weekends to try to have a full paycheck. And thats hard to do when you are still flared up. The confusion has been so bad this last 2 wks. I feel like I have ADD. I cannot focus on anything very long. Help me!
