I need advice and guidance

[simplyvic]

I joined this forum and group because I feel like I'm starting to graduate from the denial stage of what I'm starting to acknowledge as my long term life affecting issue.

The pain started about 2 years ago. I was in an interesting and challenging phase of my life and had a bad habit of self medicating... as a result of this, I always attributed my pain to my bodily self abuse... whether it was the not eating enough, drinking too much, or the drugs... I assumed the pain was just part of the territory and that once I figured myself out, I wouldn't experience the same pain.

The more improvements I make in my life and habits, the more I am realizing I was wrong.

My mother was diagnosed with fibromyalgia when I was young, and I never really understood because she was over weight and along with that came such other health issues as high blood pressure and such... I just thought she was unhealthy.

I have yet to be diagnosed with fibro. I don't persue it because I don't see a reason why I should. I'm so confused about the whole thing. Because of my issues with drug abuse in the past, I am not a candidate for pain medication of any sort (at least I'm terrified of it). And I'm quite young, and people have no clue how much I hurt always. I don't know how to proceed to try to deal with this...

 

[diamond]

Oh you poor love what a quandry. I think you need to go to your doctor...we call them GP's in the UK for general practitioner who then can refer you on to a rheumatologist. A rheumy can then get you access to mvarious types of support not just pain medication....a pain clinic that might offer councelling and support from an occupational therapist to learn pacing and maybe get you access to pool therapy or physio.

Certainly keep eating healthy and keep as active as you can even if its just walking around the house and garden a bit each day.

It is one heck of an illness to cope with and like you i have a parent and friend who have chronic fatigue/pain are over weight and didn't do much and i too had no idea how it felt and just thought they were very unhealthy.

I stayed very slim all my life, ate very healthily, never drank and was very active and i still got fibro really badly.

Don't beat yourself up for your lifestyle we all make mistakes and if you have fibro you probably would have anyway as there seems to be a hereditory element.

I don't know anything about the health system in Canada or the cost but i wish you luck.

 

[simplyvic]

Thank you so much for taking the time to reply to my post. Yes, like you, I was always thin, active and healthy. I am less concerned about causes and past than I am about coming effects and struggles I have yet to face. I am experiencing a tremendous sense of loss.

I believe our health system is much like yours. (We also refer to them as GPs) I doubt very much that I will see my doctor again any time soon. He keeps offering me prescriptions... after knowing my history. He has sent me for 2 separate EMGs because I also have numbness and loss of nerve function intermittently so he was sure it was MS. Results were inconclusive both times. Last time I visited him he spoke about arthritis and told me to take alieve and booked me for an exray and ultrasound. I never went. The Alieve did nothing... because I experience no joint pain... and that's what it's for.

Thank you for your attention and advice... I appreciate it tremendously.

 

[diamond]

Try not to worry about whats to come as the more stress you are under the more likely you will get more pain and symptoms. Concentrate on making each day as good as you can..if you have a good day celebrate it in your mind and maybemake a note of how it felt so that when you are having bad days you can see written evidence that your body can give you good days too.

That helped me cope with the huge sense of loss we all understand..all your dreams all your sense of future in a safe reliable body have gone out the window replaced by pain and daily uncertainty. Its so hard but you will cope somehow.x