Well here I am, back from the dead, so to speak.I wrote this page many months ago but it seems that all the text was lost when it was posted. Neck surgery went well for the most part, they disc a fusion of c4,5 and six leaving me with less movement than before but after it healed the shoulder pain went away on the left side and lessoned on the right.
My Fibromyalgia is for the most part non-existent. Continue reading
Ok, So this is not about Fibromyalgia but it is about our freedom to deceide who has control over us. After reading this, you will agree that it is not Facebooks decision to remove pictures that were not public but for family and friends to see. What will happen as they continue this typw of censureship on a social network? If I publish pictures of my self, will they consider my deformed body and my 10″ scar down my chest as offensive for my family to see? Continue reading
Got your attention? good, If you have been reading my blog then you know I have been going through a tough time with my daughter almost being killed in an auto accident. After almost 9 weeks in the hospital she came home, we had to keep running for doctors appointments and then more appointments. A little at a time she has gotten better and just a week ago she had taken a shower and forgot to put on her eye patch and later realized that her vision had come back !! Another small miracle, small compared to the other ones she already received.Then my wife took sick and after 2 weeks of misery they finally decided that her gallbladder had to come out. No sweat easy scope operation but painful. Well when they inserted the scope and pumped her up with co2 her heart rate fell and went lower and lower so they stopped and reduced the pressure. Her heart rate came back so they restarted the procedure only this time her heart stopped! Continue reading
ON March 12th 2012 every post in this blog was deleted! Why, How? No one seems to know. I contacted my hosting company and they said nothing there has changed. Hmm other than their name, billing company, mysql database time up, security of the web sites I host, by that i mean I was unable to get into any sites I have created and maintain for others!!
Those problems were fixed but what happened to my little fibro blog? Did I do it? maybe the fog got me and I accidentally highlighted all my posts and hit delete! naw it cant be done, Continue reading
It’s now early February, Patricia just came home to our house, although she could have used an other week or two in a rehab, no one was paying. Maybe it’s just our nervousness and she is ok. I don’t know, she has a halo on her head, a feeding tube hanging out of her stomach and a patch over one eye… Looks fine to me. Continue reading
Good morning everyone! I’ve decieded to change the format of this blog. I am going to get selfish and make it about me. The heck with trying to keep content fresh in order to attact those who may click on an add and help support me. Sorry I do need the income, but enough of that.
As many know I am one of the few men with fibro, I believe there are maybe a million more that just don’t want to acknowledge it. I understand why and as I am not a football or sports figure, I cannot influence anyone. I am just your average guy.
In todays episode we find Bob sitting at his keyboard cursing the pain in his hands, How can I type with all this pain? I have already taken my morning 9 different meds plus my get out of bed 10 mg Oxycontin with 1/2 10/325mg percoset. Those 2 I take 20 minutes before trying to get out of bed. Hope we never have another fire 
Continue reading
I last left off, getting ready for bypass surgery. I didn’t know if I would be back to finish this story but I am glad to say I am. According to my doctor, the surgery went very well and my recovery was fast. This he said, was because I was young and strong. Well I was not going to argue about the strong part. I have to admit the pain was not as bad as I thought it would be, or was I just so use to pain? Sure coughing was a nightmare of instant pain but it subsided quickly, yet the aches in my arms and legs did not go away.
After six weeks of being confined to a chair in my house, I was sent to rehab 3 times a week. It was painful doing the exercises but I found that I had less leg pain at night and less restless leg symptoms. At least there was some benefit to the pain of exercising other than rebuilding my stamina. Unfortunately that only lasted 2 months and I was ushered out. Left alone to continue without any machines or even a sidewalk to walk on. I found myself doing less and less exercising every day.
Although I was back to working everyday, It is hard to stay awake or to focus on anything for long. I believe that the exercise was helping but I hate walking on the side of the road. A treadmill was to be brought in for me but that has yet to happen and it has only been 4 months. Everyone always has something else they need to do. Its ok I am no longer important, as a fibro suffer I barely exist in other peoples eyes.
Its funny, I received attention and sympathy when I had open heart surgery, but after a few months I was cured of that! so no more consideration just for the Fibro!
Well at this point I am about finished writing, I am scheduled for disc removal from my neck in a few weeks so If I am not paralized from it I shall return to update this story.. Is it me, or have I lost my optimism?? Later
WASHINGTON, Aug. 21 (UPI) — The chronic pain syndrome fibromyalgia, which most often occurs in women, can also affect men — not only as patients, but as caregivers, U.S. researchers say.
“Although 10 percent to 20 percent of fibromyalgia patients are males, few scientific studies have been done in this population,” Lynne Matallana of the National Fibromyalgia Association says in a statement.
The National Fibromyalgia Association and the American Pain Foundation are joining with the Men’s Health Network in conducting an online survey. Continue reading
For generations women had a tough time convincing doctors to take them seriously for many medical conditions, especially Fibromyalgia. Women have been called hysterical and told to curtail their active imaginations. However, men with Fibromyalgia are
dealing with an entirely different issue; they just don’t talk about it. Can you blame men for not coming forward with a woman’s disease when she is being told that it’s all in her head?
Now, let me tell you a little about this serious syndrome for both men and woman. Not necessarily the facts the doctors give you, but how the sufferers perceive it. Do you remember the flu that kept you from getting up out of bed for two weeks? Remember how difficult it was getting up out of bed and going to the bathroom? You were tired, uncomfortable, and ached all over, so you took medication to sleep. Now, I want you to imagine two things. First, you have no medication to ease the flu symptoms and second, the flu never goes away. In fact, Fibromyalgia does progress, not only does your pain and fatigue increase, other symptoms start appearing, regardless of whether you are a man or a woman.
With men, these flu-like symptoms manifest themselves a little differently at first because of gender roles and the physical differences between men and women. Men don’t go to doctors and often become stoic, hiding symptoms. Additionally, men have a tendency to isolate more than women and don’t want to be seen as whiners. They often wait until they can’t function at all before seeking medical attention. Fibromyalgia is sometimes called the invisible disability and for men this is especially true. I talked to Ron Mesic, Michigan, who began suffering with fibromyalgia as a teen. Ron said, “I seriously suspect that when I started seeking help, the prevailing attitude of medical professionals was that men should be tough, and importantly – modern medicine doesn’t cure much, they just make the patient comfortable while the body cures itself.”
Many things have been going on since I last updated my post. After7 months or so the Imipramine stopped working for my fibro pain. I hate when that happens, you just get use to something and bam, you have to start over.
We decided to give Cymbalta a try. The doctor more than me, I have heard many bad stories about Cymbalta, but we are all different so I went along with trying it.
At 30 mg twice a day, the pain had lessened to a 4/5 but after a few months I was starting to get a little bitchy. The doc upped it to 60 mg twice a day and the feeling bitchy went away but I was not feeling anything but my pain. I was numb, a zombie …
After fighting so hard to get the insurance to pay for the Cymbalta, I now new I would have to stop using it and try again..
In the mean time, my blood sugar levels, which had been fine for years are now running very high, My doctor has added medication, pills for now to help control the glucose levels and I cant seem to shake this extra 30 lbs I am carrying
On the Fibro front, I am now taking the newest medication, Savella 50mg twice daily, this med has been approved and used in Europe for 5 or more years, but it is new here in the States.
I must admit, the Fibro and Neuropathy pains are almost gone !!!!! My head is a lot clearer, and I feel like myself not some Zombie.. I get angry, I get happy.. this is good!
The Cymbalta required a withdrawal, that the makers do not admit to. I had to reduce the amount slowly to avoid the painful headaches and stomach aches. Then there is the brain zaps ! don’t know what else to call them, all of a sudden its like an electric shock in the brain, happens more when you twist your head or even your eyes! Well they are not as frequent now, It has been a month! that’s it for now!
