Hello *waving energetically*

[alisonkcole]

I am Ali and I am new to this group and new to fibro. I have been suffering for years but it wasn't until one day last month when I woke up sobbing because I couldn't move and my whole body hurt that I made an appointment with my doctor. The Dr had diagnosed me last year with IBS but I was so focused on fixing that that I didn't talk about my other symptoms. I really thought I was just stressing too much or that maybe at 36 I was "getting old" I am a housekeeper and we all know what a physical job that is, or that I was loosing my mind or that maybe it was early onset menopause. I was relieved to find out that I do not have Lupus or RA or Cancer or early onset menopause instead I have a somewhat progressive incurable disease called Fibromyalgia. This one little word Fibro summed up all my everything; IBS, night sweats, moodiness, joint pain, muscle pain, stiffness when I wake up, insomnia, itchy skin, tiredness, just everything!
So my Dr prescribes Cymbalta. 14 days later I have breakthrough pain and I have gained 10 pounds! I am tallish 5'7" and normally weigh about 135 I am up to 160-the day I gave birth 14 years ago I weighed in at 162 *insert a heavy sigh *. I don't look like Jabba the Hut but I feel like I do.
My family has been so supportive, they let me take naps and don't mind when dinner is a bit late or the laundry doesn't get finished right away. I am very lucky to have some understanding folks around me even tho they don't really get it, everyone has pulled a muscle and knows how much that sucks so they are empathetic to a certain extent.
My job however, they are some cold hearted *****es. One of our ladies has RA and she works circles around most of us, a supervisor had an aneurysm and was in the hospital for a month but is now back at work everyday, a girl who worked until the day her water broke and we had to leave work early so she could get to the hospital, they don't understand that some days I wake up literally not being able to lift my arms up or bend my knees. I have set my alarm 2 hours early so I have time to get up and have coffee and shower and get dressed. *insert another heavy sigh here*
I have decided that I will not let this define me! I will fight thru the pain and stiffness and the aches and the blah, blah, blah! I will win every day, no matter how small, a victory is a victory!
Someone told me "Every day is a good day it's just that some are better than others" I freakin love that! Damn skippy Every Day is a Good Day!

 

[Trfielder]

Great attitude! Good for you . Thanks I needed a little lift today...

 

[bboebel1555]

Hello! I am new to the fibro diagnosis as well and I can relate to EVERYTHING you just said! It's hard isn't it? I am lucky that my workplace is very understanding of my illness and have gone out of their way to accommodate me, but I know what you are talking about with those B's at work.

What is it about our culture that values "working through the pain". I don't get it. I value my time with my family. I am dedicated to my job, but I only have so much energy each day and I do not want to give it all to work. I mean the lady with the RA, you know she has to just be falling down every day after work, and the aneurysm, I just don't even know what to say about that, wow.

All I can say is try not to let those people make you feel bad about yourself and your decisions. Like I said, I don't want to give it all to work, I want to save some of the best of me for my family and the people I love. That is my choice and no one is going to me feel bad or "less than" because of it. So your co-worker worked for 6 hours while she was in labor (I am, of course, exaggerating for effect), big deal, call me a wimp or a hypochondriac, but if my water broke I would been in a car to the hospital.... lol. I don't rush to the ER for splinters so I'm not that bad... lol. Hang in there.