
Reply: Questions for Dr. Pellegrino - Newly Diagnosed Wit...
I appreciate the advice...Yes, I have plenty of stress in my life too, but don't we all??...
Posted by Albatross
I appreciate the advice...Yes, I have plenty of stress in my life too, but don't we all?? Thank you!View Thread
Posted byAlbatross
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Reply: Questions for Dr. Pellegrino - Newly Diagnosed Wit...
Thank you! I will ask my PCM about that!
Posted by Albatross
Thank you! I will ask my PCM about that!View Thread
Posted byAlbatross
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Reply: A Good Day
What pain management is effective for you? I have heard many people say different things....
Posted by Albatross
What pain management is effective for you? I have heard many people say different things. I tried all the natural and over the counter options over a period of several years, and they did nothing. With a combination of injury pain to my knees and the Fibromyalgia, it is difficult to find something that really works. I was on MS Contin for a period of time and Oxycontin too that lasted for 12 hours, but my body seems to build up tolerance to these drugs faster than the short acting narcotics for me. Plus the short acting lets me know exactly when I need to take my next dose, because I will start to feel the pain returning. When you take the long acting ones, you are using higher levels of medicine for longer periods and it just masks everything, plus it made my fatigue worse...View Thread
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Reply: Monday, Monday ****10/8/2012 ****
MiMi, Hi. Yes, I have a note into my doctor about testing my Vit D. I am having a rough...
Posted by Albatross
MiMi,
Hi. Yes, I have a note into my doctor about testing my Vit D. I am having a rough day... I said before that I have found that Korean Panax Ginseng works pretty well to help with the fatigue and some of the pain by working with my pain meds, but I have to take breaks from it because it tends to raise by blood pressure and cause heart palpitations... So, today I am feeling the wrath of the fatigue and painful joints today and yesterday. The cold weather has arrived here in Maine too. Although, I wouldn't trade the scenery, privacy, and great air quality (it's all the trees) for a warmer climate. Besides, if I am too cold I can put on warmer clothes, but if I get too hot (I am very warm blooded anyway) I am miserable... Thank you for the words of encouragement.
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Posted byAlbatross
Hi. Yes, I have a note into my doctor about testing my Vit D. I am having a rough day... I said before that I have found that Korean Panax Ginseng works pretty well to help with the fatigue and some of the pain by working with my pain meds, but I have to take breaks from it because it tends to raise by blood pressure and cause heart palpitations... So, today I am feeling the wrath of the fatigue and painful joints today and yesterday. The cold weather has arrived here in Maine too. Although, I wouldn't trade the scenery, privacy, and great air quality (it's all the trees) for a warmer climate. Besides, if I am too cold I can put on warmer clothes, but if I get too hot (I am very warm blooded anyway) I am miserable... Thank you for the words of encouragement.
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Reply: Questions for Dr. Pellegrino - Newly Diagnosed Wit...
Angelldakota, Thank you! That means a lot!
Posted by Albatross
Angelldakota,
Thank you! That means a lot!
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Posted byAlbatross
Thank you! That means a lot!
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Reply: TGIF*****10/5/2012 *****ROLL CALL ***NEW MEMBERS A...
Dollbug, Yes, thank you for the suggestion on the Vitamin D. I have another apt with my...
Posted by Albatross
Dollbug,
Yes, thank you for the suggestion on the Vitamin D. I have another apt with my PCM soon, and I will make sure to ask him for that. My Orthopedic surgeon did try a few of the Synvisc injections a few years ago. He was skeptical for it helping the type of pain I get because that shot is designed to cushion the joint, and would not necessarily help with the bone on bone contact that I have... The only relief I seemed to get from it was when they mixed Lidocaine in the shot that numbed the pain for several hours, but when it wore off the pain returned... He has mentioned the new "partial" knee replacement that just replaces the kneecap with a synthetic one, but he said the stats on how well the synthetic kneecaps are holding up is not really available yet as this procedure is less than 5 years old. He did not want to recommend that, as he does not want me to have to endure more surguries than necessary. The re-alignment procedure (Fulkerson Method, and actually performed by him, also known as a tibial tubercle transfer) fixed the mal-alignment problems I had in both knees that caused my kneecaps to sublex/dislocate, but it was a long recovery with a lot of PT for 6 months each knee. The first 8-10 weeks was 0 weight bearing, and I suffered a blood clot during one of the procedures and has to go back down for emergency surgery that started the healing process all over again on my left knee... Allowing this to go one for so many years is what caused the damage, but it is too late to do anything about it now... It was just one of those things being int he military, you sucked it up, dealt with the pain and kept going... That's fine when your body is young, but now I feel it a lot more. Doesn't help when everything else hurts, and I have such a hard time accepting why it does too...View Thread
Posted byAlbatross
Yes, thank you for the suggestion on the Vitamin D. I have another apt with my PCM soon, and I will make sure to ask him for that. My Orthopedic surgeon did try a few of the Synvisc injections a few years ago. He was skeptical for it helping the type of pain I get because that shot is designed to cushion the joint, and would not necessarily help with the bone on bone contact that I have... The only relief I seemed to get from it was when they mixed Lidocaine in the shot that numbed the pain for several hours, but when it wore off the pain returned... He has mentioned the new "partial" knee replacement that just replaces the kneecap with a synthetic one, but he said the stats on how well the synthetic kneecaps are holding up is not really available yet as this procedure is less than 5 years old. He did not want to recommend that, as he does not want me to have to endure more surguries than necessary. The re-alignment procedure (Fulkerson Method, and actually performed by him, also known as a tibial tubercle transfer) fixed the mal-alignment problems I had in both knees that caused my kneecaps to sublex/dislocate, but it was a long recovery with a lot of PT for 6 months each knee. The first 8-10 weeks was 0 weight bearing, and I suffered a blood clot during one of the procedures and has to go back down for emergency surgery that started the healing process all over again on my left knee... Allowing this to go one for so many years is what caused the damage, but it is too late to do anything about it now... It was just one of those things being int he military, you sucked it up, dealt with the pain and kept going... That's fine when your body is young, but now I feel it a lot more. Doesn't help when everything else hurts, and I have such a hard time accepting why it does too...View Thread
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Reply: TGIF*****10/5/2012 *****ROLL CALL ***NEW MEMBERS A...
Hello, I took most of this from my post the other day to Dr. Pellegrino... I have been...
Posted by Albatross
Hello,
I took most of this from my post the other day to Dr. Pellegrino...
I have been procrastinating joining a support community because I never knew what was wrong with, but I just knew I didn't feel good...
Wednesday, after a few visits since retiring from active duty in October of 2010, my PCM at the VA Clinic did an exam, and diagnosed me with Fibromyalgia. I am still not sure how to feel about that because I was always under the impression that a "syndrome" is not a real diagnosis and is not really recognized. It just means that you have a whole bunch of symptoms that can't be explained, so we need to call it something so you will go away... I question the credibility of the diagnosis, even though I do have the symptoms, and everything else that can be ruled out has been.
I had Mono in 1992, and was infected with a severe case of Epstein Barr Virus in 1998. I have been telling people and doctors for years since then that I have never felt right again after that, and that was when my symptoms started and just began getting worse.
I am a 23 year military veteran, now retired and 44 years old. My symptoms:
Severe fatigue not explained by other conditions.
Memory or concentration trouble
Muscle pain
Multi-joint pain/burning without swelling or redness
Unrefreshing sleep
Exhaustion after physical or mental activity
Mood changes/irritability
No one has been able to help me. I firmly believe that there has to be a link here between the Mono/EBV and FM, but I can't find any supporting documentation or studies to confirm this.
All I know is that my quality of life is degrading more and more every year, and I am so tired of being tired, and hurting with that feeling of intense sleepiness that makes it so hard to concentrate... I go to bed and wake up feeling like I haven't slept, I wake up often at night and if I sleep too long even though I feel like I could sleep for days sometimes, it makes the fatigue and pain worse.
I have had significant service related injury to both of my knees, and a have had a total of 3 surgeries on each knee (2 scopes with debridement, and patella re-alignment), but I am still left with moderate to severe patellofemoral pain due to both my kneecaps not having any natural padding left and causing pain when the patella rubs against the femur. This is not correctable with any more surgery, and my knee joint is ok, so that along with my age rules out knee replacements. I am stuck with pain management to control the pain so I can continue to work full-time. This medication also helps with the FM pain, but the fatigue still makes me miserable.
I take Flexeril and bedtime that helps some with the pain and allows be to get a little more sleep. Otherwise, I can go to sleep ok because I am exhausted, but I wake frequently with pain. My pain medication that I have been on for quite sometime is Vicodin. I tried the longer lasting 12 hour pain meds, but I did not like the way they made me feel and the fatigue which is already bad, it made worse. I also like knowing from my body when I "need" to take it rather than just taking something every 12 hours that is designed to never wear off... When the pain returns then I take the med... That is about every 6 hours...
I take a multi-vitamin, Vitamin C, Vitamin B-50, Garlic, Flaxseed daily. I also take Panax Ginseng, which will give me more energy, but I can't take it everyday as it raises my blood pressure that I take meds for.
I see some other medications that are mentioned for helping with fatigue, but I am not keen on taking an anti-depressant when I am not depressed. My symptoms are physical, and the sleepiness is what I am having a really hard time with.
What meds that are discussed relating to FM can truly help with the fatigue part? If I could deal with this part a little better it would be easier to cope with everything else...
Thank you!View Thread
Posted byAlbatross
I took most of this from my post the other day to Dr. Pellegrino...
I have been procrastinating joining a support community because I never knew what was wrong with, but I just knew I didn't feel good...
Wednesday, after a few visits since retiring from active duty in October of 2010, my PCM at the VA Clinic did an exam, and diagnosed me with Fibromyalgia. I am still not sure how to feel about that because I was always under the impression that a "syndrome" is not a real diagnosis and is not really recognized. It just means that you have a whole bunch of symptoms that can't be explained, so we need to call it something so you will go away... I question the credibility of the diagnosis, even though I do have the symptoms, and everything else that can be ruled out has been.
I had Mono in 1992, and was infected with a severe case of Epstein Barr Virus in 1998. I have been telling people and doctors for years since then that I have never felt right again after that, and that was when my symptoms started and just began getting worse.
I am a 23 year military veteran, now retired and 44 years old. My symptoms:
Severe fatigue not explained by other conditions.
Memory or concentration trouble
Muscle pain
Multi-joint pain/burning without swelling or redness
Unrefreshing sleep
Exhaustion after physical or mental activity
Mood changes/irritability
No one has been able to help me. I firmly believe that there has to be a link here between the Mono/EBV and FM, but I can't find any supporting documentation or studies to confirm this.
All I know is that my quality of life is degrading more and more every year, and I am so tired of being tired, and hurting with that feeling of intense sleepiness that makes it so hard to concentrate... I go to bed and wake up feeling like I haven't slept, I wake up often at night and if I sleep too long even though I feel like I could sleep for days sometimes, it makes the fatigue and pain worse.
I have had significant service related injury to both of my knees, and a have had a total of 3 surgeries on each knee (2 scopes with debridement, and patella re-alignment), but I am still left with moderate to severe patellofemoral pain due to both my kneecaps not having any natural padding left and causing pain when the patella rubs against the femur. This is not correctable with any more surgery, and my knee joint is ok, so that along with my age rules out knee replacements. I am stuck with pain management to control the pain so I can continue to work full-time. This medication also helps with the FM pain, but the fatigue still makes me miserable.
I take Flexeril and bedtime that helps some with the pain and allows be to get a little more sleep. Otherwise, I can go to sleep ok because I am exhausted, but I wake frequently with pain. My pain medication that I have been on for quite sometime is Vicodin. I tried the longer lasting 12 hour pain meds, but I did not like the way they made me feel and the fatigue which is already bad, it made worse. I also like knowing from my body when I "need" to take it rather than just taking something every 12 hours that is designed to never wear off... When the pain returns then I take the med... That is about every 6 hours...
I take a multi-vitamin, Vitamin C, Vitamin B-50, Garlic, Flaxseed daily. I also take Panax Ginseng, which will give me more energy, but I can't take it everyday as it raises my blood pressure that I take meds for.
I see some other medications that are mentioned for helping with fatigue, but I am not keen on taking an anti-depressant when I am not depressed. My symptoms are physical, and the sleepiness is what I am having a really hard time with.
What meds that are discussed relating to FM can truly help with the fatigue part? If I could deal with this part a little better it would be easier to cope with everything else...
Thank you!View Thread
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Reply: Questions for Dr. Pellegrino - Newly Diagnosed Wit...
Hi! Thank you for your positive comments! I have been confirmed with Chronic Fatigue as a...
Posted by Albatross
Hi! Thank you for your positive comments! I have been confirmed with Chronic Fatigue as a symptom, but I did not do myself any justice by saying that I had good days and bad/worse days, and that I was dealing with it. I have always indicated that the way I am feeling began after my bout with Epstein Barr, which was 14 years ago. My new Dr. seems to be much more in tune with things. One of the diagnosing criteria for CFS is constant, unrelenting and debilitating fatigue for 6 months or longer... Yes, it has been 14 years, and yes I have fatigue all the time, but I have miserable days, and I have days that I have pockets of 2-3 hour time frames where I feel ok, so I guess I didn't "qualify" for that diagnosis... My new Dr. tends to equate FM with also having CFS... Interesting how it just depends on the Dr. as to what diagnosis you get huh?
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Posted byAlbatross
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Reply: Questions for Dr. Pellegrino - Newly Diagnosed Wit...
Thank you! I don't believe I have ever had my Vit D checked. I will ask about that too. I...
Posted by Albatross
Thank you! I don't believe I have ever had my Vit D checked. I will ask about that too. I will look up the rx you mentioned.
I appreciate your comments!
View Thread
Posted byAlbatross
I appreciate your comments!
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Questions for Dr. Pellegrino - Newly Diagnosed Wit...
Hello, I have been procrastinating joining a support community because I never knew what...
Posted by Albatross
Hello,
I have been procrastinating joining a support community because I never knew what was wrong with, but I just knew I didn't feel good...
Yesterday, after a few visits since retiring from active duty in October of 2010, my PCM at the VA Clinic did an exam, and diagnosed me with Fibromyalgia. I am still not sure how to feel about that because I was always under the impression that a "syndrome" is not a real diagnosis and is not really recognized. It just means that you have a whole bunch of symptoms that can't be explained, so we need to call it something so you will go away... I question the credibility of the diagnosis, even though I do have the symptoms, and everything else that can be ruled out has been.
I had Mono in 1992, and was infected with a severe case of Epstein Barr Virus in 1998. I have been telling people and doctors for years since then that I have never felt right again after that, and that was when my symptoms started and just began getting worse.
I am a 23 year military veteran, now retired and 44 years old. My symptoms:
Severe fatigue not explained by other conditions.
Memory or concentration trouble
Muscle pain
Multi-joint pain/burning without swelling or redness
Unrefreshing sleep
Exhaustion after physical or mental activity
Mood changes/irritability
No one has been able to help me. I firmly believe that there has to be a link here between the Mono/EBV and FM, but I can't find any supporting documentation or studies to confirm this.
All I know is that my quality of life is degrading more and more every year, and I am so tired of being tired, and hurting with that feeling of intense sleepiness that makes it so hard to concentrate... I go to bed and wake up feeling like I haven't slept, I wake up often at night and if I sleep too long even though I feel like I could sleep for days sometimes, it makes the fatigue and pain worse.
I have had significant service related injury to both of my knees, and a have had a total of 3 surgeries on each knee (2 scopes with debridement, and patella re-alignment), but I am still left with moderate to severe patellofemoral pain due to both my kneecaps not having any natural padding left and causing pain when the patella rubs against the femur. This is not correctable with anymore surgery, and my knee joint is ok, so that along with my age rules out knee replacements. I am stuck with pain management to control the pain so I can continue to work full-time. This medication also helps with the FM pain, but the fatigue still makes me miserable.
I take Flexeril and bedtime that helps some with the pain and allows be to get a little more sleep. My pain medication that I have been on for quite sometime is Vicodin. I tried the longer lasting 12 hour pain meds, but I did not like the way they made me feel and the fatigue which is already bad, it made worse.
I take a multi-vitamin, Vitamin C, Vitamin B-50, Garlic, Flaxseed daily. I also take Panax Ginseng, but not everyday as it raises my blood pressure that I take meds for.
I see some other medications that are mentioned for helping with fatigue, but I am not keen on taking an anti-depressant when I am not depressed. My symptoms are physical, and the sleepiness is what I am having a really hard time with.
What meds that are discussed relating to FM can truly help with the fatigue part? If I could deal with this part a little better it would be easier to cope with everything else...
Thank you!View Thread
Posted byAlbatross
I have been procrastinating joining a support community because I never knew what was wrong with, but I just knew I didn't feel good...
Yesterday, after a few visits since retiring from active duty in October of 2010, my PCM at the VA Clinic did an exam, and diagnosed me with Fibromyalgia. I am still not sure how to feel about that because I was always under the impression that a "syndrome" is not a real diagnosis and is not really recognized. It just means that you have a whole bunch of symptoms that can't be explained, so we need to call it something so you will go away... I question the credibility of the diagnosis, even though I do have the symptoms, and everything else that can be ruled out has been.
I had Mono in 1992, and was infected with a severe case of Epstein Barr Virus in 1998. I have been telling people and doctors for years since then that I have never felt right again after that, and that was when my symptoms started and just began getting worse.
I am a 23 year military veteran, now retired and 44 years old. My symptoms:
Severe fatigue not explained by other conditions.
Memory or concentration trouble
Muscle pain
Multi-joint pain/burning without swelling or redness
Unrefreshing sleep
Exhaustion after physical or mental activity
Mood changes/irritability
No one has been able to help me. I firmly believe that there has to be a link here between the Mono/EBV and FM, but I can't find any supporting documentation or studies to confirm this.
All I know is that my quality of life is degrading more and more every year, and I am so tired of being tired, and hurting with that feeling of intense sleepiness that makes it so hard to concentrate... I go to bed and wake up feeling like I haven't slept, I wake up often at night and if I sleep too long even though I feel like I could sleep for days sometimes, it makes the fatigue and pain worse.
I have had significant service related injury to both of my knees, and a have had a total of 3 surgeries on each knee (2 scopes with debridement, and patella re-alignment), but I am still left with moderate to severe patellofemoral pain due to both my kneecaps not having any natural padding left and causing pain when the patella rubs against the femur. This is not correctable with anymore surgery, and my knee joint is ok, so that along with my age rules out knee replacements. I am stuck with pain management to control the pain so I can continue to work full-time. This medication also helps with the FM pain, but the fatigue still makes me miserable.
I take Flexeril and bedtime that helps some with the pain and allows be to get a little more sleep. My pain medication that I have been on for quite sometime is Vicodin. I tried the longer lasting 12 hour pain meds, but I did not like the way they made me feel and the fatigue which is already bad, it made worse.
I take a multi-vitamin, Vitamin C, Vitamin B-50, Garlic, Flaxseed daily. I also take Panax Ginseng, but not everyday as it raises my blood pressure that I take meds for.
I see some other medications that are mentioned for helping with fatigue, but I am not keen on taking an anti-depressant when I am not depressed. My symptoms are physical, and the sleepiness is what I am having a really hard time with.
What meds that are discussed relating to FM can truly help with the fatigue part? If I could deal with this part a little better it would be easier to cope with everything else...
Thank you!View Thread
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