Trip to E.R.- feeling better

One of the problems of living with severe Fibromyalgia is sorting out the pain signals.  You become so accustomed to pain that is medically meaningless, that you don't know when it is too much, when it signals that something else is going on. Sometimes the pain is so bad it just overtakes my brain; I can't think straight. I rarely get this bad -- maybe 3-4 times per year. I take the max of all the kinds of painkillers I have: Ultram, T-3 (codeine), Ibuprofin 800 mg., and it may as well be water. I can only lie in bed and try to sleep through it, but unable to because the pain is so bad. I feel like I want to crawl out of my body to get a break from the unrelenting head-to-toe pain. While my feet and calves feel torturously pained, and might be helped with some cream (Burt's Bees for feet and legs) I cannot even bear to reach down that far to apply it. This is when I pray for the release that death would bring, and wonder why God keeps me alive, so useless is such a life.
That is what I was experiencing on Mon. and Tues.  But finally I used my phone-a-friend option yesterday afternoon, to discuss my symptoms, and she (my sister-friend, Monica) made the sensible suggestion that I call my doctor's office. Honestly, I just didn't think of it! By that I mean, I just couldn't tell it had gotten to that point. Now, it is not uncommon for me to have a sensation of chest muscle pain and constricted breathing due to the fibro. But this was strong enough to suspect something else, so the nurse told me to go to the e.r. to rule out heart trouble or pneumonia - which they did. I was glad my neighbor-friend, Deb, was available to drive me, so I didn't have to go by ambulance.
It turns out I have "asthmatic bronchitis".  A nebulizer treatment and pain shot  later I was a whole new person! (I don't think I have ever had Toreadol before) So I left with a prescription for an inhaler and antibiotic.
This morning I feel back to normal, except for the headache, which is a side effect of the Doxycycline. By "normal" I mean, normal for me: in pain, but able to cope with it. One thing I gained from this experience is the knowledge that maybe an option for me in the future will be to get a shot of Toreadol when I get this bad. Also, when I do get this bad, chances are the flare-up is being triggered by another illness which may be treatable, which will help relieve the flare-up. If you read this blog to learn about fibromyalgia, that is the important thing to take away from this post.
Cheers!

Just coping today

My pain level is sky high.  Not the worst it's ever been, but getting up there.  I just gave in and took a T3 (codeine)  I am wondering if my pain is really worse these days, or is the Ultram no longer giving me the relief it did.  I am tending to think the first is true because I am aware that my stress level was extraordinarily high for an extended period of time this year, with little release or relief available.  I do what I can with what I have, particularly a lot of meditation, but also probably too much eating for comfort and distraction/entertaining myself.  I need a fun vacation.  But that's not going to happen.  Other ideas need to come to me. I guess I'll go meditate on that.

More of the same, and some new ATCs

Again today, I am in so much pain I have hardly been able to do anything.  Took the dog out a couple times, microwaved a meal, filled out forms for the new place I am hoping to move into.  I lost energy to scan them into the computer to send.  I got page one on the scanner bed.  The thought of running back and forth, lifting the top, turning and positioning pages, back to the computer, open the program, follow the buttons down, click on the right one, then click again, then again.  Back over to the scanner.... for each and every page. I  took a codeine. We'll see if that helps.  energy-low. stiffness-high.  bummed out about how much I want to do, and can't. I made 3 new ATC's last nigh that i am vey pleased with:

My rating scale

Today I am in lots of pain. I'm also pretty stiff, and fairly low energy.   I hate the 1-10 scale. It is hard to figure out where to say I am in relationship to the worst possible pain I can imagine (10).  And Fibro is much more than just pain.  The main components that interfere with my functioning are pain, stiffness, and energy.  (There are lots of other symptoms that are annoying.)  They seem to operate independently of one another.  I find this odd -- unexpected.  It is easier to rate pain in relationship to my functioning. At my worst I cannot get out of bed except to shuffle to the bathroom if absolutely necessary. I cannot open my medicine bottle, or turn on the computer, much less type. Worst of all, I can't make my coffee! - lol.  That's MY 10.  Sometimes my pain will be high, but my stiffness low, and my energy high, so that I am frustrated about feeling like I want to be active, but can't find anything to do that is comfortable, painwise.  But these are not such bad days because painkillers help me to function.  Sometimes my pain level is low, and my energy is high, but so is my stiffness, which also feels like I want to be active, but there is nothing to loosen the stiffness.  Exercises or stretching are a crap shoot. Sometimes they help, but more often, they flare me up.  Then I end up in bed for 1-3 more days.  I have read that this is common for fibromyalgics.  So if I am lower pain (usually it takes painkillers to get there) + high  energy + high stiffness, that's a good day to go to Barnes and Noble or use a scooter cart to grocery shop.  Occasionally, my stiffness is low enough I can shop for a while under my own steam.  It's hard to gauge.  There were times when I thought it would be okay to walk, and suddenly I find myself at the back of the store unable to take another step. 
That's enough for now, but soon I will talk about the relationship to weather I have noticed, and my very very odd sleep schedule.  Meanwhile, here is some artwork Idid recently:

It's a mandala done with sparkly gel pens