A Lot of Questions
Hey everyone!
My name is Sarah and I am 21 years old. I was diagnosed with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome in April of 2008 and Fibromyalgia in October 2009. I have been bed-bound since February of this year, had to withdraw from college, and am currently filing for disability. They have denied me once, but I appealed it, and I haven't heard back from them yet.
So now that you have a little background, I have a lot of questions. You all seem to be extremely knowledgeable people, so I hope maybe you'll be able to answer them :) I'll try to speak as well as I can, but forgive me if some things don't make sense. I'm having horrible brain fog today.
1. I was diagnosed with CFS a long time ago, but is it possible that I just have Fibro? Could it have just been "blooming" so to say, disguised as CFS, until this year?
2. My doctor put me on Lyrica a month ago. For the first week, it worked wonderfully! I felt almost normal! And then all of a sudden, it just stopped working, so my doctor decided to increase my dosage. Is there a reason why this happened?
3. I know one of the main side-effects of Lyrica is weight gain, and I feel as though I may be gaining some weight. Is there any way I can combat this without exercising? I'm already eating like a bird. Do I have to chose between being thin and in pain, and fat and pain-free?
4. Sometimes I am so tired I cannot get up. Other days I feel like an insomniac and I can't sleep. Today I slept for 20 hours, and I think after this post I am going back to bed. Is this a symptom of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, or do people with Fibro suffer from this as well? Could it just be the pain making me tired?
5. I have never been interested in sex, at all. I feel like my libido is negative. My disinterest in sex has caused me more than one breakup. Is this also a symptom of Fibromyalgia? If so, how can I combat it?
6. Because I am so young, my doctor will not prescribe me pain killers or muscle relaxers. Over the counter pain medicines like Tylenol, Motrin, Advil, Bayer, ect. ect., do not even touch my pain. The only thing that seems to work is when my dad lends me half of one of his Vicodin (he has a rod in his back).
So how do I get relief? I already lay on a full body heating pad all day long, do stretches, go to the Chiropractor when my family can afford it, and have my family members rub out my sore muscles. What do I try? Drugs, alcohol, do I turn to the black market?
7. Starting January 1st, I will no longer be on my parents' health insurance. This terrifies me, since I need medical care so often. I know you get insured (at least I think you do) through Disability, but it doesn't look like they are moving very quickly regarding my case. What do I do? Do I get private insurance? What insurance company will accept me with my pre-existing expensive condition? How ill I get the medicine I need everyday?
I know I had other questions...but alas, I have forgotten them. It makes me so mad when that happens. I hope you guys have some answers for me though, and I hope I didn't ask too much. I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving with your families, and that you're up to par today.
<3
My name is Sarah and I am 21 years old. I was diagnosed with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome in April of 2008 and Fibromyalgia in October 2009. I have been bed-bound since February of this year, had to withdraw from college, and am currently filing for disability. They have denied me once, but I appealed it, and I haven't heard back from them yet.
So now that you have a little background, I have a lot of questions. You all seem to be extremely knowledgeable people, so I hope maybe you'll be able to answer them :) I'll try to speak as well as I can, but forgive me if some things don't make sense. I'm having horrible brain fog today.
1. I was diagnosed with CFS a long time ago, but is it possible that I just have Fibro? Could it have just been "blooming" so to say, disguised as CFS, until this year?
2. My doctor put me on Lyrica a month ago. For the first week, it worked wonderfully! I felt almost normal! And then all of a sudden, it just stopped working, so my doctor decided to increase my dosage. Is there a reason why this happened?
3. I know one of the main side-effects of Lyrica is weight gain, and I feel as though I may be gaining some weight. Is there any way I can combat this without exercising? I'm already eating like a bird. Do I have to chose between being thin and in pain, and fat and pain-free?
4. Sometimes I am so tired I cannot get up. Other days I feel like an insomniac and I can't sleep. Today I slept for 20 hours, and I think after this post I am going back to bed. Is this a symptom of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, or do people with Fibro suffer from this as well? Could it just be the pain making me tired?
5. I have never been interested in sex, at all. I feel like my libido is negative. My disinterest in sex has caused me more than one breakup. Is this also a symptom of Fibromyalgia? If so, how can I combat it?
6. Because I am so young, my doctor will not prescribe me pain killers or muscle relaxers. Over the counter pain medicines like Tylenol, Motrin, Advil, Bayer, ect. ect., do not even touch my pain. The only thing that seems to work is when my dad lends me half of one of his Vicodin (he has a rod in his back).
So how do I get relief? I already lay on a full body heating pad all day long, do stretches, go to the Chiropractor when my family can afford it, and have my family members rub out my sore muscles. What do I try? Drugs, alcohol, do I turn to the black market?
7. Starting January 1st, I will no longer be on my parents' health insurance. This terrifies me, since I need medical care so often. I know you get insured (at least I think you do) through Disability, but it doesn't look like they are moving very quickly regarding my case. What do I do? Do I get private insurance? What insurance company will accept me with my pre-existing expensive condition? How ill I get the medicine I need everyday?
I know I had other questions...but alas, I have forgotten them. It makes me so mad when that happens. I hope you guys have some answers for me though, and I hope I didn't ask too much. I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving with your families, and that you're up to par today.
<3