Well I haven’t been in the mood to write anything lately...my doctor has me weaning off of one of my drugs and if I ever thought some of the side effects were bad this one is worse. The more I read about withdrawal effects while coming off of Effexor the scary it got.
Next time I start a new drug I know to not only research the side effects one might experience, but also the withdrawal affects. This one is nasty and for some people it takes months of suffering through the withdrawal effects before they can completely wean off. I am currently on day 16 on the reduction and these past few weeks have been filled with constant nausea, killer headaches, and sensitivity to light and sound and smells, along with some agitation and insomnia. I had a whole week where i didn’t even leave the house having to ask a friend to buy me some more crackers to keep the nausea at bay.
The whole reason I am going through all this is we (doc and I) think that the drug was one of the big causes behind my insomnia getting way out of control. Research showed that up to 25% of people can suffer from insomnia while these others it helps with there sleep. I have found this with a lot of the drugs out there…seems so strange that the same drug that helps some sleep prevents others. Just goes to prove that the human body is a marvel and we all are so unique.
I think I am starting to see some light at the end of the tunnel as last night I actually got in one of my first good sleeps in months. Some times prayers do work.
So to all of those out there who have gone through the nastiness of Effexor I can certainly sympathize with you.
Till then I take one day at a time and I love my saltines.
And so it continues....
Posted by
Heather
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I was at one of my monthly dermatologist appointments and had been discussing my frustration with everything that had NOT been going on with my health along with the doctor informing me to deal with it. My nurse said she would speak to Dr. Wasel regarding my troubles next thing I knew he had written a referral to a doctor that he has fill in for him for emergencies when he is out of town. Within a week I was off to see Dr. Karpman who had agreed to take me on as a patient. I knew going to a new doctor meant that he would want to try out several new things of his own. I was going to try to be patient but by this time it was late January 2008. Dr. Karpman looked at all my x-rays and listened to my story. And thus began my journey started once again…more drugs, more cortisone (a hell of a lot more) and then more drugs. In March of 2008 I started to go to physical therapy on a regular basis and even tried acupuncture for the first time. For 4 months straight I was there 3 times a week, then 2 times a week then weekly.
I forgot to mention that by this time I was off work completely since Nov of 2007 as the pain was too much and I could only sit for a few hours before it felt like me knee was going to explode. At the end I was reduced to using crutches and then that only made things worse in my shoulder, elbows and hands. I had this serious gimpy walk thing going on as my knee kept giving out on me.
Though my real worries were just about to begin as my dealings with the insurance company were about to begin….
I forgot to mention that by this time I was off work completely since Nov of 2007 as the pain was too much and I could only sit for a few hours before it felt like me knee was going to explode. At the end I was reduced to using crutches and then that only made things worse in my shoulder, elbows and hands. I had this serious gimpy walk thing going on as my knee kept giving out on me.
Though my real worries were just about to begin as my dealings with the insurance company were about to begin….
2007
Posted by
Heather
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So I got started but didn’t get anywhere fast...sorry about that. That's one of the things that can go along with FM "Fatigue" with a capital F. It seems to creep up on you or some days it just comes out of no where and knocks you to the ground. We all will have different stories but there will be similarities to them all. As my doctor has told me many times that this condition is frustrating to physicians as everyone is one a different drug cocktail as no one seems to respond to the same thing. I know for myself that even 2 years later and we are still playing mixology.
I digress, as I said I was going to start from the beginning and then never went anywhere with that as being technically challenged I couldn’t figure out how to get back in here.
My knee pain started on and off during 2006 and then starting a bit more frequently in 2007. I was having knee pains at night that would keep me awake as I could never get into a comfortable position as the pressure on either side was too much . By morning the pains were gone so I usually just chalked it up to arthritis as I did with all my other aches and pains as I was diagnosed with psoriatic arthritis when I was 19. By late summer in 2007 I was experiencing the pain 24\7 and it didn't feel like anything I have ever experienced with my arthritis in the past. Now all I had to do was convince my doctor that this not "just a flare up".
So this started the lengthy string of tests and appointments with doctors, and specialists. I won't go into too much detail but feel free to ask questions if you want more information. After the initial sets of x-rays showing nothing and my doctor trying various anti inflammatory and pain medications I finally insisted that more be done. Given my history of arthritis we went the route of ruling out that I didn’t have new inflammation due to arthritis. I have to say the one good thing about this was that they had a cancellation and I was able to get into see the rheumatologist within a week. So scratch that one off the list nothing new showed up there….so back to my doctor to see what next. So after shooting my knee up with cortisone he decided to order a MRI on my knee. More waiting of course to get the test then results, but once they were in nothing drastic showed on them. My doctor said “I should get a scooter and deal with it”.
I digress, as I said I was going to start from the beginning and then never went anywhere with that as being technically challenged I couldn’t figure out how to get back in here.
My knee pain started on and off during 2006 and then starting a bit more frequently in 2007. I was having knee pains at night that would keep me awake as I could never get into a comfortable position as the pressure on either side was too much . By morning the pains were gone so I usually just chalked it up to arthritis as I did with all my other aches and pains as I was diagnosed with psoriatic arthritis when I was 19. By late summer in 2007 I was experiencing the pain 24\7 and it didn't feel like anything I have ever experienced with my arthritis in the past. Now all I had to do was convince my doctor that this not "just a flare up".
So this started the lengthy string of tests and appointments with doctors, and specialists. I won't go into too much detail but feel free to ask questions if you want more information. After the initial sets of x-rays showing nothing and my doctor trying various anti inflammatory and pain medications I finally insisted that more be done. Given my history of arthritis we went the route of ruling out that I didn’t have new inflammation due to arthritis. I have to say the one good thing about this was that they had a cancellation and I was able to get into see the rheumatologist within a week. So scratch that one off the list nothing new showed up there….so back to my doctor to see what next. So after shooting my knee up with cortisone he decided to order a MRI on my knee. More waiting of course to get the test then results, but once they were in nothing drastic showed on them. My doctor said “I should get a scooter and deal with it”.
In my head I'm saying to myself I'm 40 and this is not how I was going to live my life I needed more answers as I felt like no one was listening to what I was saying
What day is it..
Posted by
Heather
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What to put in my first entry...I will warn you that I speak from my heart and I don't have a fancy way with words. I am hoping that through sharing some of my experiences that it might help someone else out that there that is afflicted from the effects that can Fibromyalgia (FM) have on your life. Whether it is you personally, a family member, or a friend you all might feel the effects when you know someone dealing with FM.
I think I will start from the beginning and give you some of the details as to what I experienced…everything from my dealings with doctors, work, and of course insurance companies. There were definitely some things I should have done differently along the way if I had known then what I do now (don’t we hear that all the time). So some positives have come out of the process, but defiantly it has been mainly struggles along the way and I am thankful for all the support from my family and friends who have stood beside me along this new path in my life.
I think I will start from the beginning and give you some of the details as to what I experienced…everything from my dealings with doctors, work, and of course insurance companies. There were definitely some things I should have done differently along the way if I had known then what I do now (don’t we hear that all the time). So some positives have come out of the process, but defiantly it has been mainly struggles along the way and I am thankful for all the support from my family and friends who have stood beside me along this new path in my life.
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