Princess and The pea
Last night was awful. I've been in the midst of a flare up for a few days now, but it turned full blown yesterday. Full on extreme pain (uncontrollable even w/my pain meds), dizziness, feeling off balance, stiffness, general achiness, and of course the dreaded "fog". My family tries to laugh the fog off, to not let it get me down; however it scares the crap out of me. You see I start back to school in January. I'm trying to further my education so that my career isn't so physically demanding on me. If the forgetfulness continues though, how the hell am I going to finish nursing school??
Alas, back to the topic at hand. Like many of you I'm sure, I suffer from multiple sleep disorders all associated with fibro. Insomnia has plagued me for years, along with bruxism (teeth grinding), restless leg syndrome, and allogymia. Thankfully I don't have obstructive sleep apnea. At least not that I know of. Research also shows that some, (I'm guessing most!!) have abnormal sleep patters, resulting in interrupted deep sleep. So of course when I wake up I'm exhausted. Regardless of the amount of sleep I've had (so the measly butt 2 1/2hrs last night REALLY suck!). I'm always super stiff, achy, have swollen hands and feet, and my eyes are sometimes so puffy they are literally almost swollen shut. UGH!
Then there are the sweats. I felt super hot all day yesterday, so much so that my face was actually red. My problem is my dr (which we'll talk about later, since I'm not entirely confident in her) says that I'm peri menopausal. Keep in mind I'm not even quite yet 32. So I have a hard time swallowing that diagnosis. Then there is also the fact that hot flashes are a side effect of my Savella. Mine aren't always "hot flashes" though, they sometimes last for hours on end. Temperture sensitivity is common among people with fibromyalgia though. A hand or leg sticking out of the covers may get chilled to the point of extreme discomfort or even severe pain. BAM! Yet another thing to wake us! Where is our happy medium??
For me personally, I used to thrive on little or no sleep. I used to thrive on little to no sleep. Working two full time jobs while going to school full time. I survived on very minimal sleep, 2-4 hours a night. Now a days even the thought of that makes me want to fall out. The reason for the title today is because of the allodymia, even the slightest wrinkle in my sheets can cause extreme pain and discomfort. It's just like the princess and the freaking pea.
While we all know that each and every case of fibromyalgia is different, one of the most common and consistent similarities is our morning symptoms. I've heard and read taht stretching first thing in the morning can be an immense help. While that may be great for some people, it unfortunately hasn't been taht kind to me. Instead what I have found to be effective for me personally is some simple bending of my legs repeatedly while sitting on the side of my bed. Also allowing my body to wake up before jumping right up of bed.
Okay enough ranting for now. I leave you with a question- Am I the only one scared by the similarities between fibromyalgia and Multiple Sclerosis? Seriously it's eerie. That'll be the topic of the next blog. I'm hoping that by writing about it that it won't freak me out so much. So until next time!
Alas, back to the topic at hand. Like many of you I'm sure, I suffer from multiple sleep disorders all associated with fibro. Insomnia has plagued me for years, along with bruxism (teeth grinding), restless leg syndrome, and allogymia. Thankfully I don't have obstructive sleep apnea. At least not that I know of. Research also shows that some, (I'm guessing most!!) have abnormal sleep patters, resulting in interrupted deep sleep. So of course when I wake up I'm exhausted. Regardless of the amount of sleep I've had (so the measly butt 2 1/2hrs last night REALLY suck!). I'm always super stiff, achy, have swollen hands and feet, and my eyes are sometimes so puffy they are literally almost swollen shut. UGH!
Then there are the sweats. I felt super hot all day yesterday, so much so that my face was actually red. My problem is my dr (which we'll talk about later, since I'm not entirely confident in her) says that I'm peri menopausal. Keep in mind I'm not even quite yet 32. So I have a hard time swallowing that diagnosis. Then there is also the fact that hot flashes are a side effect of my Savella. Mine aren't always "hot flashes" though, they sometimes last for hours on end. Temperture sensitivity is common among people with fibromyalgia though. A hand or leg sticking out of the covers may get chilled to the point of extreme discomfort or even severe pain. BAM! Yet another thing to wake us! Where is our happy medium??
For me personally, I used to thrive on little or no sleep. I used to thrive on little to no sleep. Working two full time jobs while going to school full time. I survived on very minimal sleep, 2-4 hours a night. Now a days even the thought of that makes me want to fall out. The reason for the title today is because of the allodymia, even the slightest wrinkle in my sheets can cause extreme pain and discomfort. It's just like the princess and the freaking pea.
While we all know that each and every case of fibromyalgia is different, one of the most common and consistent similarities is our morning symptoms. I've heard and read taht stretching first thing in the morning can be an immense help. While that may be great for some people, it unfortunately hasn't been taht kind to me. Instead what I have found to be effective for me personally is some simple bending of my legs repeatedly while sitting on the side of my bed. Also allowing my body to wake up before jumping right up of bed.
Okay enough ranting for now. I leave you with a question- Am I the only one scared by the similarities between fibromyalgia and Multiple Sclerosis? Seriously it's eerie. That'll be the topic of the next blog. I'm hoping that by writing about it that it won't freak me out so much. So until next time!
Comments
*Displaced clicks show original post because she has forgotten my comment point but still won't accept the 'fog' affects her*
Ahhh yes, I'm going back to school next year too with the same purpose in mind and I am terrified that I won't have the recall I used to have. As much as I despise the pain and the indignities of my body degenerating I am in abject terror of losing my cognitive skills.
Your piece is now sending me off to research Allodymia... I am SO the Princess and the Pea and have been for many many years... even a grain of sand can drive me nuts with discomfort. I've been turfing people out of bed for decades so I can brush out any grit, crumbs or wrinkles!
I hope your flu is better!