Hi Mo,
I posted some things for you before you got here, not knowing what you are doing for a living, but I worked in the Hospitality industry for years as a Bartender, Night Club/ Dinner Club manager, Beach Bar, before finally going into sales.
I know what those carts are, and I know the kind of work you do, the messes you clean up, the physical labor, and the ever changing staff you are trying to train and supervise, 365 days a year.
When I worked the Beach bar, I had a housekeeping cart I used to load and unload cash register, crates of liquor, cases of beer, from the 8th floor to the edge of the Gulf of Mexico and back, not nearly as much pushing as you, but I know, and I know about the concrete floors you are on, carpet or not, it's concrete! Same with sales, concrete.
I have a pretty good idea just how strong you are, I know your type, I am one.
My sincerest advice to you is to get the very best Rheumatologist you can find, now since we have all jumped on the 'Denial' post, and in turn, jumped into reality, I am going to shoot it straight, the way I see it, cuz that is how you tell it Mo, straight.
A Rheumatologist is a highly trained Specialist, usually also an Internist, who deals strictly with Autoimmune diseases, I have made it clear that it is my belief that having Fibro is standing in the hallway leading to Autoimmune or just undiagnosed Autoimmune.
My Rheum, also an Internist, also a University Professor, defined FMS as a condition, not a disease, and went on to explain, as a Scientist, that if you take a lab monkey, injure it's left hand severly, do not treat it, the severe pain becomes chronic. This chronic pain changes the brain, that changes the body's perception of pain, and soon every single place on the body that you touch this lab animal causes him the same severe pain. You have to find the CAUSE of the pain in order to treat the Fibro. It is NOT a coincidence an Autoimmune doctor is the guy to have!
I was rear ended in a car accident, not a very bad one, but bad enough that I could not get over it. I went to every imaginable Doctor, to teaching hospitals of the highest caliber, looking for a diagnosis, even entertained ideas of a quick fix. There aren't any. Once you find the Rheumatologist, you are on your way! It can be a hard road to get there, so get going.
There are wonderful Doctors, who can work on a diagnosis, a med that you can tolerate, and only then will you really know WHAT you are up against.
Keep an on-going list of all your symptoms, no matter how ridiculous they may seem to such a strong woman, because these help these Doctors diagnosis you.
I have more Autoimmune diseases, syndromes, conditions, phenomenons, that you can imagine, because I finally found the right Doctor, but so many years of irreversible damage have come to pass.
The new biologic meds are the meds of the future, they can bypass all the areas that the regular chemical ones can't, like the stomach, liver, therefore less side effects, they pinpoint where the med is needed right to the very cell, HOW AMAZING IS THAT?
BUT, you have to try a couple of the old chemical ones (so says the insurance companies) before you get to start trying the new, expensive ones, and they all have financial support for us, the Doctors know, believe me.
It is a long process, not easy, but you owe it to your son, you owe it to yourself, the proof is as sure as it can be right now that most autoimmune diseases are inherited. I do not have psoriasis, why it was so hard to diagnosis Psoriatic Arthritis, BUT my grandkids all do, everyone of them, and my great grandson was born with it, so the percentage on the statistics to them having it are pretty high, my son not even 40 has the back of someone in his late 60's who did hard labor. So, they ALL have it,and suely as humped, hunched and gnarled as my ancestors were, they all had it.
I have bought all the health food store supplents, the stuff from the infomercials, homeopathic...it goes on until the end of time. NOTHING there will slow the fast progression of the damage that these diseases can do.
You have to realize that no matter how strong and determined you are, you need medical treatment, and you need to get a diagnosis.
I am not a medical doctor, not trying to scare you or misguide you, I am guiding you right where you need to go. They are the only ones qualified to help you, if you have one you feel is not helping, get another one!
I know I joke and carry on sometimes, I am moderator of Psoriatic Arthtiris group at Ben's friends and hear their stories, and your stories, and continuously tell my story and sometimes you just have to be crazy and laugh, because there is alot of crying, no matter how strong you are. I am being as straight as I gets, and really it is good advice for everyone. Why? Because I was standing in the same place you were, and know so many who started here. Why, because I am not much use in the working world anymore, someone else has to vaccuum and scrub my floors, never thought that would happen when I was still in my 40's, though the latter part. Why, because I want you to get there before I did! Why, because I want to help you, Why, because I care, and I can. I can do something good, really good, really useful.
SK
Please consider this, please? I am not a doctor, and do not profess to be one, I am strongly advise you to get to a good one, and listen to him!
I send you strength,
SK
Will talk anytime, leave me a message, or Renie can hail me from the Psoriatic Arthritis site.