I need so advice

General
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Hello everyone. My name is Lora and I live in MS. Im in dire need of friends and advice. I have fibromyalgia, secondary addrenal insuffenciency, migrains, and I've suffered from a pulomonary embolision which makes me have to be on blood thinner for the rest of my life. This is my problem, Its getting harder and harder to make it through the day at work. I might have a chance at getting disability but my husband is throwing a fit about it. He thinks that I can just go and go I can't anymore. What do I do? Also has anyone have a nerve block? I had a wreck in Nov that has left me in servere pain and the pain clinic want me to go through 4 nerve blocks. I'm scared., Confused, tired, disgusted and so many more things I cant even name. I just need help.

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Hi Lora, perhaps you could give your husband, Love letter to normals, I know many have sent or gave this to there significant other with great results. I just printed it out yesterday , fibromyalgiatreatment.com/letter_to_normals.htm or just google the letter, it’s written by Claudia Marek.
I understand your struggle, and that scared and confused feeling, i finally had to stop working after still being so completely exhausted after cutting my hrs to part time, I worked the same Job for 24 years and had to give up my great pay, health ins, life ins… And a career I loved !!! It’s a horrible decision especially when it not what you want, the last 15 months i worked , every day I would struggle … Stressing how am I going to get through the day, and literally calapsing the min I walked in the door. It would take me 3 days of resting to muster up enough strength to work one day, it got to the point I was working every other day and still struggled…my body finally said I’m done. I can’t push anymore, it’s stressful to put on a happy face at work, when inside you feel like you are dying. That’s how I felt anyway
Life is very different not working, but it was the right decision for me. I spend most of my days researching treatment options… And trying different things… My symptoms have progressed since I’m not working, but I don’t feel as sick as I did when I was working, I hurt everywhere, and I get tired very. Easily but I don’t feel like I’m calapsing with exhaustion, rest, exercise and diet are helpful, but not a cure.
You have to get your husband on board, as long as he sees you working, he will think you must be able to do it . I am a single mother, so giving up my job was terrifying !!! When I first went out, I thought I would sleep for 2 months and feel better… Rest only helps, it didn’t get rid of the fibro,
I have had many injections in the past in my neck, they were called facet blocks, it’s not a steroidal medication and it doesn’t go into the vertebrae it goes close to it. If that’s what your having send me a message and I can tell you more about it.
Currently I am on LTD through a company that I payed into through my employer, I’m so thankful !!!
I also knew the day was comming so I saved up as much money as I could, to get me through when the short term disability ended, I was so fortunate, I had over 500 hrs of banked sick time that payed me my salary for 26 weeks.
I hope I didn’t over ans. my heart goes out to the many people who are in this situation, the stress I endured not going back to work, and fighting the disability company the whole way… Lets say was not productive for fibro symptoms, but every day I get up I know it was the best thing for me, I couldn’t push anymore
Many hugs & blessings
dee

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Hi Lora - Please stay with our group! I joined about 3 weeks ago, and I have made so many friends and the advice and suggestions on this site is really amazing. I understand that you are overwhelmed right now. The fact that your husband is not understanding of what you are going through, is typical of those living with Fibro. My suggestion to you right now, would be to look up what 'Fibromyalgia' is and make a copy for your husband. It's okay to be scared and confused. We all have been there at one point. Don't ever apologize for your illness. It is NOT your fault. If you really want to 'vent' - we are here for you 100%!! I had to retire about 7 years ago because my Fibro was just out of control. One of the myths that Fibro patients and their family have is the desire to 'push' through our pain. Don't do this!!! It will make things worse! Your emotional state and physical state are very fragile right now Do you have anyone that you could trust enough to be your advocate?? If you have someone like this, it will really help you out and relieve some of the pressure you are going through right now. Try to get in touch with a social worker and they can be there for you as well. You need help and support, Lora. There are a lot of resources out there - you just need to know where to find them. The reply that Dee gave you is really important. She really gave some good suggestions! I will be thinking about you!! Hugs!! Laurie

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thank you both so much. i'm going to print the letter out and give it to hubby. not that it will do any good but i will try. keep praying for me. I need all the prayers that i can get. lora

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Hi Lora,

BOY am I sorry that you've been slapped with all of those ucky illnesses. You've come to a good place where you can find a lot of helpful advice.

Lora, I live with my sister and she was throwing the same fit about me going on disability, like it was a crime to be disabled, and insisting that I could work. This went on for months. Finally, after SHE ended up getting Lyme Disease briefly, thankfully, she understands better. I'm afraid that you may have to INSIST to your husband that this is an emergency and you NEED to go for disability. I'm going to include an article helping others to understand fibro. I hope it helps.

Here's one way of explaining fibro to people:
MY NAME IS FIBROMYALGIA
by Terri Been

Hi....My Name is Fibromyalgia, and I'm an Invisible Chronic Illness. I
am now velcroed to you for life. Others around you can't see me or hear me,
but YOUR body feels me. I can attack you anywhere and anyhow I please.
I can cause severe pain or, if I'm in a good mood, I can just cause you to
ache all over.
Remember when you and Energy ran around together and had fun?
I took Energy from you, and gave you Exhaustion. Try to have fun now! I
also took Good Sleep from you and, in its place, gave you Brain Fog. I can
make you tremble internally or make you feel cold or hot when everyone else
feels normal. Oh, yeah, I can make you feel anxious or depressed, too. If you
have something planned, or are looking forward to a great day, I can take
that away, too. You didn't ask for me. I chose you for various reasons:
That virus you had that you never recovered from, or that car accident,
or maybe it was the years of abuse and trauma. Well, anyway, I'm here to stay!

I hear you're going to see a doctor who can get rid of me. I'm rolling
on the floor, laughing. Just try. You will have to go to many, many doctors
until you find one who can help you effectively. You will be put on pain pills,
sleeping pills, energy pills, told you are suffering from anxiety or depression,
given a TENs unit, get massaged, told if you just sleep and exercise properly I
will go away, told to think positively, poked, prodded, and MOST OF ALL, not
taken as seriously as you feel when you cry to the doctor how debilitating life
is every day.
Your family, friends and coworkers will all listen to you until they
just get tired of hearing about how I make you feel, and that I'm a debilitating
disease. Some of they will say things like "Oh, you are just having a bad day" or
"Well, remember, you can't do the things you use to do 20 YEARS ago", not
hearing that you said 20 DAYS ago. Some will just start talking behind your
back, while you slowly feel that you are losing your dignity trying to make them
understand, especially when you are in the middle of a conversation with a
"Normal" person, and can't remember what you were going to say next!

In closing, (I was hoping that I kept this part a secret), but I guess you already
found out...the ONLY place you will get any support and understanding in dealing
with me is with Other People With Fibromyalgia.
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GREAT reply, Laurie! Well said. And a great idea to seek out a social worker as an advocate/