New to group--Introduction

General
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Hi-I thought I would introduce myself to this group of fun loving, fellow fibromyalgia members. I was officially diagosed in 2000, but like so many people, I had a lot of other diagnoses before this. I was first diagnosed with lupus (but never with a positive ANA--just the rest of the symptoms, plus swollen joints) in 1996, and started plaqenil, prednisone and cortisone. I continued working until my boss made it impossible to do so anymore. I worked as a librarian at the time in a busy small library that was short staffed and part of a growing suburb. I had to take a lot of sick days to go to the doctors, PT etc. Long story short, I moved back to my home state of Wisconsin and closer to my family and started seeing my current rheumatolgist in 2000. We started with the lupus diagnosis, then progressed to fibromyalgia. Pain was a constant companion, along with a very low immune system. If I am around someone who is sick for even a few hours, I know I will get a cold that will quickly progress to bronchitis etc. Do others have this same problem.

I went on to pursue another Master's in the area of school counseling, and work at a small school as a technology teacher/librarian/counselor. Like I said--the school was small, but great. I loved my time there, but was constantly in pain, exhausted and sick with whatever bug the kids had. Budget cuts left me without a job and then I started at a call center, mainly for health benefits and tuition reimbursment--ha.

This lasted until I had a bad syncope (fainting episode) that required an ambulance for me. Luckily (sarcasm), it happened right in front of the biggest client at the call center, and in front of the director of HR. Big surprise, I was let go due to 'budget cuts'

I am now living at home with my parents, who are in their 70's and past the age of wanting a grown daughter at home with them. I am on state insurance and not working. I am in the appeal process for SSDI and have a lawyer.

My last note is that two years ago, I started having additional symptoms and pain in my joints. After three awful flares in different areas, and lots of xrays and tests, I now have psoriatic arthritis and just finished a nasty course of methotrexate. I believe that I will start enbrel soon, if my insurance allows this.

Whew!! that is my story for the moment...can't wait to 'talk' to people in the group for support, guidance and a few laughs :) It is freezing here and I am bundled up in blankets. If anyone lives in a warm climate, then I am quite jealous --in a good way :)

Blessings and enjoy your day--terri

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hi terri. good to meet you and welcome to this wonderful site with lots of lovely ppl and information. I do not like being around sick ppl either but unfortunately it can not always avoid it. In my house i am pretty much a germ -a- phobe spraying disinfectant every where. lol. i dont even like to visit ppl in hopsital and only do it for immediate family.. true story though. look forward to seeing you in the chatroom too..much love and hugggs

suzie

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Welcome, Terri!
Thanks for your introductory post.

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Hi, and welcome! I am very new as well and would greatly enjoy getting to know you better.

And yes to your question about the low immunity, don't take this the wrong way but I loved reading that in your story, it just helped me not feel so alone. (I am extremely prone to strep even after having my tonsils removed because I was getting strep too often)

Anyway thank you for introducing yourself, it was great to get to know you.

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Welcome funnygirl, we're in the same boat! I saw your post on the Fibro and Autoimmune site and responded, and now this sounds so much like what I wrote to you! We seem to be cut from the same cloth as far as our ills!

Wishing you well,

SK

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Hi Funnygirl and welcome! I'm glad you're enjoying our conversations and have come out to "play" with us. We try to interject some levity into here, to keep from going bananas. I think that FibroWoman is even worse than PMSWoman and might tear down buildings in a single bound, kind of like King Kong, if she is driven insane enough with the fibro.

Wow, you got the three-in-one special. Man that suc..stinks! I have heard others talk about Psoriatic Arthritis and Lupus so i know you're not having any picnic. Thankfully, our site also has groups in it for people with fibro plus other auto-immune diseases. Makes sense since they all seem to run together.

Unfortunately, your work experiences sound very much like most of ours. I know I was taking off days like crazy at my last full-time job, until I finally went out on medical leave and never returned. On the one hand, it feels so humiliating to be seen and judged by what happens to us but on the other hand, WE CAN'T HELP IT. We gave all we could give, plus another 100 percent, and it wasn't enough to stop the fibro or other auto-immune diseases from descending upon us.

I hear ya. Right now I'm visiting my 83-year-old mother and she's running rings around me. I used to go out with her and take her out places but I can't do it anymore. Thankfully she has my grown son to keep an eye on her. But here again, we've done the best we can do. It's impossible to keep up a household of our own when we can't work and can barely move.

The good part of your story is that your doctor is on the ball and caught all of these illnesses.

I'm in Florida and it's not freezing here - thankfully - but the pain still goes on. And what is with this winter, anyway, right? It just keeps on going and going and going! Every time I talk to my sis in Massachusetts, she's freezing. Isn't it the "lamb" time of March yet???

I'm the odd one out here, no auto-immune diseases that I'm aware of, nor do I catch colds easily. Just the stupid fricken fibro.

Gentle hugs plus an extra fluffy blanket thrown in,

Pet

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Hi Terri! Welcome!! :)