A little history on me. I was diagnosed almost 2 years ago. I went to the doctor complaining of body aches and shortness of breath. She noticed, it seemed to hurt me to breathe and sent me to a rheumatologist who would confirm her diagnosis. The sad thing is, that was not my first rodeo. I had frequent bouts of cosocondritis (inflammation of the rib cage) as well as general body pain for years before my diagnosis. I had almost given up going to the doctor for my complaints. But, sometimes I would get desperate enough that I would welcome relief of any form, even if it meant going to a doctor that may not believe me.
My pain is usually pretty well managed with my meds. However, I am scheduled to start nursing school on Tuesday. I am already a bit of an older student, then once you add the fibromyalgia to the mix, I am really behind the eight ball. Of course, as this very first day of nursing school approaches, I am in flare up central. The pain creates doubt. I wonder how in the world I’m going to get though 18 months of nursing school dealing with this pain when it’s hard just to get out of bed in the morning.
Deep down, I think everything will be fine, but I’m scared. I don’t know anyone personally who has to deal with fibromyalgia; so I have no one to talk to about it. I often find myself feeling alone in my fight, so I figured it was time to seek out some support.
Thank you for your replies. I am looking forward to this new chapter in my life. I’m going to try be positive and focus on the good. I will try to rest, but I have a very energetic 5 years old. I appreciate the advice.
You came to the right place. There are many wonderful people here. Who are more than willing to offer their support and, share their stories and their wisdom.
Tina, you gave me some genius advise. I will most certainly put it to good use. I am packing my school bag now and will be sure to pack some disposable heating pads. All of this is super scary but also super invigorating. I’m not sure if I will make it through, but I have to try or I will always regret it. Thank you for those great ideas!
It's quite understandable to be very dubious about Nursing School as you are now in a flare........and they can be very painful. As you know if you can manage to relax with deep breathing and get some sleep that will help. Anyone with an invisible chronic illness which involves lots of pain has learned to be strong. But you have to be sensible.
I'm glad that you found us because we are here to support each other with care and understanding. Know that you can come here and vent or talk to us. We are behind you.
Welcome new Fibro friend!
I am also a nurse and i am amazingly still working full time! Not sure how i do this but i take it one day at a time. I also use heat therapy and relaxation which make the pain less. Take things one day at a time, breathe, and try to get plenty of rest cuz nursing school is demanding and stressful but it is a great profession to be in right now and it is really something you can be proud of when you finish. It is also a very rewarding job helping others. It is a great distraction for me:) let us all know how you are doing and i wish you all the success in the world! Welcome to the profession!
Nursing school is no joke! We just had our first exam, and it covered 16 chapters! I have done nothing but study since I started. Hence, I am kickin it with my heating pad right now. I’m super overwhelmed and I don’t know when I can next schedule quality time with my family or even me time. In all of this the good news is, I passed my first test! I’m going in tomorrow with a disposable heating pad already in place so hopefully I won’t be in too much pain to comprehend the instructors. Although I have some medications I am allowed to take multiple times a day, I am currently only taking my pain meds at night just so I’m not too grogy to comprehend what’s going on. Does anyone have anymore suggestions on ways to deal with pain in situations like this? I am miserable in every class.
Thank you for sharing your experience Angela. I hope I will be ok too. But, I am already having my doubts. We learned blood pressures yesterday. Since then we were required to have done 20... My arms feel like they might fall off so many people took my blood pressure in the last 24 hours that it hurts to cross my arms. I had to turn other students down cause I just couldn't take it anymore. By the last time someone took my blood pressure, I had to get through it with deep breathing. But, at least we are past that now. Its just one of those things I didn't anticipate having an effect on me. I hope there are no other surprises.
Hopefully now that your diagnosis is confirmed things will start getting better. I know that made the biggest difference for me because at least my pain was being treated. It also gave me some validation. As I understand it, the stages we go through after being diagnosed with a chronic condition are the same as the stages of grief: denial, anger, bargaining depression and acceptance. I find that I tend to go through them all over again every time I get a flare. The longer I deal with it, the more I learn. I wish you the best of luck.
Thank you so much for the congrats. I haven't had any time to relish that victory. They really do cram a lot in to every moment. I appreciate the advise for the snacks and staying hydrated. Sometimes I forget the basics like eating and drinking (LOL). I will try to remember to cut myself some slack a just be happy for the little things. That is hard during full flare mode. But, things will get better! My mother reminded me that I already have half a month down. Even though I still have quite a ways to go, that somehow made me feel better. Only 17 and a half months to go! At least it is progress!