Hello all! I wanted to get some of you to weigh in before I go back to the doctor. Again! I seem to be living there these last few weeks.
Anyway, I have had a big increase in symptoms since the time change and the temps started staying consistently chilly (I live in the south so <40). The aches and pains are worse, my head hurts half the time, I have new symptoms (I can't keep my knees still for more than 10-15 minutes without extreme pain, I feel like someone has stuck a knife through my belly button and twisted it, I am getting dizzy when I swallow, and I am having some vertigo episodes), I could sleep 24/7 and not feel rested, I cannot focus on my school work, and I have hardly any motivation to do ANYTHING!! (Generally, I am an upbeat, go-getter, control freak, highly motivated, and borderline peppy.) I just don't feel anything like myself. I have 2 weeks left in this semester, and if I can't get myself to study I can kiss my 3 A's and 1 B goodbye!
Are any of these symptoms things you have? Do your symptoms get worse around Winter? Do you think I need to get checked for depression again despite being on meds that up to a week ago were working great?
Kaitlin, the change of seasons and the time change bothers lots os people. As a teacher I noticed that the school children had difficulty understanding and accepting why they needed to go to bed sooner in the Spring when we would spring forward with our clocks.
For sure if you live in a location of the world where you have four distanct seasons, you and your body will be impacted by it. I think the most difficult season to adjust to is winter.
Many of your symptom change is normal. Some of them I have never experienced, but that is the way with fibro.
I have POTS too. (Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome) When it is that I can always feel my heart racing, but the dizziness is not like I am on the verge of passing out just the world spinning around or my head or idk... I DON'T like it. I DO know that! I am just at multiple doctors weekly and I can sense my Mom's frustration every time I go to the doc- she pays, poor college student --> me. I plan to call the rhummy tomorrow and see what he says. If he wants me to go in or to another doc I will go with his gut. :-( Not my night...
Ive had Fibro for many years now and i live in Mass. and the winter is ALWAYS the worst time of year for me. It seems to be the nature of the beast. It sucks i know but ive found a good Dr. and we're working on controlling it so i can function daily. Also now im almost constantly shaking my legs after years of the pain, it seems to help the pain, for me anyways, its almost soothing in a way i guess. As far as depression goes it too does affect the Fibro and the pain. Getting depressed can come easily but getting out of it is not as easy sweets, so if you feel that your getting depressed talk to your Dr. now before it gets worse and harder to get out of.
Yes I have those probs too and winter just digs the knife in further. No wonder we get more depressed this time of year too. You may also be feeling worse because of the stress too so make sure you make time for as much fun and chocolate as you can. Best medication you can get!
Kaitlin, YES, winter can throw our fibro bodies into a fibro tizzy! I have felt terrible this year and it's not even officially winter yet. And YES, I do think you should get checked again for depression because it comes on me very quickly when the pain escalates. One minute I'll be fine on my meds, the next I'll be in terrible pain and blue as can be. Fibro pain can throw your brain all out of whack.
Your lack of motivation and exhaustion are also fibro's calling card. It all ties in with the pain we feel. I guess it makes sense - why should our body be running around, expending needless physical and mental energy when we're in pain? What is the gain there? We think there is gain because we've inserted our human activities in but the body doesn't know that! It only knows the pain.
Hopefully a visit to your doctor would also yield better pain management, either through an increased dose of your pain meds or the use of something that is more effective.
As for the dizziness, could be fibro, could be something else. Do you take a drug that might cause it, like Lyrica? You could check the side effects, as that might be impacting you.
Good luck, Kaitlin! I hope you get a last minute jolt of energy (caffeine???) so you can study and keep those grades up. But it is a hard thing to do with fibro, no doubt about it.
Granmasher, that is a good idea. The other evening on the News they were warniing people about the danger of eating or drinking grapefruit if you are also on medicaton because it could escalate the effects and make you very ill or could cause death! Perhaps some of you in the USA or Canada saw the News clip.
But, remember we are not medical professionals nor doctors so I would be asking my doctor about the grapefruit problem. We need to remind ourselves that not everything on the News is the gospel truth.
And, while we can do research on the internet not all that is on the internet is the truth so it's always a good idea to check it with your doctor.
Winters in MA stink, especially when we get several blizzards. And why is it that winter months feel like they go by so much sloooooower, esp Feb? And the rainy months of March and April hurt too cause the rain is freezing cold. I dearly love New England but fibro may push me away...
Hi.. my doctor told me to look things up on the internet because that is what he has to do, so I don't know what to do...because right now I believe everything I read on the internet and what I learn from the good people on this site
If your doctor told you to do research on the internet then go ahead and do it. I thought that doctors used a special site to do rsearch, one that is written for doctors and medical personnel. One doctor I had for many long years was angry with me when I did some research on the internet because he said it was not always accurate. The young doctor I now go to encourages me to do research on the internet. But when I go to see my doctor I take the research I have found and ask him if it is accurate.
Sometimes it feels like we just can't win. Doctors are like the rest of us. No two are alike. Same for us with fibro.........no two of us react the same to fibro nor do we all have exactly the same symptoms.
I know it can be frustrating, but don't give up. Take some deep breaths, smile, smile smile and go ahead and research the internet.
Perhaps you read my comment that we need to be aware that not everything on the internet is accurate, but that doesn't mean that we should cast all of it away.
Try researching several different sites and see if they all say the same thing..
I like your approach of bringing in the info and asking if it's accurate. What a tactful way to get a doctor's opinion on the internet research you've done. I will have to try and remember it the next time I see my doctor...