This post must carry a warning!! There will be talk of hormones, the female variety and things may get gory... LOL! But if you are brave... carry on!!

I am so happy to be able to start my blog this morning feeling awesome!! I slept like a baby last night for 9 1/2 hours which is such a HUGE deal. I am feeling less pain, I have extra energy and I just feel good! For now. NOW is the important time to remember to stay rested. Take it easy and just relax. Got to build up that excess energy to help me through the hard times. Dinner tonight with the Moscos will just encourage this rest so a great day to look forward to.

So today I want to tell you girls out there... and you guys who love girls... about hormones. I could be walking along feeling AWESOME for weeks. Then those ugly hormone changes would rear their ugly heads and BANG!! I become a crippled old lady! The pain the week before and the week during my period is hell!! I hurt like crazy, I'm completely exhausted, my brain is practically dysfunctional! But just what the hell are we supposed to do about it?!

Well the answer came to me so simply from a wonderful doctor (a gynecologist) by the name of Dr. Paul Martyn. Unfortunately, Dr. Martyn is leaving Calgary to move back to Australia which is sad. There are just not enough doctors who are knowledgeable about fibro so to lose one is hard. Even though I am a 43 year old woman (who is fixed) he suggested birth control. The idea... control the hormones, control the pain. The medication that Dr. Martyn suggested is Seasonale. It is a nonstop medication so I can practically go the next 10 years with no period. He said in about 6 years I go off for a bit, we see if I have the pleasure of menopause yet, if not... back on it for a few more years.  (Jealous yet?? LOL)

This is a relatively new treatment for me so it is early days. I have been on the Seasonale for 5 weeks. The first month didn't really make much difference. I still had a large amount of pain that "week prior" but only really suffered for 5 days instead of the normal 12 so that's good. A little bit of spotting too... but this is a low hormone pill and I do have a tendency to be stubborn... LOL. I have been having some issues with pretty bad night sweats too... like change the jammies type of sweats but with the new sleeping plan Dr. T and I have set up those seem to be improving well. So I will keep recording my wellness and let you know how this goes.

Medications and pain treatment

Recently, you will have seen commercials for fibromyalgia meds... too of the more popular are Lyrica and Cymbalta. The main ingredient in these medications is an anti-depressant. I have had various discussions with many fibromyalgia patients (I think I joined every online support group when I was diagnosed) and the major consensus is that not only do these drugs not work; but they cause extra problems that didn't exist before, some as serious as psychosis. If you have been prescribed these medications, please take caution. Talk to your doctor about ANY changes you experience that are different than your normal day to day symptoms.

I am NOT going to say these drugs shouldn't be used. I am on an anti-depressant myself... I take Effexor. When I do not take the Effexor, my depression gets bad, when my depression is bad, my pain is 10 times worse. Remember... fibromyalgia is a nerve disorder... it is all related. Dr. Tompkins' experience is as her patients get better, their needs for medications go down so this may only be a short term thing.

I think it is very important to remind everyone at this time... I have NO medical training. I am just a stubborn, A-type person who pays close attention to what I am told. I research like crazy... I get second opinions and I advocate for myself. Everything I say here is on the advice of a doctor who specializes in my disorder and from my own experience.

The only medication I take for pain is codeine. I used to take Tylenol 3 but I have developed an intolerance for it so just plain codeine. On a super bad pain day... 2 first thing in the morning normally does the trick and I can get through the day until I can get home, rest and bundle in my heating blanket. Narcotics DO NOT help fibromyalgia pain. It DOES cause addiction and other problems that you just don't need.

If I can keep warm, I will choose that over the drugs. Short term, drugs are okay and important to be able to control your pain. But I have found that electric heat is so much more effective than drugs. Smallest, simplest, easiest thing on earth.

I have a friend who suffers from rheumatoid arthritis, if she is flaring really bad, she has been known to have her husband shovel snow into towels to wrap around her knees! This would kill me!! Arthritis pain is caused from inflammation, you reduce inflammation with cold. Blood tests have proven (in myself as well as others) that there is no inflammation. Fibromyalgia is a nerve disorder... nerves calm down with heat. So some of the best things on a bad day is to soak in a hot tub with some epsom salts, bundle in some warm jammies and bundle in my heating blanket. AAAHHHH!!!

I also find I have to avoid air conditioning... wow can that cause a flare. In the heat of a Calgary summer though, how do you avoid it? Well, if I know I am going to be in a building with air conditioning I dress a little warmer. I often wear my clothes in layers, they can be removed in hotter locations and put on in colder locations. I keep a blanket on my chair at work so I can cover my legs if I start to get sore.

What kind of person are you?

I am going to stop here for today. But I want to end on this note. There are two types of people in this world. Fighters... we don't take no for an answer. We are constantly changing, constantly working to feel better, to get better. We are up on the newest treatments, not afraid to try new things and not afraid to make some sacrificies (like giving up ice cream) to get better. Sometimes we get angry and resentful that we have to do this but getting better is worth it. The other type of people are Nonperformers... they are truly sick, don't get me wrong. But they aren't going to change. They get something out of remaining sick... maybe they get more attention, I don't know. I believe everyone has their plight in life and I truly don't judge them (though it is going to sound like I do). But I don't understand them. If they are going through what I am going through, I just do not understand how they can sit back and accept this pain when there is a possibility to get better. We all have to decide what kind of person we are going to be... a Fighter or a Nonperformer.

I hope I can always be a fighter because I am just not done with this world yet! It is a beautiful place with a lot of opportunities and a lot of pleasures and I want to enjoy all of them... healthy, hardy and strong! I am having a minor set back right now but I'll get there. I just hope a few of you want to join me on the journey.