Update on Fibromyalgia.... not going so well.

As of late things have not been going that great for me and my Fibromyalgia.
I have been struggling to keep my job, but the FMS is winning.
I keep getting splitting headaches from phosphate buildup breaking loose from my head and flushing out.
It keeps trying to come out in clumps so I have been getting sinus infections and ear infections one after the other. I've been having to miss way too much work and my paychecks have been really low.
The HR department at work is trying to get me approved for the ADA act so that I can keep my job and not have to worry about it as much.
Money has been tight lately and a lot of people my boyfriend and I love very much will not
be able to get Christmas gifts.
Lucky for us most of our loved ones are pretty understanding and are not worried about it..... still it
makes me feel bad. I feel that in a way all of this is my fault. If I didn't have this illness I would not have to be missing so much work.  Missing less work would mean more money.

I am trying very hard to get things back on track, but some days I just feel like I don't have the energy to do anything. A lot of my time has been wasted in bed resting or lounging on the couch.  Sometimes the headaches keep me awake and I can't sleep. It is very tiresome. I feel like I am not all mentally present at home or at work.

I am so very lucky to have such a wonderful boyfriend and family that are here to support and help me through this difficult stage.
I hope my job came come through and get me the help I need.

My prescription drug plan is also giving me problems. They are refusing to cover one of the medications I need most. Without their coverage It is $180 out of pocket. My parents have been generous enough to pay for it. I am waiting to see if I can get prescription drug assistance through the manufacturer of said medication. I got a good 10 page booklet I need to get filled out.

I thought that my head had cleared up a long time ago. I had no idea that it had not. I would never wish this illness even upon my worse enemy.

I ask that you my readers please pray for and show compassion for anyone you know that has Fibromyalgia.

The one phrase that has been even giving me strength to do what I can is "Once the going gets tough; the tough get going."
I was made this way for a reason. I believe that God has a plan for me and all of this pain is him making me stronger and tougher, ready to face whatever comes my way.

Thinking of my readers out there and hoping all is well. Be thankful for what you have this holiday season. Remember that there is always someone else who is less fortunate.

Only a few collected or swiped funnies......

Fibromyalgia update and ramblings of the season

So many things have been happening to me with int the last 6 months that it seems no matter what I do I am forever going to be plagued by my Fibromyalgia condition,

Since May I have been getting severe sinus infections so horrible that the mucus drainage makes me sick to my stomach every time, Then it get worse. Every time I get one of these sinus infections I get and ear infection in at least one of my ears, sometimes both. It has been driving absolutely batty. I've been feeling like crap for so long know and just finally made the connection to infections being related to the Fibromyalgia. That's right. Fibromyalgia has lots of different types. The type I have is caused by phosphates being stored in the bone and tissue of the body excessively.

I did some research going through the archives for my online support group. I discovered that the reason I have been sick almost non-stop with ear infections and sinus infections is due to the fact that I had breaking up phosphates in my fricken head! This process is called "head cycling" and depending on the amount coming out it can cause the sinus infections and all the drainage leads to ear infections.
So now that I know that the Fibromyalgia is responsible I had taken it upon myself to try to care for the sinuses and ears myself.

Within this time frame my bf got sick as well and he was prescribed ear drops to help get rid of the infection. I looked at the bottle and realized that the ingredients are nothing more that a little bit of hydrocortizone for irritation and itching. It also contains all the ingredients in triple antibiotic ointment.
So what did I do? I made my own ear drops.

My ears were killing me when I got home so I hopped int the shower and cleaned both ears out with hydrogen peroxide mixed with half water. Then I thoroughly rinsed them out. Once I was sure that both my ears were dry I went ahead and very carefully lined my ears with neosporin. Much to my happy surprise my ears feel much better and I am going to continue on using the ear drops I made after tonite to help them heal correctly.

As for the sinus infections I have had to double my daily dose of mucinex in order to get everything "cycled" out faster and to get my sinuses clearer.  Just as my doctor suggested and if I'm still having problems by Monday I am going to see the doctor and find out if I need more antibiotics or not.

I am hoping that all my research and found treatment will help me as I struggle through this issue.
I just have to remember that it does take some pain and discomfort to may make myself better. It sucks now, but it in the end all this head cycling will pay off in the in.


On to a different subject. One that has been bugging me for a while. I'll throw it out here for all to read and you can either disagree or agree and share this with your friends......

Why is it that they always start selling Christmas decorations before  Halloween has even started, Why is it that everyone starts sing Christmas songs before Chrismas? Some of them should not be sung at all until Christmas is truly here. For example the song "the 12 days of Christmas" That song refers to Christmas day and the 11 days following it, In the Catholic faith Christmas is suppose to be celebrated 12 days.

I go shopping at the grocery store or go to the mall all I hear is Christmas music and I can barely stand it.any more. I have gotten to the point were I have decided to buy myself some earplugs to help dampen the racket.

I love the holidays. Don't get me wrong, but I think every one is over doing the decorations and the gifts.we are a hurting economy in our nation and as such we need to  lay off the spending on extravagant decorations gifts. All this music, all the decoration, all are traditions yes, but no important. What is important and what Christmas is all about is spending time with your family and loved ones.
So please do this blogger a favor and remember what I said next time you go out shopping for Christmas gifts and supplies.
I know I will be happy just to be with my loved ones. Gifts are nice, but not required,

Here's a few funnies to help start off your work week

Project Steam punk Update

Greetings steam punk readers!

I am proud to announce that the steam punk shadow boxes are coming along nicely.
I have also made a few little trinket boxes as well. I really wish I could share some pictures with you, but as of right now that is out of question. I plan on giving the shadow boxes out as Christmas gifts this year and I don't wish to spoil the surprise...... completely.

Yeah,  my family knows that's what I'm up to, but that's only because they helped me locate and get a lot of the supplies I required. What they do not know is what they look like and how awesome they are!

I have had to skip putting certain objects in them. That made me sad. Lets just say that it is really hard to find some really good, cheap replica, or original antique typewriter keys. i am not made of money so I had no choice, but to pass it up.

Plans for Steam punk projects this spring have already begun as well.

If all goes well I will be taught how to use a welder by one of my brothers. He has already agreed to teach me and to allow my to use his shop in his backyard to build things with scrap metal.
This brother has also recently changed jobs and is now working for a metal recycling company so he should be able to help get me some stuff to use that is not any worth of recycling.

I also have an ex-coworker whose family owns a scrap metal business of some sort and usually sells their sheet metal to use for Christmas gifts. This ex-coworker has offered me some of their sheet metal to work with.

I have people looking for deals for me on canvas and acrylic paints as well. After all I work in a call center and have Fibromyalgia so its not like I just have the money laying around to spend on supplies.

My vision is to try to make some steam punk metal sculptures and also some canvas paintings using mixed media. By mixed.... I mean adding thin sheets of cut out metal gears and cogs being plastered on.

I also have a project 2 years in the making I am hoping to assemble this spring as well. It is a sculptural bust made of metal and glass to look like stained glass. My mom has been busing collecting colored glass bottles for me to smash and use.

I'm so excited! I can't hardly wait to share pictures of my steam punk shadow boxes with you all! I'm even more excited about the plans for art projects coming up this spring!
As soon as the holidays are over I'll go ahead and post pictures pronto.

Happy Holidays and take care,

Nirvana1138

I'm really exciting about it.

Fibromyalgia update

Things have been a little out of the norm as of late.
There were a few misunderstanding with family that have finally been laid to rest.
Lets just say that someone didn't realize that someone asked me for help and thought I was
purposely trying to get myself involved in someone else's life. Yeah. *sigh* I'm just
glad that it is all over with.

Work is going really well. I was pulled into the HR office the other day thinking that I must have somehow offended someone or did something wrong that I wasn't aware of. To my surprise they want to help me.

For those who are just now getting to reading my blog, I have Fibromyalgia. It is a medical illness that is classified as a muscle skeletal disorder, but really should be classified as a disease.
There are two types of Fibromyaglia out there.
1) People who cannot handle chemicals and odors
2) People who cannot handle most natural products.

I fit into the #2 category which many consider the worst. Naturals being used on the skin cause lumps of phosphates to build up in your muscles and when it breaks loose it causes severe nerve pain.

Anyways, back to the topic of work......

Like I mentioned I got pulled into the HR office because they want to help me.
Apparently there have been a bunch of changes made to the American Disability Act and my employer wants to see if I qualify so that they can get me  more comfortable work conditions and work with me on attendance so that I don't have to worry about my attendance points getting to high and me losing my job. How cool is that?

A couple of days later my Fibromyalgia started to flare up and my thinking started to become drastically impaired. I had a hard time trying to remember where to find the correct information in the computer and remembering what customers were telling me. I realized after a while what was happening and left work sick. On the drive home I was having a hard time driving my car, which has a clutch, because I could not feel the RPM's correctly and couldn't remember how to shift right.
Scared the crap out of me.
Lucky for me the boyfriend was home and he drove me to the doctor's office to get checked out and to get a doctor'[s note for work. While we were there we had ADA paperwork from my employer.

The PA was really pissed off as well. We have been having problems with my prescription insurance to cover my Lyrica medication. They had denied our first initial claim, and we sent them an appeals letter also.
My Prescription coverage group sent my PA a denial letter saying that there is no reason why I cannot try taking the generic of Nuerotin. However there is a problem. Nuerotin has not been tested for use on Fibromyalgia patients and therefore is considered off label use. This could cause serious problems with my health such as kidney failure or Stephen Johnson Syndrome.

I have never seen my PA so ticked off. It really kind of freaked me out. She was in all sorts of a rage. Just telling me that her appeal was declined made her red in the face.

By time the check up was complete, I had my doctor's note for work, my ADA paperwork filled out, gotten 2 months of Cymbalta samples to use since money is a little tight, and had also given my PA the telephone number for my prescription coverage so that she could call and yell at them.
All in all I feel it was a rather productive office visit.

I am doing a lot better. I had to stay home from work an extra day because the fogginess of memory was giving me some migraines and because I had some how formed some Fibromyalgia lumps on the bottoms of me feet that made it very painful to walk.

Other than the lumps on my feet and the loss of proper thinking recently, my Fibromyalgia is doing really good. I am very happy about that. This is the first winter since I was diagnosed in 2008 where when it snows I don't feel like some one is poking me with little tiny needles.

Some of you might be wondering 'Why isn't she on disability?'
For those who are not aware of how how the Medical Association classifies Fibromyalgia they consider it just an illness and not a severe enough one to be on disability. Most of the time they will not qualify someone with Fibromyalgia for disability unless they have another health condition on top of it, or unless the patient has a lawyer fight for them to get it.

So there you have it. I have Fibromyalgia and do not qualify for disability. So here I be. I do my best to keep on proper medication s and treatment and still keep a full time job. It is not the easiest thing to do, but I will never give up. I just keep on doing the best I can with what I've been given.

Just a few more funnies to help brighten your world :)