I do gtaht allthe time..just thought it was the meds....I am awake can hear all the noises and am aware but cannot move...the Biofeedback doc said it was a high state of relaxation???????

Ate well for a few days........

Glad your anemia is ok Joanne and mIma....

Meme.....I always say I wish you could walk in my shoes.....even the people with FM , the ones not too bad do not understand..sometimes I think they are misdianosed...they say "I have FM but only have a pain in my neck or shoulder"...well FM is more than that...irritates me!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Ice and snow here so I do not go out...go to doc next week for MRI report, the card said it was normal........so I guess it is vascular...the vision problems are annoying!

Good morning everyone....cool, no let me rephrase...VERY cool here this morning! This weather is definitely not good for my FM. I feel like someone took a baseball bat to the back of my shoulders today. :club:I do much better with the heat. Hubby home from work today due to company scheduling problems. What next I wonder? At least he is trying to be productive...and is fertilizing the lawn right now. He had a terrible reaction (flushing) to his new niacin supplements this morning. He thought he was dying or something. :rolleyes: Looks like he will have to take the flush-free kind which I was surprised his doctor didn't prescribe to begin with. Oh well, will wait to hear what doc has to say. Just one more pill bottle on counter to clean up around! Have to go run the irrigation system for a few minutes to water the fertilizer in....will check back to see how everyone is feeling later.

Hey There
 

I had a very bad reaction to niasin .. Can't take it. The son can't take it either.. When the Dr. gave it to the hubby he said to start with low dose and work up over a period of weeks. That is what he did and was able to take it. Although it did no good..He is on 4 different colesterol meds at this time.. That is the only thing that has helped him..I am on one at this time . I had a problem with them a few years back but am not taking one with q10. The Dr. said he may have to do something else if my Triglycerides doesn't come down..I don't want to take any meds for diabeties.. One you start that there in no going back.. I have a sister on insulin.. I think she started much too early.. I am trying to really watch what I eat for the next few weeks..
It is cool here and should get a little cooler.. We had about 5 minutes of rain the other day.. Very light and not enough
Got to walk Christie in a little while and then I can put on some more comfortable clothes and lay down with my book..
Joanne

Kate...cool bothers me alot too......I ache really bad even when cool air blows and me.........

Joanne....does High Cholestrol run in DH's family...and diabetes yours? MIne came down, not sure why with this stressful move and all but I am glad. I eat sugar but not too many carbs and lots of good fats!

WEll I did the sleep eating thing again..ate a whole bag of almond M&m's :eek: LOL Not a good thing...35 pts gone!!!!!! I also cut my nails but do not recall doing either one!..Now if I could have taken my shower and done my hair....LOL:D Got Fish in the oven and hardboiling some eggs for later.

I can take the extended release or flush-free niacin without incident (although my doctor did recommend taking it at night, as an extra precaution), but the regular niacin - Yikes. "Flushing" is such an understatement. I felt like all of my skin was on fire, burning and itching intensely, and twice as bad on my face and arms. I learned it's not an allergic reaction (which it felt like), but still a histamine reaction, so I took a couple benadryl to try and quiet the symptoms (then dumped the bottle into the trash and went out and bought the extended release niacin).

If I hadn't already been taking the slow release niacin for months without incident (the purchase of the "regular" niacin was an accident), I would have been too fearful to try the slow release. It was awful.

Hope that niacin works out. Hate buying things and then not being able to take it. And wasting the money like 30$ for that hemax, I think docs should give you samples.
Last day of pt-I want to get a timer so I can time my home exercises-it's hard to look at my watch all the time. I hope I do not need another cortisone shot but....
Brad's sister has diabetes and does not take meds and he does-she is much more careful. It's quite weird because they were diagnosed the SAME day.
Dennis 's sister is going to call today and tell us how he is.
Slept good last night. I am feeling better on new thyroid med but afraid the dosage isn't high enough from what I read on the net. Doc wants MY thyroid to kick in-maybe it will.
It's cool=have the heat on for a bit. Mima

Good morning all. Another cool one today and of course, that achy feeling along with it! Yuk....feeling so lethargic. Hubby's doctor's office called to tell him to continue with the regular niacin at night and to take a 325mg aspirin in 1/2C applesauce a half hour before the niacin. Awful lot of work for a crappy vitamin B pill! I asked why he couldn't just take the flush-free kind and the nurse had no answer...nice, huh? Well, hubby has decided the heck with it, he's not going to take it all because his flush was so severe, he doesn't want to take any chances. The literature I have indicates that the slow release/sustained release niacin is bad for the liver and that the flush free is actually better for the liver than the regular niacin. It also states that you can tolerate a larger dose over time using the flush free form. Don't understand why the doc didn't recommend that form for the hubby to begin with and disappointed his nurse didn't have the answer when asked. Has anyone heard of this new supplement called Sytrinol? Suppose to be this new heart health breakthrough for lowering cholesterol and triglycerides and improving glycemic control. I'm going to research it a bit. I'm of the belief we need to be aware of our own health care issues and treatments....we are ultimately responsible for our own wellbeing, right?
Candice, are you taking a prescribed med for sleep? I read that some people sleep/eat or sleep/walk while taking one of these new sleep meds....Lunesta? Maybe Ambien? One of those. That must feel so strange! I know I used to have night terrors when I was a young child but eventually grew out of them over a few years. That too, involved sleep walking...sometimes right out of the house! Of course I don't remember them much. Thank God we lived in a small remote community at the time! I couldn't imagine doing it now as an adult....hope it is a temporary thing for you.
And like most of you in this forum, there are certainly hereditary issues to deal with in my family as well. Diabetes, COPD, CHF, Glaucoma and Osteoporosis. I am fortunate to have not delveloped any of the above except the possibility of Glaucoma from my high eye pressure. But since I take drops for that and am continuing to watch my diet, lose weight and exercise, I am confident I can head off the rest. My sister on the otherhand......she'll be 70 this April and I am surprised she has made it this far with her weight and other health issues. She's on an oral diabetic medication now. She'll be visiting me next month for a couple of weeks so I will see how she's doing.
Off to get some housework done. Hope everyone enjoys the day and is keeping warm!! Kate

Hey There
 

High Colesterol runs in both my hubbies and my families. Diabeties in mine.. my G/mother was diabetic.. She died with pancreatic cancer.. Ofcourse some of these things come with age and overweight.. I was on blood preasure meds at the age of 30. My father had his first stroke at the age of 30.. He died at 67 of cancer. He was a lifetime smoker.. Cancer was a killer in his family..My daughter is very careful with her diet and weighs just about 100 pounds.. She has h/col. My son is in good health and has h/col.Not overweight too much he could lose a few pounds.. .so you see?
Today is cool. We use the heat at night. By the looks of things it should get cooler this weekend..I did a lot of house work this morning.. Now I rest.. Leftovers for supper so I don't need to cook .WOW! Got it made today!
Joanne

Mima....you can ask the pharmacy to give you just a few pills to see if they work, then you do not have to apy for them all.

Kala..what is this niacin stuff? and what is it for?

Kate..yes it is one of those meds, but only happens when I fall asleep somewhere and wake up to relocate after Hubby has left, sometimes I remember things and sometimes I do not..I have cooked a whole meal before and not eaten it but left it sitting out untouched.....I have gardened, walked the dog...things neighbors told me when we lived out in the country. Also cleaned the house, paid bills...(that is the scary one)....Never have I left the property....always in my pj's! Why I remember some and not all I do not know.

Joanne, sounds like bad stuff runs in your family and then you have DH too!LOL

Cooked a good pasta meal, walked the TM and rested. I am getting really hungry trying to stay within pts.

Well, glad I don't have the sleep problems. I have been getting up later-all along it was the thyroid med. Also not running to the bathroom..
We went to meet Mike etc at DQ. I always have coupons for that place.
Gor our tax bill and it went up 300. Def going to sell the house but it will probably take 2 years with all the work. I just remembered what a mess the yard is. from the ice storm.
Brad is going to help on the handyman team this morning . Morning to myself. I bought a second timer at Target to time my pt exercises. 30 seconds for each exercise.
Bye for now-Mima

Good morning everyone! A cool but sunny day here in Florida. Of course, we thin blooded folks here think 50 degrees is chilly!Hard to type when your hands are cold...
Candice, I'm not sure of your reference to "Kala" but my posting about the vitamin "niacin" is regarding what my hubby's doctor prescribed to help with his cholesterol because he had to stop taking his statin medicine. His liver function tests came back high so he decided to stop taking this "Tricor" stuff. So now he tried niacin, which I think is vitamin B3. There are several varieties of niacin...flush-free, sustained/slow release, and regular. The regular niacin often causes "flushing" in people....your arms, chest, face get red and hot...kind of like a severe hot flash with color added. The sustained released niacin could possible build up in the liver which is not good, especially if there is abnormal liver function to begin with, and the flush-free seems to be the product of choice. The dosage needs to be increased gradually to a level that is supposed to help lower cholesterol and triglycerides. Hubby's doctor wanted a gradual increase to 1000 mg of regular niacin, but to do it slowly. Of course, hubby had a severe flush reaction with the very first dose of 200 mg so now he doesn't want to touch it.
Well, have my first two reservations for company! They will be back to back for 3 weeks so this should prove interesting! Will be great to see my friends from up north though and we'll have a great visit.
Mima, my hubby used to be the local handyman where we lived so I consider myself fortunate. If it needs fixing, my hubby can do it and has all the tools. The garage is set up like his workshop with just enough room for my little suv. He just finished replacing the weather stripping on our big front door. That garage is his domain while the house is mine! Off to run some errands. I need to fix something simple for lunch for some friends who drove down this past week to their house in Kissimmee. They brought down a small trunk for us we had left behind. Maybe a small antipasto with some crostini. Hope everyone enjoys their day....and do keep warm!;)

Just a suggestion for sleep, and I have discussed with my doctor and a pharmacist and they see no harm in it. I tried sleeping meds - couldn't stand the side effects. I now just take plain old Gravol - in generic form. You get 50 tabs for about $2.99. I take a hot bath about an hour before bed. Soak for fifteen minutes. Part of the falling asleep process is your body cooling off, so that starts the process even faster as your body perceives the cooler air and the cool bed sheets as the start of the process. I take two tablets right after I get out of bed. I have my bedside radio set to a quiet radio news station, but it goes off after half an hour. That is because I tend to be a worrier and if I have just my brain spinning around to listen to, I don't relax. Somehow the background news helps shut out the worrying (unless they start talking about the stock market). It has been working for me. After three years or more of awful sleep, I am making an average of five hours before waking. I can even get back to sleep sometimes. Now the doc did ask that if I feel I am getting into a better routine to cut back to one gravol and see if it still worked...After a while to cut to half and then to none. As in any case, we don't want to become dependent if we can do it for ourselves..right?

Also, a pharmacist alerted me to the fact that I shouldn't be taking aspirin on top of any anti-inflammatories. Is why I was getting ringing in my ears. I have discovered that ADVIL gel-caps for migraines..for whatever reason, work wonders on my hip and feet pain.

Lastly has anyone heard of the new study on the use of gabapentin for fibro pain. It is prescribed in doses of 1200-1400 mg. daily. It seems to work wonders. Doc put me on it, and either it is working, or I have just gotten so used to the pain, I don't remember what less pain felt like LOL CHeers

Good morning, at least it still is here.

Mima - Sounds like your thyroid is OVERACTIVE. When my daughter had Graves Disease, she could only sleep a couple of hours and all body functions were speeded up, including her heart. Not a good thing. Hope they have it right now. Hope that Dennis is doing ok.

Kate - I took Niacin once, and it made me so darn hot. However, that was all it did, and I was ok with it, once I found out it was a normal reaction. Your hubby will need to change his eating plan to try to get that cholestrol level down. My Dr. told me, carbs are worse for cholestrol than fat is!!! I guess with the colder winter,people will start to flock to Florida. Mostly, people from Alberta, go to Arizona, not Florida. Eastern Canadians tend to go to Florida. So, I guess it will be company time for you.

Candice - That is scary. I get fibrofog, and have a hard time pulling the right words, but I don't think I forget stuff. I know there were times I would NOT drive my car, because I didn't think it was safe. I think I felt like a drunk person would feel.

JoAnne - boy high cholestrol must run in your genes, like arthritis runs in mine :lol: I guess you just take the meds and hope for the best. Diabetes is a BIG thing in our family. My grandfather was diabetic, My Mom, my brother, my other brother is right now doing a diet to try to control blood sugars, my nieces and nephews have it. Apparently, the HBA1C shows that mine quite stable, so far.

Molly - No sure Americans can get Gravol. It only works for me, if I am sick. Then I can sleep for hours. Other than that, it just makes me feel woozy. I try to take it when I fly, but NADA. That Gabapentin is Neurontin®
(gabapentin) Capsules
Neurontin®
(gabapentin) Tablets
Neurontin®
(gabapentin) Oral Solution

I think lots of Americans have taken that for a long time for FM. Is it new in Canada?

Meme - how are YOU? Hope you are catching up on some rest, but knowing you, you are still plugging along.

It is finally warming up. We are OUT of the deepfreeze. Never have I remembered such a cold December. For 3 weeks, we had such cold temps, often night-time temps, of -38 or better. Thankfully, we are now on the other side, and it is now 22F and heading up to 32F. I can now open my windows and air the house out. It feels WONDERFUL!

Hope you all have a good day.

Hi everybody

Anne, Gravol is dimenhydrinate (available in the US as Dramamine). I've never tried it for sleeping, but have used diphenhydramine (Benadryl), which is closely related chemically. The Walmart generics for both are very inexpensive and worth a shot. My doctor told me I could take up to 4 benadryl caplets or capsules. It works most of the time, but sometimes it makes it harder to sleep (I'll feel groggy, but instead of falling asleep my brain doesn't shut down, so I'll spend several hours very sleepy, but unable to actually fall asleep).

Candice, I have fog that messes with my short term memory too - and having had an almost photographic memory in the past, this is a hard adjustment to make. I still sometimes get this paranoia that hubby is "messing with me" when he says I've done or said something I can't remember. Yesterday I found a piece of toast that I had put in the toaster more than three weeks ago (I don't eat bread very often). I knew it was me and not hubby, because it was only one piece of toast in the toaster (he always puts in two).

My neurologist recommended 1000 mcg of folic acid daily to help with memory (you can get prescription folic acid, but it's VERY, VERY cheap otc, the only problem is it mostly comes in 400 mcg tablets (which doesn't divide evenly into 1000 mcg). He said I could take 3 tablets (1200 mcg) daily if I wanted to (the "extra" wouldn't hurt) but instead I take 3 tablets one day and 2 tablets the next. However, I just looked online and saw that 1000mcg are on the Sam's Club/Walmart $4 lost ($4 for 1 month, $8 for 3 months, so I'm going to have to compare this to the otc cost).

I found that it really does help, though it took about a month to notice a difference (and hubby noticed more than I did - because I don't "feel" any differently when my memory isn't working so well).

I'm feeling shockingly decent today, so I'm crossing my fingers that the new med, the cyclobenzaprine (Flexaril) is responsible (and not just the "luck" of a good day). Before I started the med, I had found that wearing a sleep mask was somewhat helpful (actually more helpful than I would have imagined), but I was still waking up several times during the night - but for some weird reason hubby's snoring is less likely to keep me from falling asleep with the eye mask (ear plugs hadn't worked, because they weren't keeping out sound and they felt funny and wouldn't stay in my ear canal - but for some reason the eye mask helps me "tune out" the sound, weird huh?)

That's what frustrates me about fibro the most, the "weirdness" of it all. It's like "trying to pin jello to a tree," as the saying goes. What helps, what doesn't, what symptoms appear and disappear without rhyme or reason, what was working and now doesn't, the "weirdness" of some of the symptoms and conditions that aren't fibro, but often accompany fibro (the irritable bowel, the chemical sensitivities, the autoimmune symptoms, the allergic symptoms that aren't allergies, the skin conditions .....). I'm tired of hearing "that's common in people with fibromyalgia - but we don't know why."

Good morning-Brad is mad at me-it's only 6 in the am -because I don't want to discuss plans to go home for a few days-it's too early in the morning, He also wants to discuss things at night!!!! All I said was that we could rent a car to get from the airport. I don't have any more info-besides it;s Sunday.
I spoke too soon about my stomache. It's acting up a bit.
It cerainly is hypothroid, I have been sleeping better except for last night.
Dennis has pneumonia. And it's snowing today back home.That was another thing, I was looking at the weather before I booked.
Trying to exercise my foot. on my own. Bye for now. Mima