Good morning.

Mima - Whatever you do, DO NOT over extend your arm when staining or painting the doors. I have done that and ended up with pain that I had to go to a massage therapist for to get it worked out of the shoulder area. Have fun at Walmart!

Meme - Got the important thing hooked up again :lol Little by little you will get it all done. I hope that something can be done your foot beside surgery. Did you try the cast?

Joanne - People are funny. I know when we built our house, we planted all the trees to close to the house. Everyone tends to do that because the yard is so big and trees so small and it feels like you have a bit more privacey; however, as the years go by they grow and grow and grow. The roots head for the basement walls and do there damage there, so you either have to transplant them or chop them down and remove the stumps. My aunt had to remove two huge 35 year old evergreen trees and what a difference. Anyway, at least hubby didn't fall off the roof

Hi Anagram - Hope you guys are doing ok.

Ally - Joanne is right! Next year, it is either college or get out to work! Even that won't do wonders. They will just grow up when they are ready. If they have been allowed to just be kids, like my son was, they it takes a little longer. It is just that after 18, they are responsible for themselves totally - not that you won't worry, but you really don't have a say, except for what goes on in your own home.

Candice - Amnesia???? I think I would be worried if I found myself sleep eating and also wake up working!!! Perhaps you should talk to your Dr. about that. Good grief girl, you NEVER know what mischief you could be up to


I hope everyone has a great day! It finally stopped snowing here. Calgary has 2 ft. of snow (that is 1 1/2 hours from where I live) so I think I consider myself lucky. They did close the highway from here to Calgary however for 1 full day! That is the second busiest highway in Canada. Today, it is sunny and it looks really nice outside. Still lots of cool air, but it will warm up later this week.

Happy- We didn't plant any of the trees in our yard except a pine. That was one of those little christmas trees that all walmarts and kmarts have every year. At least we planted it next to the property line. It is about 60 feet high and still growing.That we did not expect. No, the trees next to the house were planted by the birds. I just didn't get them pulled out before my hubby say them. He says God put them there and so they stay. I get rid of as many as I can without him knowing it. I did put in a couple orchid trees but not near the house. I have to wach them. They reseed all over the yard too.
How is the job going?
Hello everyone. It is the end of my day. Now ,I will set back with a book. Joanne

Thanks for the warm welcome! It's going to take me awhile to get to know everyone here as I'm also a member of another group for menopausal women too. Menopause & fibro....we women get to have all the fun....LOL!
I had terrible insomnia for almost 7 years with all this hormonal upheaval and that is what brought on the fibro. I tried several different GYNs, birth control pills, Zoloft and nothing seemed to help. Found a new doc who specializes in treating menopause AND fibro. He switched me from Zoloft to Lexapro and I'm sleeping like a baby for the first time in years! I still have a lot of pain all the time, but at least I'm rested now. I'm also a much calmer person too.
For those of you talking about teenagers, it really does get better. I have 23 yr. old triplets, 2 sons, 1 daughter, who all graduated last year from college and are now working . I never thought I'd see the day.
After the past several years of raising kids, sleeping very little, the constant pain resulting in less exercise and weight gain, I find myself nearly 70 lbs overweight. I am starting to follow a WW type diet and am walking regularly with a neighbor. I hope to add some light weights a couple of days a week too.
Do many of you find massage therapy helpful? I go occasionally, but I never seem to rid the persistent pain in my shoulder and neck.
I look forward to sharing with all of you. It's getting late now. Will be checking in again soon.

Take care,
Gail

Gail...I've gone though several periods of massage therapy. Sometimes at a massage therapists and sometimes at a physical therapist my doctor recommended. It helps while they are doing it and most of the day afterward but the next day it hurts again so I wind up quiting...can't go everyday obviously so why go at all! I've found that relaxation techniques work best for me when my neck and shoulders get so tight they feel like they are going to snap (and that's about all the time). I have tapes I listen to at night ... that's about the only way I can get to sleep. I have a video of really easy stretches that help too (when I take the time to do them!)

Candice...better watch that amnesia wandering...might wind up pregnant or something!!!

Gail, I have been doing the hydromassage and find it much more relaxing than having someone digging their fingers into my poor old muscles. I went last week for 1/2 hour and will go again on Thursday, but I think for only 15 min.

I am taking a new med called BETRAX (same family as Celebrex and Vioxx) I have a 10 day presciption to give it a try and see if it irritates my stomach as much as Vioxx. So far so good.

Well, I have never had such a hard time losing weight as the past couple of years have been. Nothing seems to work, but I keep on trying. Eventually, I will find the "magic" combination for my body - I hope

Good morning!!!!I am glad I'm walking today so I can get away from this construction, My arm is a little sore today so I need to get away-I am sanding too so that's why my arm hurts. We went tpo buy a window last night and then stopped at an ice cream bar for brad to check something-free ice cream!!!Gotta be good today. I haven't lost anything this week. And I know I am burning up calories. I think Candice said she had insomnia. because of a med. Bye for now-carpenter is coming at 9 so I have to get dressed. Mima

Happy- I found that it is really hard to lose weight if I am on medication .Arthritis meds are bad to cause water retention and weight gain. I don't take them anymore. They can't find one that doesn't hurt my stomach. If I get rid of one pain another crops up.
It looks like rain again today.I always say when I see it. I am thinking of starting another quilt. I have drawers of scraps and material. I probably would not have to buy much.
I should get out and walk too.
We are planning to go to Va. next month when the Truman comes in. Don't know the date yet. The last time we went ,I nearly froze. I will pack better this time. And I bet it will be warm.
Hello everybody....Joanne

Gail....do you ever wonder if the very act of having triplets was part of ending up with fibro? I think the stress to your body and mind must have been horrendous. I would do the parenting thing again...but never two at once. I could not give my babies individual attention, they tell me that they have been picked on in school since kindergarten for being twins. They do look just alike. If they wear each other's clothes, I mix them up.
But I feel worn out right now. I have had enough of raising kids. Just want peace and quiet.....
AND if they weren't here there would be no excuse to buy bags of chips and cookies

Good morning-I picked out and ordered wallpaper for the kitchen-blue and yellow flowers-Brad wasn't too happy that I wanted to paint some of the woodwork white to go with the wallpaper but I think I will. I have a little sore throat so I'll take an allergy pill and some zinc. So much sawdust.But it's almost done!!!!Had a nice walk yesterday with my aunt. Next time we are going to celebrate her 80th birthday,She doesn't want a party.Anyone been watching American Idol-my daughter got me hooked. Bye for now. Mima

Mima - Is it already a year since you got married? Boy, time flies. Soon you will be finished and perhaps your allergies will settle down. Sawdust is just so bad for that, and drywall dust is worse than bad. Your colors sound nice. You will have to show us pictures when you get finished.

I have been watching the American Idol and was shocked last night when Rueben was picked to be gone!!!!! How could this be. I think Josh is the worst of the lot, yet he keeps on staying; so this leads me to believe that, as usual, girls are voting for the "look" and not the voice. In my opinion, in the end, it should be Rueben and Clay to fight it out. Both are so good. I guess whatever happens, all of these young people will get a good start in a music career and they will all pull it off. They all a very good. Josh is just not the best of the very good , but he is a cutie and I think the girls love him.

Joanne - you are right about the meds holding fluid. My skin feels like it is on to tight

Hope everyone is having a good day.

Good morning everyone!
How old are your twins Ally? You know, the fibro thing didn't start until my 3 were about 10 yrs old. The insomnia started then too and got progressively worse. I was lucky to get 2-3 hours of broken sleep every night. It was starting to affect my work at the office and all parts of my life. I agree, it's hard to give multiples individual attention. I used to take one of mine out at a time to the store and maybe lunch. It gave us some private time. By first grade, they were each in individual activities after school. One son played soccer, one took piano lessons and my daughter was into gymnastics. Of course that took away ALL my time for myself, but it helped each one of them become more independent of each other and improved their self-confidence on their own. It's exhausting having multiples, but now that mine are grown, I wouldn't trade the experience for anything. They're extremely close even though one moved to California and the other 2 are on their own here in Michigan.
We've been getting torrential rain here for the past 24 hours, so I'm really hurting today. I am going to schedule a massage and also look into the hydro-massage too. Has anyone tried accupuncture for the fibro pain?
Well, I hope all of you have a wonderful and relatively pain-free day!
Take care.

Gail

Happy Anne...I made plans for dinner last nite with my ex sister-in-law. In the middle of it I remembered I was missing American Idol and almost cried. I was talking about it at work today and I think this is part of the producer's plot to get more ratings. Aren't we all going to tune in now that Ruben was almost on the chopping block? The only other theory is that the fan base for the other's voted off are doing this to get rid of Ruben as he is really the likely winner!
Gail...I ended up with fibro when my kids were about 13. That was the beginning of the bigger battles as they had bikes, would not stay with babysitters. School problems were just getting bad also. I had stress at work etc etc.
My ex sister-in-law told me her best friend has fibro. She has a 26 year old AHDH son who still lives with her. He has been in a thousand car accidents, lost a zillion jobs, flunked out of college. I tell you, it scared me.

My grandaughter likes Clay the best.......We got some good news yesterday-a friend offered his condo in Maine on the ocean for this weekend so we rearranged everything to go-we will be there on our anniversary-I think it's going to be cool up there but one night won't matter-a good break from this activity-and Brad got notification that he hadn't cashed a $550 check from 4 years ago so they will send a new one-that should pay for something. Next weeekend is the burial of Brad's mother at the cemetery-she died in Jan when the ground was frozen. That should be fun!! Going to TOPS this morning-haven't done a lot of walking-just other things.like doors. Bye for now -Mima

Mima- Forgotten checks. I was really bad about that when I was working. I would come home and drop them in my panty drawer. Well needless to say I forgot to take them out and take them to bank. One day I was cleaning out the drawer and found several. My hubby had a fit. Nice little saving. I right then got the idea that I really did not need to get up ar 5 am anymore. Ofcourse that was at the time my knee was giving me a fit. The doctor and my daughter let me know real quick that working days were at an end. I was not that unhappy about it. I have not missed the checks or the job.
It is sunny outside. My hubby is cutting the grass. I hope he cuts it all. He has a habit of going around all the wild flowers that come up.
Ally- I found that it doesn't end when the kids finally decide that they are grown.We still worry. I sometimes said ,I wish I could excape to an Island where there were no telephones or problems. Just for a little while. I love to be alone sometimes..
Hello everybody. Have a Great Weekend...Joanne

Joanne...you and I have a lot in common. I love to be alone, too and I often find checks and money that I've tucked away and forgotten about. I once found a $100 bill in the bottom of my cash box in the piano room and I'm aways putting checks piano students give me in there and forgetting to cash them. I once had a student's mother ask me about one three months later ...seems she was having trouble balancing her checkbook because I forgot to cash a $40 check she was having to add back each month! Nobody understands why I like to be alone. When my mother was alive she would always say, "If you had to live by yourself all the time you wouldn't like it so much." Well... maybe not ALL THE TIME... but I hate having somebody right in my face all the time. I really dread when my husband retires!

I've been able to stay off my ankle for a few days and it is much better... but how in the world do you stay off your feet and still live! Not possible! Still don't have everything put back together. I'm thinkin' - "All the kings horses and all the kings men won't be able to put this place back together again"!

I've lost 11 pounds so far!