Tammy - I hope you're feeling better soon! Soon feel too bad - I have two good arms and I can't recline the chairs either Mine is because I'm scared I'm going to fall in the floor

I don't remember who asked - but you wanted to know what I do that I have clients. I'm a massage therapist. When I was about to turn thirty I realized I was doing so while still in a job I hated and promised myself I'd leave years earlie. I'd always wanted to be in the body work field, I just didn't have the courage to go back to school on top of everything else. I finally decided that I didn't want to wake up that day and have to look at myself while still doing a job I hated. So I left the job and I went back to college. It was the best thing I could have ever done! I work in a doctor's office so I get lots of free care and I am doing so much better than I use to! I'm very very lucky and I fully realize it.

I saw a post that md's put a lot of fibro patients on b12. This is true. Every single fibro and chronic fatigue person in our office (and that's most of them) is on b12. But if you decide to take a vitamin - PLEASE go to a good store to get it!! Talk to the sales people and get a good vitamin...it's sad how many people are taking pills that aren't even what the bottle says it is!

Well I'd better go - I'm exhausted.. So glad the weekend is here. I plan to sleep as much as possible....that means I won't be able to sleep.

Tammy- Use your good arm/hand and recline the chair and then climb in it..The Doctors usually don't tell us in the beginning how long it takes to recoup from a surgery. It just really depends on the person..Hope you do well.. like mem says sit back and enjoy it..
Meme- You are in a pickle.. When both my hubby and I got sick after Christmas we just stayed in bed..No one checked on us either . Our daughter did call.Her and her hubby had the same thing and were staying in bed. Bad thing was they were in a camper out in the woods on a lake.. She said that they were afraid they were going to die and no one would know it..I have two sisters in town. One was sick with the same virus(Eleni) and the other was having too much fun to call.
Grasshopper..It is nice to hear that you are doing well. I guess you aren't babysitting for your brother..It is nice you found a nice job with all the benefits. Medical care is so expensive even when you do have insurance.
Mima- A new car and a new home!! Wow that is great.. I hope your medical problems get taken care of soon so you can enjoy everything..
Welcome Karen- Sounds like you have a healthy plan to lose weight..Remember you are important.. Take care of yourself and you will be more able to take care of the rest..
Candice- I hope you are better soon. Keep in mind your mother is where she can have 24 hour care..They will take care of her.. You take care of you..Let us know how things are going..
Hello everybody I missed...Joanne

Hi Grasshopper, welcome to our little group. Hope you find a home here.

Joanne, this ISN'T the same Grasshopper. This is Little Grasshopper and the other gal was Young Grasshopper lol.

Candice - sorry to hear about your mom. Hope she is not in too much pain.

Mima - hope they can find out what is going on.

Meme - Glad your foot is healing up - finally.

Not much going on here. Cold and windy tonight. Can't wait for SPRING!!!

Hi Karen - welcome to you as well. Our home isn't big, but we always have room for one more.

Candice wanted me to tell you her mom passed away Friday. It came a big snow storm there so she won't be able to travel until Sunday.

Karen, welcome to our group. We don't all follow the same plan (or even ANY plan) and we don't all agree on everything, but we all support and love each other here. Everyone is welcome to join in ... the more input the better.

Hey, Tammy, leave the recliner out and just scoot in and out of it! Or better still just get some pillows and pile up in bed and read! Did you ever find "Blink"?

Ah ... Spring ... wishful thinking I'm thinking!

Oh Candice-when you read this, I want to tell you how sorry I am. And now you have to wait for the snow. She had good care and it sounds like it was inevitable.Again, sorry. Sounds like that is the same storm they will have in MA tonight.
Tammy, glad you are ok. The pain is worse in the beginning. The theray will help when you are ready.
Meme, after Brad and my ordeals, no one called. I told Mike he was supposed so now he asks. I think daughter is worried. I don't tell them everyting anyways. Son Bob heard from my brother and he was concerned. That's how kids are. Friends and church family are better. We had 3 calls from our Sunday school class plus you know they are praying.
How are you feeling, Anne, ? I guess weather is colder up there. Hi Joanne. I will have to meet you for lunch after this ordeal is over. How is Eleni doing.?
I read on the internet about Interstidial cystitis and I had those symptoms but they have since dies down-related to fibro and can cause bleeding. I think Candice should read it. I'll tell her.
Hi Karen and LG-glad you like us. Hi Anagram. I hope I didn't forget anyone but I know you guys will forgive me because we are all in the same boat-fibro fog!!! Mima

Candice- I am so sorry to hear about your mother..
Happy- Thanks for setting me straight about the two Grasshoppers..I guess I got confused as they both work in the medical field..So you are waiting for spring? Me too. We will have some more cool weather this weekend.
Mima- Lunch will be nice.. Eleni has her good days and bad days.. P/M me when you can come this way..
Meme- I would leave the recliner out too..
Not much going on my way..I need to get busy...Bye till later..Joanne

Joanne - you had me confused! I do have two brothers and will be seeing the youngest next thursday. I was wondering how in the world you knew that! That got me wondering who you were Well, nice to meet you!

Candice - I'm very sorry for your loss. I hope you find all the comfort and peace you need right now. Dont' forget to take care of yourself as things get stressful over the next weeks.

Today has been good. I cheated a little and seem to be doing okay with it. I had ribs and broccoli at Red, Hot and Blue. As long as I avoid things like sugar, dairy and grains I'm usually okay. It's those things that kick everything in full force for me. I also got a new book that I'm very excited about. I am very sensitive to chemicals. Even perfumes can give me a horrible headache. I got a book "Cleen and Green" it's about non toxic ways to clean your house, clothes and things like that...using things like baking soda, vinegar. I have already changed my hair stuff and make up to non toxic, organic type stuff. I can't tell that it's made a difference but my doc says it's much easier to get me balanced out - and I don't seem to need to do as often now.

I'm very lucky to have a bf that is supportive of the things like this that I need to change. For example I don't do his whites anymore - I can't deal with the clorox (that one I can tell I'm sensitive top - instant headache and confusion!!) He wants them bleached so he does them himself.

The hard part will be building a new house. We want to, in a couple of years nad their will be issues with the paint and the flooring. He has allergies too so that should make it easier to get him to go with rugs and hardwoods, instead of carpeting. I have, for health reasons, become an urban hippy. Not sure I like the sound of that - but I feel better this way....

Grasshopper- Sorry about the mixup... I am the oldest one on this board.. I will be 72 in march. That still is not a good excuse.. I don't have Fibro.. I have oa. Needless to say they both are painful. Things for me have been a lot better since I have lost the weight. I am avid walker. I won't hesitate to say I am lazy enough to dislike any other kind of exercise. I would enjoy doing it in water. It is pretty expensive to go to a spa here. The bad part about that is they are not the cleanest.. The things I like to do most is sewing , quilting. crochet and most hand crafts dealing with sewing and read...Books are my main enjoyment.I live here in Florida one mile from the Gulf of Mexico..In good weather I walk to the beach and other times I am on the T/M .I cheated a little for the past couple days.. I got myself worked up about something and stuffed my face..Not Good!!
Hello Everybody..Joanne

I'll have to do that with the recliner and see if I can crawl in without falling!

Meme, I plan to go to the library and see if they have any of his books. I did find it on Amazon, but hubby just made a comment about all the orders we've been receiving lately.

Hi everybody.

Candice - my sympathy's to you and your family. I am so glad you went and saw her when you did.

Joanne - You are not OLD by any means. Gosh you still have a few years to go before that time.

Grasshopper - It is easier than ever to build a "green" house. All the stuff that is available - IF YOU HAVE THE MONEY!!!! It doesn't come cheap. I hope you are able to do it.

well, it was a beautiful day here today, and will be again for a couple of days, and then we will be back to winter, I guess. A reprieve is always appreciated though. Everybody have a nice evening.

Hi Happy Canuk and all...thank you for the invite to join you! First question what is guided mode and enhanced mode? See what a newbie I am? hehe So how are you guys? I was diagnosed about 7yrs ago now with Fibro, Hypothyroidism and Menopause a few yrs before that. It all began when I turned 35. Love them genetics coming into play! I'm 45 now. I am on Zoloft, Flexeril, Synthroid and HRT's. I joined Curves (workout club) last month and am following their diet. this past week was not a good one for me, lots of pain and no workouts. Got a massage, which helped except the day after if was more pain-then it got better. soak in the jacuzzi, use heat therapy a lot. I just got a referral from my Dr. to go to a Pain Mangement Clinic. Anyone know anything about them? My hubby is in the Army so I have to go thru the Army docs and talk them into doing research on my behalf and trying new things with me. But I couldn't talk her into letting me try Cynbalta. She said I'd have to get it thru the Psych doc.
I've talked too much. Thanks for listening and I really look forward to hearing from you guys.
and how do you add an image in these?
Pixie

Pixnpink - I too am hypothyroid, and am hypoglycemic and have a low pineal gland (which basically means my whole endocrine system is a little wacky.....I'm working hard to get it straight) I can completely understand what you're going through though....

Now about that massage. I'm a massage therapist. I can tell you that it's really hard for theraists to find the right amount of pressure to use on a Fibro patient...because the day of the massage, it feels great, but the next day - you get exactly what you said...more pain. If it was more pain that it was worth you might want to mention it to them and ask to try less pressure. A good therapist will work with you to find the massage that works best for you. I love a good deep massage and it's very hard for me to feel like I gained anything form a light massage - but hard work leaves me feeling like I got hit by a truck the next day!!! I can't take it anymore!

Zoloft and Flexeril BOTH? That would leave me feeling like a zombi.

Tammy ... you may get in that recliner and not be able to get out with just one hand!!!

Snow here ... and cold ... only 17 right now. I'm feelin' it!

I've been eating too many rich foods and sweets lately. That may be part of what's making me hurt so much worse. I think I'll watch it more closely next week & see if I feel better. I hate watching what I eat, though. YUCK! Some friends came over and brought KFC and choc. cake tonight, last night other friends called and asked us to go out and eat with them (I got a steak so didn't do too badly there) and I'm sure we'll go out and eat with friends from church tomorrow ... probably TWICE! It's really hard to watch what I eat with friends like that!

Mima ... waiting is always the hardest part I think!

Hi everyone-LG-ok if I call you that?-I went through the allergic to everything phase. Went to homeopathic doc and he put me on a bunch of vitamins etc. Immune system on overload!! I am much better now. But definitely watch out for new materials. When we moved in with new carpet, I was bothered. Wheat and milk definitely bother me-pains-congestion-sinus trouble. When I was bad, I bought 2 expensive air cleaners-one for my bedroom and one for the classroom. They definitely helped.
MA is getting a blizzard! Sunday school, church, lunch with family, tonight is Patriots game. Our church bulletin said that we were having a mission in April and it's led by the priest that I have been wanting to hear for 2 years. And my friend that told me about him will be here. She and her husband had a house built near here and they come and go because they have 3 elderly parents in MA. I work with her in Northampton. Well-I have been up since 4. Bad pattern. Maybe after tomorrow I can sleep. I am not as worried because it's probably something simple. Kids are worried-their dad died from cancer but he didn't take care of himself. Besides, I feel great!!!The symptoms that I had are gone -that's why I think it was fibro related. My whole life, I have thought I had a UTI and it was negative. The pressure!!! Bye for now. Mima

Hi guys,

Happy canuk - you're right about the "if you have the money" part of a green house!! It's stupid how expensive it is to live a "simple" life - without chemicals and harsh stuff!! I do the best I can at the time. I've set goals for this year - things I want to have by the end of the year. Right now the biggest priority is a water filter - North Carolina has the highest level of copper in our water. Any kind of heavy metal is believed to AT LEAST make fibro symptoms worse..not to mention increase depression. I have well water but it's questionable as to whether or not it's deep enough. So I'm getting a good water filter system. I also want to get a good air filter system by Air Source. I borrow the one from work on a lot of weekends or when a co worker goes out of town....besides my issues - BF doesn't snore when I use it!

Mima - of course you can call me LG When I first started the allergy thing, if I cheated at all I REALLY paid!! My stomach would get so sick. Now, not so much. I stay away from grains, except for rice because it seems to take me a long time to process them. and NO dairy. I can really REALLY tell when I have dairy. The worst for pain right now though is milk chocolate. I found a dark that I can do, but milk chocolate will make my neck sieze up on me and it takes days and a lot of valium for it to relax and finally adjust. That's what I was dealing with all last week. I caved during PMS and had a candy bar

I have begun cheating a little this week because I'm going on vacation with family and there is NO way I'll be able to eat "clean" with them. If I'm not slightly use to cheating I'll be sick the whole time. I'm going to try to go through without meds - but I'm taking them with me just in case. I've only used them one time in the past 6 months...that was this past week. NO MORE CHOCOLATE! So sad. soo soo sad.