Hi Joanne and all the new gals. It's nice to see some new people arrive on this thread. We have been quite quiet for too long.

Diona - A big pat on the back for you for your attitude. It is great and will get you far. Knowledge is power and FM is painful; it doesn't take the pain away, but at least you know the cause of it and that it won't kill you - so they say! I haven't been on Lyrica and probably won't go on it, due to other meds I take. Glad it's helping you, and good luck with your eating program.

DivineFidelity - a higher protein diet is what they used to say. I am glad that Cymbalta has helped you. I know it works well for quite a few people with FM. I hope that you have been having good results with the WW program.

Fibrofighter - This syndrome takes away so much of the life we are accustomed to, but it isn't the end of life. Doors open in other directions. Hope all is going well for you.

Candice - how are YOU doing.

I know that the heat for most of us, has been bad this year. I, for one, feel miserable with too much humidity and that seemed to come with the heat this year. Hope all are well.

Yes , I too have been quiet.. Things have made a change at my house. Our son and his wife have moved in.. They are a big help,sometimes too much.. I don't want to ask too much of them. I am still able to do for myself in a lot of things.
I have a lot of problems with my feet. Lots of pain. The podiatrist said that bone spurs don't cause pain. Just excess tissue and my high arches. So they sold me 50.00 inserts for my shoes.. Expensive but if it helps so what. I have hardly been able to walk by evening times lately .
It has been really hot down here to. We did get some rain this week so that helped.
Have a good weekend Everybody..
Joanne

This is my first post, and I hope I am in the right place. I am 62, have fibromyalgia, and I used to walk up to ten miles per day, both to keep my weight down, and to keep my spirits up. Last year, a drunk driver hit our van and threw my disabled (quadriplegic) husband and I 500 feet into a field. Fortunately, I only badly sprained my right ankle, and twisted my neck, but that is my pain side. The swelling and pain made the ankle unworkable, according to my physiotherapist. I have an ankle brace and orthotics I wear daily. I, too, have been advised that ankle or heel spurs do not cause pain, but you could fool me! Some days, even with a cane, I cannot put weight on my foot, because that sets off ankle pain and swelling, then hip pain, back pain, neck pain, finally, headache.

I used to do yoga -- lifelong. However, my orthopedic doctor said that anything that produced pain flareups should be avoided, as I am now at the age when arthritis is setting into my injury sites. So, with reduced activity, the weight naturally comes on. And that exacerbates the pain. It also makes sleep difficult, which increases the fibromyalgia pain. I refuse to take SSRI or antidepressants; they have not worked before, and I fear the added weight gain I always hear comes from taking these medications.

My dear husband is very supportive, but since I am supposed to be the able-bodied one, there are so many things that need doing that don't get done. Frustrating.

I am on a protein shake meal replacement for dinner, with a high fiber grain and herb cereal replacement with almond milk for breakfast, to combat constipation. I try to drink water often, throughout the day, and have herbal tea with Splenda, late night, before bed. My weight has remained twenty pounds heavier than it has ever been except when I was pregnant. It is stable, but not moving, no matter what else I do, what I eat, nor how much I exercise within my limitations. I am so uncomfortable,nothing fits, and I cannot afford a new wardrobe.

Sorry this is so long. I guess I had better copy and paste it into a notepad file, in case it is rejected. If I am in the wrong place to post an introductory post, I apologize. I am new here, and just seeking validation and support. Please forgive me if I have offended anyone by posting in the wrong place. I realize there have to be a lot of rules, to keep the forum from breaking down, to keep it interesting to others, and to eliminate spam. I have read the rules, and the FAQ, and hope I am compliant. Thanks.

Welcome all you new people.. I too have heel pain. I have heel spurs that I was told do not cause pain. It has been a month and half that it has been very painful to walk. I was sold some inserts for my shoes that has helped some.. For fifty dollars they should help.
My weight is 10 pounds more than I want. I keep trying.. I used to walk 4 miles a day to keep my weight down. I can't do that anymore. Bad knees and being 80 years next March has slowed me down..
We had a visit from our nephew and his family yesterday. We haven't seen them in a year. They live across the state in Orlando and are very busy.. It was a pleasant afternoon. We gave them lunch and had a nice visit and catch up..
Hello Candice and Happy.. I hope you are well and the summer is being kind to you. There are so many people in a drought and I know are wishing for rain.. We have had some but it seems there is never enough..
Have a good week..
Joanne

Hello Sandra and welcome to this thread. You are in the right place.

Sounds like you have not had a fun time the past while. Injury can sure set weightloss back, or it can start weightgain. In my case, it was the gain. It's ok though, because I am still on this side of the grass and that is the most important thing.

You do have a bit of a challenge having to look after hubby as well. That can't be easy, when you have such a hard time yourself.

Instead of those carbs try protein for a few days, and limit the carbs to 60-90 a day. See if that will help nudge those pounds.

I am a carb addict. Don't care for a lot of protein but have been trying this for the past 5 days, and I am down a good 5 pounds, perhaps 6. I am hoping this will work for me. I have tried so many diets, but they are mostly CARB based and, of course, that is easy for me to eat. I am switiching up a LOT of stuff and it seems to be working - AT the moment.

Joanne - Nice you had a visit from your nephew. I had one of those last week. My nephew and his wife are being transfered to Houston, Texas, so they stopped in to say goodbye. I sure enjoyed the visit we had with them. I remember being that young and full of optimism. It's great.

I sure would like to send the rain to SOMEBODY other than here. I am more than willing to share it. We have rain everyday. Even last night, during the night, there was a shower, but those are the ones I like. Wake up in the morining and the air is fresh and smells amazing. We haven't had steady rain, but it gets annoying to plan anything. It doesn't just sprikle, it comes thundering down. July is going down as the 5th wettest month since they started recording temps. So much flooding and uprooted trees. August is a calmer month, so MAYBE it will be different. The days have been really hot as well, so the humidity is high, and that causes pain.

As for no pain in the feet from heelspurs. I had such a sore foot a few years ago, it was so darn painful, Dr. THOUGHT it WAS a heelspur. Turns out it was a broken metatorsil bone on the side of my foot. Also, this toe I had surgery on, is ok as far as getting my shoes on, but it hurts when I walk and it tends to swell, so not very comfortable.

I hope you all have a good day. Candice, come on out and play for a while.

Yikes I have been away so long, I first need to tell you that I have a massage wand-Conair-14 bucks in Walmart, I use it for my feet because I have had plantar fascitiis in the past, It really works,
I have 3 kinds of arthritis and do stretching exercises for a half hour in the morning-mostly because I had back surgery last year which has improved my life big time.And I take a couple of different meds to help me sleep because lack of deep sleep is one cause of fibro.Enough preaching.
I am so glad to see your posts Anne and Joanne,
We ahve had a nice summer here but lots of rain-sporadic. We have been camping a couple of times-my husband actually built a small one.
We bought another car and left one in FL so now we can fly back and forth.Already have the tickets. That ride was not fun for me.
My new granddaughter is 6 months old and has feeding problems-she is ony 11 lbs. But she has reached all her other milestones. My son and his wife have been to doc after doc=the latest at MAss General which is the number one hospital in America, They put her on baby prilosec because she may have gerd. I will try to post her pic if I have one.
Lily is over 2 and her dad has gone back to Afghanistan for 10 months. She sure misses him-she calls my daughter dada. He recorded a book on cd and sent it to her-she was thrilled.
Is Meme missing too.
Nice to have new people-boy we are all in the same boat. I started taking Neurontin at night-a little ike Lyrica,
Well-bye for now-look what happens when you haven't been on for long. Mima can;t upload

Mimi, it has been such a long time since I have seen a post from you.

When did you have back surgery? I am so glad it has helped you. Those backs cause havoc in all parts of the body it seems. I guess because all the nerves are attached to the spine.

Another gbaby as well. Hard to believe that Lily is already 2. Sorry for the little one and her problems. Hope she gets better soon.

I see you are still travelling to Florida and that is good.

Haven't heard from Meme for a very long time. I don't go to Facebook, but next time you go, would you drop a line on her Wall and ask her to come visit. Even Candice is missing. Wish she would come on back. Have you heard from Tammy? I sur ehope she is well now.

Take care. Hearing from you is like having a nice big hug.

I can't get in touch with them/ My Aunt-favorite Aunt-89-fell and broke her hip last Feb and is in ong term rehab. She has failed a lot. Going to see her todaay. Mima

Thank you, Happy Canuck, for the welcome and the advice.

I will have to see where I am sabotaging myself, and will start a food diary. Although I do not think I eat a lot of carbs, portions may be creeping up in little but significant ways. Thanks for giving me a target range for carbs within which to work.

I take gabapentin, lorazepam, clonazepam, and benadryl for sleep and allergies. Lack of deep, long sleep is a significant issue for me, due to pain and the need to assist my husband to reposition half-way through the night (he is quadriplegic). So, I may be a getting lax in portion control for my few "luxury" carbs like coffee whitener. I will return to carefully measuring every component in my meals. I prepare all our food, so that should be easy..

Although I take gabapentin, lorazepam, and clonazepam for sleep and panic attacks, I do not think I get enough deep REM sleep, which as we all know is so important to minimize fibromyalgia. Pain wakes me frequently in the night. It is easy to slip up, when you are sleepy during the day!

Now that I am ready to begin more serious exercise, I think I will include my miles and speed for cycling and walking, and log my weights and reps for strength training. Pain keeps me from doing everything I should be doing, regularly, but if I write down what I have done each day, I believe I will see where I can make changes.

I know there are on-line sites you can record and track your mileage and reps with weights, but I do not have the links handy, right now. I am liking this idea more and more. Thank you so much for the advice!

Hello Newbies...good to see lots of chat over here

Happy send me the rain..we are in the worst drought ever..I have been lugging hoses and sprinklers around all summer!!!!! Not the year to have new landscaping put in!

Joanne...we are in the same house 4 yrs. now but still doing upgrades and stuff. I am still not officially unpacked! I need a 2 bedroom sets and a dinning room set and office furniture....just tires me out to go shopping anymore. I fight with planter fascitis like Mima. My orthotics help and and my Birkenstocks.

My pain has been pretty good this summer except for my pulled back muscle that is better now. Doing all my own cleaning hurts me terribly.
The gal that did it quit over a year ago. Using a step ladder gets my hips hurting and stuff up high needs done too!LOL

I will tell Meme to come visit..she is doing ok, slowed down a lot I think. and Tammy just got back Ireland. She looks great inher pics she posted.

Well hope to get back more often now that I am not talking ot myself.

All newbies..been there done that ya just gotta find what works for you....everyone is so different. Me I can't tolorate a lot of meds and I do WW on my own..but have not been walking do to the heat lately and it takes the walking to lose the weight. Do pilates on a machine at my own apce to helps me to stretch things out. Will look up those books suggested.

Have a great daY


Mima...good to see you and glad your surgery is still having a positive affect for you. Another baby..great! My neice just had a cute little girl..they are so sweet.

Looks like the thread is finally alive again. I did check back quite a bit a long time ago but no one was ever here so I quit. Glad to see everyone back and some new people as well.

I have been sliding down a slippery slope. The pain is getting measurably worse, esp in hands and feet/ankles. I still do most of my housework and shopping but it's getting harder now and I'm requiring more help. I don't do anything at church except sing and occasionally teach a class (not often that).

But, let me say I'm not complaining! I'm happy ... I'm ok. I'm staying home more and learning to let things go. I've learned that it's 'mind over matter' - things do not matter if you don't mind and there are just so many things that don't matter to me any more since I've lost my mind!

New people (new to fibro) I've been diagnosed with fibro for 35 years now (I'm 65) and it will make you believe you are losing your mind ... not to fear, that's just the fibro fog. It's hard to deal with at times but just get a grip and have a laugh at yourself. It's not the end of the world when you can't find your keys or put the empty can in the fridge instead of the trash. Exercise helps but some days you just hurt too bad to move. Getting off white flour and sugar helps but some days you just have to have something sweet or you'll DIE! (and some days you have to have choc or you'll kill somebody else) Welcome to Fibromyalgia. I also have Osteo and Rheumatoid Arthritis and Anemia plus a few other things that won't kill me but just make me wish I was somewhere besides on earth some days. The moral of the story is, take one day at a time and each day one hour at a time. Do a lot of research and find what works best for you. Don't take any meds offered by any Doc until you have checked out the side effects and made sure you're willing to take the risks. Good luck! You're flying by the seat of your pants on this one b/c it's an individual thing. No two people are exactly the same.

Oh GEE! I hope you can't actually SEE me!! LOL

Hi Candice and Meme. Long time since we have been on here together. I believe we were all on from the beginning several years ago.

Candice - I would like nothing better than to send this rain to you. It would be ok if it was just rain, but every single night it is a thunder storm, with pounding rain. Beautiful during the day. We have had floods, fires, downed trees on homes and cars, and just plain bedlam. The fellow from Environment Canada was on last night, saying that the reason our weather is behaving so strangely, is because we are getting American air (from the South) that is hot and humid, thus causing all these storms. We usually get the Canadian Air (from the north, or from the west) and it is dry. We usually have 46 thunder storms during the summer, somewhere in the Province of Alberta, and this year, so far, we have had over 92 and there is still 6 weeks to go!!

I am glad you have been feeling good. That is great. Still haven't got your house together? That would drive me crazy. I need organization. Quite liking my new place and like living closer to the family.

Meme - At last you have learned to say NO!! I know you were practicing before this board got so quiet. I am not happy to hear that you are not feeling well and having a harder time of it.

I guess this getting older is not for the faint of heart. A year ago I ended up in the ER with DVT and Pulmonary Embolisms. Have now joined the ranks of the Warfarin people. In march I had a major surgery, and have still not completely bounced back from it. Get tired much to fast, but that could be from the embolisms. We moved closer to Edmonton, in May, and that has been a good move. Next up will be the sugar levels. It never ends. I am cutting out a lot of stuff, but doubt it will help. The Beta Blocker I take increases your change of Diabetes by 30% and a predisposition to Diabetes as well, increases it even more. All I can do is try and keep the levels of everything stable. My oldest brother (70 yrs old) has just been diagnosed with Diabetes and he also takes a Beta Blocker and he exercises and walks like a mad man. Not me My toe hurts too much when I walk to far.

My other brother has been a Diabetic since he was in his 30's and my Mom was also. Grandfather, nephew, cousins. Asked the Dr., and he said unfortunatley, there isn't much of anything that works as well for the Atrial Fib. Don't need all this help. All these meds we take, just seem to cause other problems.

Well now I have written a novel and I must get to the grocery store. Have a family reunion on Sunday, so have been trying to get stuff ready. Be gone tomorrow, so won't get much done then.

You two take care, and it's nice to hear from you both.