I feel a bit like a dog with a hurt hind leg these days. You know how they will lift the painful foot up and only hop lightly with it, if necessary? It's this darn pain in my right foot/ankle area again.
As much as I hate using the cane that I keep in my car, (and getting the old "what happened?" or the exaggerated sad and concerned face from well-meaning coworkers,) I broke down and started using it a couple days ago. I took about 6 steps away from my car in the parking lot at work last Tuesday when I realized I should be using that cane. Stubborn me, though, I didn't turn back to get it. I soldiered on through the morning and grabbed it at lunchtime.
Tomorrow morning, I will see a podiatrist to see what the problem is. I'm hoping to at least find out what I might have done to aggravate this condition, so I can at least stop doing that. Thus far, I have noticed that the pain subsides with rest, and gets worse with stairs, (both up and down,) or walking for more than about a minute. Today I noticed further that it's when I place the heel down that is painful, and I've caught myself kind of toe-stepping slowly on my right foot, and relying on the cane for support.
The cane also slows me down so I can step more carefully. It also helps tell others that I won't be able to scurry up to catch that opened door, or run across a walk before that car comes. The cane is growing on me, but I still hate having one hand occupied while I'm moving. It's also a bit of a bother in the bathroom. I have a new appreciation for anyone who needs to use walking aids full time.
Anyway, I hope to know more about this foot tomorrow.
On a side note, I've been noticing an odd new symptom has popped up in the past few weeks. Every now and then, my hands turn really red and hot and start burning painfully. The burning makes me look at them. It looks ridiculous. One time, just my thumbs and index fingers were red-hot, but the pinkies were cold. My husband was around so I showed him. It is bizarre. I also notice coldness in my toes, inside my shoes/slippers when my fingers and hands get cool.
I'm one of those people who is usually cold, especially my hands and feet and especially around bedtime. I get those "icicle feet". Luckly, Don is usually too warm so he lets me warm up my tootsies on his warm feet and we find some kind of equilibrium. As a child, I remember getting hands so cold I had to stop practicing piano. My mom knows. She would always say "cold hands, warm heart" to make me feel better.
My first thought about the temperature weirdness is Raynaud's, which is common among fibromites. Cold really does hurt my hands. For example, peeling a cold cucumber requires breaks where I put down the cold cucumber and blow on my hands to warm them up again. Again, ridiculous. When I come in from a walk in cold weather, my thighs are numb and as I begin to warm back up inside, they twitch all over. Does this happen to you? The thing is, I've never recalled any real white or blue discoloration of my fingers, as with the classic Raynaud's. I know it's not the same for every patient, but I just notice that. I just get the red, hot hands. I don't know if my feet get that way, though, other than when the pressure hives are raging on the bottoms of my feet.
Today I came across a rare condition with the burning red extremities. I hate to speculate, but I cannot help but wonder about it. It's called Erythromlalgia and here is the page with the interesting photos: http://www.erythromelalgia.org/WhatisEM.aspx
I will definitely need to note these new symptoms for my next rheumatologist appointment. I just saw her last month, but if things get ridiculous, I may try to see her sooner than my next appointment in August.
Do you know anything about this? Got any tips or links that might help me?
Showing posts with label skin issues. Show all posts
Showing posts with label skin issues. Show all posts
Thursday, March 13, 2014
Sunday, March 3, 2013
FMS and the Mirena IUD
WARNING: This post is about birth control. There is a lot of detail here that you may or may not be interested in reading. I wanted to post the details of my experience, in case they help other women out there who are also interested in the Mirena IUD, especially those with fibromyalgia. No companies sponsor my posts or pay me for anything I say, so you can trust my opinions to be true and objective. I know some bloggers earn a living from their ads and sponsors, which is fine, but I do not. I kinda hate that, so I only link to or endorse whatever I like and trust to be good. You're welcome.
When my blood pressure was not dropping to normal after many months off of Savella, my gynecologist ordered me off Seasonique because the estrogen in it could be contributing to the high blood pressure. So, I quit taking last October and thought about alternative birth control methods. At the doctor's suggestion, I did some research and eventually decided to go with the Mirena IUD. It contains hormones, but not estrogen. I found out my insurance plan covered the cost, save for a $25 co-pay, which is lots less expensive than the pills which are not covered at all under my insurance plan, for some reason.
There are few key things to know about Mirena, if you are interested.
It seemed that many women loved it and some even had a second one inserted after 5 years on the first one. But others hated it because they got a lot of side effects, like weight gain, mood disorders, etc. They were very, very angry and wanted nobody else to experience what they had. Although, while reading some of the detailed negative posts, I suspected at least some of the unlucky women had other issues that may have contributed to their symptoms or perhaps they should have mentioned to their doctors before deciding to go on Mirena. (Think about it. If a mom of 2 young kids is getting Mirena because she is terribly afraid of getting pregnant again, and she's mentioning her husband being unhelpful in her rant, she's stressed already, with or without Mirena.) I think they had untreated or undiagnosed conditions that did not manifest until they went on Mirena, because many of them did not seem to have been on any hormonal treatment before Mirena.
I liked the benefits and low cost of Mirena, but knew that there was a possibility that I might have some horrific side effects myself, since I seem to be sensitive to many medications, and because I have this damned Fibromyalgia. However, since I'd been on one hormonal birth control treatment or another for at least 10 years now, I was willing to find out, rather than wonder about it for the rest of my life. If it doesn't work out, I could always have it removed and switch to a non-estrogen pill or other method.
So, my first challenge was to wait for a period. As I mentioned, I have not been off birth control pills for a very long time, but I do remember not having regular ones. They tended to be occur at anywhere from 5 to 7 to even 9 weeks between periods, and they were always kind of miserable, which is why reducing and predicting them with Seasonique worked so well for me all these years. So, in October, after the initial period that came with stopping Seasonique, I switched to the estrogen-free Jolivette "mini-pill", not realizing until a month later, that there were no "dummy" pills for the period in these packs. They are meant to be taken continuously with periods that may or may not happen, and if they do, with no real predictability. For me, nothing happened. (Doctor, why didn't you mention this when you prescribed it?)
By Thanksgiving, I had already decided on and ordered Mirena and it was shipped to my doctor's office, waiting for my period to arrive so I could schedule the insertion. I realized after no period came that I would be waiting a long time if I stayed on Jolivette, so I quit that and switched to condoms. It was a little inconvenient but I wanted to get going on the Mirena project already.
So then it was nothing all month until late evening on Christmas Eve, the floodgates opened and the period was on. However, timing was absolutely terrible for getting Mirena. The next day was a holiday, and the rest of the week, I had travel plans. I had to wait another month or so for the next opportunity. Everything I'd read was about getting the thing inserted during the period, especially for someone like me with no babies or anything dilating my cervix. So, I waited.
You know how a watched pot never boils? When you actually wait for your period, it's an agonizingly long wait. All of January came and went without much more than a spot or two. On February 5th, I had a bit more spotting than usual and called the doctor's office, indicating that I'm not sure what's going on, or if this is it or not, but wanted to make an appointment while something was happening. Luckily, a mere few minutes after making a Thursday appointment for Mirena insertion, the floodgates opened again and confirmed the period had arrived.
The nurse told me it would be a quick, 10-minute procedure to get the IUD installed, and that I'd be fine to go to work afterwards. Nothing to it. Easy-peazy. I scheduled a half-day with the morning off work. I remember being told to take a pain medication (I took Aleve) before the appointment. Then she mentioned it would be done by a different doctor from the one I see. I figured my doctor wasn't available, so, no big deal. I was all set for Thursday morning and excited to finally have this ordeal taken care of and behind me. I was eager to find out if this solution would work for me.
When my appointment finally arrived, I met the new doctor (new to me), he assured me that he'd been installing IUDs for 30 years now, and that he would take good care of me. He was friendly and courteous, and the nurse was also very nice and helpful. I still missed my own doctor (because she knows me and I know her), but I figured this should not be too big a deal. Maybe she's not so experienced with these things. I'm probably better off, I reasoned.
So, the doctor explained all the details, showed me the product, and we got started. He warned me when things would feel uncomfortable or crampy, just like my regular doctor. He said he had to first measure the uterus, which would feel crampy, then the insertion was to feel crampy again. Then a snip of the strings and I'd be all done. It sounded a lot like the yearly check-ups with my regular gynecologist. I was not at all ready for the level of pain that I experienced.
The crampy feeling from this was a thousand times more intense than I'm used to feeling during yearly exams. Why did nobody online warn me of this terribly painful experience? Maybe it wasn't this bad for most people? Maybe I didn't read all the right posts. I do have Fibromyalgia, which can amplify even non-painful pressure as awful pains.
I was embarrassed to be unable to prevent my yelling "ow" during the procedure. I noticed also that my face felt really hot all of a sudden. Then I felt weird and a wave of cold sweat came on. I described it to my doctor, in case he needed to know. He knew what it was and didn't seem too surprised, but he and the nurse both seemed concerned, despite my joking a bit to let them know that I'm not a big baby. I knew there'd be discomfort, and I assumed it was just a temporary problem that I'd get over, which helped me keep my spirits up. They gave me some juice to sip to feel a little better and were very nice to me.
The doctor felt bad about the pain and apologized for making me hurt. I knew he didn't mean to. He explained that I had a vasovagal response, which "some women" get during this kind of procedure. I had never heard of this term before, but they explained and it seemed reasonable. I'd look it up once I was out of there, I decided. The nurse and the doctor were both very repeatedly clear about letting me know that I could lie there as long as I needed to before getting dressed, since the room would not be needed for many hours. I asked the nurse why everyone was so concerned about me and asked if they thought I would faint or something. She said yes. I was also very pale, apparently, so I guess all the blood wanted to leave my head, which could lead to a fainting spell. I told her I'd never fainted, so maybe that helped me this time.
I sipped on my juice and tried to relax for a bit, alone in the room, but I didn't feel comfortable lying on the table half-naked for so long. So I slowly got up and got dressed, but felt very crampy, so I still needed to sit for a while. Then I was in a hurry to leave because I suddenly felt the need to use the bathroom, so I checked out and spent some time in the rest room. I was supposed to get to work for the afternoon, but as I slowly made my way to my car, I realized it wasn't worth it to work in this much distracting pain. I headed home instead and notified my boss that I couldn't come in after all. I did not want to move at all for the rest of the day and the next. (I had to call in sick again the next day, Friday.) I parked on the couch with a heating pad on my belly, just enduring the constant cramping and trying to think about the future, when the pain would be gone. By Saturday, I finally felt better.
Since then, I have not had much of a problem with Mirena. Cramping has been minimal and intermittent after that, but mostly non-existent. Spotting is minimal. The strings seem to be okay and not interfering with anything. I checked for them and was relieved to find that they are thin, short, and tucked away into a corner near the cervix, where they do not cause any discomfort for me or my husband. I have developed some strange outbreak of acne around the back of my neck and scalp, but it started back when I had quite Seasinique and was not yet on Mirena. I am hoping that will clear up after the hormonal stuff settles in for the long haul. I worried more about it when I didn't make the connection to the hormones.
My one-month check-up with ultrasound is scheduled for 3/11/13, and I suspect everything will go fine. So far, the worst of it was the day of insertion and the day after. I'm glad for that and hoping the good news will continue.
On a side note, I've been dealing with a lot of long-forgotten Fibromyalgia symptoms lately, which seemed strange, since I'd been doing so well since taking better care of my body with a healthier diet and more exercise. I didn't put this together until just recently, but I suspect the painful insertion, vasovagal response or/and the lack of activity for those crampy two days may have triggered a fibro flare. In the past few weeks, I was having severe pains and couldn't figure out why they were lingering for days after doing so much better with my Fibromyalgia symptoms.
All in all, I think Mirena is working well for me, after paying the higher "Fibro cost" of all the insertion pain and fibro flare up symptoms. I'm hoping that in 5 years, I'll be ready to face the challenge a little better by expecting to cramp up for a couple days and deal with a fibro flare for a few weeks afterwards. It's nice not to have to worry about condoms or pills, though, to be honest, I didn't really mind taking pills so much. What I did mind was the outrageous cost of the pills. Since my insurance is pretty much covering the entire cost of Mirena, I'm happy to have this option.
When my blood pressure was not dropping to normal after many months off of Savella, my gynecologist ordered me off Seasonique because the estrogen in it could be contributing to the high blood pressure. So, I quit taking last October and thought about alternative birth control methods. At the doctor's suggestion, I did some research and eventually decided to go with the Mirena IUD. It contains hormones, but not estrogen. I found out my insurance plan covered the cost, save for a $25 co-pay, which is lots less expensive than the pills which are not covered at all under my insurance plan, for some reason.
There are few key things to know about Mirena, if you are interested.
- It's an IUD with hormones, but it does not contain estrogen.
- The IUD is inserted by a doctor in the office, as a quick, outpatient procedure.
- Getting an IUD inserted is easier for the patient during her period (days 1-7), but can be placed at other times, if necessary.
- Many women on Mirena have fewer, lighter, or shorter periods, and for many women, periods stop altogether. (I've got my fingers crossed for the last one!)
- Getting an IUD placed is easier for women who have given vaginal birth to 1 or more children (or any other cervix-dilating procedure such as D&C, abortion, etc.).
- Once placed, Mirena is effective for 5 years of birth control, and it is highly effective (almost 100%).
- Most women have no side effects, but some women do have some side effects.
- Maintenance after placement consists of a follow-up visit with ultrasound to confirm proper placement after the first month, then checking the strings monthly, and getting regular doctor check-ups yearly.
It seemed that many women loved it and some even had a second one inserted after 5 years on the first one. But others hated it because they got a lot of side effects, like weight gain, mood disorders, etc. They were very, very angry and wanted nobody else to experience what they had. Although, while reading some of the detailed negative posts, I suspected at least some of the unlucky women had other issues that may have contributed to their symptoms or perhaps they should have mentioned to their doctors before deciding to go on Mirena. (Think about it. If a mom of 2 young kids is getting Mirena because she is terribly afraid of getting pregnant again, and she's mentioning her husband being unhelpful in her rant, she's stressed already, with or without Mirena.) I think they had untreated or undiagnosed conditions that did not manifest until they went on Mirena, because many of them did not seem to have been on any hormonal treatment before Mirena.
I liked the benefits and low cost of Mirena, but knew that there was a possibility that I might have some horrific side effects myself, since I seem to be sensitive to many medications, and because I have this damned Fibromyalgia. However, since I'd been on one hormonal birth control treatment or another for at least 10 years now, I was willing to find out, rather than wonder about it for the rest of my life. If it doesn't work out, I could always have it removed and switch to a non-estrogen pill or other method.
So, my first challenge was to wait for a period. As I mentioned, I have not been off birth control pills for a very long time, but I do remember not having regular ones. They tended to be occur at anywhere from 5 to 7 to even 9 weeks between periods, and they were always kind of miserable, which is why reducing and predicting them with Seasonique worked so well for me all these years. So, in October, after the initial period that came with stopping Seasonique, I switched to the estrogen-free Jolivette "mini-pill", not realizing until a month later, that there were no "dummy" pills for the period in these packs. They are meant to be taken continuously with periods that may or may not happen, and if they do, with no real predictability. For me, nothing happened. (Doctor, why didn't you mention this when you prescribed it?)
By Thanksgiving, I had already decided on and ordered Mirena and it was shipped to my doctor's office, waiting for my period to arrive so I could schedule the insertion. I realized after no period came that I would be waiting a long time if I stayed on Jolivette, so I quit that and switched to condoms. It was a little inconvenient but I wanted to get going on the Mirena project already.
So then it was nothing all month until late evening on Christmas Eve, the floodgates opened and the period was on. However, timing was absolutely terrible for getting Mirena. The next day was a holiday, and the rest of the week, I had travel plans. I had to wait another month or so for the next opportunity. Everything I'd read was about getting the thing inserted during the period, especially for someone like me with no babies or anything dilating my cervix. So, I waited.
You know how a watched pot never boils? When you actually wait for your period, it's an agonizingly long wait. All of January came and went without much more than a spot or two. On February 5th, I had a bit more spotting than usual and called the doctor's office, indicating that I'm not sure what's going on, or if this is it or not, but wanted to make an appointment while something was happening. Luckily, a mere few minutes after making a Thursday appointment for Mirena insertion, the floodgates opened again and confirmed the period had arrived.
The nurse told me it would be a quick, 10-minute procedure to get the IUD installed, and that I'd be fine to go to work afterwards. Nothing to it. Easy-peazy. I scheduled a half-day with the morning off work. I remember being told to take a pain medication (I took Aleve) before the appointment. Then she mentioned it would be done by a different doctor from the one I see. I figured my doctor wasn't available, so, no big deal. I was all set for Thursday morning and excited to finally have this ordeal taken care of and behind me. I was eager to find out if this solution would work for me.
When my appointment finally arrived, I met the new doctor (new to me), he assured me that he'd been installing IUDs for 30 years now, and that he would take good care of me. He was friendly and courteous, and the nurse was also very nice and helpful. I still missed my own doctor (because she knows me and I know her), but I figured this should not be too big a deal. Maybe she's not so experienced with these things. I'm probably better off, I reasoned.
So, the doctor explained all the details, showed me the product, and we got started. He warned me when things would feel uncomfortable or crampy, just like my regular doctor. He said he had to first measure the uterus, which would feel crampy, then the insertion was to feel crampy again. Then a snip of the strings and I'd be all done. It sounded a lot like the yearly check-ups with my regular gynecologist. I was not at all ready for the level of pain that I experienced.
The crampy feeling from this was a thousand times more intense than I'm used to feeling during yearly exams. Why did nobody online warn me of this terribly painful experience? Maybe it wasn't this bad for most people? Maybe I didn't read all the right posts. I do have Fibromyalgia, which can amplify even non-painful pressure as awful pains.
I was embarrassed to be unable to prevent my yelling "ow" during the procedure. I noticed also that my face felt really hot all of a sudden. Then I felt weird and a wave of cold sweat came on. I described it to my doctor, in case he needed to know. He knew what it was and didn't seem too surprised, but he and the nurse both seemed concerned, despite my joking a bit to let them know that I'm not a big baby. I knew there'd be discomfort, and I assumed it was just a temporary problem that I'd get over, which helped me keep my spirits up. They gave me some juice to sip to feel a little better and were very nice to me.
The doctor felt bad about the pain and apologized for making me hurt. I knew he didn't mean to. He explained that I had a vasovagal response, which "some women" get during this kind of procedure. I had never heard of this term before, but they explained and it seemed reasonable. I'd look it up once I was out of there, I decided. The nurse and the doctor were both very repeatedly clear about letting me know that I could lie there as long as I needed to before getting dressed, since the room would not be needed for many hours. I asked the nurse why everyone was so concerned about me and asked if they thought I would faint or something. She said yes. I was also very pale, apparently, so I guess all the blood wanted to leave my head, which could lead to a fainting spell. I told her I'd never fainted, so maybe that helped me this time.
I sipped on my juice and tried to relax for a bit, alone in the room, but I didn't feel comfortable lying on the table half-naked for so long. So I slowly got up and got dressed, but felt very crampy, so I still needed to sit for a while. Then I was in a hurry to leave because I suddenly felt the need to use the bathroom, so I checked out and spent some time in the rest room. I was supposed to get to work for the afternoon, but as I slowly made my way to my car, I realized it wasn't worth it to work in this much distracting pain. I headed home instead and notified my boss that I couldn't come in after all. I did not want to move at all for the rest of the day and the next. (I had to call in sick again the next day, Friday.) I parked on the couch with a heating pad on my belly, just enduring the constant cramping and trying to think about the future, when the pain would be gone. By Saturday, I finally felt better.
Since then, I have not had much of a problem with Mirena. Cramping has been minimal and intermittent after that, but mostly non-existent. Spotting is minimal. The strings seem to be okay and not interfering with anything. I checked for them and was relieved to find that they are thin, short, and tucked away into a corner near the cervix, where they do not cause any discomfort for me or my husband. I have developed some strange outbreak of acne around the back of my neck and scalp, but it started back when I had quite Seasinique and was not yet on Mirena. I am hoping that will clear up after the hormonal stuff settles in for the long haul. I worried more about it when I didn't make the connection to the hormones.
My one-month check-up with ultrasound is scheduled for 3/11/13, and I suspect everything will go fine. So far, the worst of it was the day of insertion and the day after. I'm glad for that and hoping the good news will continue.
On a side note, I've been dealing with a lot of long-forgotten Fibromyalgia symptoms lately, which seemed strange, since I'd been doing so well since taking better care of my body with a healthier diet and more exercise. I didn't put this together until just recently, but I suspect the painful insertion, vasovagal response or/and the lack of activity for those crampy two days may have triggered a fibro flare. In the past few weeks, I was having severe pains and couldn't figure out why they were lingering for days after doing so much better with my Fibromyalgia symptoms.
All in all, I think Mirena is working well for me, after paying the higher "Fibro cost" of all the insertion pain and fibro flare up symptoms. I'm hoping that in 5 years, I'll be ready to face the challenge a little better by expecting to cramp up for a couple days and deal with a fibro flare for a few weeks afterwards. It's nice not to have to worry about condoms or pills, though, to be honest, I didn't really mind taking pills so much. What I did mind was the outrageous cost of the pills. Since my insurance is pretty much covering the entire cost of Mirena, I'm happy to have this option.
Thursday, May 10, 2012
Great Overview Video of FMS
Today I came across a great video. It's a doctor giving a presentation about Fibromyalgia. He describes what it is, what it isn't, how it's diagnosed, how it's treated, what patients experience, how Fibromyalgia pain has been studied and measured to be different than in other people. There are detailed descriptions of many topics and lots of tips on treatment (especially non-drug treatments) and I even learned a few things. At the very least, my foggy brain was reminded of things I'd forgotten I knew.
As I watched, I found this video to be a useful educational tool for both Fibromyalgia patients and their loved ones alike. Direct people who are confused about FMS to this video, especially to certain areas relevant to the questions that perhaps you cannot find the right words to explain. It's an hour and a half long, so if they really want to know, they'll watch. That said, you may need to take breaks and watch it in manageable chunks. I also suggest keeping a pad and pen nearby, for any notes you may want to jot down for yourself. There is also a question-and-answer segment at the end as well with questions from the audience.
I've been diagnosed for over four years now, and have been experiencing chronic pain for over five years. Having read and learned so much since then about Fibromyalgia, I must say that watching this overview was a great review that kind of puts all the pieces together nicely.
I realize, though, that not all aspects of the condition are mentioned in this presentation. For instance, pacing and stress are briefly mentioned, but not given as much time as they might deserve, if relating the portion of time in the video vs. importance in a fibromite's world. He also doesn't go into great detail about every last symptom that might be grouped into the syndrome, though he picks several of the big ones. This is a pretty detailed overview of the condition with what we know about it now. Hopefully we will learn more in the coming years about the cause and better ways to treat or (dare to dream) cure it.
I hope you enjoy this video and learn something from it. Share as needed. I also hope that friends and family members of Fibromyalgia patients, and perhaps others in the medical community or general population, will watch at least some portion of this video and try to understand this confounding syndrome which, even Dr. Gross admits, doesn't really belong in any particular medical category because it affects everything.
As I watched, I found this video to be a useful educational tool for both Fibromyalgia patients and their loved ones alike. Direct people who are confused about FMS to this video, especially to certain areas relevant to the questions that perhaps you cannot find the right words to explain. It's an hour and a half long, so if they really want to know, they'll watch. That said, you may need to take breaks and watch it in manageable chunks. I also suggest keeping a pad and pen nearby, for any notes you may want to jot down for yourself. There is also a question-and-answer segment at the end as well with questions from the audience.
I've been diagnosed for over four years now, and have been experiencing chronic pain for over five years. Having read and learned so much since then about Fibromyalgia, I must say that watching this overview was a great review that kind of puts all the pieces together nicely.
I realize, though, that not all aspects of the condition are mentioned in this presentation. For instance, pacing and stress are briefly mentioned, but not given as much time as they might deserve, if relating the portion of time in the video vs. importance in a fibromite's world. He also doesn't go into great detail about every last symptom that might be grouped into the syndrome, though he picks several of the big ones. This is a pretty detailed overview of the condition with what we know about it now. Hopefully we will learn more in the coming years about the cause and better ways to treat or (dare to dream) cure it.
I hope you enjoy this video and learn something from it. Share as needed. I also hope that friends and family members of Fibromyalgia patients, and perhaps others in the medical community or general population, will watch at least some portion of this video and try to understand this confounding syndrome which, even Dr. Gross admits, doesn't really belong in any particular medical category because it affects everything.
Fibromyalgia: It's Real It's Manageable What You Can Do
Tuesday, November 1, 2011
Best Bra for Preventing Pressure Hives
In the last several years, my body has become sensitive in myriad ways. Among the latest is the fact that my skin becomes itchy and breaks out in hives if pressure is applied for more than a few minutes in a single area. This is called Delayed Pressure Urticaria or DPU.
I first noticed this new problem after kneeling in the garden to weed out the non-natives one afternoon. I was wearing cushioned kneepads the entire time, but the next day, while attempting to kneel down indoors to do something quick, I noticed pain and sensitivity on my knees. When I looked, I saw that they were still marked with red circles on the pressure points. Touching the circles confirmed they were ultra-sensitive, even a full day after the kneeling activity.
As you can imagine, any tight clothing will leave similarly painful, red areas on my skin for hours after removing it. I have had to stop wearing any uncomfortable shoes I owned after an incident at a party where I wore my shoes for a couple hours, then had to do some walking (a couple blocks to a train station) to get back home. I could not effectively walk without excruciating pain for the entire next day and my feet were still very tender for days afterwards - a whole week, if I remember correctly. They felt like they'd been burned in fire. All my high heels are either gone or on their way out while I try to replace them with Dansko or comparably (expensive) quality shoes for problem feet like mine. Even socks with too tight a top elastic band are out for me. I've seen argyle patterns on my legs after a day's wearing. It's a bit ridiculous, actually. I take my clothes off and I look almost like I've still got clothes on, per the marks on my body that remain for hours.
Another problem with daily living is wearing a bra. I'm rather small-breasted anyway but because of the discomfort, I have been opting for tank tops this summer or loose tops to try to get away with skipping the painful boobie conTRAPtionS, but there have been times when I just couldn't go without. Time and time again, I found myself cursing the thing by evening time, throwing it in anger only too late after the itchy hives had made their appearance. The worst areas seemed to be the side straps, though I was marked with red lines just about everywhere the bra touched my skin.
Recently, a certain brand of bra was recommended to me and I became interested in finding something better. I tried that brand and wasn't too impressed, but fortunately for me, I had decided to check it out at the mall and made the most of my trip by stopping into another store to look around. I was also thinking it was time to re-evaluate my size, since I'd been in the same size for over a decade now, and the DPU made me wonder if it was unnecessarily tight on me anyway.
I took a careful look around at about 30 different styles of bras at the mall's JCPenney department store, looking mainly for inside stitching and fabric that might be smoother and more comfortable than most bras. By some miracle, I had actually found what I was looking for! There was a display of colorful bras by Maidenform called "Pressure Free" that had a cool, smooth fabric specifically on the side straps and no zigzag stitching on the inside to irritate me. I grabbed a few sizes and tried them on, plus a few other brands I'd seen, just in case they felt better than I expected.
The winner, hands down was this Maidenform bra and I would recommend it to anyone having a hard time with bras irritating her skin. (Turns out a slightly larger size fit me more comfortably, too.) They were not cheap at $35 each, but JCP always has sales and this time they had a buy-one-get-one-half-off sale, plus I had a discount coupon for $10 off my purchase to help me offset the cost. I committed to two in my new size and gave them the full test drive for a few days before deciding whether or not to "marry" this brand.
After several wearings, my only irritation at the end of a full day's work was the rectangular little patch on the back hook closure part. By habit, I was using the loosest hook option and something was just itching and scratching my skin on my back. I was sad that this might be as good as it gets for me, but I tried the next set of hooks and that problem was completely cured so I'm all set and thrilled to pieces! Now I can wear bras again and be a proper lady. Okay, well at least I can wear bras. ;)
Now that I knew my new size and had done a confident test drive, I shopped in earnest for a good deal on this same bra so I could replace my old collection. I settled on the online store called "Bare Necessities" and used my Ebates account to get a percentage back in cash (I love Ebates!) and bought enough to get free shipping.
One more thing: The colors are a little non-standard, but they do have beige, white, red (with some pinkish trim for some reason), navy (sorry, no black) and a black/gray animal print. Don't know why they decided on this set of colors but they could have done worse, I suppose. Perhaps if they sell better, they might add more colors to the selection.
I sure hope this helps someone out there. Feel free to let me know how this works out for you. I'd love some good news.
P.S. I'm in no way connected to any of these brands or profit from any mention of them except that I have an Ebates account and wouldn't mind a referral bonus. However, if you don't use my link, I'll still be happy if you find a bra that helps you as much as it helps me. My advice is free because I care about objectivity. That's why I don't advertise on my blog.
I first noticed this new problem after kneeling in the garden to weed out the non-natives one afternoon. I was wearing cushioned kneepads the entire time, but the next day, while attempting to kneel down indoors to do something quick, I noticed pain and sensitivity on my knees. When I looked, I saw that they were still marked with red circles on the pressure points. Touching the circles confirmed they were ultra-sensitive, even a full day after the kneeling activity.
As you can imagine, any tight clothing will leave similarly painful, red areas on my skin for hours after removing it. I have had to stop wearing any uncomfortable shoes I owned after an incident at a party where I wore my shoes for a couple hours, then had to do some walking (a couple blocks to a train station) to get back home. I could not effectively walk without excruciating pain for the entire next day and my feet were still very tender for days afterwards - a whole week, if I remember correctly. They felt like they'd been burned in fire. All my high heels are either gone or on their way out while I try to replace them with Dansko or comparably (expensive) quality shoes for problem feet like mine. Even socks with too tight a top elastic band are out for me. I've seen argyle patterns on my legs after a day's wearing. It's a bit ridiculous, actually. I take my clothes off and I look almost like I've still got clothes on, per the marks on my body that remain for hours.
Another problem with daily living is wearing a bra. I'm rather small-breasted anyway but because of the discomfort, I have been opting for tank tops this summer or loose tops to try to get away with skipping the painful boobie conTRAPtionS, but there have been times when I just couldn't go without. Time and time again, I found myself cursing the thing by evening time, throwing it in anger only too late after the itchy hives had made their appearance. The worst areas seemed to be the side straps, though I was marked with red lines just about everywhere the bra touched my skin.
Recently, a certain brand of bra was recommended to me and I became interested in finding something better. I tried that brand and wasn't too impressed, but fortunately for me, I had decided to check it out at the mall and made the most of my trip by stopping into another store to look around. I was also thinking it was time to re-evaluate my size, since I'd been in the same size for over a decade now, and the DPU made me wonder if it was unnecessarily tight on me anyway.
I took a careful look around at about 30 different styles of bras at the mall's JCPenney department store, looking mainly for inside stitching and fabric that might be smoother and more comfortable than most bras. By some miracle, I had actually found what I was looking for! There was a display of colorful bras by Maidenform called "Pressure Free" that had a cool, smooth fabric specifically on the side straps and no zigzag stitching on the inside to irritate me. I grabbed a few sizes and tried them on, plus a few other brands I'd seen, just in case they felt better than I expected.
The winner, hands down was this Maidenform bra and I would recommend it to anyone having a hard time with bras irritating her skin. (Turns out a slightly larger size fit me more comfortably, too.) They were not cheap at $35 each, but JCP always has sales and this time they had a buy-one-get-one-half-off sale, plus I had a discount coupon for $10 off my purchase to help me offset the cost. I committed to two in my new size and gave them the full test drive for a few days before deciding whether or not to "marry" this brand.
After several wearings, my only irritation at the end of a full day's work was the rectangular little patch on the back hook closure part. By habit, I was using the loosest hook option and something was just itching and scratching my skin on my back. I was sad that this might be as good as it gets for me, but I tried the next set of hooks and that problem was completely cured so I'm all set and thrilled to pieces! Now I can wear bras again and be a proper lady. Okay, well at least I can wear bras. ;)
Now that I knew my new size and had done a confident test drive, I shopped in earnest for a good deal on this same bra so I could replace my old collection. I settled on the online store called "Bare Necessities" and used my Ebates account to get a percentage back in cash (I love Ebates!) and bought enough to get free shipping.
One more thing: The colors are a little non-standard, but they do have beige, white, red (with some pinkish trim for some reason), navy (sorry, no black) and a black/gray animal print. Don't know why they decided on this set of colors but they could have done worse, I suppose. Perhaps if they sell better, they might add more colors to the selection.
I sure hope this helps someone out there. Feel free to let me know how this works out for you. I'd love some good news.
P.S. I'm in no way connected to any of these brands or profit from any mention of them except that I have an Ebates account and wouldn't mind a referral bonus. However, if you don't use my link, I'll still be happy if you find a bra that helps you as much as it helps me. My advice is free because I care about objectivity. That's why I don't advertise on my blog.
Tuesday, August 16, 2011
Facial Flushing is a Side Effect of Savella!
Last Sunday, after posting photos of my extremely hot and ruddy face on Facebook, I confirmed that the new drug I'm on, Savella, includes "hot flush" as a commonly reported side effect. From what I read, it appears it's relatively common, but less common after the first month of use. Since I'm newly switched to Savella, I'm hoping my daily flushing will dwindle away.
Here are the pictures, in case you're wondering how it looks.
Note: I used Photo Booth and the pictures are reversed. (The big zit is actually on my right cheek.)
Here's one of the resources that led me to believe it's the Savella:
http://www.ehealthme.com/ds/savella/blushing
Here are the pictures, in case you're wondering how it looks.
Note: I used Photo Booth and the pictures are reversed. (The big zit is actually on my right cheek.)
Here's one of the resources that led me to believe it's the Savella:
http://www.ehealthme.com/ds/savella/blushing
Thursday, August 11, 2011
Sciatica and Sinus/Face Issues Continue
Just hoping to leave a quick update here. I'm continuing to experience at least daily episodes of sciatic nerve pain in the back of my right upper leg. It feels like sudden lightning bolts of intense pain that strikes, usually without warning, and fires at will for however long it wants - sometimes it's one or five quick strikes, sometimes it goes all day. I frequently jump from the startling pain. It's very bizarre.
One of my past doctors suspected my Piriformis muscle was impinging upon this sciatic nerve because it was so tense after I was rear-ended a few years ago. I don't know if I'm asymmetrical or what, but the right nerve acts up significantly more frequently than the left, though I have had it occur on the left, occasionally.
When it happens, if possible, I try to put pressure on the painful area behind my thigh, sitting on a tennis ball if available, or/and bring my foot up to my other knee and lean forward to stretch and loosen the Piriformis muscle in my butt, which is supposed to help. With Myofascial Pain Syndrome tensing up most of my muscles all of the time, I am likely going to have to live with these intrusive little surprises for the rest of my life, so I'm trying to deal with it as best as I can when it happens, then just go one with whatever it interrupted (work, walking, dinner, sleep, etc.).
There's also been an odd facial heat thing going on with me and that is continuing and possibly worsening. Two nights ago, I felt significant sinus pressure and discomfort in my face. I had developed a painful sinus headache that prevented me from sleeping most of the night. The pillow would not feel comfortable to my aching head! I had that headache most of the day yesterday, and it settled in the sinuses just above the bridge of my nose and above the eyebrows. In addition, starting last night in the evening, my nose heated up and turned really red for several hours. All this for no apparent reason. I didn't hit it or blow my nose or have congestion or get sick or anything. It just turned red, like Rudolph. It was blazing hot to the touch - even hotter than my cheeks. I'm noticing that it's happening most of the day today. :(
Googling and suspicions have gotten me as far as suspecting sinusitis, a respiratory infection, allergies, or rosacea. This is all new to me, so I'm not sure what's going on with my sinuses. I just hope it's temporary and not serious.
One of my past doctors suspected my Piriformis muscle was impinging upon this sciatic nerve because it was so tense after I was rear-ended a few years ago. I don't know if I'm asymmetrical or what, but the right nerve acts up significantly more frequently than the left, though I have had it occur on the left, occasionally.
When it happens, if possible, I try to put pressure on the painful area behind my thigh, sitting on a tennis ball if available, or/and bring my foot up to my other knee and lean forward to stretch and loosen the Piriformis muscle in my butt, which is supposed to help. With Myofascial Pain Syndrome tensing up most of my muscles all of the time, I am likely going to have to live with these intrusive little surprises for the rest of my life, so I'm trying to deal with it as best as I can when it happens, then just go one with whatever it interrupted (work, walking, dinner, sleep, etc.).
There's also been an odd facial heat thing going on with me and that is continuing and possibly worsening. Two nights ago, I felt significant sinus pressure and discomfort in my face. I had developed a painful sinus headache that prevented me from sleeping most of the night. The pillow would not feel comfortable to my aching head! I had that headache most of the day yesterday, and it settled in the sinuses just above the bridge of my nose and above the eyebrows. In addition, starting last night in the evening, my nose heated up and turned really red for several hours. All this for no apparent reason. I didn't hit it or blow my nose or have congestion or get sick or anything. It just turned red, like Rudolph. It was blazing hot to the touch - even hotter than my cheeks. I'm noticing that it's happening most of the day today. :(
Googling and suspicions have gotten me as far as suspecting sinusitis, a respiratory infection, allergies, or rosacea. This is all new to me, so I'm not sure what's going on with my sinuses. I just hope it's temporary and not serious.
Sunday, May 15, 2011
Delayed Pressure Urticaria (DPU)
A couple Saturdays ago, I attended a great party at some friends' place. I had a great time and met lots of great people, but my body had some major bitching about the experience. The bottoms of my feet are apparently averse to long periods of standing around - especially in cute, party shoes (even though they were made by Söfft®).
I have been dealing with tender soles since that point during the party when I decided my feet had had too much and I took the shoes off. Unfortunately, the damage had already been done by then, and my feet were in so much pain that standing or touching anything with the bottoms of my feet was unbelievably painful. I had to kind of grin and bear it for the sake of preserving whatever amiability I could muster for the party and other guests. "Regular" foot pain is pretty bad, but coupled with swollen, tender, hived soles, it gets pretty ridiculous! I don't know if I can explain the feeling enough to someone who doesn't deal with this.
My skin is apparently very sensitive to many things, including: chemicals, sun or heat, cold, and various kinds of touch. I'd been officially diagnosed with dermatographia, which means that my skin hives up just from a scratch. (Paper cuts really itch a lot, sometimes before I realize I've gotten the cut.) This was long before the Fibromyalgia started.
Since the FMS diagnosis, however, I've noticed that kneeling in the garden to plant my native plugs caused me to have red, tender knees even a day or two after the hour or less of kneeling occurred. It looks really stupid as red ovals on the areas of pressure (I wouldn't wear a skirt or shorts in public if I can help it), but if they are touched, the areas are very tender and painful. Kneeling after the hive wheals have appeared is not possible without intense pain.
I've now learned that this is yet another category of urticaria/hives of which I have to be aware. Any part of my body that bears weight for a few minutes can break out in a thick hivey patch that can last for days, especially if not allowed to rest. This is called "Delayed Pressure Urticaria" or DPU. It's delayed because the damage is not apparent immediately upon the first touch - it takes time in order for the reaction to occur.
The delay is the especially tricky part of this condition. Unlike touching a hot pan, the painful feedback is not immediate, therefore the damage occurs for some time before the patient is reminded that there may be something happening. Minutes or even hours may go by, depending on the body part and amount of pressure being applied, before even noticing pain, which seems to take much longer to relieve than to acquire. By then, it's much too late to stop the process.
So here I am, almost two weeks after the triggering DPU incident, still suffering with tender feet, even before standing up from bed in the morning. No matter what shoes I wear to work, my feet are just not liking them. Any walking seems to cause an increase in symptoms, preventing my speedy recovery. All I can do now is try to rest as much as possible between necessary standing, walking, shoe-wearing, etc. to try to ease back into the normal, everyday level of chronic pain in my feet. (Isn't it great to have to wish for normal chronic pain levels? I'll take what I can get.)
Do you have DPU? Is there anything you do that helps? Please comment on this post and let me know!
I have been dealing with tender soles since that point during the party when I decided my feet had had too much and I took the shoes off. Unfortunately, the damage had already been done by then, and my feet were in so much pain that standing or touching anything with the bottoms of my feet was unbelievably painful. I had to kind of grin and bear it for the sake of preserving whatever amiability I could muster for the party and other guests. "Regular" foot pain is pretty bad, but coupled with swollen, tender, hived soles, it gets pretty ridiculous! I don't know if I can explain the feeling enough to someone who doesn't deal with this.
My skin is apparently very sensitive to many things, including: chemicals, sun or heat, cold, and various kinds of touch. I'd been officially diagnosed with dermatographia, which means that my skin hives up just from a scratch. (Paper cuts really itch a lot, sometimes before I realize I've gotten the cut.) This was long before the Fibromyalgia started.
Since the FMS diagnosis, however, I've noticed that kneeling in the garden to plant my native plugs caused me to have red, tender knees even a day or two after the hour or less of kneeling occurred. It looks really stupid as red ovals on the areas of pressure (I wouldn't wear a skirt or shorts in public if I can help it), but if they are touched, the areas are very tender and painful. Kneeling after the hive wheals have appeared is not possible without intense pain.
I've now learned that this is yet another category of urticaria/hives of which I have to be aware. Any part of my body that bears weight for a few minutes can break out in a thick hivey patch that can last for days, especially if not allowed to rest. This is called "Delayed Pressure Urticaria" or DPU. It's delayed because the damage is not apparent immediately upon the first touch - it takes time in order for the reaction to occur.
The delay is the especially tricky part of this condition. Unlike touching a hot pan, the painful feedback is not immediate, therefore the damage occurs for some time before the patient is reminded that there may be something happening. Minutes or even hours may go by, depending on the body part and amount of pressure being applied, before even noticing pain, which seems to take much longer to relieve than to acquire. By then, it's much too late to stop the process.
So here I am, almost two weeks after the triggering DPU incident, still suffering with tender feet, even before standing up from bed in the morning. No matter what shoes I wear to work, my feet are just not liking them. Any walking seems to cause an increase in symptoms, preventing my speedy recovery. All I can do now is try to rest as much as possible between necessary standing, walking, shoe-wearing, etc. to try to ease back into the normal, everyday level of chronic pain in my feet. (Isn't it great to have to wish for normal chronic pain levels? I'll take what I can get.)
Do you have DPU? Is there anything you do that helps? Please comment on this post and let me know!
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