Still in limbo, continue to decline

[tsharrard]

Ok well, i finally made it back to work today. I have stopped throwing up,, but the joint pain and fatigue is so awful. I have made an appt with a new doctor,, he is a physical medicine doctor who deals with neurological and musculoskeletal diseases, such as MS, RA, Fibromyalgia and other forms of diseases that fall into this family. Walking has become difficult. My principal at school has me set up in another office so i do not have to climb so many stairs. But all my kids are on the 3rd floor. I cant get into see this new doctor until December 19th,, I am going to call back and see if i can be put on a waiting list. I have problems with circulation in my extremeties so I bought these gloves that have the fingers cut out of them so at least i can type. The breathing is still difficult but i have had my chest listen to and my lungs are clear. I could have told them that without them listening to my chest. I have a sort of theory with what is happenening to my body.

I am wondering if my pain sensors are misfiring messages to my brain to signal pain in areas of my body that have no real damage. Information being sent to my brain is being misread by my receptors in my brain. That is why my blood work is normal,, one theory or I may be one of those seronegative people. Anyone have any thoughts?

[missyb]

Teresa,
It's a while before your Dr's appt, that is rough. Hope they can get you in sooner 
What all have you tried to do for yourself in this mean time? For instance, are you drinking enough water? It may be way more than the usual 6-8 glasses you know, that's for "normal" people (whoever they are  LOL) Do you drink diet or regular soda? If so are you drinking additional water? Are you avoiding foods with a lot of preservatives and chemicals, have you tried avoiding gluten yet? Also avoiding sugary foods is really helpful;  these things cause an inflammatory response, and if you avoid them, it's SO less taxing on your body. I know it may sound difficult. For example, you may feel so tired you reach for a soda or sugary Starbucks type of thing to give you a much needed boost but you just crash harder when you come down. Or you feel nauseated and nibble on saltines or other crackers,, and then your stomach feels like it's had a cannon ball shot through.. But in reality they are a vicious cycle setting you up to fall again. I know it's hard, but hang tough!. You really have to be extra careful with what foods and drinks you are putting in your body now since your immune system is over active, you need to try and keep it calm. This can really help if you let it, until you can get to the Dr..

[tsharrard]

Thank You so much for the information. I have been craving sugar like no other lately and I am not sure why. I will definately take your advice about drinking more water. I dont know exactly what gluten is. I want to try juicing for a few days and see if I can detoxify my body. I try to stay away from diet drinks or sodas all together. I am looking into a holistic type of nutrition, and know a little but it has been so hard lately,I havent felt much like cooking or preparing food so I eat what is easy to fix, and that is not always good for me. Thanks again for all your help

[missyb]

Well, we all know how hard it is, and I for one am certainly not perfect .  But I try, and I am lot better than I used to be!
Gluten is found in wheat. Try avoiding wheat and see how you feel. Fortunately there is a large variety of pastas and crackers and breads that are gluten free now so you don't have to be deprived. We had brown rice spaghetti last night, and my kids didn't even make a peep about the taste, and my youngest is one of those super annoying picky eaters.

There is a book called "Your Body's Many Cries for Water" or something, it's got a lot of info.

Anyways, listen, this way when you go see this new Dr, you can really say
Hey, I'm trying here, I want to feel healthy,  I'm doing ABC,   I'm not eating XYZ anymore, what else can I do?
I think Dr's are WAY more inclined to join UP with you when they know you are not just sitting around and doing nothing for yourself.  Even though it's rough time, you still gotta take charge of yourself and do everything in your own power to feel better.

[kim31072]

If you think gluten may be a problem and you want/need to be tested for gluten intolerance....you should not change your diet before you speak with the dr and are tested.To get an accurate read...you must continue on your diet as normal until they finish all the tests.

If it is just something you want to change and are not going to pursue a formal diagnosis through your dr you can make the changes now...but it is imperative if tested that your diet not be altered in any way prior to the test or the results will not be right.

Kim