Well... my heart has been burdened to start this blog for awhile now, especially since I joined Instagram and realized how many people struggle with Fibromyalgia and other Chronic Illnesses. I was amazed at the amount of women recognizing their struggle and fight with their diseases. So here I go...
Hello, my name is Kelly and I am a Fibro-Fighter, amongst other things. I thought I would start off with a little information on myself and to share with you my struggle so far with Arthritus, Fibromyalgia, Hypermobility of my joints and with all those lovely things comes Depression.
I am sharing with you because if what I have learned on my journey through my struggles with my Chronic Illness can help someone else out there find some relief... well then... I will have done my job. I hope that you find this helpful.
I was finally diagnosed with Fibromyalgia and hypermobility of my joints in 2010 by a Rheumatoid Arthritus Doctor but I have suffered with it for many years.
Today I will talk about the Hypermobility of my joints.
I have had joint pain since I was nine years old and desperately searched for relief through things such as copper bracelets that made my wrists green and hot water bottles to calm the pain. I had no idea that it stemmed from me having what was known then as being double-jointed. Most kids grow out of this, however, some of us do not.
Below is a summary of what Joint Hypermobility means:
Joint hypermobility means some or all of a person's joints have an unusually large range of movement.
People with hypermobility are particularly supple and able to move their limbs into positions others find impossible.
Many people with hypermobile joints do not have any problems or need treatment. However, joint hypermobility can sometimes cause unpleasant symptoms, such as:
- joint pain
- back pain
- dislocated joints – when the joint comes out if its correct position
- soft tissue injuries, such as tenosynovitis (inflammation of the protective sheath around a tendon)
To see the full article http://www.nhs.uk/conditions/Joint-hypermobility/Pages/Introduction.aspx
This is what has been bothering me since I was a child, it is not fun. I was treating myself (not knowing what I was treating) exactly the way Doctors treat patients with this syndrome; When my joints hurt I would wrap the offending joint in a tensor bandage tight enough to stop the pain... eventually I had accumulated every tensor bandage available (I have them for knees, elbows, fingers, thumbs, wrists, ankles even hips for when they bother me).
I started out using Ibuprofen for the inflammation which upset my stomach. Then many years ago (when it was available on the market) a Doctor tried me on VIOXX, it was working great, then it was pulled due to heart issues in patients. The next drug was CELEBREX and I was on that twice, once for a few months but I was scared of the possible side effects (heart issues), then a second time when I was so desperate for relief I was on it for a year but knew I could not stay on it because it is used as a short term drug, so I had to get off.
I have been down the road for almost every topical cream out there; tiger balm, Cold ice gel, A535, Aspercreme, Heat patches etc., etc., etc.,(as I am certain their are others that I do not know about but just recently had my "AHA" moment with a cream called LIVrelief for joint pain. This wonderful topical cream is specially made to help relieve joint pain and it really works!!
In Canada it is available at London Drugs or Shopper's Drugmart. I know you can find it online but as far as in the U.S. I am uncertain. Go to www.livrelief.com .
When I got the diagnosis of hypermobility of my joints in 2010 I was not really surprised... I knew I had joint issues, since I had been fighting with it for so long, I just didn't know the term used. In 1996, when I became pregnant with my second born I was bedridden for 8 months of my pregnancy due to seriously 'being out-of joint'! I couldn't walk because my ankles would go out, I tried swimming but the same thing happened. Then it happened all over my body. My hips would get stuck in place and I would have to pound my fist into them as hard as I could over and over again just to be able to move (Oy vay was that painful!!!). I had to go to my Chiropractor to get an adjustment almost daily and I had to wear a hip belt just to hold my hips in place. I couldn't pick up my toddler or play with him very much either because I would get stuck and couldn't move. Now I know that it was the hypermobility of my joints working overtime, not to mention the mass amounts of hormones flowing through my body. I didn't have this with my first pregnancy... strange, but true nonetheless.
Now I am not on any medication for joint pain but am dealing with it through exercise, tensor bandages and topical cream. The weather is a huge contributing factor of my joints aching and I live in the worst area for weather changes: Calgary, Alberta. The weather here can be -36 one day and the next it can be 5 degrees above, it is crazy manic weather here.
The heat and sunshine help me tremendously. I try to get sunshine when it is out and so during the winter I will simply pull my chair into the sun in our dining room kitchen and lay there for however long I need to. I also have an infrared sauna that helps get that heat deep into my joints to soothe those aches. I use mine a lot.
All my illnesses kind of work off of each other to determine the type of day I will have, along with the weather forecast.
If you would like to share your story on your illness please feel free to email me (I am going to space these out so you will have to type them in all together with no spaces) ksun _ 1999 @ yahoo . com (remember no spaces). I would love to post your stories on this blog if you give me permission to, or if you would just like to chat with me... please send me off an email.
(Faces are sticker strips by www.florlarios.etsy.com )
The rest of the artwork is by Kelly Watts 2013
Sincerely,
Kelly Watts
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