Video Games for Treating Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome – The Benefits of Playing

Video Games for Treating Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

The Benefits of Playing

Tessa – 

Advocate for mental health and invisible illnesses, also a devout Christian

Author – http://www.finallyawriter.com (this blog contains my old work mostly although occasionally I do add something new here), new work is mainly on this blog http://www.tessacandoit.com

Author of a book, a work in progress on the blog, https://tessacandoit.com/government-property-a-memoir-as-a-military-wife/

Highlighted chapters are done and ready to be read.

Exercise for Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome – Feeling Better vs. Feeling Worse

Exercise for Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

Feeling Better vs. Feeling Worse

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I think this is what started this severe case of pain a year and a half ago. I joined the gym for Silver Sneakers which was free with my Aetna Medicare (other medicare advantage plans carry it too, check yours). It was supposed to be for seniors so I figured it would be really easy. It wasn’t and all they did was make sure everyone had a chair just in case they needed it.

By the 6th week, I was in intense pain. I hadn’t gotten used to exercising at all. That worried me a bit and then I lost feeling on the whole left side of my body and ended up in the hospital with pinched nerves in my neck and back. It aggravated my degenerative disc disease and arthritis as well. It had been about 7 years since I had gone through the whole thing before only now things have degenerated more,

It has been a year and a half and I am just getting worse rather than better. I am now taking the only Fibromyalgia medication I never tried before, Lyrica. I am in major Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome flares. Life sucks and I have to pretend that all is well. the Chronic Fatigue has me in bed almost 24 hours now. I get up shortly and right back to bed and I am out like a light. I can’t do anything.

Tessa –

Advocate for mental health and invisible illnesses, also a devout Christian

Author – http://www.finallyawriter.com (this blog contains my old work mostly although occasionally I do add something new here), new work is mainly on this blog http://www.tessacandoit.com

Fibromyalgia, Pain and Dementia

I am set to have my hip injected on Tuesday which means no NSAIDS for 5 days before. So since arthritis is pretty much throughout my body it is throbbing from that.

The stress of having that injection (no sedation but a local) has my Fibromyalgia also throbbing. All the pain points hurt and heaven forbid I want to scream each time they touch each other or some other object.

Then to add to that is my dad and his condition especially his dementia. My sister called me yesterday morning to warn me not to visit. She walked in there and he screamed at her to get out and go home. The place is dangerous and he didn’t want her there and a lot more. If he had done that to me I would have burst into tears and been frozen in my spot. My sister said she tried to talk him out of it, but he was simply lost in his dementia and like my mom was full of conspiracy theories. My mom thought my dad was trying to kill her and I was the only one she trusted and I would sit with her during these episodes so she felt safe, but my dad is sure the aliens he was studying about prior to his dementia are out for him and that my sister and I are not safe visiting him. She said that was the worst episode she has witnessed so far. I don’t go that often anyhow due to the long walk from the parking lot to the door, down a long hallway and then down another very long hallway. I can’t walk that far without numerous breaks. He doesn’t like visitors anyway and has no sense of time so he doesn’t protest and in fact he is happier we don’t come because he is so sure that we are being brought in for the kill. It upsets him more than makes him feel better.

Tessa –

Advocate for mental health and invisible illnesses, also a devout Christian

Author – http://www.finallyawriter.com (this blog contains my old work mostly although occasionally I do add something new here), new work is mainly on this blog http://www.tessacandoit.com

Question: Can I Keep Working with Fibromyalgia or Chronic Fatigue Syndrome?

For me, the answer to this was a resounding no. My job, was not physical, but it was mental and the “Fibro Fog” inhibited my ability to think, multitask and learn new things easily. I also had other physical conditions and it was necessary for me to go out on disability. It has been 8 and a half years ago now.

Anyone who has tried to live on government disability knows it is not easy. My pain and mental problems are difficult to deal with, but there is no choice as it is not curable and in my case none of the treatments tried have worked.

Tessa –

Advocate for mental health and invisible illnesses, also a devout Christian

Author – http://www.finallyawriter.com (this blog contains my old work mostly although occasionally I do add something new here), new work is mainly on this blog http://www.tessacandoit.com

Changing pain meds – JusJoJan #31

January 31, 2019 #JusJoJan Wrapup

I have been on Percocets, high dose and not much relief.

After talking to my pain management doctor we have decided to try Morphine which is supposed to be stronger. I haven’t started yet so I don’t know for sure, but hope to start tomorrow. There was an issue with the dose (smallest) not being available. After much debate from the doctor and asking me if I would be willing to cut the next dose up in half we are going to hopefully have it for tomorrow.

This is also an experiment as supposedly I was allergic to Morphine according to the ER. I told the dr and she said the IV brands are much stronger and they probably overdosed me to begin with which she did as she was going to help me for the pain in the next few hours. I hope this works as I didn’t like being allergic to the Morphine. Ambulances can only use Morphine around here and if I were to be unconscious Morphine is the pain reliever they use. Granted I wouldn’t feel it most likely if I were unconscious.

Tessa –

Advocate for mental health and invisible illnesses, also a devout Christian

Author – http://www.finallyawriter.com (this blog contains my old work mostly although occasionally I do add something new here), new work is mainly on this blog http://www.tessacandoit.com

Chronic Pain – So tired of it!

It has been 2 months since they deadened the nerves in my back. It was supposed to take only 6, maybe 8 months til it worked. It hasn’t although it does occasionally give me a small period maybe even a day without major pain. Nothing they do seems to help me. I am so tired of this chronic pain. It doesn’t give me much of a life, but what can I do but live with it.

I am trying to do things to take my mind off of it. I joined a book club, joined overeaters anonymous and go to bingo once a week. I am also reading more besides the book I have to read for the book club.

I haven’t felt much like writing though and my blogs are just sitting here.

Tessa –

Advocate for mental health and invisible illnesses, also a devout Christian

Author – http://www.finallyawriter.com (this blog contains my old work mostly although occasionally I do add something new here), new work is mainly on this blog http://www.tessacandoit.com

Family Christmas Party Went Well

The party went pretty well. There were a few strange spots, but for the most part he was in pretty good shape. This will probably be the last one, but who knows. Next year is still a year away and too early to make plans.

My pain is just a little bit better, but improvement is appreciated. I have started reading again quite a bit. I am reading a book to see about joining a book club at the library and there is a writing class I am trying to pre-register for, but her phone number is not working. The meeting is still on the schedule they told me. I need some inspiration to write some more. Just haven’t felt like it.

I am suffering from an eating disorder so have to start working with my therapist about that. This is the first time I have admitted it so step one is completed.

Tessa –

Advocate for mental health and invisible illnesses, also a devout Christian

Author – http://www.finallyawriter.com (this blog contains my old work mostly although occasionally I do add something new here), new work is mainly on this blog http://www.tessacandoit.com

A Day At Radiology

Most people go to radiology with just one test in mind. Maybe a mammogram or an MRI. I decided since I hated them both that I would just take one day and schedule them both.

It was time for my routine yearly mammogram. I hate to have them done as something always goes wrong. Whether it is how the technician does it (today she slammed my jaw and chin in the machine. I am yelling and she came running to see what happened. I couldn’t move the machine off of the area and it really hurt.

Mammo’s are painful for me because of the Fibromyalgia. I told her about it and asked that she only tighten the plates the minimum she needed to take the test. Some technicians simple squeeze as hard as possible. She listened and at least a few of the tests weren’t so bad. Now I have to wait and see what they see on the pictures. Every other year or so I am told that they see something and I have to redo the mammo and add an ultrasound and in some cases they want a biopsy which was one of the worst tests I have had done. The anesthesia did not work and I was screaming bloody murder while being scolded about it because after all they gave me anesthesia. Bull! It didn’t work. I went from screaming to tears running down my face and I closed my eyes and tried to ignore it, but every time they touched me I jumped and yelled. The person in charge finally realized that I wasn’t looking at them, but was reacting to each touch. She said to me, “You REALLY are feeling that?” I have a have pain threshold after 40 or more years of chronic pain so you know this was bad. I gave birth to 3 children naturally and didn’t have this much pain. She stopped everything and went through the anesthesia again. It helped a little, but I just finally beared it and got it over with. I don’t want to hear the word biopsy on my breast again. AND there was nothing wrong just to add insult to injury.

Now the MRI is hard as I am incredibly claustrophobic. I took my anxiety medicine before it and since it was my lumbar spine I could go in legs first. Not as scary, plus I had a long ride, but I made the trip since this location had the shortest and the widest bore so i could handle the claustrophobia.

I had a few uncomfortable hours, but it is done and over with and no longer have to look forward to either one of the tests.

Tessa –

Advocate for mental health and invisible illnesses, also a devout Christian

Author – http://www.finallyawriter.com (this blog contains my old work mostly although occasionally I do add something new here), new work is mainly on this blog http://www.tessacandoit.com

Stroke update! My pain update!

Dad is experiencing forward movement in some areas, but is going backwards in others. He is losing his memory slowly but surely. He no longer remembers how many children he has or the street he lives on. He knows me and my sister are his children or maybe I should say he remembers us but maybe he doesn’t make the connection that we are his children at times. There are 3 of us although my brother is in another part of the country and too far away to visit. Mys sister and I see to his needs.

We found a nice subacute rehab facility. It has large rooms, looks more like a bedroom than a hospital room. AND they do his laundry for free. Yea!

And that brings me to my problem. The parking lot is really far away from the entrance and then he is all the way down a long hall. They are built out on one floor rather than up. That walk is making the pains in my own body much worse and I can’t go every day, not that my sister or he want me to anyway. They both told me to not be so intense and to take care of myself. They only have one handicapped spot and it is taken usually.

My spine pain is much worse and I can feel it move. The pain dr wants a new MRI to see what is going on in there. My last one was in last September. This puts surgery back on the table as a possibility. She has increased my pain meds from 1 to 2 meaning every 3 hours I am taking either a Percocet or a Tramadol. I have to write down when I take them to keep it straight. 4 of each every day to help alleviate some of the pain since Percocets alone are no longer working.

Tessa – advocate for mental health and invisible illnesses, also devout Christian

Author – http://www.finallyawriter.com (this blog contains my old work), new work is on this blog http://www.tessacandoit.com

Life in a senior high rise

This has been quite an experience. It has been one month now.

Today I set off the alarms for emergencies such as falling etc. The guard (yes we have guards here) was pounding on the door. Scared the hell out of me but hey I know it works.

So far most of the time I get in a handicapped spot and don’t have to worry about the  placard since I got license plates instead. Some of the closer spots are not handicapped so sometimes it is better to park there. This is at the back door. My guests have to come in the front so I can use the intercom and buzz them in or else I have to go downstairs and let them in. They have to sign in anyhow might as well come in the front although that means they have to walk around to the front door. There are a few spots in the front side of the building, but they rather park out back so if they do they get to walk around. I have an intercom for a reason.

We have been getting a lot of rain and thunderstorms this week. I am on the 6th floor and can see the trees below me swaying in the wind. A unique experience.

I can’t remember if I mentioned the knee going out and the trip to the hospital since I couldn’t put weight on it. Stayed one night and then sent home with no one to help me. I was using a walker for when I had to get up and I had my family take the food and medications and put them down on the counter. The only thing they did for me was a referral for home care, but even though they were covered under my insurance it wasn’t for the services they wanted me to have. They couldn’t get that through their head. Thus I was on my own. Thank God I have hand rails in the bathroom. So far I had one shower. My leg isn’t strong enough to hold my weight to get in and out of the tub so back to basin washing.

I have put a lot of money into my car. The accident cost me $500 in repairs and now another $500 for new brakes and calipers before I have another accident. The brakes just catch and slam the car to a stop as if I slammed on the brakes. Very disconcerting and now I am waiting til Friday for the parts and repair. Only drive if absolutely necessary.

These unplanned expenses are coming out of my apartment fund for things I need. It is dwindling fast. I have to make a very tight budget and live by it and it doesn’t leave much for fun things. I will be lucky if I can get food all month. Since it is public housing my rent is 30% of my disability check so everyone is different. Though it is considered senior housing, they have disabled people like me who are younger. I think the cutoff is 50 for them and must be 62 for a senior. I am 61 1/2.

This apartment is a fair size, but Tessa the hoarder is having a hard time letting things go. I did a bunch before we moved and now I find I must get rid of more. And they do inspections here and can’t have a mess, Trash must go out every day to the trash chute in the hall. Recycles must go downstairs. Kind of annoying, but they are trying to avoid nasty little critters. Exterminator comes tomorrow.

Tessa – advocate for mental health and invisible illnesses, also devout Christian

Author – http://www.finallyawriter.wordpress.com (this blog contains my old work), new work is on this blog http://www.tessacandoit.com