Keegan Roars

I've said before that I often seem to be able to keep Keegan content and dozing for long periods of time.  But I can never let myself be lulled into thinking that he won't awaken with a vengeance.  I mentioned last week that a trip to the doctor was in the works....I went, symptoms were discussed, blood work was done.  The lab work all looked great (except my cholesterol was a bit high....boo!)  For those new to the fibromyalgia game, normal test results are all too common.

Fibromyalgia can result in a myriad of symptoms....my two biggest complaints are the fatigue and the shoulder/back pain.  Picture an old time scale....you know the kind, where you put the weights on one side and the object you're weighing on the other.   If I take my muscle relaxers for the pain, the fatigue becomes worse, but if I limit the meds, the fatigue is better and the pain is worse.  So there is always a trade-off between pain and fatigue for me.  

Insomnia is another HUGE issue for me.  Keegan is nocturnal, evidently, and prefers to play at night.  I have trouble going to sleep, and once I finally do, staying asleep.  It isn't uncommon for me to wake up several times a night.  Studies have shown that folks with fibromyalgia don't enter that deep, restorative sleep that we need for our bodies to repair daily damage and fully recharge our batteries, and this leads to our pain and fatigue.

So now, the doc has added a sleep aid to my nightly med mix.  I've been on this new regimen four nights now....and I have slept soooo much better!  I'm hoping that will help break some of this pain cycle, and give me more energy during the day.  We'll see.  One thing I've learned about fibromyalgia, what works today may not work tomorrow.  Our bodies are not machines that respond the same way day to day.  We have to adjust constantly.  Keegan pulls out new tricks all the time....I have to counterattack!  Right this very minute, he is ahead in the game.....hopefully, not for long :)

See ya soon,

~~~~~Sally~~~~~