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~~~~~

Keeping my Balance

Long time, no talk!  I've been visiting one of my daughters, who was a bit under the weather.  Its still awesome to play nurse to your child, even when they are grown!

I am oh-so-quietly whispering that Keegan has been VERY quiet lately.  Actually, ever since I was sick last week, he hasn't made a peep!  That's pretty unusual for him.  I think I may have figured out why....

With fibro, I have to remember there is no magic mix of meds that will automatically work, or if it does work, will work forever.  So when my doc changed my regimen a few weeks ago, I gave it a try.  I suddenly became much more lethargic during the day.  To combat that, I tried upping my daily caffeine intake.  End result:  more fatigue, worse sleep, even more fatigue.  (For the record, caffeine is NOT a good idea for folks with dragons.....it really charges them up!)

That's the bad news.  The good news was the meds made fibro pain soooo much better!  So what to do??  The trade-off for me was to ease off the meds, and the fatigue would get better, but the pain would get worse.    Or keep taking the meds, and be soooo sleepy I had to have naps each day.

I chose to decrease the meds.  And so far, I think that is the right decision for me, for now.  Like I said, nothing stays the same forever.  The pain is beginning to increase, but I'd rather have that and be able to go through the day feeling less tired.  But at some point, I may have to go the other way. ( I always check with my doctor about changing meds....you should too!!)  Keegan won't let me have my cake and eat it too!  LOL

Keegan just helps me remember, life with fibro is just a balancing act.  I take it hour-to-hour most days.  And that's good....God tells us not to worry about tomorrow, that today is all we should be concerned with.  Good advice!!

See ya soon,
~~~~~Sally~~~~~