I meant to write this a while ago. In fact I started to write it several times. Each time I did it got bigger and more confusing and was abandoned. So here goes the ultimate stripped down version:
- The illness I mentioned casually here, the one I was taking medication for, is a bit more serious than I let on.
- Around the time I first heard that I was going to be out of a job I started to get sick. Pain all over. Very nasty.
- Didn't see a doctor right away - thought it was stress from the crap at work.
- Eventually went to the doctor when I could no longer NOT go to a doctor.
- Preliminary diagnosis of fybromyalgia (means "everything hurts") - I had every symptom, seemed a pretty safe diagnosis.
- Tests showed high levels of serum aldolase (muscle protein in my blood) indicating spontaneous muscle degeneration.
- Doc took about half of my blood (7 tubes! WTF?) to run a series of every blood test known to man.
- Doc gave me Ambien so I could get some sleep and Zoloft to restore my natural sleep cycle, which had been totally fubarred from the illness.
- Zoloft eliminated my creative writing abilities. And my imagination. It made me very lumpish. This was very disconcerting.
- Ruled out fibromyalgia. Possibly could be polymyositis or dermatomyositis, both of which sound way less "venereal diseasish" than fybromyalgia.
- My job was eliminated and I joined the ranks of the unemployed.
- Went to a specialist.
- Specialist took more blood, a load of x-rays and gave me Vioxx for the pain.
- Specialist ruled out the non venereal diseasish sounding illnesses.
- Specialist diagnosed the feet as having severe Plantar Fasciitis.
- Specialist injected molten lava (aka cortisone) into my plantar tendons. No, check that. Molten lava probably wouldn't have hurt that badly.
- I vowed to kill anybody who ever threatens me with cortisone injections. The jury will accept my assertion that it was done in self-defense.
- Began feeling progressively better.
- Tests came back.
- Serum aldolase levels getting lower.
- Specialist informs me that I have a genetic disposition to some bad bone problems later in life. Unrelated to current problems.
- Specialist gives me diagnosis of "spontaneous muscle degeneration, source unknown, possibly viral".
- Specialist loads me up with Vioxx because...
- COBRA insurance coverage runs out. No money to keep this going.
- Vioxx is recalled from the market.
- Ran out of Ambien.
- Got a job. Yay!
- Stopped taking Zoloft.
- Brain returned to normal function. Yay!
- I vowed to kill anybody who ever threatens me with Zoloft. The jury will accept my assertion that it was done in self-defense.
- Ran out of Vioxx. Yeah, I was still taking it. Choice between functional with chance of heart attack or non-functional. Functional won.
- Stopped feeling progressively better.
- Started feeling worse.
- Got insurance again. Yay!
- First day off will be in January. Will try to get Saturday appointment with docs before then.
And there we are. Currently I'm functional. I'm in nowhere near the shape I was in when I finally surrendered my stubbornocity and went to see my doc. (Incidentally, he had some choice words for me over my decision to wait so long before coming in.) I can walk around, just not real walking like we used to do. I can stand on my feet long enough to cook dinner. I can wrestle with the boys. I'm basically fully functional, just with limited duration.
Please do not be pissed that I didn't mention all of this months ago. At first I didn't know what was going on, then my normal obstinacy kicked in, then it was explained to me in no uncertain terms by a certain somebody who will remain nameless though you may recognize her from her supreme fisking skills (even though she hates fisking) that the view from outside is that of friends who care and are genuinely concerned and feel pretty shat upon that I played this so close to the vest so I decided that I would indeed let some folks know about it, then I figured I'd make a post about it, then the post got too big and complicated, then I basically relegated the whole thing to the back burner, then another friend inquired yesterday and I remembered just why I was going to make a post in the first place, so then I wrote this post that has gotten much larger than I was planning on writing but what the hell I'm at the very end now so it's finished and I can just publish it and call it a done deal.
I hope one of the doctors you are seeing is a Rheumatologist, if not it might not hurt to go see one.
Rheumatologists (in case you didn't know) are doctors that deal with Arthritis and bone, joint, muscle pain.
It could be some form of Arthritis, there are over 100 different types of Arthritis (planter facitis being one).
I have 5 different types of arthritis, so if you have any questions feel free to ask. And why I am mentioning this is because arthritis isn't an old person disease as most people think. I'm only 37 and have had arthritis in some form for 21 years now.
Might be something to consider.
I for one don't blame you for not sharing. If there's anything more debilitating than a disease, it's trying not to drown under waves of sympathy.
Anyway, glad things are more or less looking up.
Now get back to posting :-P
Machelle - The specialist was indeed an rheumatologist. Thanks for the advice and the offer!
Harvey - Get posting? I've got that sooo covered. Now if you'd said something about quality you might have had a case...
Ouch! I had a cortisone injection onto the top of my foot a few years back and I will NEVER let them anywhere near me with another one ever again.
Your health sounds a great deal like my mother's. She's 70 now, and I remember when I was a child her trying to get medical help and being told "it was all in her head". I still don't think she is getting aggressive enough medical attention, but at least now they actually believe she's sick!
I miss the good ole days of the bageldonut.
Will you ever be creative again?
Why would we be pissed you didn't share this? Like Harvey said, "If there's anything more debilitating than a disease, it's trying not to drown under waves of sympathy."
Now get your ass back to the doctor.
And feel better soon. :-)
Men are such whiners.......
Machelle is right. I was diagnosed woth RA at 24, and it sucks, but a good rheumatologist with a good treatment plan is like heaven.
Just don't stress about it, it actually makes it worse. Stay warm, keep busy, and don't let it get you down.
I also got RA (inactive) which can be found with t simple blood test (at least thats how they found mine).Jim had about a 100 tests and blood tests......no RA.He also saw a Rheumatologist,thats the bastard who injected the hot lava.LOL
In my opinion hes just a whiner anyways.:-P
Thank you all for your sentiments. I appreciate the good wishes. Except for you two:
Garret- :-P
Lovely Wife: Double :-P
I swear every third patient I ever transcribed records for was on the Vioxx, so I guess that's going to be a huge suit--especially if the commercials on daytime and late-night television are anything to go by. It's a damn shame because it seems to have been truly effective for many people.
I'm going to steal this numbered list format from this the next time I need to write something that starts getting unwieldy, I think. Or at least, that's my Good Intention.
Thanks for the health update. And LW is too funny.
Well....you probably ARE a whiner, as LW says, but women love to have things to bitch about, so now she can bitch that if you were HEALTHIER, you could do this better, or that.....
Also, we DO care...we care that you have plenty of fodder for posts..lol
Seriouslt...hope you find the problem for sure, and get it under control...