A glass half full - newbie

[FluppyPuffy]

Hello everyone, my name is Karen, 51 from Liverpool, I am newly diagnosed along with osteoarthritis both hips, wrists, shoulders and possible carpel tunnel.

Just wondering if anyone else can pinpoint what triggered their FM? I was fit and well up to April 2009. During that month I lost my Mum to bowel cancer (she kept it to herself so it came as a real shock to everyone) - 7 weeks later I lost my Dad to dementia. Six months later I fell ill with double pneumonia and was hospitalised for 2 weeks, I believe to this day it was due to delayed shock. Five months after I had double pneumonia again and a clot on my lung, and I had started with gynae problems too.

It took me the following 4 years to get something done about it and I major surgery 1/8/13 when I had a total hysterectomy following them finding a growth - during the lead up I had lots of pain and fatigue (all put down to the gynae probs). My surgery went well but afterwards I had 3 major infections and they had to re -open the 9" long wound and leave it open to heal on it's own with assisted vac therapy which I came off in November 13, the previous pain and fatigue came back with a vengeance and has not left me since, and again I found myself fighting with my doctor to take me seriously.

Fortunately due to being on sick leave so long because of my surgery my employers occupational health gave me lots of help and advice and I managed to be referred to rheumatology, where I got my diagnosis of FM. Looking back now it seems that the FM started in a mild from when I lost my parents and has flared up now and again over the years, but the surgery and infections last year have really brought it out in the open.

My husband has supported me through all of this but I am now struggling to get him to fully understand and accept my FM as we were both led to believe and both expected that after my surgery I would be back to my healthy self again. I have printed some stuff for him to read, but I find myself hiding my pain and fatigue so I am not putting any more pressure or worry onto his shoulders.

I am so glad I have found this group in order to speak with others who know exactly what I am feeling.

Anyway that's me, Karen x

[FluppyPuffy]

to our FibroFamily Karen

I've split your post into smaller paragraphs to make it easier to read as quite a few of us struggle with reading larger blocks of text, and often get lost and end up reading the same bit over and over again

I've also added some info to your other topic asking about what could happen during your Hopefully it will give you a bit of an idea about what to expect

Altho it isn't possible to actually pinpoint exactly what triggered off FM, pretty much all of us can put it down to a number of events/factors that occurred over a particular period of time for us. These events include things like physical, emotional, psychological trauma, notable periods of illness, stress, along with a whole host of other possibilities that could possibly have played their part.

What you have described with it being time for your parents to go back to the angels, illness, gynae problems, surgery and subsequent infections all fall within those possibilities, and may well have lead to this condition appearing. For me, it seems the start of things was a broken neck due to a car accident, increasing pressures and ever~changing targets at work, an abusive relationship and a number of other things that were going off, as well as things that had happened earlier in life.

If you want to try and give your hubby an idea of what living with FM is like, you could show him and/or Both do an excellent job of describing what we experience and have helped a lot of partners, relatives and friends gain a little more understanding/insight into our FibroDays.

There is lots of other info and advice across the boards, so have a bit of a looky and a read when you get a mo. Anything you want to know about, just ask. There's a good chance someone will have had a similar experience and may have some advice for you

[KarenCakes]

thank you for your advice, very much appreciated x

[denys]

Hi KAren and to the forum