Back in the saddle

talent1114a

Literally and figuratively.

My pneumonia cough finally gone, I have the motivation back to get outside and sit on my pony as much as possible. I’m aiming at three days a week, but two is acceptable depending on weather. Going to need a jacket, since afforementioned has been pretty ghastly the last week, but it’s proving difficult to find one that does not have sausage skin sleeves. No, my biceps are not humongous, it’s a definite design difference to older models! I like being able to lift my arms, that’s all.

I’m also beginning to feel bit more interested in my crafty stuff again, but as usual it takes a while to get into gear. Paint, weave, they’re all trying to get through the door at once. 😉 And then there’s the exercise regime I’d promised to look at. I’m just letting it flow, or not. Possibly now is not the best time, actually, as it can aggravate inflammation* I think. But I hope it’s the beginning of the end of my recent silent period. Just a service announcement and not fishing for sympathy! 😉

nothoundstooth

While I was at it, taking my body seriously and that (well, I wasn’t doing much with my keyword “Health” yet), I initiated a few other examinations based on years of various issues, so I’m now also the less than thrilled owner of:

  • Hearing aids. Well, on the (very long) waiting list for. I didn’t see that one coming! I have both tinnitus, some areas where I don’t hear at all AND extreme sensitivity to noise. I knew that for years, I just didn’t know it could be helped this way, nor that it could be a major source of stress, fatigue and even anxiety. I mean I can mostly hear just fine, I just need subtitles on the tv and to stay away from squealing children. The otologist(?) mentioned some place where you could get guidance on how to cope with the overstimulation but thought I should wait and try the aids first. Should be interesting. I initially went because of dizzy spells, but apparently they don’t live in my ears.
  • Fibromyalgia.  my GP mentioned it (again). There are years of waiting lists and many neurologists who don’t take it seriously, so now we opted to pay for it ourselves with one of the pioneers in the field. And she definitely thought I fit the bill… (and so do I now that I’ve read more about it)
  • Costochondritis (Tietze’s syndrome). Normally just in the sternum area, but I’ve read a few accounts of back pains as well (My old back problems have turned up the volume greatly over summer. Not unexpected after some nasty horse incidents in my history, but still a bit sooner and more than I’d bargained for). Being in the soft tissue rheumatoid* department along with fibromyalgia I guess not so strange and definitely better than heart failure, although very painful around the clock.
  • I’m going to try some migraine pills. First round not working.
  • I’m taking pain meds twice a day for a while to see if it helps the inflammation in my ribcage, rather than just once in a while on really unbearable days. Apparently that’s not how it works… (and I thought I was being sensible in showing restraint) I definitely feel like a more normal person now.

Another wip that I don't know what is yet.

I don’t feel weaker for getting all these things sorted, or more handicapped or sorry. On the contrary. Not having to speculate why I’m such a wimp, not feeling guilty every time I take an off day has already improved my mental and emotional state. I think it might even motivate to soldier on, but with a different, less stressful mindset. I hope. I’m still working on that reprogramming – it works better in theory than in hard practice out there beyond your windows. My reaction may change over time, lots of things are in play here.

I’m still having a heart examination next week to rule things out, and since I waited so long for it, but I’m counting on nothing deadly going on so that I can perhaps learn to come to terms with this body thing that keeps holding my attention hostage. Or at least I can then focus on learning to ignore pain, something I know I suck at. It doesn’t mean I won’t listen. But there has to be a line… (incidentally my next keyword was supposed to be “Listen”, I just never got that far)

Onwards and upwards and yeehaw! :mrgreen: But first, a nap.

arthur1114

21 thoughts on “Back in the saddle

  1. Hvor er det dog godt at høre, at du bliver grundigt undersøgt fra top til tå. Også selv om der ind i mellem er “lidt” ventetid. Jeg håber det kommer til at gå fremad med dit helbred. Skønne billeder!

    1. Tak! 🙂 Jeg går også rundt og ber om “bedre vejr” for jeg er lidt træt. Måske jeg skulle lege sanatorium, ligesom de der besvimende damer tog på i gamle dage?

  2. Glad to hear you are getting better, Pia. I know that pneumonia cough well and it is to be dreaded. A boost to your immune system is in order! Try making this concoction in a big jar: 500 gms good honey, a fat lemon (the whole thing, sliced small, pits and pith and peel and all) and as much fresh ginger as you can take, all sliced thin. Take a spoonful every morning and again at night. OR Mix it with hot water as a drink (maybe a tad of your fave brandy, too…) OR on grilled chicken…we now keep that on out kitchen counter all year long…thak you for making the effort to post when you are under the weather!

    1. Thanks for reminding me – I’ll add some of my elderberry syrup. I keep saving it for a cold, but I haven’t had any in at least 5 years, so it’s time to break out a bottle I think! (they’re not 5 years old LOL) And I’ll definitely try the chicken variety as well.

  3. I’m sorry your health has been so bad … I definitely understand about the fibromylagia journey as I have that illness also … and I’m glad you are starting to experience an improvement. Best wishes with everything. ((Hugs))

  4. 🙁 I’m so sorry to hear of the health issues, but glad that things seem to be a bit better, the cough has healed and that you feel normal, and hopefully on your way to feeling fantastic. Some of the things you mentioned remind me of my mother-in-law, who also has fibromyagia. She has many illnesses that many doctors don’t understand and therefore don’t believe in. Luckily, she’s found a reliable treatment plan that keeps all symptoms under control with the exception of a few times a year when things get shitty, usually around cold fronts and things like that. I hope that you find a similar solution, or something even better.

    Though what I’ve got going on is in no way comparable, I’m trying to deal with TMJD here. I had a mild issue with it when my wisdom teeth impacted, and it got very bad when, 2 years ago, I had them extracted. The oral surgeon couldn’t get my left jaw as open as he wanted and so he cut open the jaw muscles, and then he found the tooth had fused to the jaw, so he hacked it off in pieces. When I look at pics of myself, I swear, my face was swollen for months. The TMJD can be very intense. Though lessening in number of episodes, it can be very debilitating. People just don’t get it, but it leads to pain in the neck, shoulders, back, arms, wrists, and hands, it makes me have migraines, I have strange sensations thanks to the nerves, I sometimes hear a ringing in my ears or my ears get clogged and poppy, but of course, the worst is the pain in my jaw and face, which gets so intense and throbby that I can see my face visibly swelling~ last weekend for instance, my lip looked like I got punched out. This is one of those conditions for which there is no simple solution, but after looking at that fat lip, I thought, I need to do something about this and I purchased a book that sounds promising. The dentist looked at my jaw and was like, yep, you have a popper! When my jaw popped while opening/closing, but none of the thing he said I could do, like surgery, seemed feasible or desirable. Anyway, I guess this is a long winded way of saying I understand a tiny bit about the kind of pain that leaves you in bed all day. Like I said, not comparable, but I relate on a small level and sympathize and am holding hope for a happy, healthy, flexible, sustainable, and workable solution for you!

    1. The support from you guys helps me immensely in creating that solution, actually. I don’t think I’d be nearly as motivated if I was only talking to myself all day.

      So sorry for your jaw. I had a taste of it when all 4 of my wisdom teeth one by one got infected and spread to the jaw, couldn’t open my mouth at all and the pain, damn. I hope this can be cleared up for you, only thing that saved me all those years ago was the death of my grandfather, how bizarre that may sound. My gran let me dive into his leftover morphines… (he had colon cancer) It’s a very crippling situation you have there every time it breaks out, I can imagine, and nothing over the counter in pain meds seem to help much I bet. Hugs.

  5. I’m glad you seem to be making some progress regarding finding out what’s wrong with your health, but I’m sad to hear it might be fibromyalgia. My mum’s got it (although these days she’s much better than she was a few years ago) so I know a little bit about what it’s like, and coping with chronic pain is certainly not easy.

    Apparently it’s the same gene that is linked to both fibromyalgia and CFS/ME which probably explains why the two illnesses have some similar symptoms, and why many people have both conditions at the same time. I hope your doctors will be able to offer you a treatment method that helps to ease the symptoms!

    1. Yes, the two overlap quite a bit.

      Unfortunately the private consultation was just for the diagnosis – there is no treatment plan that I’m aware of and no dedicated medical centers for it apart from one in Copenhagen which is closed to outsiders. With the current economy it’s also highly unlikely that I’ll be able to get a pension for it, they change the rules/quotas depending on budgets year to year.

      1. Oh what a miserable situation, I’m so sorry. But can your GP not prescribe you the types of medication they normally use with fibromyalgia?

        Else you could explore alternative therapies or the supplement route, but that can of course be expensive. I know a UK based supplement company that specialises in conditions such as these: http://igennus.com/health-conditions/fibromyalgia-natural-treatment/. I find the omega oils they do helpful for my condition (they were recommended to me by the specialists I first saw when I became ill), but they do cost quite a bit of money which is the downside.

        1. I don’t think she knows, we’re a bit behind on this in DK compared to other EU countries.

          But if I investigate and come up with something, she’s usually cooperative.

  6. I had no idea you had such health issues. I hope the hearing aids help reduce the stress (why do people allow their children to shriek???) – I also don’t do well with high noise levels. From your behind-the-ears video it looks like you live in a quiet place, which helps. I have heard that vitamin b12 deficiency can cause exhaustion and neuro problems including maybe fibromyalgia.
    I really* like the blue and yellow painting in the middle of the blog.

    1. It’s interesting, because it all started with fatigue, years later I did have a B12 deficiency and seemed to get a bit better on the exhastion front, but, well… I wonder if it can cause permanent damage. I take a supplement and every once in a while have it tested.

      I also read that B2 can help with migraines, I’m not good at remembering to take a lot of pills, but it’s worth a shot.

      Unfortunately it’s not customary to go in, get a complete overhaul until everything is found and explained, you have to beg for every little bit and try to connect the dots on your own. Seems inefficient to me, but perhaps it looks better on paper.

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