I had my follow-up with the doctor this morning. As a not-quite-aside, I am thankful that today’s weather with rain/snow/60 to 90 kph winds is indeed today’s weather and not yesterday’s, because I can just imagine how impossible it would have been to get the boy home from across town in this. The cold is biting, the additional gusts on top of the steady high-level wind are aggressive and dangerous, and rain on top of flash-frozen ice is No Fun. Anyway, I made it to the doctor’s office in one piece although late, which was fine because she was running late too.
My blood test results (and there were pages and pages to go through) were all lovely and normal. My calcium and magnesium were a touch below what she wanted them to be, but my multivitamin is covering that. The rheumatoid and other arthritis indicators all came back negative, so the diagnosis has settled on fibromyalgia. I have a prescription for a minute dose of medication to take daily, another appointment in three weeks to see how it’s going, and permission to slow down and stop thinking of myself as somehow failing at what I’m trying to keep up with. The optimistic view, which we are taking, is that six months to a year should help the body recover some sort of equilibrium, and then we will re-evaluate and either taper off the meds to see what happens, or keep on with them.
So there you have it. Thanks, everyone, for your good thoughts and wishes that have been coming my way; I truly appreciate them.
Good on you for getting a diagnosis! It’s not a fun one, but at least now you’ll have a management plan. *fingers crossed*
I’m glad to hear that they finally narrowed down the cause of pain.
I hope it helps you to feel better! I find nothing more frustrating than
being in pain and unable to function.
“permission to slow down and stop thinking of myself as somehow failing at what I’m trying to keep up with.”
Stress hurts us on so many levels. I’ll bet this does as much good as the meds. *hug*
Management plan: exactly! Good term, Phnee. And yes, Rosy, you’re right: it’s just such a relief to know that there’s an underlying cause to the slowness and achyness and loss of concentration and poor sleep.
And Jess, I hope your tests determine the source of your problems too, and soon. I’m so glad your employer is understanding.
Thanks, everyone.