So. Another day in bed it would seem. Perfect time to write a wee story.
I figured before I go on, I must go back........
Not all of you know me, even those that do may not know the story of how I went from being a highly regarded ICU nurse (yeah, I'll toot my own horn!! I was dam good!!)....to, well, this.
Where are we now? End of October? I think it was last September (2015) I got diagnosed (I forget, my memory is awful, but that's a tale for another day), something I pushed for myself.
My GP didn't think of Fibro. I knew that 18 months after my son was born was too long to still be in pain following my pregnancy from hell ***
*** I had SPD (Symphysis pubis dysfunction). My pelvis felt like it was going to separate and baby literally fall out! My hip joints my back and "down there" was pure agony.
My pain was so bad I ended up in a wheelchair, repeatedly admitted for prem labour thanks to the pain, on a fentanyl patch AND oxynorm tablets. My consultant was fantastic (I had to switch to the consultant clinic at my local hospital as I could not sit in the car for the 40min journey to my maternity hospital), he agreed that a cesarean section was my only option, at 36 weeks I was begging. He said he would deliver me at 37 weeks but for baby's sake to aim for 38. I did it!!!
my darling boy was delivered by c-section at 38 weeks. He needed to go to NICU as he punctured his own lung with his powerful first breath. He also needed monitoring for opioid dependency (the guilt over that still cripples me to this day if I'm honest). My baby was a fighter from day one. He was out of NICU within a few days and back to me on the ward. Why was I still there you may ask? I went spiralling into post partum depression.
As you can tell I could go on and on about this but I'll leave it there for now.
***right, where was I? Oh yeah, pain. So, on codeine 4 times a day and still suffering with back pain. Plus still needing my anti depressants all this time after my PND had crawled back in its hole.
A friend of mine, Dawn, who struggles with Fibromyalgia (FM) and said I should look into it. I did and quite literally it all became clear! There was no doubt in my mind. I took this info to my GP and she checked my pressure points and thought yeah it could be. not happy to make the diagnosis herself, I was referred to rheumatology.
Bear in mind I was still working 3 x 12 hour shifts a week. I had been doing this since DS (darling son) was 3 months old (my state maternity pay had run out as i had to start it early, and I was only an agency nurse, no work = no money).
I had started a new job (which I LOVED) in July, a permanent one!! Well permanent once probation was cleared......
I was finding that my pain was getting worse rather than better, my sick days increased and fairly quickly discovered that I could only manage 2 x 12 hour shifts a week.....
As you can imagine I became well acquainted with Occupational Health. I was loving my new job. I'd settled in so well and I just could not believe that it was all falling apart.
My rheumatology apt still hadn't come through, here I was with increasing sick time and no actual diagnosis.
I paid to see a consultant privately. He was quick to diagnose officially (I had gone armed with all my blood results) that yup! I had Fibromyalgia.
I was finally justified for feeling so crap!!! Oh my god the relief was AMAZING!!
Unfortunately my FM did not take this news quite so well and proceeded to get worse, and worse, and WORSE.
In the new year I was down to one day a week. Then one day a fortnight, finally working my last shift on Easter Monday.
By this time my wrists, hips, back to name just a few body parts had got in on the act.
My wrists were what stopped me working though. An ICU nurse unable to do CPR is as useful as a chocolate fireguard.
Work were amazing, so understanding. The limit was reached though. Their hands were tied. There was no way I could make it out of probation with my absence record. I was still temporary. In June (I think it was) I lost my job on health grounds. The effect of that is really another blog. This one is long enough already lol
Since March my FM has deteriorated to the point I am pretty much bed bound. In constant pain / agony at times accompanied by fatigue that would challenge a bloody zombie!!!
This brings us back to today. In bed. In pain. In my personal hell.
I've kind of glossed over how I feel these days as I've rambled enough, plenty of more blog pieces to come.
Please share my story. Too few people know about Fibromyalgia.
I am a nurse with 20yrs experience and I knew nothing of it and how far reaching its effects are. It is a truly debilitating illness with no cure and very few effective treatments.
This is my go fund me page. Being sick is expensive!! I'm too young to need what I need and i fall in the health service gap. Any donation very gratefully received.
http://www.gofundme.com/invisibilityhurts
Thanks for reading. Gentle hugs to all 💜💜💜
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