female illnesses

Absaroka · Post by **Absaroka** » Fri Jan 19, 2007 11:41 am

In the last couple of years I have been diagnosed with a couple of different illnesses which mostly affect women. Not always but usually. Men do get them however. Graves disease and fibromyalgia. THe first is now taken care of, the 2nd one is in process. It is very annoying and at times upsetting.

But I had to post a bit of humor. This is NOT what I think of when we talk about getting in touch with our feminine side...............

Absaroka

Georgia(SO) · Post by **Georgia(SO)** » Fri Jan 19, 2007 11:57 am

chortle...

hope you feel better soon....

-g(so)

Jess(SO) · Post by **Jess(SO)** » Fri Jan 19, 2007 1:04 pm

Absaroka wrote:In the last couple of years I have been diagnosed with a couple of different illnesses which mostly affect women. Not always but usually. Men do get them however. Graves disease and fibromyalgia. THe first is now taken care of, the 2nd one is in process. It is very annoying and at times upsetting.

But I had to post a bit of humor. This is NOT what I think of when we talk about getting in touch with our feminine side...............

Absaroka

See not all fun being fem

(joking)

Hope things get sorted soon for you hun

SilverLady(SO) · Post by **SilverLady(SO)** » Fri Jan 19, 2007 6:09 pm

with Georgia and Jess!!!

However, I have personally known quite a few men who were diagnosed with Fibromyalgia, and they all had similarities:

1. They were in their mid- to upper-50's and older, and

2. They all had surgery within a year or so prior to the diagnosis of fibromyalgia - several had various back surgeries (one was my uncle), others had knee and/or hip replacements or arthroscopic surgery of these areas.

These men were all physically active prior to the surgeries, and never quite regained their physical activities post surgery, due to unexplained aches/pains and general tiredness. Yes, the surgeries went well, and they had recovered with no problems from the surgery itself. If I recall, didn't you have surgery yourself within the past year or so? And are you not in your 50's and generally physically active prior to the surgery???

Honey, after living in "senior" mobile home communities for the past 17 years, I think I've seen it all as far as what aches, pains, and diseases seem to hit the population as they age. {And before someone can make a smart-aleck comment, these men didn't all live in senior communities!!}

You (and your doctor!) are just finding out that you are not 'abnormal'.

Still, I wish you the best - - fibromyalgia is no fun, and is downright hard to live with . . . for the patient and their family!

- SL

Virginia · Post by **Virginia** » Fri Jan 19, 2007 7:43 pm

Hey girlfriend, I am thiking about you and wishing you a speedy recovery!
Love,
Virginia

PS: if you start having PMS or a period, please let us know

Absaroka · Post by **Absaroka** » Sat Jan 20, 2007 4:06 pm

Thanks folks,

And yes Silver Lady I fit that description to a T ..... perhaps. Mid fifites, had surgery on my knee a year earlier not to mention the I131 treatment for the Graves disease which although not surgery did amazing things to me systemically till they corrected the ensuing hypothyroidism.

Here's the good news. A hundred years ago Graves disease would have left me an insane cripple and then killed me within a couple more years. Like about now......Instead I have aches and pains. Serious gratitude is in order here.

And without the Graves disease the knee injury still might not really have ever healed a hundred years ago. Remewmber the sphinx's riddle.....

There are two schools of thought on where I am at now and the truth is probably in the middle. One says that, as you described me, I was very active, and as the doctor said, about this age in active people everything just starts to deteriorate at once. Fibromayalgia and degenerative arthritis (to be expected in the surgicla knee they told me) and degenerative bursitis and tendonitis. Inactive people get it one place at a time in slow successiion, active people all at once.

The other thought, from a close friend of my age who is a massage therapist and a triathelete, is that no I wasn't really very active at all. I was 60 lbs overweight and for the last five years my idea of exercise was a moderately paced 3 mile walk 4 or 5 times a week. And because I sit at a drafting table all day I had chronic back pain that comes with that type of work. After the surgery I made a very determined effort to get into shape, spending 2 hours at the gym 4 times a week and leaving myself bathed in sweat and reeking of ammonia sometimes when I was done. On my days off I relaxed with a brisk 4 mile walk. Yes I lost a lot of weight and looked a lot better. Felt better too for the first 6 months. But in her words I sound a lot like a triathelete in their first 2 years of training, with constant little injuries. Add to that the fact that I was in my fifties and the fact that moderation is a completely foreign idea to me, I exercised like I used to use drugs. Just loved that endorphin rush and the fact that I could add about 1000 calories a day to my diet while losing weight and eat all the red meat I wanted without worrying about cholesterol and fat.

I thought I was going slow and taking it easy. But truth be told, I thought I was going slow and taking it easy relative to what I did in my late 20's which I keep forgetting was over half my life ago. And I was taking it easy compared to the musclemen (and women) at the gym. But maybe I really wasn't taking it easy.

What I am thinking about now is the fact that my wife is in her 50's and no she could no longer go climb any serous mountains and even a tiny little 5 hour hike might be a bit too much. She says she is too old to sleep on the ground so we dont' go camping. She goes to the gym and barely breaks a sweat and goes for her little 2 mile walks and is really pretty content with that. Something to consider carefully-she is pretty happy with life.

Thanks for the thoughts on fibromyalgia and surgery. I will have to look that up on the web. And for the time being when I feel a bit better I will have a new goal. Striving for (shudder) moderation.

Absaroka

Elizabeth · Post by **Elizabeth** » Sun Jan 21, 2007 1:34 am

Hi girls,
I have fibromyalgia so severe I had to stop working. Only 10% of those with fibromyalgia are males. While mine did not get so severe as to prevent me from working until four years ago, I have had many symptoms since my mid 20's. I am now 45.

The good news is that it won't kill me and is not degenerative. Meaning it does not actually damage my body. The bad news is that there is no cure. Learning to cope with pain and fatigue while never being able to sleep for more than an hour at a time for the rest of my life can be quite daunting at times.

The best thing is to learn not to do the things that cause me to hurt. I take meds for pain and to help me sleep and muscle relaxers also help. I guess I am not one of the lucky ones who have managable fibromyalgia. I pay for everything I do in later pain and fatigue.

Personally I never thought it was a coincedence that I got a woman's illness.

Love always,
Elizabeth

'

Lisa(SO) · Post by **Lisa(SO)** » Sun Jan 21, 2007 6:38 am

Absoroka and Elizabeth,

I am so sorry that you both are going through this. I have a friend of mine with this and she has been doing acupuncture with some success. It allows her to not have to take so many meds and relieves some of the pain. Good luck and please let us know what is working for you so we can pass aong the info. It is still a new disease an hopefully someday it can be cured or managed better.

Absaroka · Post by **Absaroka** » Sun Jan 21, 2007 3:01 pm

The doctor I am seeing is an acupuncturist and is saying that if the PT doesn't work she may consider that.

It doesn't wake me up and I ususally feel better in the morning. I guess mine is pretty mild, if that is in fact what I have.

I've read on the web that they think it is related to depression. THinking was that people got depressed from the pain but some say that actually the depression depresses the bodies function and thus produces the pain. Or maybe it's both. THe idea that the mind could produce this would make sense to me, especially if it is a case of chemical wires being crossed somehow.

The reading I have done also says that often it does eventually get better.

So far today I feel pretty good. It's not an everyday thing, fortunately.

Absaroka

Paulie · Post by **Paulie** » Wed Jan 31, 2007 4:11 pm

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I don't want to go into a long and tedious post on it, but the results she had are nothing short of amazing! It's taken away her pain, she now has more energy and can sleep at night.

We've since found out this product has helped many others with the same condition and different ones. It's a natural supplement, safe and free of side effects with over 20 years of clinical tests.

Please don't think I'm just trying to sell you anything.... I would LOVE it if you could have the same results.
Just PM me and I can get you additional info on it.

Georgia(SO) · Post by **Georgia(SO)** » Thu Feb 01, 2007 8:56 am

Absaroka

A friend of mine whose husband has fibromyalgia (sp?) was saying yesterday that she read a story that Omega-3 oils is supposed to help. She said that it's the kind of Omega-3 that you get from fish - that the Omega-3's they are putting in cereals and such are plant-based and not nearly as good as the fish-based type.

Dunno if that will help, but thought I'd pass it on...

-g(so)

Jess(SO) · Post by **Jess(SO)** » Thu Feb 01, 2007 9:29 am

fibromyalgia. Just diagnosed with it last Friday

but at least I know what's up with me now

Jess

Absaroka · Post by **Absaroka** » Thu Feb 01, 2007 11:58 am

Omega 3's are good for a lot of stuff. I eat an awful lot of fish and enjoy it. Also lots of walnuts which have the same thing.

Today I am feeling pretty good. The medication and PT seem to really help a lot. The physical therapist has given me some tips on posture which have helped a great deal I think. Massage seems to help also.

Also have avoided the gym for a week and a half. Maybe I just needed a rest.

Thanks for all the good wishes.

THe good news is even without going to the gym I seem to be continuing to loss weight. Only about 20 lbs left to go before it's time to evaluate do I need to lose any more.

Absaroka

JoAnnDallas · Post by **JoAnnDallas** » Thu Feb 01, 2007 12:37 pm

I saw on the news the othr day, that breast cancer in men is on the rise and more men are getting mammograms. It was not that long ago, that it was unheard of for a man to have a mammogram. Now it seems to a almost common procedure for men.

Absaroka · Post by **Absaroka** » Sat Feb 03, 2007 8:53 am

Based on what women say a mammogram is like (practice by lying naked on the garage floor and having your husband drive the car over your breast) it's a procedure I hope to avoid.

I was struck by how a couple of people here also suffer from fibromyalgia. ( Although I'm thinking it was more overuse syndrome coupled with poor posture and arthritis.) Pain is often very isolating, especially when it limits your activities and saps your strength. Crossdressing can also be very isolating. And so I was struck reading these posts with how much this forum may be doing for the mental health of some of the members by reducing isolation.

Funny how we react to pain. At some points in my life I have been able to accept it, just have it be there, and move on. Early sobriety was like that. Everyone told me I would be on a roller coaster for a year and so I was able to just be with it and not let it define me. The whole Marine corps thing about pain is just weakness leaving us. Other times, like now, pain becomes ominous, a sign of worse to come if I don't worry about it enough. And then it begins to define me. But if worrying about it was the answer I would by now be completely fine. Always a good thing to remember whenever I obsess over something.

Absaroka