My-Doctors-Failed-Me

Consider
Registered Member

Date Joined Nov 2004
Total Posts : 20
Posted 11/5/2004 7:14 PM (GMT -7)

My main problem is that my muscles contracted in a really painful way. Then next
day my muscles around my abdomen were SO tight, they began to bend me over.

It's been a month and my voice is stronger. I think it was so whispy for awhile
because of how tight my diaphragm muscles were.

I have some severe pain in my right thigh which has had neuropathy for awhile.
That pain is stinging, whereas it used to be like a really bad sunburn.

I felt like the doctor was just putting me off when he said I had fibromyalgia. The
nurse asked me how long I'd been fat, and how did I do things before, as if I were
shirking things.

This came on like FAST. It hit, and then it hasn't gone away.
The day before it hit, I was working in the garden building a stone wall. Now I
haven't been outside except on a guerney on the way to the ambulance...

Is this how you've experienced FM????

And if not, what's it like for you???
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
www.health-boundaries-bite.com/Fingernails.html
Your fingernails reflect your health --
Learn what warning signs to look for --
Karen Kline

simple8127
New Member

Date Joined Oct 2004
Total Posts : 2
Posted 11/5/2004 10:53 PM (GMT -7)

I was diagnosed w/ fibromyalgia about one year ago. I had gone to the doctor
because I for about 6 months could not push down on my hands w/out pain. At
the time I figured the rheumatologist just told me I had fibromyalgia because he
couldn't come up w/ a definate diagnoses. However this year, one night at work I
felt like I could not walk w/out extreme effort. It felt like every muscle in my body
had had a severe workout. This continued for about 3 weeks and I could not
work. I have since gone back to work but I have to take off about every few days
if I do any extra activity. And forget about housework. I can't even run the
sweeper over my floors w/out being unable to move after that for many hours. I
also have to sleep at least 12 hours a day.

Consider
Registered Member

Date Joined Nov 2004
Total Posts : 20
Posted 11/5/2004 11:30 PM (GMT -7)

Hi Simple.
Thank you so much for explaining to me.

I don't quite understand, though. When you say your muscles feel like they had a
severe workout... do your abdominal muscles ever feel like they are going to roll
up? It is the most odd feeling.

Oh, I know... is it all your muscles?
Mine is just my abdominal, side, back, and diaphragm muscles. My legs and arms
are fine. My neck gets tight but that's probably stress.

Has your voice ever sounded really weak and wispy from this??

At first I couldn't make a cup of coffee in the morning without going back to bed
because of how tight my muscles got. It would take me hours to get a cup of
coffee. And I was eating saltines because they were not too heavy. Mostly
everything was too heavy for me. Like my Brita water pitcher: with less than an
inch of water in it, it began to pull really uncomfortably on my muscles.

Luckily I get community meals now, that are brought to my home.

And I can lift the Brita pitcher when it is full, now.

But if I'm up a total of ten minutes in the morning, that's pretty much it. I have to
totally recharge.

I don't sleep any more than I used to. But I have to stay in bed because sitting on
a chair makes my muscles clamp really tight... I have my computer in bed with
me... talk about an unnatural love affair... : )

If you have the time to clarify any more, I'd really appreciate it.

Thank you soooo much.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
www.health-boundaries-bite.com/Fingernails.html
Your fingernails reflect your health --
Learn what warning signs to look for --
Karen Kline

Consider
Registered Member

Date Joined Nov 2004
Total Posts : 20
Posted 11/6/2004 1:51 AM (GMT -7)

Hi ampsy... no it's not like pinched nerves at all. I've had that before.
What I really think it is, is tetanus.
But the doctor said that was rare so I couldn't have it.

I think he said it was fibromyalgia because ...
I don't know, but I didn't feel like he took it seriously. So when I read the post
where the doctor wouldn't give her pain medication, I thought about the doctor I
saw. I mean, I felt like he thought I was acting to get out of doing things.

The one thing that's good about learning about Fibro, is that maybe B12 helps. I
think one reason the doctor didn't think I could have tetanus, is that he didn't
really see the contractions, and although I was really sick, I wasn't that close to
dying and I guess tetanus kills a lot of the people who get it. I think because I have
more B12 in my system than most 60 year olds that I was lucky.

Thank you so much for writing...

The reason I mentioned the wall, was just because the nurse was sounding like
I'm lazy and if I wanted to I wouldn't feel bad... I was loving building the wall.
The muscle contraction the next day was just sudden, and after that my muscles
were tight...

Does Ibuprofen help with fibro????
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
www.health-boundaries-bite.com/Fingernails.html
Your fingernails reflect your health --
Learn what warning signs to look for --
Karen Kline

Consider
Registered Member

Date Joined Nov 2004
Total Posts : 20
Posted 11/6/2004 1:55 AM (GMT -7)

ampsy, what happened to your post????
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
www.health-boundaries-bite.com/Fingernails.html
Your fingernails reflect your health --
Learn what warning signs to look for --
Karen Kline

ampsy
Veteran Member

Date Joined Feb 2004
Total Posts : 763
Posted 11/6/2004 3:00 AM (GMT -7)

hi, sorry about that, 'BRAIN FOG!!!pressed the wrong button!!!
my father had P. anemia & that was leukemia!! he's dead now after numerous
blood transfusions {12 mths} he lasted after dx..
I still say or think you may have pinched spinal nerves {a very painful condition}
worth getting it checked out, doesn't sound like fms to me, I've had it 30 yrs, take
care, wendy xxx

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"QUALITY VS QUANTITY, OUR CHOICE"
WENDY AUSTRALIA

jk
Registered Member

Date Joined Oct 2004
Total Posts : 146
Posted 11/6/2004 6:07 AM (GMT -7)

Hi nice to meet you Consider, although not under these circumstances though.
Sorry you are feeling so badly. I have not been dx with anything yet, but i do have
an appt with a rhematologist in a week and a half. And this I had to drag out of
my doc, so I understand your frustration with your doc. But from what I have
read and experienced, I must agree with Wendy that what you ae describing does
not sound like fms. Youe doc is a general practioner? You need to be seen by a
rheumatologist or a doctor that specialzies a little more in fms than just a reg MD.
Fms seems to come more over time then a sudden attack like you described. I
think you should demand a referral, or if your insurance allows, go ahead and
make an appt with a rheumatologist, and if he does not think its fms he can
probably steer you in the right direction, he will probably take blood tests etc. It
sound like you are not getting any help form the doc you have now. That really
scares me. You mayy have to seek otu a new MD who will take you serioulsy,
this is your well being here, and if you had the proper care, I think your quality of
life may improve drastically, please find another doctor who will help you. ask
many questions here, the ladie here are very kind, and knowledgeable too, they
can give you many tips and advice. Please keep us posted, take care...love...Sheryl
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
***Take Care.....Sheryl***
Erma Bombeck said...I May Not Always Understand You, But I'm Always
Willing To Listen.
Erma Bombeck said...If You Can't Stand the Heat.......Turn Off the Stove..

Consider
Registered Member

Date Joined Nov 2004
Total Posts : 20
Posted 11/6/2004 8:01 AM (GMT -7)

ampsy said...
hi, sorry about that, 'BRAIN FOG!!!pressed the wrong button!!!
my father had P. anemia & that was leukemia!! he's dead now after numerous
blood transfusions {12 mths} he lasted after dx.. I still say or think you may have
pinched spinal nerves {a very painful condition} worth
getting it checked out, doesn't sound like fms to me, I've
had it 30 yrs, take care, wendy xxx

Hi ampsy,
I am so happy to find your message this morning. Yesterday I'd thought maybe
you found me irritating in the end, and had wished you hadn't answered. So this is
great. thank you.

I'm not aware that pernicious anemia is leukemia. I'm sorry to hear about your
father dying. It sounds like you had a very hard year. Did the stress make your
illness worse? It seems like it would. I hope you're feeling better, or that you will
soon feel better.

My pain isn't like a pinched nerve, though. This is like, for instance the woman
from Kitchen Angels came over to interview me, and she was really nice. I
explained to her that the ER doctor had said I couldn't have tetanus because it is
rare. She was only here a half hour. But during that short time, with me lying in
bed and never once getting up because I'd left the door open so she could just
come in, my muscles got tighter and tighter till they were just like a band around
my middle and one that was making it hard to breathe.

This last week I've had major neuropathy pain, meaning that it's in the same place
as I've had neuropathy pain before: my right thigh. Only this is an extremely sharp
pain, whereas before the pain was like a bad, bad sunburn. Yesterday I decided to
try two B12 shots instead of one. One in the a.m. and one in the p.m. and I gave
them to myself in my right thigh even though it feels so weirdly numb.

This morning the pain didn't wake me, but I forgot to take melatonin, so I only got
four hours of sleep for that reason.

If your dad had p.a., then from what I understand about it, there's a good chance
you inherited it, or a predisposition to it. Newer research seems to be saying that
something called B12 malabsorption illness precedes p.a. I guess the idea is that
p.a. is what happens after a body has been very low on B12 for a pretty long time.
So, if you have lines on your fingernails (that's my old standby for a folk-look at
how I'm doing) you might want to get some sublingual (methylcobalamin) B12
and try that. In my experience B12 makes a lot of difference in reducing how
much pain I feel. It's pretty cheap at Walgreen's.

thank you again for writing to me... I REALLY appreciate it.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
www.health-boundaries-bite.com/Fingernails.html
Your fingernails reflect your health --
Learn what warning signs to look for --
Karen Kline

Consider
Registered Member

Date Joined Nov 2004
Total Posts : 20
Posted 11/6/2004 8:07 AM (GMT -7)

simple8127 said...
I was diagnosed w/ fibromyalgia about one year ago. I had gone to the doctor
because I for about 6 months could not push down on my hands w/out pain. At
the time I figured the rheumatologist just told me I had fibromyalgia because he
couldn't come up w/ a definate diagnoses. However this year, one night at work
I felt like I could not walk w/out extreme effort. It felt like every muscle in my
body had had a severe workout. This continued for about 3 weeks and I could
not work. I have since gone back to work but I have to take off about every few
days if I do any extra activity. And forget about housework. I can't even run the
sweeper over my floors w/out being unable to move after that for many hours. I
also have to sleep at least 12 hours a day.

Hi Simple,

I woke up this morning thinking about you and what you wrote. Not being able to
push down on your hands without pain is a pretty clear image. And 6 months
makes it pretty clear that it wasn't an overnight thing.

I forget how rhumatism and arthritis are different/similar... are they joint
oriented??? Are you saying that your muscle pain is also related to your joints?

Thank you so much for writing to me. It has helped me begin to understand a little
more.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
www.health-boundaries-bite.com/Fingernails.html
Your fingernails reflect your health --
Learn what warning signs to look for --
Karen Kline

Consider
Registered Member

Date Joined Nov 2004
Total Posts : 20
Posted 11/6/2004 8:25 AM (GMT -7)

jk said...
Hi nice to meet you Consider, although not under these circumstances though.
Sorry you are feeling so badly. I have not been dx with anything yet, but i do
have an appt with a rhematologist in a week and a half. And this I had to drag
out of my doc, so I understand your frustration with your doc. But from what I
have read and experienced, I must agree with Wendy that what you ae
describing does not sound like fms. Youe doc is a general practioner? You need
to be seen by a rheumatologist or a doctor that specialzies a little more in fms
than just a reg MD. Fms seems to come more over time then a sudden attack like
you described. I think you should demand a referral, or if your insurance allows,
go ahead and make an appt with a rheumatologist, and if he does not think its
fms he can probably steer you in the right direction, he will probably take blood
tests etc. It sound like you are not getting any help form the doc you have now.
That really scares me. You mayy have to seek otu a new MD who will take you
serioulsy, this is your well being here, and if you had the proper care, I think
your quality of life may improve drastically, please find another doctor who will
help you. ask many questions here, the ladie here are very
kind, and knowledgeable too, they can give you many tips
and advice. Please keep us posted, take care...love...Sheryl

Hi Sheryl,
Nice to meet you, too. (also, not under these circumstances)
Hmm... this post is looking very different... not sure why...
Yes, you got it!!!! major frustration (to put it mildly) with my doc.
My problem was that I'm major poor right now due to a privy pit my condo was
built over. So doctors just would not see me because I didn't have any money.
They said I had to go to the ER because the ER has to see people who don't have
money...

A major difference between what I have and fibromyalgia, is that I'm pretty sure
that while mine is major serious, just like yours, mine is going to go away. Not
quickly, but in the end if I just don't have a relapse.

Sharing tips and advice is SOOOO helpful. That's why I did my web pages on
B12, because my doctors just were no help and it's such a simple thing and it's
such a common problem (according to the research... it's not just me saying that.)

I was thinking this morning about a woman who wrote me last year after she
found my web site. I think she said she has fibromyalgia and that B12 had helped
her and she just wanted to share that with me. But then she told me about
www.dadamo.com which is a web site about eating specific things that work well
for whatever your specific blood type is. She swears by the diet. So I tried it and I
was amazed. I'm A blood type, so for me it said that kale was good, and cabbage,
not good. I used to eat a lot of cabbage because I'd read it was good for warding
off colon cancer. So I switched. And it said brown rice was good for me (which
I'd also had read was good for people with pernicious anemia) and in the first
week I lost something like 7 pounds even though I was eating tons of food. It was
like there'd been a swelling in my body, and that swelling began to go away. Later
she wrote me that she'd lost a lot of weight, I mean several sizes. She wrote me
after she'd been shopping and was so happy to be down to some tiny size. The
thing about the diet that made the most difference to me was that it got rid of the
constant diarhhea I'd had. Now when I eat the food they bring me (and it is totally
dynamite food) I have the diarhhea again, but hey, it's just sooo great to have
food. Before, after I got whatever it is I have, I couldn't stand up long enough to
make anything and I was relying on saltines...

Okay, I'm going on a bit... sorry.
Thank you a lot for writing. I really appreciate it.
Being alone in things like this is the WORST.
You're great!!!! thanks for your kind words!!!!!
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
www.health-boundaries-bite.com/Fingernails.html
Your fingernails reflect your health --
Learn what warning signs to look for --
Karen Kline

US Dawn
Registered Member

Date Joined Jul 2004
Total Posts : 58
Posted 11/6/2004 1:28 PM (GMT -7)

Consider~
FMS is a disease that emits pain in all 4 quadrants of your body (upper, lower,
left, and right sides). What you have doesn't sound like FMS at all. You're only
naming one area. Besides that, you'd have to go through a battery of testing,
where they would eliminate various other illnesses, like Lupus or a pinched nerve -
then have the 18 point test done. That's where they see how many of these
specific points of your body are affected w/ pain. If I were you, I'd get another
opinion. I wouldn't even mention the previous diagnosis, so that you aren't just
chucked into that diagnosis file incorrectly.

Best of luck!
Dawn

Consider
Registered Member

Date Joined Nov 2004
Total Posts : 20
Posted 11/6/2004 5:59 PM (GMT -7)

Dawn, that's very clear information. Thank you so much!!!

I kept wondering if something like the quadarant thing didn't have to be true.
The quadrants you mention include arms and legs, right???

I don't think the doctor was even trying to help me.

The initial pain of the contractions was so bad that I was screaming. Dr. Raboff
had me have a psychological evaluation before he did anything, besides a pain
killer in the IV. I think he only took me even remotely seriously after the whole
battery of illegal drug tests he had done on me came back negative.

I told him that I'd accidentally jammed a darning needle into my toe and I didn't
realize a part had broken off in my toe.

He asked me some question that sounded as if he thought I had jammed the
needle into my toe on purpose in an ineffective attempt to kill myself with tetanus.

I mean he was really way off the deep end in how he seemed to be interpretting
me. I think the major pain and the fact that I have some brain damage made it
really hard for me to be clear, most of my energy was going into combating pain.

The second time I was in the ER, a couple weeks later, the doctor seemed to be
being guided by what Dr. Raboff had decided. So the second doctor just said,
"Fibromyalgia" the way someone might say, "common cold." He didn't sound
serious. He sounded like it was his suggestion for something I could get interested
in and talk about, sort of as if my health weren't a real concern, but a hobby.
Hypochondriac.

They make me really angry.

Earlier today, thinking about what people here had written to me, I realized that
the feeling I have in my muscles is as if they are hardening, solidifying, seizing up.
Because they tighten and draw me over as they do, it's very scary and I hurry
back to bed so that I don't end up on the floor unable to move...

thank you for writing.

Can I still stay here for a bit???? I've learned so much from you guys. I am so
grateful to you for your help.

: )
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
www.health-boundaries-bite.com/Fingernails.html
Your fingernails reflect your health --
Learn what warning signs to look for --
Karen Kline

Post Edited (Consider) : 11/6/2004 5:02:31 PM (GMT-7)

Jeannie143
Registered Member

Date Joined Apr 2004
Total Posts : 135
Posted Yesterday 12:25 AM (GMT -7)

I've been reading your posts and wondering, did the doctors give you a tetanus
shot or run any kind of a tetanus titer or test? You're right that it does sound like
tetanus... Is the darning needle still in your toe? Has anyone x-rayed it? You may
want to go to a clinic or redi-care where you'll get a different opinon... If it's
tetanus and the ER overlooked it then someone needs to do some remedial reading
(I'm talking about the doctors, not the patient). It's very common, not rare. That's
why people have to get booster shots for it about every 5 to 10 years. (Duh!)
Anyway, hope you get some help soon.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
______
(((((()))
_IiiiiiiiI
@@@@
@^,^@ ~ Jeannie

ampsy
Veteran Member

Date Joined Feb 2004
Total Posts : 763
Posted Yesterday 1:25 AM (GMT -7)

hi, Con, I don't think it's tetanus either! that comes out pretty quickly & affects
the jaw muscles first, you said you were in a few car accidents & had a few
whip-lash's, I still think it's pinched nerve's in you neck & back, the spine is very
complex & affects the nerves pain in so many strange parts of the body, it seems
to radiate around & can radiate around all your stomach & make it swell up, gee
us humans a strange critter's!!!
as was sugested by Dawn get another opinion.................
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"QUALITY VS QUANTITY, OUR CHOICE"
WENDY AUSTRALIA

Consider
Registered Member

Date Joined Nov 2004
Total Posts : 20
Posted Yesterday 12:43 PM (GMT -7)

Jeannie143 said...
I've been reading your posts and wondering, did the doctors give you a tetanus
shot or run any kind of a tetanus titer or test? You're right that it does sound like
tetanus... Is the darning needle still in your toe? Has anyone x-rayed it? You
may want to go to a clinic or redi-care where you'll get a different opinon... If
it's tetanus and the ER overlooked it then someone needs to do some remedial
reading (I'm talking about the doctors, not the patient).
It's very common, not rare. That's why people have to get
booster shots for it about every 5 to 10 years. (Duh!)
Anyway, hope you get some help soon.

Hi Jeannie,
I got the broken quarter inch of needle out about two days later. When I got a red
line under my toe nail, I soaked my foot for several hours a day in Epsom salts,
ate bottles of Vitamin C, and had extra B12 shots.

When the red lines faded a bit, I felt relieved and forgot about the whole thing
until I got the major contraction in my back muscles several weeks later.

The doctors pretty much concentrated on giving me tests for illegal drugs. I think
that was because I'd been screaming from the contraction pain and was not in a
friendly happy mood.

They gave me a tetanus shot and some antibiotic. I don't think they gave me
enough antibiotic because they said I couldn't have tetanus because it's rare. One
nurse said I couldn't have it because it comes from the soil. That's when I began
to realize that because I grow my own veg, I'd been working in my garden with
sandals on, before I came in to sew...

I'm so sick now that I can barely get out of bed... well actually I've been better the
last few days and I can be up for about ten minutes before my muscles feel as if
they are turning to concrete.

If I hadn't come to this forum, I wouldn't have recognized the difference between
the uncomfortable somewhat hurting feeling of my muscles seizing up, vs. pain...
you guys seem to have genuine pain a lot of the time. If I try to ignore my muscles
when they tighten, then I get substantial pain, that feels like an apendicitis attack,
but if I just shuffle as fast as I can to bed, then there's no real intense pain to
speak of.

I am so grateful to you for your help.

I'm not quite sure what to do because of how incapacitated I am.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
www.health-boundaries-bite.com/Fingernails.html
Your fingernails reflect your health --
Learn what warning signs to look for --
Karen Kline

Post Edited (Consider) : 11/7/2004 11:46:45 AM (GMT-7)

Consider
Registered Member

Date Joined Nov 2004
Total Posts : 20
Posted Yesterday 12:53 PM (GMT -7)

ampsy said...
hi, Con, I don't think it's tetanus either! that comes out pretty quickly & affects
the jaw muscles first, you said you were in a few car accidents & had a few
whip-lash's, I still think it's pinched nerve's in you neck & back, the spine is
very complex & affects the nerves pain in so many strange parts of the body, it
seems to radiate around & can radiate around all your stomach & make it swell
up, gee us humans a strange critter's!!!
as was sugested by Dawn get another opinion.................

Hi ampsy,
My car accidents were well over ten years ago. I've had pinched nerves several
times, and this doesn't even remotely feel like that.
Because of how much stress I'm under, I don't really pay attention when my neck
is stiff, or my jaw muscles.
I think the fact I have so much more B12 than other older people (speaking on an
average) that the disease couldn't work as fast.

In fact, I've begun to think that when people get it and 4 out of 10 untreated
people survive, that those people are ones who naturally have more B12 in their
systems. Generally speaking, 4 out of 10 people have sufficient B12 in their
systems....

What Jeannie said about getting a tetanus shot every ten years is very important. I
hadn't had one for over 30 years.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
www.health-boundaries-bite.com/Fingernails.html
Your fingernails reflect your health --
Learn what warning signs to look for --
Karen Kline

JulieJR
Veteran Member

Date Joined Feb 2004
Total Posts : 313
Posted Yesterday 10:43 PM (GMT -7)

First of all, Wendy, Annie and I had a fine chat. I called her right after I got your
card. Her computer should be up before long and we should have our girl back.
Consider, When you said red lines, that said red flags up for me. Are the
COMPLETLY gone.
I got those red streaks running up my legs from the tiniest of cuts when I was 12.
Before the docs were thru messing around and got down to doing some doctoring,
I almost lost both legst to blood-poisoning. You might try having a complete blood
work up, if you haven't already.
If you have, I'd go to the next citys' ER and not tell them a thing about your
previous dx. See what they come up with.
Something is definetly wrong with how your case is being handled.
Good luck to you, my friend.

Julie
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

CHASING FULFILLMENT IN LIFE CAN SEEM
JUST AS IMPOSSIBLE AS TAMING A
TORNADO
-unknown

Consider
Registered Member

Date Joined Nov 2004
Total Posts : 20
Posted Today 1:21 AM (GMT -7)

JulieJR said...
First of all, Wendy, Annie and I had a fine chat. I called her right after I got
your card. Her computer should be up before long and we should have our girl
back.
Consider, When you said red lines, that said red flags up for me. Are the
COMPLETLY gone.
I got those red streaks running up my legs from the tiniest of cuts when I was 12.
Before the docs were thru messing around and got down to doing some
doctoring, I almost lost both legst to blood-poisoning. You might try having a
complete blood work up, if you haven't already.
If you have, I'd go to the next citys' ER and not tell them a thing about your
previous dx. See what they come up with.
Something is definetly wrong with how your case is being handled.
Good luck to you, my friend.

Julie

You guys had a chat???
Okay, so I totally agree that my case isn't being handled properly.
and I am so glad to hear that the red lines don't sound totally unfamiliar to you. I
don't think I can drive to the next city, because of how sick I still am. And I think
you are right, that the thing to do would be just to sort of start over and not
mention the past.
The lines weren't completely gone when I stopped soaking my foot in Epsom salts
way back in August. When they got fainter, I thought well, sometimes when I
have a scratch it stays red. So I stopped soaking my foot and forgot about it.

Then this whole thing started at the end of September. When I had the antibiotics,
the lines got fainter, but I ran out of the antibiotics and I couldn't get a doctor to
give me anymore, and the lines got brighter again. I asked my caregiver to find a
big, wide crock pot, and she did. But it took two weeks to get the Epsom salts and
the pot because I only have her 3 hours a week. Since I got the crock pot, I can
keep the water heated. It was way too heavy for me to move the water in any
reasonably sized container, but now I'm stronger and I can ladle out a lot in a
pitcher, and put fresh hot water in. So, the lines are fainter after 2 or three hours
of soaking. But in the morning, they are no longer so faint.
In the morning, my toe feels tender, too. which is really odd because I can't feel
my kitty lick it, when she does. So I think the tenderness must have something to
do with something deep that's wrong.
I think that if the Epsom salts gets rid of the underlying infection...then I might get
a lot better. I think I got better when I had the antibiotic because of that.
But, there's no swelling. Did you have swelling when you were little and had the
red line on your leg? Also, the lines don't go up my leg, they are just ever so tidy
on my toe, under the nail.
What was it in the end that saved your leg?????
Thank you a lot for all the thought you put into this. I appreciate it. I'm feeling
more hopeful.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
www.health-boundaries-bite.com/Fingernails.html
Your fingernails reflect your health --
Learn what warning signs to look for --
Karen Kline

Post Edited (Consider) : 11/8/2004 12:27:37 AM (GMT-7)

jk
Registered Member

Date Joined Oct 2004
Total Posts : 146
Posted Today 11:25 AM (GMT -7)

Hi Consider I went to the store today and bought the b-12 vitamin sublinguils, so
far so good, not sick and I actually feel more energetic too. Oh I think in the
above post by Julie she is speaking to wendy and letting her knw she spoke with a
lady named Annie who is a very strong member of this forum here. ans then she
goes on to speak to you. You seemed confused(lol) ANyways I will keep you
posted about b-12 take care...
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
***Take Care.....Sheryl***
Erma Bombeck said...I May Not Always Understand You, But I'm Always
Willing To Listen.
Erma Bombeck said...If You Can't Stand the Heat.......Turn Off the Stove..

ginny
Veteran Member

Date Joined Feb 2003
Total Posts : 334
Posted Today 11:38 AM (GMT -7)

Hi Consider,
I just read your last post, and when you described the little red line under your toe
nail, and huge red flag went up!!
I'm a regular on the lupus forum, I also have Fibro. the red lines in your nails,
(and you may find them in your finger nails as well), are called Splinter
Hemmorhages. It is an indication that you have vasculitis or inflammation of the
blood vessels. You need to show these to your doctor. I'm going to do a little
investigating aon your symptoms. they don't sound like Fibro to me either. For
me, fibro pain is a big old body ache, all over. If I get poked or bump into
something, I am in extreme pain. It's like a big bruise all over my body. I'll get
back to you shortly, now for some investigating.....

ginny
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
If God brings you to it, He will bring you through it.
Happy moments, praise God.
Difficult moments, seek God.
Quiet moments, worship God.
Painful moments, trust God.
Every moment, thank God.

ginny
Veteran Member

Date Joined Feb 2003
Total Posts : 334
Posted Today 11:55 AM (GMT -7)

Hi consider,
I've gone on the web and typed in "stiff or hard abdominal muscles". I get a pile of
different diseases and conditions. So it's really important to see a different doctor.
I don't think your current doc is handling your situation with the care you need.
If you're curious, type the same words into your search engine and see what
comes up. Maybe something will really hit home for you. Are you having any
other symptoms at all? anything abnormal? Sure wish I could help you more, we
all wish for that!

Keep us posted!!

Ginny
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
If God brings you to it, He will bring you through it.
Happy moments, praise God.
Difficult moments, seek God.
Quiet moments, worship God.
Painful moments, trust God.
Every moment, thank God.

Consider
Registered Member

Date Joined Nov 2004
Total Posts : 20
Posted Today 12:46 PM (GMT -7)

jk said...
Hi Consider I went to the store today and bought the b-12 vitamin sublinguils,
so far so good, not sick and I actually feel more energetic too. Oh I think in the
above post by Julie she is speaking to wendy and letting her knw she spoke with
a lady named Annie who is a very strong member of this forum here. ans then
she goes on to speak to you. You seemed confused(lol) ANyways I will keep you
posted about b-12 take care...

Hi Sheryl, I am so happy to hear that you went to the store and got B12
sublingual... and best of all, that it didn't make you feel sick when you used it. I
am just so happy that I actually am getting tears in my eyes. B12 has made so
much difference in my life... I am so happy to hear someone else having a good
experience with it.
That was really nice of you to explain the message. I was confused by Julie's
message. It's funny how there are some things it's really good to try hard at, and
others that we should just let slip by because they aren't really for us anyway.
The doctor may not have helped me directly, but when he said to research
fibromyalgia and that took me to this forum, it was really really good.
thank you all so much.
Thank you Sheryl for writing : ) I appreciate it.
Yes, please keep me posted on your experience with B12
that will be so good
and I'm keen to hear.   : )
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
www.health-boundaries-bite.com/Fingernails.html
Your fingernails reflect your health --
Learn what warning signs to look for --
Karen Kline

Post Edited (Consider) : 11/8/2004 11:49:02 AM (GMT-7)

jk
Registered Member

Date Joined Oct 2004
Total Posts : 146
Posted Today 12:54 PM (GMT -7)

Hi Consider, thanks again for lettin me know about the b-12 sublinguals, I spoke
with the pharmacist there and he agreed with what you told me, So I hope it
continues to go good with it. Please do try what Ginny suggested and type in your
search engine the diffenet symptoms you have and see what comes up an dif any
of it applies to what you are feeling. I hope you ae able to get there right care you
deserve and need take care.....
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
***Take Care.....Sheryl***
Erma Bombeck said...I May Not Always Understand You, But I'm Always
Willing To Listen.
Erma Bombeck said...If You Can't Stand the Heat.......Turn Off the Stove..

Consider
Registered Member

Date Joined Nov 2004
Total Posts : 20
Posted Today 1:01 PM (GMT -7)

ginny said...
Hi Consider,
I just read your last post, and when you described the little red line under your
toe nail, and huge red flag went up!!
I'm a regular on the lupus forum, I also have Fibro. the red lines in your nails,
(and you may find them in your finger nails as well), are called Splinter
Hemmorhages. It is an indication that you have vasculitis or inflammation of
the blood vessels. You need to show these to your doctor. I'm going to do a little
investigating aon your symptoms. they don't sound like Fibro to me either. For
me, fibro pain is a big old body ache, all over. If I get poked or bump into
something, I am in extreme pain. It's like a big bruise all over my body. I'll get
back to you shortly, now for some investigating.....

ginny

Hi Ginny,
Thank you sooo much. I tried to look them up on the internet when I first got
them, but I couldn't find anything. "Splinter Hemmorhages" sounds like a perfect
name for them... they are so fine, not good-fine, but thin-fine like a splinter.
It seemed to me that my Polish grandparents had talked about this kind of thing
when I was a child, but just their mention of it as not a good thing was all I
remembered. And no one I knew seemed to have any acquaintance with the idea.

I tried to show the doctor, he wouldn't look at my toe, in fact he interrupted me
saying he knew what I was going to say and that I don't have an infection.

I told him that the red lines had gotten fainter when I had antibiotic, and when the
antibiotic ran out, they got worse again and I got much sicker.

He said that the placebo effect could work that way.

So when he said I should research fibromyalgia, I felt like he was insulting me and
really everyone with fibromyalgia.

So you have major pain if you bump into something... all over your body?
That is so NOT like what I'm experiencing.

How do you handle the pain?

The major pain in my right thigh (my injured toe is on my left side) seems to be
diminishing as a result of putting Epsom salt towels -- wet and warm -- on it... and
more B12.

Gosh, how totally nice of you to think about this with me. Thank you so much.
One thing's for sure, it's really scary when a doctor totally ignores you and you
feel so bad. I keep thinking of people who are less aggressive than me, and how
you hear on the news sometimes about someone who died in an ER waiting room
and no one really noticed...

Okay... I'm straying... but I do feel that it would be good if more people had kind
and helpful people to turn to.

Thank you SO much. : )
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
www.health-boundaries-bite.com/Fingernails.html
Your fingernails reflect your health --
Learn what warning signs to look for --
Karen Kline

Consider
Registered Member

Date Joined Nov 2004
Total Posts : 20
Posted Today 1:08 PM (GMT -7)

ginny said...
Hi consider,
I've gone on the web and typed in "stiff or hard abdominal muscles". I get a pile
of different diseases and conditions. So it's really important to see a different
doctor. I don't think your current doc is handling your situation with the care
you need.
If you're curious, type the same words into your search engine and see what
comes up. Maybe something will really hit home for you. Are you having any
other symptoms at all? anything abnormal? Sure wish I could help you more, we
all wish for that!

Keep us posted!!

Ginny

Hi Ginny,
There's a thing called FirstConsult. com (I think it's com) that I found and you can
get a thirty day free trial. I think I filled out the application in such a way that you
couldn't really tell I'm not a doctor or nurse.
That site has really great presentation. You might check it out.

I'll go try the words you used.

I'm feeling like the red lines are the key here... they do go away a little when I
soak my foot in Epsom salts... but that's hours a day and it just takes all my time
because I always have to keep resting.

Okay, I'm going to read the rest of these messages then go type in those words.

Thank you so much ...
Because I'm so sick, I can't drive somewhere else,
and I'm pretty much alone, so I don't have anyone else to drive me...

Do you think the Epsom salts could eventually drive out the infection all together?
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
www.health-boundaries-bite.com/Fingernails.html
Your fingernails reflect your health --
Learn what warning signs to look for --
Karen Kline

Hi again consider, I plugged in some info on my search engine for natural
antibitocs and this is what i came up with, Garlic Oregano oil, Grapefruit seed oil
extract, iodine(seaweed), and food: cabbage(which I think you mentioned before
too) cauliflower, brussel sprouts, broccolli, raw garlic and onions. So I dont know
if these will help or not, but you could try? I am sure those oils are in a health
food store like GNC or somewhere like that, if you can someone to get it for you.
Hope this helps some...
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
***Take Care.....Sheryl***
Erma Bombeck said...I May Not Always Understand You, But I'm Always
Willing To Listen.
Erma Bombeck said...If You Can't Stand the Heat.......Turn Off the Stove..

Consider
Registered Member

Date Joined Nov 2004
Total Posts : 23
Posted Today 3:22 PM (GMT -7)

ginny said...
Hi consider,
I've gone on the web and typed in "stiff or hard abdominal muscles". I get a pile
of different diseases and conditions. So it's really important to see a different
doctor. I don't think your current doc is handling your situation with the care
you need.
If you're curious, type the same words into your search engine and see what
comes up. Maybe something will really hit home for you. Are you having any
other symptoms at all? anything abnormal? Sure wish I could help you more, we
all wish for that!

Keep us posted!!

Ginny

Hi Ginny,
Well I checked out the splinter info, and I don't think it's something that serious
with my heart. It still could be something in my blood, but there weren't that many
pages that were very easy to understand.
The stiff and hard abdominal muscles thing gave me a lot of things to rule out, and
all of them can be ruled out.
One thing that struck me, though, was that tetanus was not mentioned. While if
one reads about tetanus, it talks about tight abdominal muscles. So there's a bit of
a disconnect here.
I should soak my foot again... it takes so much time to soak, and then rest and
then make something to drink with a lot of vitamin C.
I had to move my little oil filled radiator so I could warm the bathroom to take a
shower, and that took so many separate tries... because I couldn't finish it all at
once.
The difference between well and ill is massive.
Thank you again for the suggestions. I really appreciate it.

(I just ate a lot of raw garlic on the suggestion that it acts as a natural antibiotic.)
: )
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
www.health-boundaries-bite.com/Fingernails.html
Your fingernails reflect your health --
Learn what warning signs to look for --
   Karen Kline

Consider
Registered Member

Date Joined Nov 2004
Total Posts : 23
Posted Today 3:32 PM (GMT -7)

JulieJR said...
Consider, I truly think it's time to quit messing around, get to a hospital, and
find out if your body is filled with infection or not. If those red lines fade with
the help of antibiotics somethings up!! If that infection gets to your heart or your
brain, your dead!!
You need to quit trying to diagnose this yourself, quit jacking around with this
quack of a doctor, and find someone who will help you, even if it means calling
an ambulance.
Think about it! You've already lost all sensation in your toe, what's it going to
take to convince you that something is seriously up? We are not MD's here.
PLEASE CALL SOMEONE TO TAKE YOU TO THE HOSPITAL WHERE THEY
CAN TO A COMPLETE BLOOD WORKUP! QUIT TALKING TO THIS DR.
YOU'VE BEEN DEALING WITH AND GET TO A DR. WHO KNOWS WHAT
THEY ARE DOING.
Julie

Yes, that seems perfectly reasonable. But as I say, I was sent here by a doctor
who refused to even look at my toe.
When I went to Whole Life Clinic, October 7, 2004, that's when I had the horrid
contractions in my back and they called an ambulance. The ER doctor insisted I
have a psychological evaluation before he did anything -- except some pain killer
in the IV.

I specifically asked them to call my traumatic brain injury case manager to come
to the hospital to help me explain because with the pain I was having a hard time
and I was MAJOR irritable. But they totally ignored me, except the doctor asked if
I'd had a head operation.

I haven't lost all feeling in my toe. And I had peripheral neuropathy to start.
What scares me is the muscle tightening and how sick I get when I've only been
up a tiny while.
Remember I came to this forum specifically because the second ER doctor said I
had fibromyalgia, but he only wrote down, "myalgias"...
and he said said I should research fibromyalgia.
What I think is that this happens to a lot of people who are in poverty, like me.
Especially if they have brain damage and it's harder for them to explain.

I even tried taking in a journal of the symptoms the second time I went to the ER,
that time I called the ambulance because I'd had a bad contraction in my thigh that
felt like the contractions in my back... but they totally pooh-poohed it saying,
"You wrote up a long explanation." I said it wasn't an explanation, it was day by
day how I felt and what I noticed.

Soooo, now I'm eating garlic and soaking my foot in Epsom salts in lieu of
antibiotic.
I'm getting scared, so I think I'll sign off.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
www.health-boundaries-bite.com/Fingernails.html
Your fingernails reflect your health --
Learn what warning signs to look for --
   Karen Kline

ginny
Veteran Member

Date Joined Feb 2003
Total Posts : 337
Posted Today 4:37 PM (GMT -7)

As per your last question, "will the epsom salts drive out the infection eventually?"
Consider, I don't think this is an infection you're dealing with. If it is vasculitis that
is making the thin lines under your nails, then antibiotics are the furthest thing you
need to be taking. Vasculitis is an inflammatory condition that requires
anti-inflammatory meds to solve it. Meds like prednisone(corticosteroids). The
fact that you have these lines on your legs,makes me even more suspicious. You
also said in one of your postings that the pain in your abdomen feels like an
apendics type pain. I agree with JulieJR, get to a hospital. NOW. I don't like how
all this is sounding either. Something serious is going on and you need help right
away. If you are reading this and haven't seen a doctor or gone to the ER, GO
NOW!!!!!! And don't go to the doctor that you just saw!

We want to hear from you later, so make sure you post okay!!

Prayers are with you,

Ginny
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
If God brings you to it, He will bring you through it.
Happy moments, praise God.
Difficult moments, seek God.
Quiet moments, worship God.
Painful moments, trust God.
Every moment, thank God.

Consider
Registered Member

Date Joined Nov 2004
Total Posts : 23
Posted Today 5:07 PM (GMT -7)

JulieJR said...
Consider, I truly think it's time to quit messing around, get to a hospital, and
find out if your body is filled with infection or not. If those red lines fade with
the help of antibiotics somethings up!! If that infection gets to your heart or your
brain, your dead!!
You need to quit trying to diagnose this yourself, quit jacking around with this
quack of a doctor, and find someone who will help you, even if it means calling
an ambulance.
Think about it! You've already lost all sensation in your toe, what's it going to
take to convince you that something is seriously up? We are not MD's here.
PLEASE CALL SOMEONE TO TAKE YOU TO THE HOSPITAL WHERE THEY
CAN TO A COMPLETE BLOOD WORKUP! QUIT TALKING TO THIS DR.
YOU'VE BEEN DEALING WITH AND GET TO A DR. WHO KNOWS WHAT
THEY ARE DOING.
Julie

I sent a copy of this posting and others to St. Vincent Hospital's CEO via their
web site, and then I copied that to various other people like the clinic I went to,
my former therapist, my TBI case manager, the man at Department of Vocational
Rehabilitation that I used to see for help, and many others...
(Jill Ryan, Corrine Romero, Alan Graham, info@wholelifeclinic.org
<info@wholelifeclinic.org>; Velma Root <VRoot@nmqio.sdps.org>; Traumatic
Brain Injury; Carrie Cole, Claire Zimmerman <Czimmerm@aafp.org>;
senator_bingaman@bingaman.senate.gov
<senator_bingaman@bingaman.senate.gov>; Stahl, Cindra
<cstahl@hpc.state.nm.us>; Heidi Hunt <hhunt@motherearthnews.com>

I also copied all of these posts into a web page:
it's not very well done because I'm not very well,
but you can sort of get the idea...
the idea was that all of them would be in one place so I wouldn't have to copy
them to people one at a time, but then I did copy them to the CEO because I was
afraid he wouldn't bother to go to my web page....

my web page on this is at:

www.health-boundaries-bite.com/My-Doctors-Failed-Me.html

Thanks you guys.
You were so much help.
I'm glad the ER gave me some antibiotic,
but I sure wish they'd given me enough.... or at least touched my toe to see how
it's painful to the touch even though the injury was in mid-August.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
www.health-boundaries-bite.com/Fingernails.html
Your fingernails reflect your health --
Learn what warning signs to look for --
   Karen Kline

Post Edited (Consider) : 11/8/2004 4:10:40 PM (GMT-7)