Monday, Monday

There is just little that is better than a weekday that you don't have to get up and go to work on. Combine that with the knowledge that I don't have to go back until January 5 and I am quite happy!  I have the Christmas shopping all done (although in typical teen manner, my son sent me a text in the middle of the night to say there was something else he wanted.) Of course, the wrapping of said presents is another matter and that is largely undone. Avoidance, thy name is Deb!

Yesterday I managed to finish several handmade presents and even get them into gift bags. I think the Cymbalta is working since my pain levels have been fairly low - no more than a 3 or 4 and that level towards the end of the day after I'd been pushing it. Even better, so far there have been no side effects. I'll admit, I was worried about nausea given the issues I have with my stomach but so far so good. Hopefully that will continue when I switch to the full dosage at the end of the week.

Today I'm going to share one of the things that most people do without a second thought that I dread. Ready?

Driving.

Yep, you read that right. I never thought I'd say this but I hate the thought of driving. Overall, I avoid it whenever possible. Sometimes, though, that's just not possible. Like, you know, when you work. Even though I don't have work today, I know I have driving ahead of me since I have to take my son to school (25 miles away from home) for drum line practice. Normally, I'd pawn this job off on my husband but he is responsible for getting the RV serviced today. Plus, I need to drop off a present at a friend's house and buy food for the puppies.

So, you might be wondering, why do I dread driving? For the simple fact that it hurts. Short, local
trips aren't bad but that trip to school/work is long enough that I'm pretty much guaranteed to be in pain by the end of it.  Pain in my neck from having to hold my head up and focus on what's going on around me (and we won't even get into how hard it is some days to maintain the necessary focus to drive safely!) Pain in my hands and wrists from holding the steering wheel. Pain in my lower back and hips from sitting for a long period without really being able to move. A feeling of weakness in my thighs (I've got to admit I don't have a real clue about this one.) Pain in my foot, ankle, and calf
from moving between the gas and brake pedals.

This is fibromyalgia. It's dealing with pain caused by things most people don't think anything about. For that matter, it's dealing with pain that you can't find any reason for. You certainly didn't do anything to cause or earn it. It's dealing with a myriad and ever changing smorgasbord of symptoms like itching, fatigue, weakness, neuropathy, and just generally feeling like crap. It's exhausting and it's depressing. And one of the hardest things to come to grips with is that it's never going to go away. Fibromyalgia doesn't go away. There's no magic pill or treatment they can give you to cure it. The best you can hope for is to find something, like the Cymbalta and pain meds, that will keep things at a level that allows you to be a functioning member of the human race.