Hi all, my name is Jude, aka 'plantiques'. I live in North Texas, zone 7... been actively gardening for 15 years. I'm 40 years old, have a fantastic husband and two wonderful kids.
I was diagnosed with fibro and tmj about 15 years ago, which are the least of my problems. I have suffered from the autoimmune disease CAD aka 'cold agglutinin disease' for about 20 years which was finally diagonosed about 6 years ago. CAD is literally being allergic to the cold... anything below 67 degrees can cause my blood to hemolize (hemolysis) and clot. Unfortunately, I have had the blood clot in my brain on several occasions and have had 5 strokes as a result. I am partially paralyzed, my worst stroke was on the right side of my brain, which left the left side of my body without sensation, though, I can control it fairly well after many years of practice. It also reduced the vision in my left eye to about 25%. I can't eat ice cream, or hold cold soda cans as they can cause frostbite. The upshot is, my husband does the grocery shopping as I can't go into the freezer sections!
I have my share of horror stories, like when I had my first stroke and went to the ER. I told them I thought I had a stroke, they said it was probably just a migraine and let me sit for 7 hours in the waiting room... it turned out to be a stroke, but it was too late for the clot busting drugs that would have reduced the damage done to my brain!
I have good days, and bad days... especially when I get too cold and my spleen grows to the size of a basketball! Overall though, I am scrappy and tend to ignore my disabilities. I am a big "do-it-yourself-er" and if I can't do something, I figure out a way! I look forward to reading this forum, getting to know you all, and sharing ideas. Now I'm off to work on a rock garden I am building...
Thanks for listening...
Jude aka 'plantiques'
p.s. my other interest is antiques... especially garden related items.
Hello, would like to introduce myself...
Welcome, Plantiques!!! You'll find many interesting people on this site, so please feel free to jump right in and participate.
Many of us are disabled as well, but WOW, CAD sounds really frightening and debilitating. It's wonderful that you have been able to maintain such an upbeat attitude, and continue to stay busy. Most find gardening very rewarding and relaxing, so please share your experiences, joys, triumphs, and, yes, your failures too. We all have them and try to comfort one another as well as rejoice with each other.
I look forward to hearing more from you around the site!
From another fibro, who has back problems as well.
Judith
Hi JudithI ......I was born and raised as a Judith I... last name was "Irish", now I am a Judith H, though everyone calls me Jude. Thanks for the warm welcome! Lots of interesting forums and discussions going on. Just saw a discussion on homeschooling that I may contribute to. Homeschooled my two, 20 and 17, who are both now in college. This is really a fantastic site!
I'm curious to know who else with fibro has low thyroid. The two problems showed up within a couple of years of each other, and other people I've met with fibro often have low thyroid. Sorry to hear about your back pain, I know a bit about that too as a car wreck reversed the curvature of my neck and I have bone spurs on c4 and c5. I have a fabulous internist who recognized it immediately. His opinion was that my car wreck (I was hit head-on) was the precipitating trauma that brought on the fibro and definitely the TMJ.
Which also makes me wonder, because many of the people I have met with fibro have also been in car wrecks prior to diagnosis. It seems there could be a host of contributing factors. Admittedly, I don't keep up with the latest info like I used to. I generally stay pain free as long as I take my meds...
400mg Neurontin.... helps both fibro and zinging nerves caused by my strokes.
1/2 Klonipin, it definitely helps, but I only take 1/2 a pill because it makes me very tired and is quite addictive.
cyclobenzaprine, mild nonaddictive muscle relaxer... may be the generic name of relafil?
Vioxx
I can go two months at a stretch with nary a peep from the fibro, then wham! It hurts to even sit on the john! Usually my bouts last about 4 days, then it eases up. Probably what I hate more than the pain is the fibrofog which was compounded by my strokes. I have extremely short term memory, about 15-20 seconds. So you can imagine how it feels when in the middle of conversation you completely forget what you were saying and have to say, "what were we talking about?" Anyhow, now I am doing the other thing I tend to do, which is prattle on... so, I'll stop now :)
Thanks again for saying hello!
Jude-plantiques
Jude, welcome to Dave's Garden. I can't say enough good about the people here and Dave and Trish in particular.
I have had Fibro since age 5 tho the correct name was never put on it until January of '96. I'm 61 now so have lived with it a long time. What I hate the most is the constant nagging aches and stiffness and the chronic fatigue. I have had a few time when it was sort of in remission so to speak for months but it always came back and then was worse than before. Or at least it seemed that way. I hate it that I had to take SS disability at an early age. But I can't be all that dependable as an employee so it was the right thing to do. At that time I was in a wheel chair for awhile. But when I read the stories of others I give thanks that I am no worse than I am because it makes me realize just how well off I am. I take lots of meds but have to get the combinations just right or they don't do much good.
That CAD sounds absolutely horrid. I can hardly imagine living with that one. Another reminder of how GOD is looking out for my welfare. Not that HE isn't looking out for yours. I don't mean it that way. I sometimes say things the wrong way and people misunderstand and get upset with me. Sorry if I offend at times.
I hope you do go to the homeschool forum and give support and advice. We did some homeschooling too. Most recently 3 years with a grandson who lived with us for that time.
GOD bless and keep each and all of you.
A number of us with disabilities have trouble sleeping, so we have a "Nightowl's" thread on Jokes & Chat forum. If you find yourself up late pm/early am, feel free to join us. You too, Leaflady!
Welcome to DG! I am sure if you look around at many of the forums here at DG you will find out that this is a "family" on the internet. Don't be afraid to post on any of the threads either. Almost everyone here welcomes another "face" in our crowd. I joined wayyyyy back when there was probably less than 1200 "faces" here but we have managed to keep our "small town" atmosphere for the most part. Since I have lots of aches and pains I am up late night too most nights so the Nightowl thread that Judith told you about is a wonderful spot for me too.
In case you can't tell I ramble on too. You are in the correct forum for that too here. LOL
Lani pronounced Lawn hard E
Welcome Jude. You've come to a great place. You will find many others who suffer from a great deal of pain for one reason or another but everyone always manages to be upbeat. You'll find lots of support here, especially when you are having a 'bad' day.
I was most interested in your comment about fibro and tmj occurring after a car accident. That is exactly what happened to me.You gotta wonder don't you? You hear of so many who have experienced the same thing.
Dianne
Thanks for the "Howdy" leaf, pond, and kidney! It is pleasure to meet you all!
Jude
I was just wandering around Dave's garden this morning and stumbled into this site. Welcome to Dave's, Plantique/Jude - I like that your name expresses both your main interests/ hobbies. Mine is for gardening and photography.
I also collect things. All kinds of things. My house looks like Maude's trailer in Harold and Maude. I live alone so there's no one else to please and I love pretty things all around. buried in dust as they may be.
Gotta go now, move the water to somewhere else, yep I'm watering. from now til winter, more or less all the time. Hope to see you on the other forums.
Have really almost ''stumbled'' upon this thread, Hi my name is Marion and to be quite truthful i never came here right away because for the past 3 years or so all of my pen pals [CHristian Organisation] have a lot of health problems like myself,, and was thinking that I just wanted to talk about gardening which I loved [ and still do] but my health deteriorated so much that for the past 5 yrs have not been able to do much of anything [ this started way before the]...I was poisoned with mercury tho [ dental] that came to light about 10 years ago. and because of all of the other metals ie: alluminum, nickle etc., I have metal toxicity...What I did want to mention without going into a whole load ofexplanations...that this has caused amongst other thing..TMJ...CHRONIC FATIGUE,FIBROMYALGIA, CHRONIC HEADACHES..MIGRAINE..VERY LOW BLOOD PRESSURE..VERY LOW THYROID..HOLMONES ALL STRESSED OUT...ADRENALSTRESS HORMONE VERY HIGH..THYMUS...PANCREAS, FORGETFULNESS, SHORT MEMORY SPAN [ I HAVE MERCURY IN MY BRAIN CELLS AND HEART MUSCLES] EXTREMELY LOW CIRCULATION, BLOOD DISORDER..VERY HIGH WHITE CELL COUNT..VERY LOW RED BLOOD COUNT.. VERY ANAEMIC...LIVER PROBLEMS, KIDNEY PROBLEMS, IMMUNE SYSTEM NOT FUNCTIONING PROPERLY, INABILITY TO DIGEST FOOD, INABILITY TO DIGEST PROTEIN..SEVERE PAIN, STOMACH PROBLEMS, MERCURY IS IN MOST OF MY BODY, so will need to go on chelation again...also wanted to mention that I had 2 badly infected root canals [ mercury poisoning also contributes to this] so this has made condition worse.. because of bacteria and parasites...I have just been through another very rough surgery on my mouth, and am not healing too well [ pain is incredible]
I am also completely allergic to most drugs, so pain medication is out..I am allergic to most of everything, including food..[barbeques, gas, deisel, fumes, paint.perfume etc.. now make me ill]
All of my food is completely organic and the doctors and denists I see now are holistic or practice natural medicine [or dentistry] I now try to help as many people as I can with mercury fillings if they have been tested because a lot of the problems that people have [ and children..God bless them] are related to mercury poisoning..you can get blood tests and a very good hair test but only 2 clinics that I know of give the best results [ all clinics are not alike]...
If you would want to know anything else please email me or post...I will do whatever I can to help out...marion...
Marion, I recently got mercury poisoning, after I ha a large qamalgam fiilling removed without precautions, I was unusually ill, then my 6 yr old dreamed I died, and I prayed and realized death was at my door. I got help from friends, prayer and holisticly, this happened in Sept. Then had another removed two weeks later with precautions followed, still ingested some. Now I am putting off dental work till I cann find an affordabl;e holisitic one. This was so scary. I have had a lot of TIAs before. But now when I have them my heart acts up with it, is this from the mercuiry? I thought I got it all out, but maybe not. Any info I would appreciate.
Plantiques & leaflady , judith, Lani, Dianne, blooms, and others, nice to meet you. I am glad I am not the only one who likes to live as though I am not disabled. My children don't even know, they just know sometimes I have to rest after working too hard.
I just came to check out this forum cause I couldn't sleep. Now I am ffinally getting tired.
I have had fibro & tmj before, and was in car accident. Now just my spinal cord & TIAs are the main limitation. I try to respect my body's limitations, sometimes overdo...
Good night to all!
Welcome to Dave's
Jude, I didn't know there was such a disease. How interesting, to me anyway. Probably no to you. So sorry to hear of such a disease.I to am ill with Hep C and am taking meds which make me feel like heck, 5 days a week.Only 4 months left to go.Hopefully this time the treatments will cure me. I hope you like Dave's Garden this is a great place.Sooo many wonderful people here. If I can ever help just let me know. Jody
Hope your treatments are successful Jody..
Tamara, I never had my mouth tented when I had my amalgams removed..it is very crucial that you have chelation treatments [definately need to go on a detox treatment program] must get that mercury out..I now have it in my brain cells [ the hardest place to remove] and the heart muscles..when I felt so ill recently after jaw surgery [ 3 hrs with a vit.C IV plus anti biotics in the IV] I found out [ thru this AMALGAM group which I post to] that anti biotics interferes with the mercury in the intestines and makes you ill..so this is what happened to me...
So much mercury in our food..fish etc., so you must check..Because the dentists use Amalgam [ different metals] you also can have other metals in your body [ all poison] ie copper, aluminum, nickel to name a few..also arsenic which is a bye product of copper I believe..I am afraid that treatments can get very expensive..one thing you need to do is a hair test but it does not always show up [ mercury] even when you have it bad..the best test I have had to date is the QX machine, developed by a professor from NASSA a Dr. Wm Reynolds [?] the machine is amazing and is very accurate, runs $70-$100 but worth every penny...we have spent thousands over the past 10 yrs...it is so expensive to get the help you need...and yes you do need a highly qualified holistic dentist who can help you and give you a special diet to follow [supplements] I am sorry to say again that it does cost a lot..and you must have organic..food [ you must stay away from chemicals] all of this stuff chemicals etc., compounds the problem, as your immune system gets overloaded and your body cannot cope..however this is only when it has gone on for years and it is a severe case which mine was and is....There are also a lot of very good books and web sites..check into mercola.com his website [ under mercury] gives some great info..there are others too..but he is a Christian doctor and well respected...If there is a particular thing that you want to know you could email me if you want or I can post here...it is just taking up so much room...which I hope nobody minds...so much to find out about..you cannot let it stay in your body tho...as it does effect sleep, hormones, liver and kidneys [which is where I am] thyroid, heart,etc.,
[ nerves, memory ] fibro. chronic fatigue, memory loss etc ., it is a poison, and God never intended that we should have this stuff in our mouths or bodies...Unfortunately, there are chemicals and metals [mercury] every where...so we hve to be educated too so that we can avoid as much of it as we can...in my final statement I would say to you to stay away completely from aluminum..my body is full of it andit is a very dangerous metal to have in access...I want to wish you all the best, marion