Flaring Up

Published Apr 24, 2015

3,663 Posts

Specializes in ICU.

I have fibro and have done very well with keeping it under control since being in school. I've made sure to get plenty of sleep and been avoiding prednisone and antibiotics like the plague because they make me flare-up every time. When this happens, I can't be touched at all. My skin is so sensitive and my muscles rigid. It hurts to shower and brush my hair. I get miserable and no amount of pain meds will touch it.

The past few months every time I get my period, I get a migraine. Every time. But it only last 12-24 hours then it's gone and I go about my business. This month I had rebound headaches with nausea and vomiting. After 5 days I went to my family physician who is awesome and he gave me a Toradol shot and some Phenergran. He knows I'm in nursing school and I have his full support. He also prescribed me prednisone for the inflammation in my neck. The muscles were spasming out of control. I gave in and took it because my head and neck hurt so bad and I had a 12 hour clinical today and I wanted that headache gone!! The Toradol worked great. Headache gone in 15 minutes. I only took a couple Phenergrans because with the headache gone the vomiting went away.

Today the flare-up came. Today was my clinical. I was in the ER. I made it though. In the ER, I didn't even have time to feel the pain I was so busy. It felt good to be moving. I felt relief when the day was over. I managed to make my kiddo dinner.

I think I'm more worried about having to sit in a chair for 8 hours tomorrow. It's bad enough when I'm not in pain. Being in pain is going to be killer. But, I did prove one thing to myself today, I can make it being in pain. I can do this. A flare-up will not keep me down. It also reminded me not to take that darn Prednisone anymore no matter how bad my head hurts!!!!!!

On a side note, I go back to the doc on Monday for a follow-up on the headaches. His goal Tuesday was just to get it under control and me functioning again which he did. I honestly just think it's my wacky hormones at work right now. I also have PCOS. I did very good with it for a couple of years. But my periods have steadily gotten worse over the past 6 mos and I've been getting awful headaches. My weight has recently gone up drastically so I think there is an issue there. We will see.