Mamanell
07-08-2001, 10:35 PM
Oh you guys, I am so sorry my post to Al turned into such a mess, but you all are right. I should have just ignored it. Thanks for all the concern and support.
I replied to some of the posts. Hope it helped.
Let's just forget about that one. I'm trying to.
Now, on with the show! I went back to the rheumie on Thursday and he is sending me for massage therapy next week. Don't know if it will help or not, but I'm willing to give it a shot. Anyone already done this? I know it's probably on here somewhere, but I'm too tired tonight to search.
This has been a trying week. My daycare is being investigated for possible abuse. I am soooo fired up. Of course we have found a new daycare, but if I find out it's true, man oh man!
Thanks again and remember to take care of YOU!
Nell
I replied to some of the posts. Hope it helped.
Let's just forget about that one. I'm trying to.
Now, on with the show! I went back to the rheumie on Thursday and he is sending me for massage therapy next week. Don't know if it will help or not, but I'm willing to give it a shot. Anyone already done this? I know it's probably on here somewhere, but I'm too tired tonight to search.
This has been a trying week. My daycare is being investigated for possible abuse. I am soooo fired up. Of course we have found a new daycare, but if I find out it's true, man oh man!
Thanks again and remember to take care of YOU!
Nell
Sponsor
Fawnnie1st
07-09-2001, 04:55 PM
Welcome back!!!! Good to see you again! Your experiences and comments have helped me alot even though I've only been around the board for a short time. I've tried massage therapy over the years for "aches and pains" before being diagnosed and have actually had some success at times with it. Go at it with an open mind like we have to all new things they come up with for us to try. I will be praying for it to give you some relief. As for the daycare situation..YUCK..stick it to them if it is proven--nothing worse in this world than abusing the young or the old! Glad you were able to find another daycare so quickly!! YOu are in my prayers on all points here! Really glad to have you back!!!!!!!!
Mamanell
07-09-2001, 05:20 PM
Thanks for the support and the advice and I do very much appreciate the prayers.
As for the daycare, it's just about broke my heart into. If they find proof of these allegations, this person had better be on the run!
Glad you're with us Fawnnie. Can you give us a little info on your diagnosis? How long have you had it? What you are doing to help yourself? What kind of doctor are you seeing? Things like that?
{{{{Hugs}}}}
Nell
As for the daycare, it's just about broke my heart into. If they find proof of these allegations, this person had better be on the run!
Glad you're with us Fawnnie. Can you give us a little info on your diagnosis? How long have you had it? What you are doing to help yourself? What kind of doctor are you seeing? Things like that?
{{{{Hugs}}}}
Nell
Allen
07-09-2001, 05:35 PM
Hey Mama! Welcome back to this exciting site! I don't think anything you said was off base or uncaring. Speaking the truth with compassion is something not all who visit this site have mastered. Hope the massage helps. God bless, the Ultram Kid, Al
lj-111
07-12-2001, 12:14 AM
Well Goody your back. I missed you & worried about you something fierce... Having said that, "DON'T YOU EVER DO THAT TO ME AGAIN"
:)
About the massage therapy, I have not tried it but man does it sound good. Mmmm Mmmm Mmmm
About the day care.. Oh that makes me so mad I can't stand it... I am not even gonna get started Mama... You know how I feel about that stuff.. You go and kick some serious tail Nell.. Thats your baby... I am praying for the best and if there is anything I can do, let me know!! Oh I am so mad I can't write..
Still, I am glad to hear from you...
Hugs......
Lisa
:)
About the massage therapy, I have not tried it but man does it sound good. Mmmm Mmmm Mmmm
About the day care.. Oh that makes me so mad I can't stand it... I am not even gonna get started Mama... You know how I feel about that stuff.. You go and kick some serious tail Nell.. Thats your baby... I am praying for the best and if there is anything I can do, let me know!! Oh I am so mad I can't write..
Still, I am glad to hear from you...
Hugs......
Lisa
karen roden
07-12-2001, 03:15 PM
Hello Allen I am new to the message board. I have FM and I am taking Ultram for the pain. I wondered if you would tell me if you or anyone else is having any side effects from the Ultram. I am experiencing alot of swelling also dizziness. Please write back
if anyone else is taking Ultram and are having any side effects from it.
if anyone else is taking Ultram and are having any side effects from it.
Allen
07-12-2001, 06:12 PM
Hi Karen: because our bodies are so individual, we react to meds differently. Ultram has been a big help to me, but constipation has been a challenge. Your doc should work with you to find the best med with the fewest side effects. Many of these side effects go away in time or can be overcome by various means(changing dosage, increasing fiber in diet, taking at bedtime to minimize sedation, etc.). Hope you get all the help you need. Al
lj-111
07-12-2001, 11:57 PM
Originally posted by karen roden:
Hello Allen I am new to the message board. I have FM and I am taking Ultram for the pain. I wondered if you would tell me if you or anyone else is having any side effects from the Ultram. I am experiencing alot of swelling also dizziness. Please write back
if anyone else is taking Ultram and are having any side effects from it.
Karen,
Hi! It's Lisa.. You didn't really get specific in your details, but I think you should report your symptoms to your doc immediately. Swelling & diziness can mean an allergic reaction which can be fatal.
As far as the Ultram, I have taken Ultram for 3 years now. Before I just took it when ever the doctor gave it to me with Lorcet for pain. Like, when I had an impacted wisdom tooth or bad sinus headaches, ear infections & so on. He always gives me Ultram with other pain meds because my stomache is so sensitive sometimes as I have Gastro Esophageal Reflux Disease (GERD) and a hiatal hernia, & there are times when Ultram is all I can stand. I have been taking Ultram 50mg every day since November of 2000 every 4-6 hours. I am very familliar with this drug.
Allen is right about every person being different & their reactions to medications can be basically the same, or it can be totally different or even unique. That is one of the main reasons we are never to share our medicines with others. There is also the matter of your own personal health and/or illnesses. Your doctor prescribes certain things just for you because he knows what will benefit you, or hurt you. Also, since Ultram is a class N med & has not been classified as a narcotic, doctors are at this time, able to prescribe it for pain a bit more freely than the other controlled drugs, for now any ways. Just keep in mind that there are other things he "can" prescribe for you that will better agree with your system if indeed the Ultram is affecting you in a negative manner.
That having been said; Ultram causes (for the most part & for most people), the basic type of sedative effects. It is likely to cause drowsiness & dizziness, and especially for the first week or two of therapy. For a lot of people, once your body adjusts to it, those symptoms tend to decrease or even subside almost completely. Though, I can honestly say that I still get drowsy if I am not busy & I am just sitting around doing nothing. I do still get dizzy sometimes too, and I did quite a bit in the first couple of weeks on it. The thing that bothers me most about what you said is the ""swelling"". I don't know exactly what you are experiencing, but swelling is a bad sign regardless of what your taking. It could be something else too. If your throat, face, feet or hands are swelling, these are serious signs of an allergic reaction to something that may be the Ultram or maybe something else. Either way, you need to report that to your doctor & at least call your pharmacist, ok? They can help a lot with that too.
And please, if you experience any difficulty in breathing or break out with a rash or hives or itch a lot, go straight to your doctor or to the emergency room (ER is better). I almost died in January from an allergic reaction to an antibiotic. I started off with diziness, then itching, then hives, then it was getting harder to breathe. After the 4th day of diziness the itching started. From the itching to the scene at my docs office was only about 12 hours. I went to my doctor and almost died in his office. I ended up getting 5 shots and was on oxygen and every thing for 3 hours. He said 5 more minutes and I would have been dead. Whats more, I had taken that same antibiotic for years and years with never a problem. Now I have to check every thing I take to make sure it has no sulfa in it. You'd be surprised how much stuff does. Even Celebrex contains sulfanomides. I got that from a doctor & was reading the label & saw it before I took one, thank God. I chewed that doctor out too. Just the same, you could be allergic to Tramadol(the ingredient in Ultram).
Anti depressants commonly cause reactions as well. Anything can. Food,animals,insects etc.
I am not trying to alarm you or scare you real bad or any thing, I just think you should take this very seriously just in case. Don't be like I was and blow it off & not wanna make a big deal or bother the doctor. That attitude almost costed me life.. I certainly don't want any thing to happen to you.. So if you are still experiencing the dizziness along with swelling, please do something about it, please. I mean it...Good luck & let me know what happens with you...
Lisa
Hello Allen I am new to the message board. I have FM and I am taking Ultram for the pain. I wondered if you would tell me if you or anyone else is having any side effects from the Ultram. I am experiencing alot of swelling also dizziness. Please write back
if anyone else is taking Ultram and are having any side effects from it.
Karen,
Hi! It's Lisa.. You didn't really get specific in your details, but I think you should report your symptoms to your doc immediately. Swelling & diziness can mean an allergic reaction which can be fatal.
As far as the Ultram, I have taken Ultram for 3 years now. Before I just took it when ever the doctor gave it to me with Lorcet for pain. Like, when I had an impacted wisdom tooth or bad sinus headaches, ear infections & so on. He always gives me Ultram with other pain meds because my stomache is so sensitive sometimes as I have Gastro Esophageal Reflux Disease (GERD) and a hiatal hernia, & there are times when Ultram is all I can stand. I have been taking Ultram 50mg every day since November of 2000 every 4-6 hours. I am very familliar with this drug.
Allen is right about every person being different & their reactions to medications can be basically the same, or it can be totally different or even unique. That is one of the main reasons we are never to share our medicines with others. There is also the matter of your own personal health and/or illnesses. Your doctor prescribes certain things just for you because he knows what will benefit you, or hurt you. Also, since Ultram is a class N med & has not been classified as a narcotic, doctors are at this time, able to prescribe it for pain a bit more freely than the other controlled drugs, for now any ways. Just keep in mind that there are other things he "can" prescribe for you that will better agree with your system if indeed the Ultram is affecting you in a negative manner.
That having been said; Ultram causes (for the most part & for most people), the basic type of sedative effects. It is likely to cause drowsiness & dizziness, and especially for the first week or two of therapy. For a lot of people, once your body adjusts to it, those symptoms tend to decrease or even subside almost completely. Though, I can honestly say that I still get drowsy if I am not busy & I am just sitting around doing nothing. I do still get dizzy sometimes too, and I did quite a bit in the first couple of weeks on it. The thing that bothers me most about what you said is the ""swelling"". I don't know exactly what you are experiencing, but swelling is a bad sign regardless of what your taking. It could be something else too. If your throat, face, feet or hands are swelling, these are serious signs of an allergic reaction to something that may be the Ultram or maybe something else. Either way, you need to report that to your doctor & at least call your pharmacist, ok? They can help a lot with that too.
And please, if you experience any difficulty in breathing or break out with a rash or hives or itch a lot, go straight to your doctor or to the emergency room (ER is better). I almost died in January from an allergic reaction to an antibiotic. I started off with diziness, then itching, then hives, then it was getting harder to breathe. After the 4th day of diziness the itching started. From the itching to the scene at my docs office was only about 12 hours. I went to my doctor and almost died in his office. I ended up getting 5 shots and was on oxygen and every thing for 3 hours. He said 5 more minutes and I would have been dead. Whats more, I had taken that same antibiotic for years and years with never a problem. Now I have to check every thing I take to make sure it has no sulfa in it. You'd be surprised how much stuff does. Even Celebrex contains sulfanomides. I got that from a doctor & was reading the label & saw it before I took one, thank God. I chewed that doctor out too. Just the same, you could be allergic to Tramadol(the ingredient in Ultram).
Anti depressants commonly cause reactions as well. Anything can. Food,animals,insects etc.
I am not trying to alarm you or scare you real bad or any thing, I just think you should take this very seriously just in case. Don't be like I was and blow it off & not wanna make a big deal or bother the doctor. That attitude almost costed me life.. I certainly don't want any thing to happen to you.. So if you are still experiencing the dizziness along with swelling, please do something about it, please. I mean it...Good luck & let me know what happens with you...
Lisa
lj-111
07-13-2001, 12:11 AM
Hi Allen...
Hope this post finds you well, PAIN FREE & happy. I was reading where you told Karen that Ultram constipates you. That is a perfect example of how different we all react to things as you & I was telling Karen above!! I say that, because it's the only pain med I can take that doesn't constipate me!! Ha Ha.. Aint that crazy?
Anyway, if you like cucumbers, I find that they do a great job as a laxative. I have heard a lot of others say the same. One thing I do also, is I stay away from as much cheese & milk (hard for me, I love em') & all other binding products as I can when I am taking hydrocodone or any of the other pain meds. lol.. I was just thinking about this conversation.. Oh well, ya gotta dump right? No since in acting like we don't use the bathroon just because it's a crappy topic.. (Pun Intended)..
Any hoot, maybe everyone will see this post and throw their two cents in. I'd like to hear some other natural remedies for constipation. The food type. I won't take chemicals & I can't hack drinking liquid sand & saw dust (Fiber Powders).. Sorry, no can do..
Later,
Lisa
Hope this post finds you well, PAIN FREE & happy. I was reading where you told Karen that Ultram constipates you. That is a perfect example of how different we all react to things as you & I was telling Karen above!! I say that, because it's the only pain med I can take that doesn't constipate me!! Ha Ha.. Aint that crazy?
Anyway, if you like cucumbers, I find that they do a great job as a laxative. I have heard a lot of others say the same. One thing I do also, is I stay away from as much cheese & milk (hard for me, I love em') & all other binding products as I can when I am taking hydrocodone or any of the other pain meds. lol.. I was just thinking about this conversation.. Oh well, ya gotta dump right? No since in acting like we don't use the bathroon just because it's a crappy topic.. (Pun Intended)..
Any hoot, maybe everyone will see this post and throw their two cents in. I'd like to hear some other natural remedies for constipation. The food type. I won't take chemicals & I can't hack drinking liquid sand & saw dust (Fiber Powders).. Sorry, no can do..
Later,
Lisa
Fawnnie1st
07-16-2001, 02:09 AM
Well, Mamanell, briefly this is me. I've had many of the symptoms of FMS for several..about 6-7 years...and didn't put it all together even though I am a RN and have a sister-in-law diagnosed with it. I've always written the sleeping problems off with many different excuses and the fog off as due to tiredness or anything else I could come up with at the time. Years ago I was treated for migraines and depression and got enough of "it's all in your head" treatment back then so I never discussed most of my symptoms with my MD. When I would have pain, wherever it might be, I could usually convince myself that I had "done something" to cause it and treat it as best I could with OTC meds. I studied up on and learned to perform some acupressure treatments on myself and had my husband do the ones I couldn't do myself. We also learned how to perform some massage therapy techniques that he would use to help ease my pain when it worked, which it didn't always. My mother-in-law has MS, a sister-in-law has FMS, and my husband broke his back several years ago. All of them have pushed hard and not given up despite their limitations and pain. They just keep pluggin along so I have always been able to say, "if they can, you can" to motivate myself when the going got rough. Besides, I've always felt kinda selfish complaining around them after all they've been through. There have been less than a handful of times in the time span of these years that I would experience some pain that would linger and get so severe that I would have to see my MD, just a general practioner that I've seen all my life. He would usually give me a steroid injection for inflammation, prescribe muscle relaxants, and some type of pain pill to "get me over the hump". During this past winter, I started having low back pain that got progressively worse to the point that I saw another MD since my usual one had retired. He had my history and medical records from over the years and informed me that he thought my back pain was another manifestation of my Fibromyalgia.....I was in shock. I had never been diagnosed that I knew of, but sure enough, it was written down there in black and white where the MD had put it down 5 years ago. I"ve since contacted him and inquired as to why he never told me. He asked me if I had rather to of signed up for test after test, tried all sorts of meds and treatments and so on or had I enjoyed the last 5 years of my life. He figured as long as I wasn't having any more problems than I was, the situation was best left alone...LOL! I'm really glad that he did it the way he did looking back, but anyway....after the new MD told me about it, I thought I'd better be positively diagnosed one way or the other and have since been positively diagnosed by history, symptoms, and the 'points of tenderness/pain deal'(whatever it is called, can't remember right now--too late at night). Since I am still relatively active the majority of the time and only have severe pain occasionally, we've decided to do without meds as long as possible. When I have "bad spells", muscle relaxants and Ultram seem to work nicely. My family is very understanding about the fatigue, pain, fog, my limitations, and that some days just ain't so good. I do what I can when I can and foey on the rest of it. If folks don't like it, their problem--not mine. So, as I said in my very first post, I am very blessed to not be in any worse shape than I am. I'm a country girl to the core and I intend to do as much as I can for as long as I can. It's alot of work, but I love my life and wouldn't change it for all the money in the world. If FMS has to be a part of it, so be it. Better go to bed now, another beautiful day to greet and enjoy in a few short hours. Hope this tells you what you wanted to know. Until next time, everyone is in my prayers and I hope I'm in their's.
Hmmmmmm, didn't turn out to be so brief, did it?
Hmmmmmm, didn't turn out to be so brief, did it?
Mamanell
07-16-2001, 02:40 PM
Hi Fawnnie1st, Thanks for the update. It helps to know a little about each persons diagnosis. Sounds like you've had this DD for a while. I know how you feel about not complaining when it seems like others are worse off. But fibro's victims are the only ones that really know how painful and bad this thing is. We don't really look ill.
Are you still working as a RN. That must be tough at times.
Thanks for the prayers and I will keep you in mine. Hope you have many pain free days, my friend.
I don't know if your read on another post, but when I got the massage therapy appt. last week, they told me they didn't do massage therapy and for people with my "condition", they normally did aquatic therapy and it had brought at least some relief to everyone who had tried it. So,I said okay, let's do it. I start that Wednesday.
Wish me luck and remember to be good to YOU!
Nell
Are you still working as a RN. That must be tough at times.
Thanks for the prayers and I will keep you in mine. Hope you have many pain free days, my friend.
I don't know if your read on another post, but when I got the massage therapy appt. last week, they told me they didn't do massage therapy and for people with my "condition", they normally did aquatic therapy and it had brought at least some relief to everyone who had tried it. So,I said okay, let's do it. I start that Wednesday.
Wish me luck and remember to be good to YOU!
Nell