Welcome to my blog!

Hello everyone,

I decided that I wanted to start a blog to talk about my life with my chronic illness. So I guess I should start by telling you a little about me:

My name is Lyndsey, I am married, have been with my husband for ten years. I am a Christian. We have two fur babies. I have just recently turned 30 and for the longest time I have lived with Chronic Pain and Fatigue.

I was diagnosed with Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome in November of 2012.  It had taken me many years going to the doctors and asking for help for my pain, my constant illnesses etc before something was finally done about it. I first started experiencing severe pain when I was 18. The doctor sent me to physio and gave me pain killers, this went on for years, I would go back and forward to the doctors. I have taken so many different medications that most ended up being ineffective. There were a few times over the last 12 years that my pain would get so extreme that breathing would actually hurt, I would spend days crying and yet still tried to go to work. I remember a point were I hadn't slept for a week and yet I was still getting up every morning and going to work. It was horrible. Those periods lasted a few weeks at a time and then eased, however I lived every day in pain, just more manageable. It was two years ago around this time that my pain started getting really bad again, I was working as a care assistant in a nursing home, I was happy, I loved my job and although it was hard going it was the most rewarding thing ever. It was in june of 2012 that I went off on sick thinking all I needed was a few weeks and I would be fit and ready to go back to work, well one month rolled in to two, then three and so on. I was getting worse not better. The doctor was trying all sorts of medications, different combinations and dosages, nothing was helping.

I had also been having severe pain in my shoulder, it seemed to be coming from right under my shoulder blade. I could not lift my arm up, I could not carry anything in that hand because the pain was so excruciating. I knew this was separate to the over all pain I was going through, it just wasn't the same at all. I remember during that summer waking up one day and not being able to move my head, I stayed in bed the whole day, but the following day I couldn't take it anymore and went to the hospital. Well that was a total waste of my time and energy. I sat for 3 hours, I was treated like a druggy by the doctor who saw me, even though by this stage I had been for an X-ray and they were able to see that there was something going on with my spine and he knew I was waiting for an MRI. He literally said to me 'What do you want me to do' I burst in to tears, I thought hospitals were supposed to be helpful.

Anyway, after a few months of pain and back and forward to the doctors, I was having coffee with a friend and she asked what my symptoms were and told me that they all sounded so similar to hers and that she has fibromyalgia, well I looked it up and sure enough I had majority of the symptoms. So I went to see the doctor again and asked did they think it could be this, I was referred to a rheumatologist and within two months had a diagnosis. I was still trying different combinations of medication, last year I had a nerve blocker in my shoulder, which helped that for about 5-6 weeks. It hasn't been as bad since, though it does play up a lot. I have been on patches for pain, but recently just had to stop them as they were causing allergic reactions and I was tearing my skin apart. So I am back on tablets trying different dosage and combination once again.

It is so hard because each individual is different and not all medications work for everyone. So it is all trial and error.

Anyway, as some of you may already know, last year I started a youtube channel. I was in a very dark place because my life had become so limited and I couldn't really get out much. So I started talking to a camera. It made me feel like I had company. I decided I wanted to incorporate beauty as well as my illness in to it, as I needed people to know that I may have fibro but that does not define me. I am fighting it, I am not letting it win. So twice a week I upload beauty videos, and once a week I upload a video talking about my illness. Although I am thinking of changing it to every other week, as I wanted to do this blog instead. I also have a channel were I Vlog most days just to share day to day living with fibro.

So I am hoping to be able to do this everyday and talk to you guys about life and battling a chronic invisible illness. Tomorrow I will talk about living with fibro, daily life. As I think I have rambled enough for today.

Sending you all massive hugs and love,

Lyndsey
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God Bless you all. xxx




**** Edit: I should have also added that I have battled an Underactive Thyroid from my late teens as well as arthritis in my wrists. Anyway I will talk more about these things in more of my posts. ****