Basic Stuff
- Name: LauraB
- Country: United States
- State: New York
- City: Rock Stream
- Gender: Female
- Age: 57
- Education: Jr. College
- Primary Illness: Fibromyalgia (FM)
- Diagnosis:
- Fibromyalgia (FM)
- Spinal Stenosis
- Year Illness Began: 2017
Functioning Interrupted
Work Interrupted
- Former Occupation: RN
- Job Responsibilities at Former Occupation:
Supervision of staff, home patient assessments, incident investigation.
- Current Occupation: RN
- Current Job Responsibilities:
Remote consulting, data entry, staff education .
- Years of Work Lost: 1
- Current Work Status: Still working
Income Interrupted
-
Minimum Current Annual Income Loss:
+$10,787
Other Interruptions
- This illness has severely impacted my ability to financially prepare for retirement
- I took on jobs with less responsibilities than I otherwise would have
Most Impactful Loss
What has impacted me most is having the ability to participate in activities I enjoy. I had seven horses once upon a time, but now can not ride or even care for them because I don't have the strength or range of motion. Some days I can hardly walk.
My Story
On the way home from work, I saw a cat hit by a car on a busy roadway. I pulled over, ran out like 'frogger' and picked him up to see if he could be saved. I got bitten. He died as soon as we arrived at the nearest vet's and I never got better. After two courses of antibiotics my finger healed, but I was not well and my doctor treated me for presumed Lyme's Disease- another course of antibiotics. My neurological problems got worse and I went through a battery of tests and was pronounced as the proud owner of a new fibromyalgia diagnosis. (We were testing for MS and ALS-pretty scary time). Anyway, 6 years later I am at a desk job and very grateful to have gotten it, as it is all I can do now, my last horse is at a boarding stable (never wanted him to be there), my husband is disabled, my mother is 82 with COPD and I am spending four hours or more a day to keep her out of a nursing home. Each day my alotted spoons are more than spent and I keep hoping that something will help. I am on conventional medical treatment, but do try supplements, have tried massage, foot baths, homeopathy, yoga, yadayada.... I am very tired. Physically tired, mentally tired. I am beginning to think that until God himself intervenes, I will never be better.
I feel Your pain as I also have Fibromyalgia .
Keep going that’s all we can do at the moment.
I am so thankful that the world is doing something about it now.
Please consider trying to re-treat the Bartonella infection. Some people just can’t seem to kick the bacteria even after the short course which is supposed to work. It’s worth a shot!