Living with fibromyalgia

I know your time is important. So let's get right to the main points first and save the details for later. Here is what you need to know about disability insurance in the US. Disability Happens More Often Than You Think According to the United States Census Bureau, nearly 1 in 5 people are disabled . This does not include invisible disabilities which are estimated to be 10% . And then there are temporary disabilities that can prevent you from working for several months to a few years at a time. With these figures, as a conservative estimate, there is a 33% chance that you will be requiring disability insurance at some point in your life . It Happens to Women More Often Than Men According to the United States Centre for Disease Control and Prevention,  24.4% women report on disability as compared to 19.8% men. Employer Paid Disability, More Often Than Not, Does Not Help in Times of Need  Employer paid disability is gover...

As a patient with chronic pain , I have to try out different painkillers and antidepressants to manage my pain. Most of these medications, especially the antidepressants, have side effects that include increased dependence and, therefore, can cause withdrawal symptoms . Depending on the duration and the dosage of the medication, these symptoms can range from a mere inconvenience to brutal and long-lasting  health problems. I myself faced tremendous difficulty while trying to wean myself off an antidepressant called amitriptyline . Like many of its counterparts, amitryptiline also has drowsiness as one of its side effects. Consequently, insomnia as a result of withdrawal from amitriptyline was a major problem for me. From a high of 75 mg, I was able to reduce the dosage to 25 mg at the rate of 5- 10  mg every fortnight without much trouble. However,  reducing dosage from 25 mg onwards was a nightmare - no pun intended. I starte...

Shoulder Tendinitis is a common cause of shoulder pain. A more accurate term for it is Rotator Cuff Tendinitis . It means that one or more of tendons that make up the rotator cuff are inflamed. In my experience, even though this is not a serious injury, it is often debilitating and takes a long time to heal. I have had three recurring episodes of shoulder tendinitis in the last one year. I tried a variety of treatments but in the end, Kinesiology Tape  along with frequent icing proved to be the most effective approach. Article continues after the ad Here is an account of my experience. The initial symptoms I developed shoulder tendinitis for the first time in my life due to shoulder pull ups . I was doing the pull ups as a part of a physiotherapy regimen to help me become functional after multiple years of disabling neck pain. Since I was also suffering from chronic abdominal pain, I was unable to lift any weights. So in order to rebuild th...

It was messy, but it is finally done and over with! On December 22, 2017 the tax reform bill , or 'a giant tax cut ' as President Trump calls it, has finally been passed by both houses and has been signed into a law. It is not immediately obvious how the tax plan impacts patients with chronic illnesses. Views in the media are often tainted by the political prism through which the commentators tend to look at this issue. Plus there is limited discussion of the specific provisions that can affect patients with chronic illnesses. In this post, I am outlining some of the major provisions of the final bill that may affect chronically ill patients. Bear in mind that I am not a professional in accounting and taxation . However, I seem to have had more than my fair share of tax problems and as a result, I have become overfamiliar with the IRS website and publications. Article continues after the ad To make it easier to wrap our brains around this complex piece...

Are you looking for holiday gifts for your loved ones who are suffering with chronic pain? Or are you living with chronic pain and have no idea what to tell your friends and family when they ask you about your holiday wish list. Here is a list of gift ideas categorised into various groups that I have compiled based on my own experience and that of the patients that I interact with. Top 10 Gift Ideas Under $50 for Chronic Pain Patients HealthMate TENS unit $29.99 Mind and Body Neck and Shoulder Wrap $ 19.99 Body Back Duo Massager Bundle $ 34.95 Backjoy $ 39.99 Mycarbon Posture Corrector $ 19.99 Tablift Tablet Stand $ 39.95 Vogue Carpenter Laptop/Overbed Table $ 37.99 Tampor Contour Gel Cervical Pillow $ 40.99 Brentwood Zuma Therapeutic Foam Wedge $ 39 Logitech HD C525 $ 29.99 Time Saving Shopping Tip : As you go through this article, keep on adding any of the items you like to your Amazon cart via the product links. Once you are done, have another pass at th...

If you are frequently bedridden due to illnesses like chronic pain , chances are that you will tend to lose muscle mass. Less muscle strength can lead to increase pain thus causing a vicious cycle of chronic pain. It is important therefore to find a way to exercise and strengthen the muscle despite being bedridden . Over the years, I have found myself frequently to be in this situation due to fibromyalgia .  There are several videos about exercises for the bedridden patients(for example, this ). However, the exercises in these are more to improve mobility rather than increase muscle strength. Ultimately, I spent quite a bit of time compiling a list of exercises from YouTube that exercise and strengthen every major muscle group.  The list is provided below along with the major muscle groups that they exercise.As I have suffered from injuries because of using weights incorrectly, I recommend trying only with the resistance bands initially and that is what I have includ...

The Trigger Point Therapy Workbook  is the #1 book for you to consider buying if you want to get more information on self treatment for myofascial trigger points ( common in fibromyalgia patients) than what is available through websites and YouTube videos. I have found it useful for dealing with the neck pain at home. it was very useful in situations where the muscle would continue to have trigger points even after multiple physical therapy sessions. A regular home treatment several times a day is more effective than going to physical therapy session a few times a week. HOW I USE IT I got a basic understanding of the affected area from the physical therapist first, then understood the relevant anatomical features through YouTube videos and then read the book to dive deeper .I would periodically review the understanding with the physical therapist and also reread he book.I would usually get a new insight every time I went through this process. You do not have to read t...