IT'S ALL IN THE PALM OF MY HAND

I keep reading the study.

Over and over again.

Is it that simple?

Can it be that simple?

I have questions.

It seems that the nerve endings in the AV shunts in the palms of our hands hold the secret of Fibromyalgia. The AV stands for arteriole-venule which, up until now, just regulated blood flow. Now it seems that an over abundance of these nerve fibers are the source of our pain.

It's possible.

Anything is possible.

But this brings questions. Does that mean that these excess nerve fibers were a genetic anomaly? If that is the case then are they able to remain dormant and then be triggered by an illness or trauma?

Most of us can pinpoint when the pain started. For me, it was trauma. I don't understand....did the trauma cause my palms to grow excess nerve fibers or were they there and dormant. Well, wait....if they were dormant I wouldn't be able to feel anything, would I?

On the other side.....I can always feel a flare coming on because it starts with my hands. 

They summarize that the blood flow is responsible for the muscular achiness and pain. The fatigue is from a build up of lactic acid and inflammation. It sounds like that triggers the brain going a little haywire.  These shunts could be keeping blood flow from reaching deep into the muscles. As far as the brain going haywire....we all know what happens then.....

We can't sleep.

The interesting thing, to me, is that these shunts are critical for thermal regulation and our metabolism. It's that why some of us have heat or cold intolerance??  As far as our metabolism goes......could it be why this is so closely intertwined with our thyroid?

If this is the case why do some medications work for some people and not others? What about all the symptoms. Can it all be due to excess sensory fibers in our hands??

I'm thinking about this.

But I still have questions.

I think this bears watching.....

but now, when I feel a flare coming on......

And I'm rubbing my hands.......

I'll take notice.

I SHOULD WORK AT COSTCO

I've said it before.

I'll say it again.

I LOVE THIS STORE!

I got hooked on Costco years ago. Even though I didn't have a large household, I'd by toilet paper, paper towels, detergent and all that kind of stuff there. I didn't even look at the other items UNTIL a woman showed me some book cases that she bought  and they were $99.99. I still have them and they're gorgeous. Ever since then, I've been a Costco junkie. Did I say junkie? It goes way beyond that.

If you ask me where I bought something, more often than not, I'm going to say Costco.

Why?

I'll tell you.

Sometimes I buy stuff and it stays in the boxes or it looks good and I don't end up using it. That's kind of what happened with my shredder. I put it in the closet in my office. Kind of an out of sight - out of mind sort of thing. When I moved it went to storage and then I set it up in my boyfriends office. The first time he went to use it after his shredder went out, mine didn't work either.

He asked the magical question.

"Where did you buy it?"

Duh...........

OK....we load it up in the car and off to Costco we go. Now, I'm really excited....I know it's dumb but it's like going to Nordstrom for me. I can always find something to buy. YAY!!

Back to the story.....

I get in the return line and I get to tell my story. "Hi, I bought this shredder and it's mostly been unused and in storage. When I plugged it in, it wouldn't work. I don't know if you can help me because I'm not sure when I bought it."

She calmly looks at me and says, "when do you think you bought it?"

I'm thinking........I'm thinking.......

"Maybe a year or two ago??"

She looks at the shredder and it is still in pristine condition.....it was really hardly ever used and she says, "let me look it up."

OK.....I'm waiting.....it's a good 4-5 minutes and she comes back.

"You bought it in 2007"

OH MY GOODNESS......I was in shock! 

"2007????? I'm so sorry! Can I just leave it up here while I shop?? Again, I'm SO SORRY!!"

Now, get this..........she looks at me quizzically and says......

"YOU DON'T WANT TO RETURN IT???????" (caps are mine)

Now, I am in shock. I said, "you're kidding, right?" 

Nope...she wasn't kidding......

She returned it and gave me the equivalent amount on a cash card and sent my beyond shocked fanny on my way. 

Do you believe that????

It cemented my belief that those stores who stand behind their products and treat their employees well will thrive. It's a basic business premise that has been forgotten by bean counters than only look at the bottom line. 

Why do I shop at Costco and Nordstrom? Because they care. They care about their customers and it shows. Plus, they sell QUALITY. 

By the way.......the meat at Costco is UNBELIEVABLE. Just get one of those little vacuum sealers and you're good to go.

Yep, I got that at Costco too!

Okay....I spend waaaay too much money there but, hey.....it's Costco!

I just had to share this story! It's too good!!!! 

IT REALLY TICKS ME OFF....BIG TIME

Unbelievable.

It reinforces my belief.

A lot of doctors suck.

Big time.

Okay.....I have health issues. I know that. Heck, everyone knows that. What I expect when I go to a doctor is a little knowledge and conversation and possibly....quite possibly.....a way to fix the problem.

Apparently, that is asking too much.

I've gone to doctors that have refused to name Fibromyalgia on my chart. I've gone to doctors that look at the kind of pain I'm in and give me the "oh, suck it up" look. The last one I went to looked at my skin peeling under my nails and offered the following comment...."well, you do live in the desert." 

No duh.

I've lived here 47 years and I've never had skin peeling from under my nails. I've got alligator skin, thyroid problems and the bimbo says....."you live in the desert??????" WTF????

I go to pain management every month. While I appreciate the fact that pain doctors are incredibly busy, when a doctor walks into your room....takes a look at you and then the chart and WALKS OUT.....well, that is beyond ridiculous. I'm serious. This doctor was not in the room with me for more than 15 seconds.

Do you believe that one??????

I go to another endocrinologist on Monday. I can't wait to find out what this person will do. Although I hope I can be pleasantly surprised.....trust me,  I have just about had enough. What is it with Las Vegas?? If a doctor can't get licensed anywhere else do they all just come here?

Health care has become beyond terrible. What kind of arrogance causes someone to look at you in disdain when they take an oath to "do no harm?" How do they justify spending less than 4 minutes with you and then bill your insurance an exorbitant amount of money? No wonder health care is so expensive....no wonder there is so much fraud.

I'm convinced that Buster gets better care than I do.

That wonderful doctor comes in and talks to Buster. 

Asks how that sweetheart is doing and Buster's tail goes a mile a minute.

If there is medication it's explained what it is for and how to use it.

If there is a problem they want to get to the bottom of it.

And they REALLY LIKE PETS.

Maybe I should go to a veterinarian.

Boo bear......you don't know how lucky you are.

THE FUTURES SO BRIGHT I HAVE TO WEAR SHADES

I think the volume is turned up.
And I can't turn it down.
That doesn't happen when it's Pink Floyd.
Sensory overload.

When you have Fibromyalgia your body is sensitive to so many things. My senses seem to be on hyper drive.

But it's selective.

Scents like bread coming out of the oven, fresh flowers, even some perfumes that are vanilla based can transport me to euphoria. It seems that I can't get enough of the fragrance. On the other hand, my nose is very, very, sensitive to scents that I find.....shall we say......unpleasant? 

How about malodorous?

How about stinks?

When I worked in sales people would come through the sales office and I'd start spraying air freshener the minute they'd walk out the door. Body odor is one thing I cannot handle and my nose picks it up immediately. Friends have said that they don't smell anything but, me? I could be a bloodhound.  

Then there's taste.

If I don't like it...there is NO WAY that I'm going to eat or drink it. There have been medical tastes that call for drinking, well, crap is the only way I can describe it. The staff becomes impatient with me because it just won't happen. The icky taste almost becomes magnified. My mother used to have the same problem. She'd tell me that there were starving people in China and my response would be, "send it to them because I'm NOT GOING TO EAT IT."

Let's go to the light.

I'm part vampire.

I'm beginning to sound like a real fruitcake but it's true. I get practically blinded by the light. If I'm outdoors I have to wear sunglasses. Even when it's overcast I end up in shades. I don't get a headache from it.....I just start seeing spots. It's like having a huge flash bulb go off in front of my eyes. Boy, I really dated myself saying that didn't I???

Do I dare go to sound??

Turn on the radio.....

I LOVE MUSIC.....

All kinds of it. It has the power to soothe my soul. I can't even imagine a world without it. Classic music, country, rock and roll, pop, blues....even opera. It doesn't matter....just depends on my mood. I can put my headset in and rock. I can handle loud music if I love the song. If I don't? 

TURN DOWN THE FRICKING VOLUME!!

So what is this selective sensitivity? I have to take ear plugs to live events but I could listen to the same song on my headset and it can be loud. Background noise or loud sounds in a restaurant just bug the crap out of me.  A high frequency sound or nails on a chalkboard......sometimes even a loud television.

No go.

No way.

No how.

I think the biggest sensitivity that I have is heat intolerance. I can handle the cold much better than heat. The way I figure it .....I can pile on blankets and clothes but there's only so much I can take off. When it's hot, it's just plain hot and I can't handle it.

And I can get hot in an instant.

It's amazing. I live in Las Vegas......or FSD (fort stinking desert) and I have for 47 years. You'd think I'd be used to the heat. Nope. Not happening. I have fans going and the A/C cannot be over 75 degrees. If it is......I'm ready to stand in the freezer. I don't cool down quickly and I don't sweat. Basically, I just can't tolerate hot. Is this weird or what??

Plus, I get very bitchy when I'm hot.

Wait.

Is that all it takes??

I may have to rethink that.......

I'd probably have a lot of dissent!!