I AM STARTING TO HATE WINTER!

I guess that is why I moved to the desert southwest.  I HATE COLD WEATHER, people with Fibromyalgia/Chronic Fatigue know what I mean.  This week was a bad week, the weather changed several times and that put me in bed.  If you have arthritis then you know how I feel.  As the weather changes I get stiff and sore.  The only way that is comfortable is to stay in bed and keep warm as possible.

We will be heading north on Sunday.  They are to have snow up there which means that it will be colder than here.  I know that cold is relative... our weather here is still in the 60's in the daytime but after being above 100 then dropping to 60's it really feels cold. 

Take care and see you all later....

This was a wonderful Saturday!

This was a wonderful day.  My aid come in five days a week and wakes me up.  Then she makes sure I take my medicines (25 tablets).  Then I shave and she helps me with my shower.  At this point I can't reach over my shoulder with my right arm, because of a rotator cuff tear.  We are going to wait till I have completed the program at the FFC, before we try surgery on this problem. 

Well on Saturday I can stay in bed as long as I like.  I usually get up before 11 AM because another aid comes to clean for us.  That person cleans the bathrooms (including steam cleaning our floors which are stone or tile.)  Then the disinfect things that I might touch so I don't get any more germs than necessary.  They also change our bedding for the week. 

My wife has several medical problems and is unable to get down on the floors to clean.  She has a replacement knee on the right and needs a replacement ankle on the left.

After the aid left I took a short nap and then we went to our son's house and I worked on getting the virus out of their computer.  Then home early....

We both are working on our computers and my service dog is sleeping at my feet.  I enjoy checking out Facebook to see what is happening in the lives of friends and family.

Well this is praying I am able to attend church tomorrow.  Then we will have lunch out.  This is my time to get out each week.  God bless you all and talk to you soon...

If you have questions about my illness or anything just post a note to me and I will try to answer it for everyone to see.  If it's private then it will stay that way.  Nite...

WOW WHAT HAPPENED TO ME...

As much as it might be hard for you to understand I had a really bad flare.  That is when the Fibromyalgia is really, really bad.  I have spent most of the month in bed daily.  I hate it when life is like that.. but that is the life you have to live if you have Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue...

Only those who have Fibromyalgia will understand this.  I have slept 22 hours a day during this time.  My wife is back home with me and I am so glad for that.

Only a short time and I will be starting at the FFC Clinic in Las Vegas... January 3rd 2011.  I have been told by the clinic web page and many patients that it's at the sixth month that you start feeling like your old self... What ever that is??   We will be moving in June of this next year so I might be able to stay awake for this move.  The move here from Michigan 13 years ago, I slept through most of the packing and loading of the truck.  My wife took me to a hotel and friends helped pack our belongings in a 28' Rider truck.  Deborah drove the whole way from Michigan to Southern Utah.  My son and my service dog was with her.  I flew in a plane and was here about four days faster.

Well I will be back now hopefully.  I hate when I miss writing, but then the most important time will be when I am being treated by the Clinic.  I know that many are watching to see how I do... I have had this for so long, others want to see it work on me before they give it a try.

Wednesday: 

This day was a bad one for me and I spent the whole day in bed.  Pain and grogginess was over whelming this day.  I did get up to eat twice this day because there was no one to bring it to me.  I will be very happy when Deborah gets back from her visit to her folks.  These days I don't even want to stay awake.  I am taking 240mg of Morphine(daily) and still the pain is bad.  I have vicodin to take as needed and many days I need it along with the morphine to be able to stand the pain. 

Thursday:

What a great day! Today is the anniversary of the day that Deborah S Gowman Married me in Phoenix, AZ. It was 33 years ago today and I have been the better because of it. What a wonderful wife I have and what a joy to spend my life with her.

Jerry & Deborah

A little know fact is that 80% or more spouses leave the one that gets chronically ill.  This is a US statistic, it's hard to believe but is true.  My wife has stood beside me even when we and everyone else didn't know much about Fibromyalgia/Chronic Fatigue.  When my family (parents and siblings) abandoned me because they didn't understand my illnesses.   My wife and sons stood beside me and sometimes in front of me to try to let people know that I was really ill.  How people can think that I decided to go to bed for the first 14 months.  I had build a large computer company, we had a wonderful home and I had a great reputation in the community.  They somehow decided that I just stopped working and was playing sick.  I am proud of my wife and sons for standing up for me. 

My father has come to grips with I am sick, he still doesn't understand how it works, but he is now speaking to me again and came to visit this summer.  My siblings still will not return an e-mail or take a phone call.  I am sorry for them.  Since I was diagnosed, both my sons along with three first cousins and a second cousin have been diagnosed with Fibromyalgia/Chronic Fatigue.  Now we know that it's a decease that can be found in families.  I am willing to do whatever it takes to help them find a cure for this CRUD before it hits my sons and possibly grandchildren.  To those siblings that are full blooded with me they can say I am crazy but they are just as likely to have Fibro/Chronic Fatigue as I do.

TIME SLIPS AWAY

     I can't believe it's Tuesday already.  The weather has been so bad here I have spent the weekend in bed.  My whole body hurts when it's raining and windy.  I have my laptop right at my bed but I didn't even fell like turning that on.  Anyone that has Fibromyalgia/Chronic Fatigue knows what I mean. 

     We are planning our finances to be able to afford the Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue Clinic visits starting in January.  We have a budget and I spent some time on that yesterday planning our new budget for 2011.  We have 13.38 left after everything is paid.  We are selling our home to be able to afford this as well.  Rent now is much cheeper than ownership.  We will be renting for seven or eight years.  There are houses for rent not far from here so we won't have to leave the community that we have lived in for almost 13 years.

     Our son and his wife are building a new home clear on the other side of the valley.  It's about 20 miles to their house.  They are only 5 miles away now.  We love to kidnap our grandson for a weekend when we can.  We have not seen much of them this whole year.  They have been so busy building this house.  My son also has worked some really long weeks.  Two weeks ago he worked 77 hours in the first four days.  He took friday off and did some extra sleeping.

     Well I have a few things to do and need to go see a neighbor that is fighting cancer.  Talk to you all later.