Pregnant and I have Fibro and I am in hell...

I had WLS in Sept 2011 and since I am down 126 lbs which is awesome IMO but I have been recently diagnosed with fibromyalgia and now I am 14 weeks pregnant. I cant take my pain meds and since this pregnancy began I have been ultra sensitive to ANY chemical or artificial product in food and anything that touches me.  I spent the first 8 weeks living on milk and I am surprised I didnt loose more than the 10 lbs I lost in that time. I was going threw a food mourning time again and that mentally was exhausting.  Now I am forced to read EVERYTHING I eat, it is good in a lot of ways because its reinforcing my commitment to myself to be healthy but not even being able to take Tylenol is rough.  My OB doc has seen me in the hospital once already because of dehydration and what him and my surgeon are calling "dumping syndrome" (even though I had the VSG not the RNY)  They seem to think its caused by the artificial stuff in food so avoiding it is great but now I am wondering how I am going to get past the glucose test they always want when you're pregnant.  I tried to refuse it the last 2 times i was pregnant but my doc wouldn't budge on the issue.This time I am not going to do it no matter what he says because I refuse to be hospitalized for another week just so they can run that test.  I know the "risks" but I had 2 babies when I weighed over 300 lbs and never had an issue with gestational diabetes so I am not worried about that happening now after I am healthy.  I am curious if anyone else has had these type of sensitivity issues and if anyone else got out of the glucose test for reasons like mine.

I didn't have to do the standard glucose test they just did a 14 hour fasting blood test on me

I do wish you well with dealing the pain and avoiding everything you have to

FINALLYHEALTHY2013-I understand! I have severe arthritis as well as a degenerative disc & bone disorder. I tried a pain patch, low dose and known to show no problems...my body rejected it and threw me into a cluster migraine for a week & a half. I tried the chiropractor...nothing has helped. I focus on ice and trying to relax.

I am eating 18 jellybeans for my glucose test, in a few weeks. My midwife has found a new study showing it is just as affective in diagnosing GD. I already have hyper-reactive insulin levels since RNY and have PCOS. I do take Metformin too.

Life is hectic, my husband and I are trying to focus on rest & ice. No doctors are able to relieve my pain during this pregnancy. We tried for 6 years, this is a blessing but a tough painful journey. I'm counting down until delivery for pain meds to return.

I wish you well. You are not alone. Remember the prize at the end of the game!!!

Cheri

 

 

From what I understand, there is no test that can confirm a diagnosis of Fibromyalgia - right?.  So I don't understand, I don't even get what I got (palindromic Rheumatisim)  which mimics Rheumatoid Arhritis but without the joint damage.  The thing my Rheumatolgist keeps pushing is that I were to get pregnant I'd experience a complete remission.  And I have seen this over and over again with preggo women - it goes away during pregnancy lots of these autoimmune diseases.  I guess because it does not show in any tests that Fibro is not autoimmune.  I did test positive on the A.N.A. test - it was a low positive and they use this blood test for Lupus & RA.

If I were you, I'd start green juicing - using cucumbers, celery, ginger, Kale etc.   And yes, you will need to STOP the artifical sweeteners and such - stick to unprocessed foods.  Watch some informative youtube videos if you don't have time to read.  How are you getting dehydrated  this far out?

Good luck

First, congrats on our pregnancy. Second, sorry for all the misery in the meantime. I hope a healthy and happy baby makes up for it in the end. As for the glucose test, with my 1st pregnancy, my son, which was 5 years post RNY, I did not do the glucose screening for fear of dumping or ill effects. Also my doctor did not trust the results given the surgery and wanted to be accurate. So instead I was given a glucose monitor that I used to test 4 times a day for two weeks. The results were downloaded for the doctor and perinatologist to review and determine if I had any issues, which I did not. For this pregnancy, I did actually do the test. I am almost 10 years post op, and other than some queasiness in the beginning I was ok, but I was given the option to do a repeat glucose test with monitor if I wanted. Although your doctor can give you suggestions, you should have a say in your health. Also, is there any reason why you can't have Tylenol? I am not familiar with your illness so not sure if that is waht is not allowing you to take it or something else. For the most part, that is all I HAVE been allowed to take this pregnancy. Not sure how much it will help but figured it could be something. I have noticed more sensitivity to foods, fatty and sugar or carbs as I get to end of pregnancy, but again I had RNY. Hopefully all works out for you. Good Luck.

They can't force you to take the glucose test, you have the right in the US to refuse any medical treatment or test you want. Are they really going to hold you down and pour the glucose drink down your throat. Tell them no. They can get as mad and as pissy as they want, that's there problem. There are alternatives to the glucose test, such as a fasting blood sugar test followed by a post-meal blood sugar test (that's what I did, since I dump due to my RNY).

I know what you are talking about with severe pain and not being able to take certain things. I have Trigeminal Neurolgia and this pregnancy has been horrible! I have been given so
Many different medications that I was able to tolerate plus that were able to treat the disease without causing harm to the baby! So that leave very little options.

As far as the "dumping syndrome", I am not typically a dumper, but las pregnancy I had super dumping with the Glucola. This time around, I opted out of taking it! I am 31 weeks and they kept trying to pu**** on me, but I told them I had such a hard time last time. So you have the ability to turn it down! I also cannot do the jelly beans, due to my restriction being so tight that I feel like a new post op, I am 4 year post op!

I also wanted to say that if your OB is so stubborn that he refuses to let you participate in your healthcare decisions, then you might want to consider getting a new healthcare provider!!!  God gave you a brain and the ability to think critical for a reason.  You might not be a doctor, but you know your body better than anyone else.  Just  remember, the doctor is working for you!  You are the one in charge at the end of the day. You are paying him or her for medical advice and treatment, but you are under no obligation to follow that advice or treatment!

Congrats...but sorry you are in pain!  I feel for you.  I have Mixed Connective Tissue Disease and Lupus...I have been in pain on and off this entire pregnancy!  Not sure what the situation is for you as far as meds go...did your Dr. Tell you that you couldn't take anything or can you just not tolerate them?  If it is your Dr. Saying no...I would get a second opinion!  At the very least you should be able to take Tylenol!  My OB gave me Lortab (Hydrocodone) and in the very beginning I was on Percocet until I decided I didn't want to take it anymore!  My Rheumatologist also told me I could take flexeril (Muscle Relaxer) and Plaquenil (for my autoimmune disease) I have not taken much of the Plaquenil and only take the flexeril and Lortab on the very worst days!  There are options out there for you!  As far as the glucose test there are options out there for that as well!  I was 4 years post op with my first and we only half did it.  My Dr. Let me drink what I could and however long it took to get there...I didn't have too much trouble with it and she decided I didn't have issues with GD.  This round I am getting ready to do it again...I have a reg. OB this time and she is going to do a fasting blood draw first and let me drink what I can and if I don't finish draw again and compare.  I am not going to push myself...I am not going to let myself get to the point of sick!  It will be what it is!  I told her right off the bat I couldn't drink that much sugar without getting sick!  She was fine with it!  If your Dr. Isn't going to let you listen to your body I would look else where!  You know your body and you have every say on what you do/happens to it!  Good luck!  Hope you find something that works for you and your Dr.  

Thank you all I feel so much better that i M not the only one who is in pain and having issues.  As far as the not being able to take anything my body is not tolerating it.  I am experiencing dumping if I get ANYTHING not 100% natural in my body. Honestly I am almost sure this might turn into a home birth because I cant even tolerate an IV now the plastics react with my skin and it burns and I almost had to rip the last one out if the nurse hadn't gotten there right then.  I have always had sensitivity issues to things in the environment, once for a few years I would react badly to the hospital bracelets they put on you they would cause a terrible rash and burning skin).  In some ways I love these sensitivities because they are forcing me to eat healthy and find alternative remedies for pain but its frustrating at times. Right now I am sick with a head cold on top of allergies so I am swallowing garlic cloves like pills to knock it out rather than making myself sicker trying to take the prescriptions I used to have to beg for (since this has been over 3 weeks now and is moving into my lungs, I am also one prone for bronchitis).Its been helping they are just hard to get down and my husband thinks i am nuts and tells me I stink LOL I would rather get better and stink as I get better than be sick for the next 3 months.  I have found the Medicine shoppe Pharmacy that can make Tylenol that has noting in it but acetaminophen but its expensive so unless I am going to get relief like you would from Percocet then its not worth it.   I figure now if I am going to add an artificial ingredient to my body its got to have huge benefits because the side affects are so bad. 

I cant wait till the pregnancy is over and I can not be a "host" anymore lol :)

Its funny yesterday I was thinking wow when i was fat i didnt ache like this and pregnancy was easy so I guess the fat was the glue that held me together and now i got to find a new "glue" lol.  Oh well I did the damage to my body with all the things I ate over my lifetime of almost 30 years and now I figure its going to take about that long for my system to heal from it.