Painful Payback from a Very Bumpy Ride

I thought I was being very practical, heading out with my hubby the Friday before Christmas to run some errands.  He was walking and I accompanied him on my mobility scooter.  We made it an event, taking the dogs with us so they could get out of the house too and join us for some fresh air and sunshine.

Seems innocent enough, right?

Except I literally ran into problems with the roads and sidewalks being filled with more potholes and hazards than I ever encountered before.  There was one decidedly panicked moment when I had no choice but drive into a rather large pothole that spanned the width of the crosswalk to get to the curb in front of me: the scooter stalled, the motor turned off and there were mere seconds left before the traffic light turned red and cars were going to start coming at me. I got out in time, but it was a jarring experience.

Again, I didn't think much of it.  I mean, heading out in my scooter means navigating all sorts of road hazards, from crazy drivers who aren't paying attention to where they are going, and don't see me, to sidewalks deformed by tree roots making them impassable.  I'm always glad when Robert is with me, acting as my extra pair of eyes to help spot the problems before I get into trouble.

Unfortunately, it was too much of a wild ride for my body to handle.

By the time I got home, I was feeling some serious low back pain and I admit it completely caught me by surprise.  Then I foolishly compounded the problem by heading out again, this time by car, to run a few last minute errands that we weren't able to complete on the earlier trip.

I was in bad shape when I finally got back home.

Ever since the 23rd, I've been experiencing a huge amount of pain in my low back and left hip.  It wasn't enough to stop me from going to my in-laws for Christmas dinner, but I needed to take my flare-up drugs, wear a compression garment and use an ice pack to do it.  Even then, the pain I felt with sitting, walking, standing, bending, etc. really distracted me from truly enjoying myself.

Bah humbug!

Now I am pretty sure this is just one of my fibromyalgia flare-ups.  But yesterday I started thinking that maybe I needed to get checked out because the pain is really lingering despite all my efforts to quell it.  Problem is, the doctors I would want to see have decided to take the week between Christmas and New Year's off, so there is no one available that might be able to help.

That leaves going to an Urgent Care or Emergency Room, which for fibromyalgia pain is never really a good idea because the doctors there have no idea how to help me.

So here I am, squirming in pain, irritable, grumpy, distracted, more sleep-deprived than usual and barely able to write this blog post.  I'm living through this flare-up and I still can't believe something as trivial as a bumpy ride on my scooter can cause so much pain.  I can't believe I am so fragile that a pothole can send me into a world of hurt.  I mean, how crazy is that?

Most of all, I am sad because this was going to be a new thing for me and my hubs to do every weekend, together, with our dogs: "walk" to run errands in our local neighborhood.  Right now, it's looking like the "mean streets" of West Los Angeles have put the kibosh on this plan, well, unless I can get an upgraded scooter with a souped up off-road suspension.

Can you imagine what that might look like?  Or how much it would cost?!?

Good grief!  I Googled and found this one for only $4.985.00!

Oh well, it's too late to ask Santa for one this year.  Perhaps he'll give me one next year...

In the meantime, I could use some healing thoughts sent my way.  (Or maybe some better pain drugs if you can spare a few.)

Mission 2011: I CAN Go to a Rock Concert

Image via Wikipedia
Welcome back to this month of posts all about special events. This time I want to share with you how I learned that fibromyalgia couldn't stop me from going to a rock concert.

The Ultimate Motivation

A few years ago my all-time favorite band, The Police, organized a reunion tour. I knew I had to go. I never got a chance to see them in concert back in the 80's, so I sure didn't want to miss this special event.

Now it just so happens that they nicknamed their new tour "certifiable." Having disbanded in 1984 because they were all getting along so poorly, they had said they would be crazy to ever get back together again. Which is a real coincidence, since at first I thought I might be a little crazy for trying to attempt going to a rock concert when I had fibromyalgia, chronic pain and chronic fatigue making my life disagreeable.

A Plan for Success

I knew if I really wanted to do this, I had to get super serious about managing the aspects of this event that were within my control.

Special Moves

The first thing I decided was that I needed to rent a mobility scooter. I was already using mobility aids like a cane and a rolling walker, but I knew there was no way I could tackle going to Dodger Stadium with them. I also owned a transport chair, but that required someone to push me around, literally. I decided that wouldn't work either.

I needed wheels I could manage on my own that allowed me to sit so I could conserve as much energy as possible.

Imagine my surprise when at the medical equipment supply store my husband suggest we purchase the scooter instead of rent it. I have to say that this is the best chronic illness related purchase I have made to date, as it truly opened a whole new world of possibilities for me.

Special Tickets

Since I was taking a mobility scooter, I would need a disabled seat to park it in. Thankfully the folks at Ticketmaster taught me how to go about purchasing disabled seats when I called them a few days before the concert tickets went on sale. The process was super easy and actually allowed me to purchase better seats than if I had gone through the regular channels with all the other 56,000 fans.

While you don't get a discount on the price when you purchase disabled seats, you do get greater availability (even when a show is almost sold out.)

Final Preparations

With the two big concerns taken care of, I turned my focus to the smaller, yet equally important, details.

A week before the show, I eliminated appointments outside the house and drastically cut back on all other activities. I spend lots of time resting and building up my energy reserves.

On the day of the concert, I made plans to arrive as soon as the gates opened to avoid the last minute crowds filing into the stadium. A super early start gave me and my party time to find our seats, get settled and get snacks.

I brought along earplugs to reduce the noise level and help combat auditory over-stimulation.

I brought layers of clothes with me. Since the concert was outside, I need to stay cool in the afternoon and warm after sunset. To beat the afternoon heat, I brought along a small battery powered fan to cool me down.

I attended the concert with my husband and my best friend. With a friendly face on either side of me, I had lots of help if I needed it. Having both of them with me helped me feel safe and secure in a very loud, very crowded and very overstimulating environment.

The Results

I had a fabulous time at the concert. Because of all the preparations I made in advance, I was able to relax and enjoy the concert. I felt comfortable and able to manage a very demanding situation because I took advantage of all the ways I could judiciously make the little energy I had last throughout the evening.

Wrap Up

As my husband drove us home, I felt both exhilarated and thoroughly exhausted. You would have thought I'd of crashed and fallen asleep the minute we walked in the door. But the weird thing about chronic illness is that sometimes when you are beyond tired, you get so wired you can't sleep!

Luckily I had a plan for that too: I took the follow week off from appointments, errands and activities to rest and re-cooperate from my "certifiable" first concert post-fibromyalgia experience.

I recognize that I don't have the energy to do something like this more than once every year or two. But when I do choose to participate in a special event this big, I know putting plenty of thought and effort into planning translates into enjoyment and memories that can sustaining me until the next time one of my favorite bands comes to town.

Related articles

• Mission 2011: Saying "Yes!" to Special Events (ohmyachesandpains.info)

Have Husband - Will Travel

Image by ~evelet~ via Flickr

Robert and I were talking about traveling just the other day. We debated how many trips we have taken since I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia: he said 6 and I said 3 (and I think I am right.) We lamented that his work schedule will preclude any travel for about 10 weeks beginning August 8th. Then we brainstormed about where we should go on our next vacation.

"We should go back to San Francisco," he suggested.

"Oh man, do you remember our last trip to San Francisco?" I replied.

"Yeah, I'm surprised the trip didn't kill you! We did way too much stuff in four days," he exclaimed. After recounting how many people we met with and how my activities we crammed into about 72 hours, he said, " If we go again, we have to stay longer and schedule things so we have a day off to rest after every day we do something."

I smiled. His comments let me know he really understands what it is like for me to attempt to travel with my baggage: a multitude of chronic illnesses. Of course, taking me to the Emergency Room five days after we got home from San Francisco for a massive multiple day migraine headache probably gave him a lasting memory too. Yet I can't help but be impressed with him observing and taking notes as I have been learning how to make travel more fibro-friendly.

But I should be totally honest. The one thing that really makes travel possible is Robert. If I didn't have him to lean on and do all the heavy lifting--like driving, checking us in, grabbing the guy with the wheelchair, loading up my mobility scooter--I wouldn't be traveling at all. I'm sure he wishes we could travel once or twice a year like we did before fibromyalgia; hence his faulty memory of the actual number of trips we have taken. But I think he is also relieved that over time I have figured out a system that avoids outright disasters whenever we do get to go out of town every once in a while.

I am very grateful that I have Robert as my companion and partner for all my travels in life. It's a bit overwhelming and scary too to think about how much more I need him now that I am disabled. I am glad that he has taken the whole "for better for worse, for richer for poorer, in sickness and in health" thing quite seriously and has stood by my side throughout the trials of my chronic illnesses. Having this great guy by my side to share this journey called life makes me feel like one very lucky sick chick.

Yes, my vacation motto is: Have husband, will travel. He is the one travel necessity I don't have to worry about packing or forgetting to bring! Isn't that right, honey?