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Thumper tries HGH for Fibromyalgia symptoms... film at 11
Fibromyalgia is Latin for "Holy Frijole, everything on me freaking hurts." Or something like that...

Still...there are no whiners here.

Imagine...

...having a Charlie horse--all over your body.

...having the flu--all the time.

...feeling like you've been backed over by a tractor...every single day.

...waking up and being afraid to step out of bed because you know--without a doubt--that when your foot hits the floor, a knife will cut through your body, and the feeling won't stop.

...not being able to sleep.

...fatigue seeping from every pore of your body, running in thick rivers that pool at your feet like concrete shoes.

...feeling like every muscle in your body is on fire, and nothing will put it out.

...feeling like you're about to come apart at the seams--and your doctor tells you it's "All In Your Head."

Just Imagine.

©1997,2005 K.A. Thompson

One of the theories about Fibromyalgia Syndrome is that there may be an endocrinological base--that the pain associated with FMS may exist because of a lack of, or the body's inability to use existing supplies of, Growth Hormone.

On June 26, 2002, I had a tumor removed from my pituitary gland; this tumor left me with diabetes insipidus, premature menopuase, and as discovered recently, a lack of Growth Hormone.

The problem is, no one knows how long the tumor was there, and no one knows whether or not I was deficient in Growth Hormone prior to developing the tumor.

Because of some of the studies regarding Fibromyalgia--something I have lived with since January 1997--and Human Growth Hormone, I have opted to give HGH replacement a try. It may be a way to work past the pain of FMS, a way to build lean muscle mass, lose body fat, and hopefully, offer measureable hope to recovery.

This blog will chronicle my progress, or lack of it. I will include details of how it makes me feel, the exercise routines I will use to help speed up loss of body fat, dietary changes, and any changes in body shape and pain reduction.
FMS Links

Dr. Devin Starlanyl
American Fibromyalgia Association
FMS Network
Chronic Syndrome Support Association
Living With FMS

Archives
Contact Information
6/09/2003

I got to the Y a little earlier than usual today, and as I feared, the place was packed. There wasn’t an available lane, and the 3 lucky people to get one weren’t in a sharing mood (no complaints, I don’t like sharing either; I will, but I prefer to swim alone.) There was an old-folks water exercise class going on in a double wide lane, and free swim in the narrow single lane at the end.

Towards the end of their class, the old folks kindly moved into the narrow free swim area to let the free swimmers have the double lane, and the kids who were there offered to let me have the far side of it so that I could swim laps. That, I thought, was pretty damned cool and very considerate.

I’m hoping that with summer coming on, the pool won’t get overly crowded. The Y is offering a summer pool pass for $100/family, so I’m afraid it might. Dangit.

I’ve been off the nightly dose of benedryl for about a week, maybe a bit longer—it was rough at first, but I noticed last night I slept really well. And I would have the night before last if the motor of the bedroom fan hadn’t started to burn up (kudos to Max the Cat, who very purposefully woke me up.) Not only did I sleep through the night, I felt rested this morning—I woke up an hour earlier than I normally do.

Only HGH problem… I alternate my injection sites, and my left forearm isn’t liking this much anymore. It’s the only place where the injection now hurts. I’m not sure why, but I’ll avoid it for a while and see what happens later.

link | posted by Thumper at 2:57 PM
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6/06/2003

Bragging rights.

I hit 120 laps today. I did the first 80 in 59 minutes and wasn't tired at all, so decided to shoot for 100. Hit 100 and wasn't tired, so decided to just swim until I didnt feel like it anymore. I stopped at 120 to check my watch--90 minutes on the nose.

When I realized I was the only person in the pool and the lifeguard was staring at me, I started feeling a little self conscious, so I got out and headed for the locker room... but still. 120!

Totally blew that by going to an all you can eat buffet later, but what the hell. Heh.

link | posted by Thumper at 8:24 PM
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6/05/2003

I took a couple days off from swimming to give the shoulder a rest, and that helped a whole lot; I hit the pool today and did 80 laps in about 55 minutes (eh, I really should start saying “lengths” not “laps” but, mmm, whatever, right?) without my shoulder popping hard or getting that “ohmygawd this burns so much” feeling.

Last time I checked my measurements they hadn’t changed; I’m down a couple pounds on the scale (for a total of 8 pounds since I started; this is a lot of work for only 8 freaking pounds!). My jeans have gotten a little baggy around the thighs, but the waist still feels the same. And I put on a t-shirt today that’s a size smaller than I normally wear, and didn’t feel so constricted as to be self conscious about it clinging to my gut. So, that’s something. A little something, but something.

One new thing I’m trying—not using anything to aid in sleeping. For the past 6 years I’ve been using 50 mg of benedryl to help me fall asleep and stay asleep (because of the FMS.) Well, now that I no longer have to get up at a certain hour to give the dog his meds and let him out, I can stay up as late as I want; I’m thinking that if I can get back to my own natural sleep-rhythms, I might not need it.

It’s only been a few days; the first night was awful—I woke up a good 15 times. It was better the second night, though I woke a few times and had a hard time falling back asleep each time. Last night wasn’t too bad; I remember waking twice, but only once do I recall having a hard time falling back asleep. It’ll be nice if this works, but if it doesn’t … generic benedryl is cheap.

Overall, I feel terrific. Awesome. I might even venture out in public in shorts sometime soon; not because my legs look any better, but I just don’t care if people hate ‘em anymore. Though I’ve been told they’re so glaringly white I might blind someone. Heh.

link | posted by Thumper at 1:19 PM
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6/01/2003

In spite of the suckiness of Real Life lately, I've still been swimming. I seem to be getting slower rather than quicker, though... Where I was clipping off 80 laps in an hour, I'm doing it in about 68 minutes now. I think--not sure--it's because of my left shoulder. I have bone spurs or something; it catches on my downstroke, and hurts like a mother. I've had problems with it for a good 12-14 years but until now it hasn't been such a major problem that I wanted to get it looked at. Now, it's seriously interferring in my working out, so I probably should have it checked out.

That sucks, because I have a gut feeling it'll have to be scoped out, which means no swimming while it heals. Phfft.

Other than the shoulder, the pain levels are still low. I expected to get hit with a full on, full body flare after the dog died, but other than some fatigue (let's face it, grief is tiring) on Thursday and Friday, nothing happened.

Stupid shoulder... though it does sound kinda funky underwater, all the popping and crackling.

link | posted by Thumper at 7:40 PM
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