tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-52183592011-04-21T16:22:00.638-07:00HGH & FMS ExperimentThumper tries HGH for Fibromyalgia symptoms... film at 11Thumperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02154314376352066709noreply@blogger.comBlogger741100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5218359.post-35018833306596500372007-02-04T18:19:00.000-08:002007-06-26T18:43:26.151-07:00OK...So This Is Long...After the last post over 2 years ago, I bumbled along happily, injecting myself every night, feeling pretty good most of the time, a little achy once in a while, but it was never more than the average person in their mid-40s probably feels.Then on October 17, 2005 I was slammed with some excruciating abdominal pain. It lasted about 5 hours, but no, I didn’t go to the ER. I Thumperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02154314376352066709noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5218359.post-1111602792178658092005-03-23T10:28:00.000-08:002005-03-23T10:33:12.180-08:00Ok...I think it's time for me to admit this blog just isn't going anywhere. For the longest time I had nothing to blog other than "well, I still feel great, the HGH is obviously working..."And on the FMS front, it still is.However.I am in pain. Lots of pain. It wrapped itself around my lower back and crept into my right hip, and didn't let go. After x-rays and an MRI and lots of bloodwork, it's Thumperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02154314376352066709noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5218359.post-1105848643862793972005-01-15T20:10:00.000-08:002005-01-15T20:10:43.863-08:00Hmmm... Just an FYI.
Spam left in the comments will be deleted...
Unless it's mine, of course.Thumperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02154314376352066709noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5218359.post-1104696555297765462005-01-02T13:05:00.000-08:002005-01-02T12:09:15.296-08:00Happy New Year :)
You know how everyone makes those resolutions: exercise more, lose weight, become thin and happy and beautiful and rich?
Well, I didn't make any this year (except I would like to win the lottery, which would require buying tickets, which I never seem to remember to do) but hearing everyone else talk about them has made me realize that I have--yet again--really dropped the ballThumperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02154314376352066709noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5218359.post-1103589010868161412004-12-20T16:28:00.000-08:002004-12-20T16:30:10.866-08:00Wow.
Worst case scenrio followed: I wound up going to a civilian pharmacy to get my HGH. Just 4 vials, a few days more than a month's worth.
The bill, before TriCare kicks in and I pay my measly $9.00 co-pay... $1100.00
Holy cow.
It's a good thing this is really working for me, or I think I'd feel guilty about it.Thumperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02154314376352066709noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5218359.post-1102982558689489542004-12-13T15:57:00.000-08:002004-12-13T16:02:38.690-08:00A little crimp in my HGH regimin... I saw the endocrinologist at the base hospital (very nice guy, seems on the ball and quite personable) and he has no problem renewing my HGH scrip--the problem is that the pharmacy here doesn't carry the cartridges the dose I use comes in, and the ones they do carry titrate in such a way that I wouldn't be able to get that small a dose into an insulin syringe.
Thumperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02154314376352066709noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5218359.post-1100913112726272612004-11-19T17:07:00.000-08:002004-11-19T17:11:52.726-08:00Wow...I can't believe how long I let this blog just sit here, collecting dust and cobwebs and God knows what else...
Short story made long: I moved from Ohio back to California (Spouse Thingy retired from the military, w00t!) and in the transition I didn't work out for about 6 weeks (well, the transition and a bad knee...) plus there was about 10 days there when I didn't take my HGH.
The Thumperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02154314376352066709noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5218359.post-1094233100531462472004-09-03T10:34:00.000-07:002004-09-03T10:38:20.530-07:00Wow, I haven't worked out in 2 weeks, I don't think. Today's the first day I've ever remotely felt like I could, but I didn't; I'm waiting until Monday. I still have a residual cough, and while I can finally take in a deep breath without trying to hack up a lung, I don't want to push it.
No increased pain, however, and I didn't gain any weight. Both good.
I did forget to take my HGH last night-Thumperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02154314376352066709noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5218359.post-1093898358746868122004-08-30T13:33:00.000-07:002004-08-30T13:39:18.746-07:00Ok, so I was wrong. The doc didn't just look at my lab values and say "Oh, you're normal, so let's leave it at that." He took a real look at it and doubled the synthroid dose. So hopefully it'll push into the therapeutic range sooner rather than later; it's not just a weight issue...I'm tired of being cold all the time.
I've spent the last 10 days or so with a nasty cough that turned into full Thumperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02154314376352066709noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5218359.post-1093206997741763782004-08-22T13:25:00.000-07:002004-08-22T13:36:37.743-07:00I had bloodwork done this last week in anticipation of an appointment with my endocrinologist on the 26th. Having access to the hospital computers, the Spouse Thingy got all my lab values (except for Growth Hormone levels, which had to be sent to an outside lab) yesterday ... everything came back in the normal range.
Thing is, my Free T4 just *barely* came back normal. On the scale they use .78 Thumperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02154314376352066709noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5218359.post-1092007494907230332004-08-08T16:22:00.000-07:002004-08-10T19:00:44.730-07:00Ok, well, I may not be getting any smaller, but I'm definitely getting stronger. In cleaning out the garage this weekend, trying to clear a bunch of crap off a sofa we had stuck in the back, I realized that I've made tons of progress from this time last year.
When we moved the sofa into the garage, my end sort of dragged along the ground as I pushed and the Spouse Thingy puuled. This year, as weThumperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02154314376352066709noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5218359.post-1090965981726667822004-07-27T15:03:00.000-07:002004-07-27T15:06:21.726-07:00Well crap.
The 2 pounds I magically dropped reappeared and brought 2 more with it.
I don't know what else I can do; I'm working out at a really good clip several days a week, my diet is pretty decent--I try to keep it under 1500 calories a day--but this is getting beyond frustrating.
If I'm going to gain weight, I'd rather enjoy it with a box of Ding Dongs...
Thumperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02154314376352066709noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5218359.post-1090519037078522722004-07-22T10:39:00.000-07:002004-07-22T10:57:17.080-07:00Ok. I've had 3 doses of synthroid and have magically dropped 2 pounds.
Coincidence?
Perhaps...
I started the growth hormone injections about a year and 3 months ago. Longer than the doc thought I would stick with it, I think. He made a point of telling me that most of his adult patients who try it get tired of the daily injections after 6 months and stop. I think maybe they didn't have the Thumperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02154314376352066709noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5218359.post-1090249685595091002004-07-19T08:05:00.000-07:002004-07-19T08:08:05.596-07:00 Ok...my doc has finally written me a scrip for synthroid, so hopefully I can make some progress on the weight front.
It seems like I have everything in order now: replacement of all the hormones the tumor wiped out, I'm working out at a really good pace several days a week, and my diet is (for the most part) good.
We shall see...
Thumperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02154314376352066709noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5218359.post-1089581183288346972004-07-11T14:22:00.000-07:002004-07-11T14:26:23.290-07:00Something that probably rates a 6 or 7 on the dork-o-meter:
I can still kick--sidekick, round kick, front kick, crescent--with at least a modicum on control. My body dynamics are crap, but those can be worked on. And even though I'm all about sloppiness during cardio kickboxing, when I'm not being tortured by some Young Skinny Thing and can concentrate on what I'm doing, I can put some power Thumperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02154314376352066709noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5218359.post-1089216138041375932004-07-07T09:01:00.000-07:002004-07-07T09:02:18.040-07:00Ooof.
I am seriously feeling all those squats today.Thumperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02154314376352066709noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5218359.post-1089157188264788052004-07-06T16:39:00.000-07:002004-07-06T16:39:48.263-07:00Note To Self: if you hit a vein when poking yourself with a needle, it’s going to leave a bruise. And it won’t be pretty.
My legs are feeling today’s Boot Camp aerobics class. Or I could be feeling the combined effects of it plus last night’s kickboxing class. It’s not pain, per se, it’s more like “you used us, and we’re going to let you know it.” Between the two classes I did a lot of squats.
Thumperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02154314376352066709noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5218359.post-1088952049330597012004-07-04T07:30:00.000-07:002004-07-04T07:40:49.330-07:00Definite signs that, after a year, the HGH may be doing it's thing...
I've sputtered and restarted exercise programs over the last year, but in the last few weeks have caught fire, so to speak. It started with adding walking 3 days a week with some friends (and surprisingly, at a lose-your-breath pace, when I figured it would be a nice stroll with their kids.) A couple of weeks later I added a Thumperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02154314376352066709noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5218359.post-1084328956815310652004-05-11T19:27:00.000-07:002004-05-11T19:29:16.816-07:00At least a little explanation on the renewed pain and fatigue front: I am definitely hypothyroid now. I have the lab results, but I don't have a followup appointment with the doc to discuss what comes next (synthroid or the equivalent I would assume). I have high hopes that treating that will get me back to the energetic, much-reduced-pain that I was enjoying this time last year.Thumperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02154314376352066709noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5218359.post-1082424478394718162004-04-19T18:27:00.000-07:002004-04-19T18:30:54.873-07:00All right...the pain has definitely settled in for a bit of a stay. My legs and back are giving me a little trouble; it's not really bad, just enough to remind me that while I feel better, I'm not cured. Which, frankly, sucks.Thumperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02154314376352066709noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5218359.post-1080963264235504532004-04-02T19:34:00.000-08:002004-04-02T19:37:03.500-08:00It thrills me not, but I’m pretty sure now FMS is rearing its ugly head. I’m starting to have hip pain identical to the pain that sent me to a doctor the first time, back in 1997. Very disappointing.Thumperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02154314376352066709noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5218359.post-1079968854891972442004-03-22T07:20:00.000-08:002004-03-22T07:23:22.840-08:00Without my glasses, I'm blind as a bat. If I take them off and try to read words on the monitor, I have to practically jam my nose up against the screen, otherwise it's just a giant blur. I'm sure 90% of the people out there know what it's like...
And I like to swim--but swimming requires the removal of the glasses in order to put the swimming goggles on, which means I can barely tell if there'sThumperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02154314376352066709noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5218359.post-1079195654512729952004-03-13T08:34:00.000-08:002004-03-13T08:36:33.343-08:00My instruction on how to inject myself with HGH came from the Spouse Thingy; I could have gone to a how-to clinic at the base hospital, but was never pressured to, presumably because he could show me what to do, where to do it, etc.
One thing he mentioned was to pull back on the syringe after injecting it and look for blood; you don’t want blood, you’re not supposed to inject HGH into the blood Thumperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02154314376352066709noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5218359.post-1078252418323517312004-03-02T10:33:00.000-08:002004-03-02T10:36:06.810-08:00I’m still achy, but it’s not intolerable; I hit the pool today and swimming didn’t bother me at all. If anything, I felt better when I was in the water.
Well, I felt better until this old guy got into the lane next to me; guys, seriously, make sure your shorts fit, ‘cause no one wants to see your nads fall out, not even under water.
I also got on the scale this morning and am down a few pounds.Thumperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02154314376352066709noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5218359.post-1078012251117073122004-02-28T15:50:00.000-08:002004-02-28T15:52:56.030-08:00For the first time in months, I’m pretty achy. My back is bothering me, and my legs are a little sore…and I’m not sure why. I can’t track it down to any particular activity, and I have my fingers crossed that it’s not the start of a flare.
It might be another sign of my thyroid sputtering out. My last bloodwork showed a high TSH and a just-barely-normal Free T4, meaning, for the most part, that Thumperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02154314376352066709noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5218359.post-1076611093907174162004-02-12T10:38:00.000-08:002004-02-12T10:40:02.763-08:00Another Book In The Works…
…and I need help. If you have or know anyone who has Fibromyalgia, and would be willing to participate in a questionnaire for research purposes, please check out “We’re Writing A Book”.
In a nutshell, this will be a book from the perspective of people who have FMS, telling the world what we feel and want them to know about the disease, instead of a medical-type tomeThumperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02154314376352066709noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5218359.post-1075400046150443022004-01-29T10:14:00.000-08:002004-01-29T10:15:41.233-08:00It's obvious that a whole bunch of people made getting in shape their New Year's resolution, and that they collectively decided to take advantage of the YMCA's membership drive.
It used to be that I could hit the pool at 12:30, and most of the lanes would be free; people who were swimming on their lunch breaks always left right about then, so it was a safe time for me to get there.
Now...sheeshThumperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02154314376352066709noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5218359.post-1075257587118918692004-01-27T18:39:00.000-08:002004-01-27T18:41:20.356-08:00Cripes.
I bought one of those Gazelle Gliders (and used it), and now my legs hurt like a mother.
It's a good pain.
Yep.Thumperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02154314376352066709noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5218359.post-1074910270844653862004-01-23T18:11:00.000-08:002004-01-23T18:12:40.310-08:00Okay...my growth hormone levels came back as normal, so I won't be increasing my HGH dose. My inability to lose weight is more likely tied to a sputtering thyroid.
The thing is, other than symptoms that really are hypothyroid-like (always cold, dry skin, brittle nails, stubborn body fat) I feel terrific. I have some pain, but it's not like FMS pain--I don't know how to explain it any Thumperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02154314376352066709noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5218359.post-1074386903209494542004-01-17T16:48:00.000-08:002004-01-17T16:49:46.343-08:00I haven't forgotten this blog exists... I've just been way too lax about it, using the excuse that nothing has changed over the last few months.
However, I go back to the endocrinologist next week, and am going to ask him about upping the dose on my HGH, and seeing what that does. From everything I've read, the dose I'm on is very low, so there may be benefit to be gained from increasing it.
Thumperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02154314376352066709noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5218359.post-1064066950885452192003-09-20T07:09:00.000-07:002003-09-20T07:09:10.943-07:00I am doing a really lousy job of updating this blog ... but, I've started back swimming after a too-long layoff, and it wasn't painful, and least physically. Odd thing is, I was able to do as many laps as before; I expected to have lost some endurance and a significant amount of speed (not that I was zipping through the water at a breath taking pace before I got stupid and took a break.)
The Thumperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02154314376352066709noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5218359.post-1062629278960350942003-09-03T15:47:00.000-07:002003-09-03T15:47:58.890-07:00I don't know where my comments went; I poked around Enetation but I can't find any info on server outages (such as YACSS is having), and I doubled checked the script and it looks all right. So I dunno...Thumperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02154314376352066709noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5218359.post-1062347872443789342003-08-31T09:37:00.000-07:002003-08-31T09:37:52.503-07:00Since I last updated (which I realize I'm getting really lazy about):
I've barely worked out. No swimming (well, the Y pool is closed for repainting and repair, so I have a marginal excuse there), little bike riding, little anything. On the brighter side of my sloth, I have not gained weight nor has my pain level increased.
The lack of weight gain is indeed favorable considering my diet has Thumperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02154314376352066709noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5218359.post-1060744813758421452003-08-12T20:20:00.000-07:002003-08-12T20:20:13.756-07:00While perhaps not a major thing, more evidence this week that the HGH is doing something. A few months ago the Spouse Thingy and I relegated a sofa and love seat to the garage, and in order to get them there I had to just push my end along the floor. Both were too heavy.
Yesterday we moved the love seat back in--I'll be damned if I didn't lift my end fairly effortlessly.
Still having some back Thumperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02154314376352066709noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5218359.post-1060439397472376892003-08-09T07:29:00.000-07:002003-08-09T07:29:57.500-07:00[edit]Thumperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02154314376352066709noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5218359.post-1060186790865476222003-08-06T09:19:00.000-07:002003-08-06T09:19:50.916-07:00Finally, a break in the rain yesterday, so I was able to get out and ride for a little while. This area has an abundance of bike trails, so there’s always someplace to ride; instead of getting on the end of the trail closest to my house (lots of hills, and I was in a wimpy mood yesterday) I tossed the bike (well, gently) in the back of the truck and drove about five miles away to use the Thumperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02154314376352066709noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5218359.post-1060006593998929282003-08-04T07:16:00.000-07:002003-08-04T07:16:34.063-07:00Brand new, kick ass bike, and daily thunderstorms that leave the bike path with silt covered slick patches and tons of puddles just don’t work well together. Since I got the bike it’s either been raining or too humid to go out much. And frankly, that pisses me off. Quit freaking raining already!
(yeah, like that’s gonna help…heh.)
Thumperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02154314376352066709noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5218359.post-1059518308114661302003-07-29T15:38:00.000-07:002003-07-29T15:39:17.176-07:00Pertinent to nothing… I’m just about to run out of syringes. I used low dose insulin syringes with a very short needle; the needle length is important for 2 reasons: the HGH is in a chamber that’s only about an inch long altogether, and it has to be delivered subcutaneously (just under the skin.)
So I went to the pharmacy for a refill, and someone screwed up. They gave me syringes with long Thumperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02154314376352066709noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5218359.post-1059403544354285552003-07-28T07:45:00.000-07:002003-07-28T07:45:44.260-07:00Well, after two nights back on benedryl, I think I have my answer… I definitely need to be on it. I slept well and don’t feel like I want to lie down and nap off and on all day. When I realized I probably needed to go back on it I was seriously bummed, until the thought crossed my mind that needing it is not a personal failing. It’s just part of the FMS. Thumperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02154314376352066709noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5218359.post-1059269605041667002003-07-26T18:33:00.000-07:002003-07-26T18:33:25.026-07:00All right, tonight I go back on benedryl. I slept fairly well last night and wasn't particularly tired today, but I just have that gut feeling that says I should go back on it. One day of being bright eyed just isn't enough. It does answer a question I've had--yes, lack of deep sleep does seem to play a role in my FMS.
I haven't taken measurements in a long time, but yesterday I bought a pair ofThumperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02154314376352066709noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5218359.post-1059188816724450942003-07-25T20:06:00.000-07:002003-07-25T20:06:56.790-07:00The bike is awesome. I can stay on it for 40-45 minutes and ride at a pretty good clip, without developing a case of Screaming Ass or Jello Legs.
The only physical problem I'm having at all lately us fatigue. Not bone-drenching, oh-my-God-I-want-to-die fatigue, but a daily dose of crap-I-need-a-nap tiredness. And it's happening pretty much every day.
I suspect it's because I quit taking Thumperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02154314376352066709noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5218359.post-1058919382450423132003-07-22T17:16:00.000-07:002003-07-22T17:16:22.483-07:00
I’ve always wanted a recumbent bike; yesterday I finally got one (identical to the one pictured, though mine is red) and today I took it our for a spin. This is a big deal to me: I haven’t been able to ride a bike in a good 10-12 years. Upright bikes kill my knees and my back; I can stay on one for about 5 minutes tops, and then pay for it in pain for the next week. I rode this one today for Thumperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02154314376352066709noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5218359.post-1058452238154746132003-07-17T07:30:00.000-07:002003-07-17T07:30:38.120-07:00:::blows dust off the Blog:::
Wow, I seriously had not intended to let this blog sit unattended for so long. I would have been saying the same things over and over, though, so I suppose by not keeping it up I avoided killing people by inflicting terminal boredom on them.
Nothing has really changed in the last month. I’m on the same dose of HGH, my energy levels are still up, endurance is good,Thumperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02154314376352066709noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5218359.post-2004048642003-06-09T14:57:00.000-07:002003-06-09T14:57:48.940-07:00I 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.
TowardsThumperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02154314376352066709noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5218359.post-2003965932003-06-06T20:24:00.000-07:002003-06-06T20:24:39.450-07:00Bragging 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 Thumperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02154314376352066709noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5218359.post-2003906052003-06-05T13:19:00.000-07:002003-06-05T13:19:48.840-07:00I 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 Thumperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02154314376352066709noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5218359.post-2003716302003-06-01T19:40:00.000-07:002003-06-01T19:40:47.723-07:00In 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 Thumperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02154314376352066709noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5218359.post-2003555632003-05-28T20:26:00.000-07:002003-05-28T20:27:11.000-07:00If stress can set off an FMS flare, and if my FMS is truly not under control, then I'm going to have one hell of a flare-up soon. I fully expect to wake up tomorrow aching from head to toe. It might not be FMS; it might just be a broken heart.
Our sweet, goofy Golden Retriever, Hank, died today. It was expected, yet not. He was only twelve and a half years old; old for a big dog, but not old Thumperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02154314376352066709noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5218359.post-2003398232003-05-25T17:08:00.000-07:002003-05-25T17:08:12.346-07:00w00t!
I hit 100 lengths of the pool today; it took about an hour and seventeen minutes, and I was pretty drained by that last lap, but I did it. I went in thinking 80 again, but I hit 80 and still had juice left, so I kept going. At 90 I was thinking I felt pretty good still; at 95 I was thinking “please, God, let me do five more…” When my energy drained, it went quick.
I realized, too, that I Thumperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02154314376352066709noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5218359.post-2003351392003-05-23T19:27:00.000-07:002003-05-23T19:27:20.236-07:00It’s still status quo… I feel like an album stuck in a groove (eh, that shows how old I am, too) repeating the same thing over and over. Pain levels still down, endurance still up. Though, I was a little sore this morning; we spent most of yesterday digging flower beds and planting petunias and impatiens, so my back was feeling it when I got up.
We headed over to the Y and hit the pool; I Thumperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02154314376352066709noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5218359.post-2003194102003-05-20T16:41:00.000-07:002003-05-20T16:41:39.553-07:00How very depressing.
I’ve taken 50 doses of HGH; my weight isn’t changing, my measurements are the same.
Now, my endurance is up; I hit 80 laps in the pool today and was still ready to do other things afterwards. But I’m not losing weight or inches.
:\
Thumperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02154314376352066709noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5218359.post-2003025262003-05-16T14:22:00.000-07:002003-05-16T14:22:52.336-07:00Fortunately, the little voice in the back of my head was wrong; the base pharmacy did get a supply of Genotropin in, and supposedly will keep getting it. I’ll be sure to put in for the next refill earlier, though, just in case.
I think I have about 4 or 5 more doses until I hit a total of 50—one box of 5 cartridges. I figure at that point I’ll retake my measurements and see if anything has Thumperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02154314376352066709noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5218359.post-2002865342003-05-13T14:43:00.000-07:002003-05-13T15:19:56.000-07:0052.
Yep, I did 52 laps today, and only stopped because it was after 1 p.m. and the Spouse Thingy needed to leave in order to get to work on time. I started out swimming today (slowly at first to warm up) instead of walking, and did more swimming than walking. My endurance is most definitely up there: afterwards I didn’t feel like I’d been put through the wringer, and I had plenty of energy to Thumperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02154314376352066709noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5218359.post-2002702182003-05-09T19:17:00.000-07:002003-05-09T19:17:47.336-07:00The Workouts…
I started out just walking in the water, then worked up to jogging. After a couple weeks I tried swimming a few laps, but very few—I think I managed 6 laps that first time, just enough to let me know I could do it, but I seriously lacked endurance.
Now… I do weights twice a week; I was spending about 40 minutes in the weight room, but since I switched to the slow lifting method, IThumperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02154314376352066709noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5218359.post-2002649282003-05-08T20:28:00.000-07:002003-05-08T20:28:50.396-07:00Something pretty cool… I got a call yesterday from someone at The Bridge Program; they help people who need to go on HGH deal with their insurance companies (because, as most of us know, just because a doc prescribes it, that doesn’t mean insurance will cover it.) My scrip is covered, but they were able to hook me up with a nifty little device that will make it easier for me to mix the drug (Thumperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02154314376352066709noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5218359.post-2002534982003-05-06T21:07:00.000-07:002003-05-06T21:07:33.933-07:00This is going to sound rude; it's not meant to be--but I still have to say it.
Please, don't take the existence of this blog as a reason to spam me with every cure for chronic pain under the sun. You may think you have the perfect solution, and your heart is in the right place, but a hundred other people are thinking the same thing--I'm getting an awful lot of emails promising everything from Thumperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02154314376352066709noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5218359.post-2002284482003-05-01T11:02:00.000-07:002003-05-01T11:02:49.430-07:00Oyvey, I was right… the weight workout did kick my butt yesterday, and for the first time in a long time I’m walking around with post-exertional muscle pain. I wasn’t quite crying for my mommy as I tried to get up this morning, but I’m feeling every muscle I worked on yesterday.
This is a good thing, not a whine about FMS pain. The pain tells me I actually did something yesterday. Hopefully it’sThumperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02154314376352066709noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5218359.post-2002248512003-04-30T17:56:00.000-07:002003-04-30T17:56:42.476-07:00After reading the book, I decided to give the Power Of 10 a try.
This workout seriously kicked my ass today. I felt it more than I’ve felt a weight workout in a long time. I hit the burn quick and was amazed at how few reps I was able to pull out of a single set. We’ll see how it goes, whether or not I put on some muscle easier than I have been doing the typical 3-set, 12 rep regimen. And we’llThumperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02154314376352066709noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5218359.post-2002100402003-04-28T07:13:00.000-07:002003-04-28T07:13:51.386-07:00The Spouse Thingy had last week off, and we kept ourselves fairly busy. We hit the gym quite a bit, went fishing a couple of times, bowling a couple of times, and lots of running around in general. I was able to keep up this time, and wasn’t ready to drop from exhaustion by day 3.
I am willing to attribute being able to physically manage all the things we did to the HGH this time. I’ve been on Thumperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02154314376352066709noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5218359.post-2001969322003-04-24T20:25:00.000-07:002003-04-24T20:25:22.963-07:00After that initial 4 pound loss, my weight has held steady. I’m hoping there’s a little lost body fat I’m not seeing due to muscle gain; I definitely feel stronger. I haven’t added a whole lot of weight to my training routines, but I’ve added a little and when we went bowling today that 16 pound ball didn’t feel so heavy.
My overall pain levels are fairly low, as well. I had a couple of days Thumperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02154314376352066709noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5218359.post-2001790722003-04-21T16:22:00.000-07:002003-04-21T16:22:33.336-07:00My truck runneth me over… at least that’s how it felt the last couple of days. I got up Saturday and felt like I had been drop kicked a few times, and then on Sunday the pressure was unbelievable, and the fatigue even worse than that. I’m not a napper normally, but after I’d only been up for a couple of hours, I crashed and slept for about 4 hours, and was sluggish the rest of the day—until this Thumperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02154314376352066709noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5218359.post-2001591862003-04-16T19:14:00.000-07:002003-04-16T19:21:36.000-07:00 For the couple people who have expressed an interest in HGH and wanted to know how big the needle is… It’s a standard small-dose insulin needle. If you look closely, you can see the actual needle is shorter than the length of my thumbnail (and I don’t have very big hands.) Honestly, it doesn’t hurt.Thumperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02154314376352066709noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5218359.post-2001587332003-04-16T16:49:00.000-07:002003-04-16T16:49:51.770-07:00I’ve pretty much dropped the workout ball the last couple of days—there’s just been too much going on work-wise (excuse #241)—but I have to say, my energy levels are still high and my overall pain levels are fairly low.
Gosh darn it, I feel spiffy :)
Thumperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02154314376352066709noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5218359.post-2001462102003-04-14T12:24:00.000-07:002003-04-14T12:29:05.000-07:00I don’t know how this rates on the Grand Scale of Things, but yesterday I went fishing. Yep, just an ordinary, everyday kind of thing, but for me, it was A Big Deal.
I haven’t been able to fish—at least not the way I enjoy—in several years. I prefer to fish with a lure, which means casting over and over, and my back hasn’t been able to handle that since 1998 or thereabouts. I spent about three Thumperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02154314376352066709noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5218359.post-2001377932003-04-12T09:49:00.000-07:002003-04-12T09:49:02.276-07:00My ISP decided to take a nice 24 hour vacation, followed by intermittent naps, leaving me with time to only write a comment in the last entry, but little else. During the ISP downtime I found myself overly irritated by lack of internet access--I mean really irritated--but I don't attribute that to anything having to do with the HGH. I blame it all on hormones, something I haven't had to deal withThumperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02154314376352066709noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5218359.post-2001183672003-04-08T19:42:00.000-07:002003-04-08T19:42:35.060-07:00If I don’t get up tomorrow seriously sore, I’ll be very surprised. We did about 45 minutes in the weight room today; I concentrated on my upper body (because, honestly, my knee can’t take much lower body weight work): standing bicep curl, tricep pulldown, lat pulldown, seated row, crunches, and shoulder shrugs. I pushed, but not too hard, just hard enough to feel a little rubbery afterwards.
I’dThumperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02154314376352066709noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5218359.post-2001124012003-04-07T19:14:00.000-07:002003-04-07T19:14:59.523-07:00The time change is kicking my a$$. I prefer daylight savings time (once I get used to it) because I like having daylight extend into the evening (being night blind, it helps; I feel like a frigging 10 year old during the winter, when I have to be home by 4:30-5 o’clock); these first few days, though, with my sleep cycles screwed up, my poor beee-hind drags like I had cement in my underwear.
The Thumperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02154314376352066709noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5218359.post-2001029682003-04-05T17:19:00.000-08:002003-04-05T17:19:24.153-08:00I woke up with energy today, but not a whole lot of oomph. I woke up early, and the first thing on my mind was “work out today… weights… ugh.” I battled a whole lot of rationalization (Hey, it’s Saturday, the Y will be crowded, there will be too many men hogging the weight machines, there’s housework to be done, Fark to surf through, porn to be downloaded, Wil Wheaton to stalk…) but finally Thumperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02154314376352066709noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5218359.post-2000994692003-04-04T14:57:00.000-08:002003-04-04T15:01:19.000-08:00I found one of the pounds I lost. I expected as much, but it was not a happy discovery—I would have been very happy for it to stay lost, never to be found again. I may find another one tomorrow morning; we had a coupon for a free Big Mac, and talked ourselves into it. That’s “we” as in the Spouse Thingy and I, not the collective voices in my head (those voices tried to talk me into a hot fudge Thumperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02154314376352066709noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5218359.post-2000937172003-04-03T14:34:00.000-08:002003-04-03T14:34:31.463-08:00I’m going to assume it’s water weight, but I was down 4 pounds this morning. My ego would like to believe it’s all body fat, but realistically, 4 pounds in 2 days is most likely to be largely due to water loss.
Normally I can be fairly sure about that; when my weight is down several pounds I can usually track it to my DDAVP wearing off early the night before, which causes my kidneys to have a Thumperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02154314376352066709noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5218359.post-2000888442003-04-02T18:56:00.000-08:002003-04-02T18:56:15.203-08:00Thar She Blows…
All right, I’m keeping track of my weight (phfft no, I’m not telling!) and have taken my measurements. I even bought a spiffy Day Planner so I can keep track of what I’m doing and when, including all the medications I take.
Using the growth hormone isn’t half bad. It’s given with a low-dose insulin needle, so it’s pretty much painless—a very tiny prick. Spouse Thingy talked me Thumperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02154314376352066709noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5218359.post-2000828782003-04-01T17:48:00.000-08:002003-04-01T17:48:25.636-08:00Tsk
I had my first injection last night. And dangit, I didn’t wake up with bulging muscles and a gorgeous bod. This may take more time than I thought ;)Thumperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02154314376352066709noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5218359.post-2000755262003-03-31T14:55:00.000-08:002003-03-31T14:58:45.000-08:00The Background Info
January 1997, while driving down Highway 2 in Grand Forks, ND, our truck hit a spot of black ice. After fish-tailing and completing a 360 degree spin, it headed to the side of the road, where the wheels caught on ice, and then flipped over. We landed upside down, the windshield mere centimeters from our noses, but we were able to get out through the passenger door, and we Thumperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02154314376352066709noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5218359.post-2000711052003-03-30T21:02:00.000-08:002003-03-30T21:13:40.000-08:00Like millions of other people, I have a disease known as Fibromyalgia. I've spent the last six years in varying degrees of pain; most of the time it's manageable, but there have been times when it has been excruciating. Starting sometime this week, I will begin taking Human Growth Hormone, and have high hopes that it will be a major benefit in treating FMS.
In the next day or so I'll add more Thumperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02154314376352066709noreply@blogger.com0