Humbled, freestyle

I have been following Lisa Ray’s blog http://lisaraniray.wordpress.com/ and am humbled by her humour and candor and intelligence in dealing with her recent diagnosis of Multiple Myeloma. I applaud her for putting a face, even if it a “moonface” to this disease and helping to raise awareness for it and all cancers. No chronic condition is ever in any way pleasant to have, but cancer just has to take the cake. Not that it’s a contest, or anything! I don’t want to win, please don’t misconstrue my meaning here. After all, I had RSD– more painful than cancer pain anyday, according to the McGill Pain Index (and by far!).

But hey, I put up with that for 18 years. Then I got my leg cut off.

CHOP.

OK> not the whole thing, just the right one, above the ankle.

Muchos better now. I know, I know. A bit extreme, but what is a girl to do? No matter what, the leg just wasn’t getting any better. It wasn’t responding to treatments. The pain was increasing. I was taking over 17 meds and I forget how many supplements a day. A DAY. Do you know how hard it is to go to the bathroom when you are on that kind of regimen? Jeesh! Let’s just say we won’t go there.

Over the years the chronic pain of my fibromyalgia has been exacerbated by the pain from my leg.  By a whole lot, but I had no idea it was having such an influence. My average daily pain levels have gone from an average of 7-9 on a 1-10 pain scale to a 3-4. My migraines have decreased as well. I don’t ever expect to be free of pain, but I can “live” with this! My left leg, the bad knee, still spikes up higher than that, but it is isolated pain, instead of overall. One thing at a time. One thing at a time. Keep the Yellow Diaries coming….thanks for the head check Lisa Ray.