Reply #22: Problem

[Squeech]

Fibromyalgia is the diagnosis when there are several apparently related symptoms or issues around muscle pain, weakness, nerve dysfunction, etc. They don't necessarily constitute the same condition every time they arise, so there isn't a "cure" or even a standard treatment: you (or your doctor) try something or other out, whatever works you keep doing, whatever doesn't work you drop. Our little running joke is that "fibromyalgia" comes from the Greek words for "my doctor is clueless."

Mrs. Squeech was diagnosed with it sometime before we got together. Her main symptoms are pain and stiffness. There's an immune system problem that's possibly related-- some other prednazone-like med they gave her for something else years ago did something to her immune system. She's tried a number of things; acupuncture worked, but it's become too inconvenient to find a practitioner. Nowadays she takes Celebrex and does okay. She says it helps that her job (retail sales) makes her move around; she figures she's in better shape now than she's been in for years.

We suspect also diet has something to do with it. She was really eating crap when we met-- lots of ramen and fast food. Nowadays we both cook better food for each other to eat than we would think of to eat on our own-- one of the back-door health benefits of marriage.