Plenty of Chaos and a New Diagnosis

Before my post encouraging people to donate to help ex-fundamentalist writer Vyckie Garrison to keep her home this month, the last time I posted was on July 28th. This blog has been highly neglected due to simple lack of motivation, my health, some chaos in my life, and nothing really to write about.

I have been quite astounded that this blog has still been averaging 2,500 + readers a week irregardless, and as of the time of writing, my post raising awareness about the Vyckie Garrison fundraiser has had 1,027 views so far. I want to thank everyone who has been reading the blog in my absence.

It has been a rather strange few weeks lately, I had an odd set of vehicle related catastrophes (though none caused by abusive relatives this time). In three weeks, I have driven 4 different vehicles. Sounds odd, right? Let me back up here, first, the old car that I have had for the past two years blew it's engine, possible head gasket problems. It was scrapped, because it was well past it's prime to begin with.

Then, I get a bank loan to pay for a used Ford F-150 truck on a Monday, and overnight on a Wednesday, this happened.

Neighbors reported hearing a crashing sound at about 1:30 am, but didn't realize what it is, and considering the fact that we are very close to a steel plant operated by US Steel, odd banging and crashing, and shuffling sounds are not that unusual. Considering the time period that it happened, and the town I am in, it was likely some either drunk or high on heroin that hit it and ran.

(My rental was an awful mustard yellow color)

It's rather shocking that they were able to drive their vehicle away from the scene considering that they hit this truck hard enough to blow a back tire on it and break an axle. Certainly it would have at least destroyed their radiator, leading the vehicle to overheat and shut down within a few miles. This hit and run suspect may never be caught, and the truck was totaled.

So that's two vehicles, I also had a Kia Soul as a rental car through Enterprise that the insurance paid most of the costs on, and I bought another vehicle.

 I had to roll over several hundred dollars onto that loan due to the fact that I lost the deductible on the truck (no one for the insurance to pursue for the costs), and it took some negotiations and even a threat of a lawsuit to get my insurance company to pay anything near the value of the truck.

Then, I went to a new doctor because my previous doctor would not listen about the chronic pain and fatigue that I have had despite going on medication for my depression over a year ago, and getting a CPAP machine for sleep apnea this April. Both had helped, but I still felt awful.

After talking about the pain and fatigue, how it acted, how long it has been in my life, how it behaved, and family history, he was quite certain that I have the neurological disorder Fibromyalgia.

It wasn't surprising due to family history, and the way this pain and fatigue behaved. Medication he prescribed has helped some, but it's still not enough, although mentally I am far clearer than I used to be thankfully. Memory and cognitive issues do go along with Fibromyalgia as I have found out, and it is so common with it, that the term "fibro fog" has been invented to describe it.

I have been getting back to working out to try and stay and in shape and help with recovery, but with vehicle payments I am going to have soon (my previous vehicle, the one that was vandalized was paid for) , finances are going to be stretched.

 I have been applying for temp companies in this area for part time work, many of them run production for product packaging lines at area warehouses, the same kind of work I once did several years ago. I need the extra money, but right now, I'm wondering if I could keep up with it physically. Maybe medication will have to be adjusted, higher dose. I just don't know right now what to do.