My Journey With:

Hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (hEDS) ~ Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS) ~ Focal Impaired Awareness (Complex Partial) Seizures ~ Fibromyalgia ~ Chronic Myofascial Pain (CMP) ~ Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) ~ TMJ Dysfunction ~ Bipolar Disorder Type I Rapid Cycling With Psychotic Features ~ Migraines ~ Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD) ~ Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) ~ Keratosis Pilaris (KP) ~ Complex-Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (C-PTSD) ~ Panic Disorder ~ Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) ~ Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD) ~ Self-Harm ~ Bilateral Piezogenic Pedal Papules ~ Hashimoto's Thyroiditis ~ Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) ~ Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) ~ Specific Phobias ~ Chronic Daily Headache ~ Eczema

Sunday, October 25, 2009

Lightbox: a box with lights in it

This morning I woke up in PAIN.  Yup, the all caps, bold print kind of pain.  Right now I'm sitting in my desk chair with the vibrating chair pad over it.  It always seems like while it helps, the bumps in it also hurt.

Friday night was a bad night for me.  Since the it gets dark earlier than it did my Seasonal Affective Disorder is kicking into overdrive.  I'm not sure if that has to do with the paranoia and fear I had Friday, but I will have to ask my pdoc about it.  I'm supposed to be getting up at seven o'clock in the morning and using my lightbox for an hour.  Seven o'clock is really early when I can't sleep until one o'clock in the morning on a good night.  On a bad night if I fall asleep I do around four or five in the morning.

For those who are not familiar with a lightbox, mine is literally a wooden frame (box) with bulbs in it.  Hence, a lightbox is exactly what it sounds like.  It is used in the treatment of Seasonal Affective Disorder.  Mine puts our 10,000 lux, and from what I understand it is a very good lightbox.  I sit about twelve inches away from it and either stare toward the bottom or I read a book with the book and my eyes at such a position that I'm still getting the light into my eyes.  It does give me a headache, but it also really helps with the S.A.D.  It has a warning on it to not wear sunglasses while using it.  That warning is for the same people that need instructions on deodorant to apply daily and on the Pill to tell them it doesn't protect against HIV and other STDs.

So, I've taken two pain pills, half a muscle relaxer, some Excedrin, and am on the vibrating cushion chair.  My shoulders are really sore as I awoke with one subluxated, which means that the joint was partially dislocated.  Dislocations and subluxations are common with Hypermobility type Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome.  As I mentioned before I have been diagnosed with Fibromyalgia and Hypermobility Syndrome, but it is suspected that I have Hypermobility Type Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (HEDS).

To explain about HEDS I'm going to add a quote from Wikipedia's article on Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome.


"The major signs and symptoms [of HEDS] include:
Loose, unstable joints that are prone to: sprains, dislocations, subluxations (partial dislocations), and hyperextension (double jointedness)
Flat feet
High and narrow palate, usually resulting in dental crowding
Easy bruising
Velvety-smooth skin
Muscle weakness, often made worse by cold weather
Early onset of osteoarthritis (usually develops in mid-30s)
The pain associated with this condition is a serious complication."

With each one of my blogs I'd like to mention another great blog.  Today I'm going to suggest Girl Interrupted - A life with fibromyalgia.  This blogger, Dreamweaver, has a fibromyalgia blog with a sense of humor.

Until next time, your own Lady of the Ozarks.

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