Introducing the one, the only, me...

Andrea - posted on 02/16/2009 ( 3 moms have responded )

Things always seem to come along when you most need them. My NYR was to use facebook more for business and pleasure and that led to circle of moms which led to this message board. I have been on other health type of boards b4 but I was usually one of the few moms so it wasn't supportive in that way. I really appreciate being able to read and chat with other moms who really are going through the same things as me. so thank you all for being there.



I'm Andrea and I've been living with chronic illness for 25 years. I was sick in my teens with lupus, got fibro in my 20's, but kept working and going to school. It wasn't until motherhood that I became disabled and lived with chronic pain. I'm thankful for it because it forced me to be home with my kids but it took a long, long time to get to thankful.



I was 33 when I had my son in 2002. The epidural (which apparently you aren't supposed to have anyway if you have fibro) gave me neuropathy and left my right side numb for six months. I'm treated for it now but it took 3 years to find a better PC to listen to me. 8 weeks after Andrew was born I had a fistulaectomy to remove scar tissue from my buttock/anus. Then it didn't heal and I had a second surgery when he was 4 months old, this one severely cut my sphincter muscle. In 2004 I had my daughter c-section. After all that I wound up with severe pelvic floor collapse.



In 2006 I had major reconstruction surgery. I had a pelvic hat trick. They did a sphincteroplasty, bladder sling, rectocele and cyctocele repair. For a year before the surgery it felt like all my insides were going to fall out, sex had been non-existent and a waste of time on my part, my poop tried to come out my vagina and I had to wear diapers from TOTAL incontinence. Recovery was rough but it gave me back bladder and fecal control as well as sexual function. Fixing the tears and pressure made my lady parts work again.



I was on the mend and continued to improve the neuropathy symptoms with treatment. In 2007 I lost a friend who went missing. I wound up being the media spokesperson for her family and our MOMS Group. After the weeks and months of stress from that I got really, really sick again with lupus type stuff. My doctor tried me on the normal protocol but I just got sicker. So she sent me to a new rheumi who had just moved to town. She diganosed me with Sjogrens which requires some different meds than lupus. Once I was being treated for the right disease things improved dramatically.



I would say I'm the best I've been since being disabled in 2002. And I continue to get better every day with routine and regimen. I still have to rest a lot and have all sorts of physical limitations but there is so much more I can do. I even had sinus surgery in November that I bounced back quickly from.



My husband and I have been together for over 12 years and we have Andrew 6 and Erica 4. Time to get started on a another pseudo super mom day as they ar eboth awake now!



Thank you for being here. We all need each other.



Blessings - Andrea