By Silvia on Tuesday, July 10, 2001 - 04:46 pm:

Hi,

I was diagnosed with HMS about 2 months ago and have been feeling very depressed about it. I am no longer working due to the pain and spend most of my days at home. And every morning when I wake up it takes me about a minute to realize I have HMS.
It's as if my mind forgets about it as I sleep. There have even been mornings when I wake up and think that I have to get ready for work. But then I realize that I'm not going to work because of HMS. Has this ever happened to any of you?

I'm 30 years old and this is very hard for me. Especially since I was a very independent and active person. I just hate that this is a genetic condition, it's really put a hamper on my dreams of becoming a mom; at least a biological mom.

Anyway, any advice on coping would be greatly appreciated. I'm still having a hard time accepting I have this and also accepting that this condition even exists. I had never even heard of it prior to getting diagnosed. However, I have had 2 prolotherapy treatments and am happy that they have made me feel better. But even though I'm doing better I still feel very down about having this. Especially because I know it's genetic and also because I used to be very active. Like I said earlier, any advice on coping with this would be appreciated. I'm new to this and still trying to find ways to get rid of the fear and depression I have about having HMS.

By . on Wednesday, July 11, 2001 - 01:51 pm:

i am also living in denial most of the time, but not because i forget i have it, but because i wish so much i didnt. you are lucky that you wake up forgetting you have it, i wake up so stiff and in pain in the morning i cant forget that i have it. just take oe day at a time.

By Sheena on Wednesday, July 11, 2001 - 02:04 pm:

Hi Silvia,
I am sorry to hear you are having so much pain. I would like to offer you some hope for the future! In my case, working at a computer was if not causing the pain, then definitely aggravating it, and when I gave up work I gradually got a bit better over the course of a few months. The pain decreased with rest and reduced stress. I found that getting a diagnosis which explained so many of the annoying problems I had experienced over the years was actually a relief, and there are worse illnesses than HMS. I now work part-time at a completely different job.

By Silvia on Wednesday, July 11, 2001 - 03:18 pm:

Thanks for the advice to both Sheena and the other person who responded to my post. To the first person, I'm sorry to hear you wake up in so much pain. Believe me, I've been there many times. And like you I also wish many times I didn't have this.

And to Sheena, I appreciate the hope you offer me as well. I also used to work in front of a computer all day and have been feeling better since I stopped working. Especially since I've had many problems with my back and sacroiliac joints.

To those of you out there struggling with this, please feel free to e-mail me at anytime. It's always nice to communicate with others who understand how you feel.

By Louise on Sunday, October 31, 2004 - 12:14 pm:

hi im louise, im 17, i got diagnosed with HMS about 3weeks ago, im currently in a leg cast as i dislocated my knee, but am gettin it off tommorow, i work in tesco's so my job is pullin heavy cages back and forth and bending down alot, sometimes i have 2 stop because im in pain and then start working again.
Im glad in a way i know what is wrong with me because i have had problems for about 4years now with my joints, i also was born wiv CDH which means my hip was dislocated when i was born.
So any advice would be great.
thanks
louise

By Az on Sunday, October 31, 2004 - 08:24 pm:

Hi Louise,
I did the exact same job (Among others)I would suggest you change the work you do in the store. Im almost twice your age and wasnt diagnosed until I was 27 and by that time the damage was done (Due to these sort of jobs) Places like Tescos (Wal Marts in the US) tend to let people with physical disabilities work on the smaller checkouts (Ten items or less style) or in the stock control room. If you are putting less strain on your body at work you will have more energy to exercise and keep it stable which should hopefully prevent too many further injuries and may even ease your pain.