Have you had chicken pox?

[agnesmagnes]

I don't know if this poll is still going on, but I did have chicken pox as a young child, maybe age 6-7. I also had hep A of B, when I was 4 years old. I was in a hospital for 3 months is quarantine. I was on a strict diet for a year after that. As an adult, I had lots of digestive problems, gerd, a very painful ulcer. Also, endometriosis, painful, crampy periods. During my 2 pregnancies, I gained weight seemingly out of nowhere. In my late 40s I was diagnosed with hypothyroidism, the autoimmune type. With this condition, my cholesterol level went up and I also developed type II diabetes. Endocrinologist put me on Lipitor and Metformin. Got a bad reaction to Metformin, but was OK on Lipitor for a few years, then the doctor doubled my dose and I started to get sick. I knew of the muscle pain side effect, but at the time did not make the connection between the increased dosage and the onset of the pain. I started complaining to my GP of joint weakness and sore muscles. She sent me repeatedly for physical therapy. I also exercised throughout my adverse reaction, as both my doctors were stressing the importance of physical activity for my diabetes and weight gain. Finally, when I made the connection between my misery and the medication, my muscle fibers were getting into my bloodstream and causing weird bruises all over my body. My small blood vessels were bleeding under the skin. I took myself off of Lipitor then. I have improved a lot since, but I will never get my old muscle tone back.
I have also self diagnosed a pretty severe allergy to gluten (all grains except rice) and a reaction to dairy (painful joints). Since I don't eat any food containing gluten, I feel much better, have more energy. I don't have the repeated sinus infections, which required me to be on antibiotics for years.
The last comment I wanted to make is regarding these weir vibrations I feel when I go to bed. At first I thought it was our cat walking around on the bed trying to find a spot. But looking up, I repeatedly discovered that he was not even in the room. Then I thought it must be small tremors, as we live in CA and that was a possibility. But upon checking tremor activity on a web site, I saw that everything was quiet at that time. So, I accepted that I get these vibrations in my muscles. I didn't have a clue as to the cause, but I am gratified to find out that I am not alone, and this is probably another statin induced gift that keeps on giving.

[cjbrooksjc]

Agnes:

This low level, whole body vibration is indeed a Statin A.E., and I experienced it for years. It seems to be abating now though (6-7 years on), but it was a strange feeling that had me up at night to see if the A/C unit fan was out of alignment. I feel this "gift" only on rare occasion now though.

Best,
Brooks

[catspjs]

When I was in the grips of the statin nightmare I developed shingles and vasculitis...yes, I did have chicken pox when I was little. Even after 10 years off statins when stressed or ill I will get a few shingle sores pop out. Weird!