Originally Posted by florist fran

Oh my goodness!, I have just found this website and found others who are suffering with the same symptoms as myself. Please let me tell you my story.
I run my own flower business, a lovely little shop which at times gets really busy but I manage to run it on my own with the occasional deliveries from my partner.
This mothers day just gone, I was working very long hours and I started to feel discomfort in my feet and then I started to feel pain in my hands but I had to carry on and get my orders out for the next day, I could hardly sleep that night, I kept rubbing my hands and feet and felt pretty rough. I finished the last of the bouquets the next day, god knows how I kept going and when finally finished locked up the shop and called it a day,that was 6 months ago and sadly I have been too unwell to return. What happened to me since that day has totally changed my life.
The pain in my feet and hands became unbearable!! I made an emergency appointment to the doctor and he gave me strong pain killers and said that I had probably overworked which I too thought must have been the reason. The pain was getting worse day by day. I hobbled into the emergency A&E and begged them for something stronger,they gave me diazepam and said that it would help me sleep but it didn't, anyway this went on for weeks back and forth to doctors. I noticed that my right eyelid had dropped slightly and when I mentioned this to the doctor he said that it was nothing and would return to normal soon. My hands seemed to be locked in a grip like position and I could barely lift a cup or even pop the pillls out of the packet as I was so weak, I lost 3 stone in 5 weeks and was now weighing seven and half stone,I decided to change my doctor and was immediately sent to hospital with a suspected overactive thyroid but the doctors were not sure and so I stayed in for 12 weeks undergoing various tests. Blood tests, MRI, chest xrays,ultrasounds, bone density,and PET scan but nothing! The pain was terrible and my mobility was weak and unsteady. The pain in my hands lessened and I started eating again but the pain in my lower legs and feet never seemed to go away. I would rub the instep of my foot and it felt that the tendons were stretched tight in the arches, I dreaded putting any pressure on it when standing.
Well, I am out of hospital now and I have good and bad days, My feet still hurt but it is more numbing,pins & needles,ice cold blood running through my veins. My wrists ache as do my fingers and ankles, and I do very little as I am so tired all the time because of the meds I am on. When I have the energy I try and find out on the web what must have caused this terrible illness. As a florist I work with sprays,foams,cut flowers and plants. I had started to restore furniture so I was sanding and painting pieces, I wonder if any of this could have been the cause of this debilitating illness. I am sure the answer will be found through others who have gone through the same thing. My heart and hope goes out to you all x