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Category: Fibromyalgia Pain

A comprehensive look at Fibromyalgia pain, its symptoms, triggers, and effective strategies to manage and alleviate discomfort.

Why Fibromyalgia Pain Feels Different. Is This True For You?

Why Fibromyalgia Pain Feels Different For Amy Mullholand, simple chores like washing the dishes or making breakfast can be incredibly challenging. “On a good day, I can get through the cups and the silverware, then I must sit for at least 15 to 20 minutes. Then I tackle the bowls. Then I sit and rest,” said Mullholand. “On a bad day, I have literally cried from the pain of standing long enough to fry an egg.

”Before she was diagnosed with Fibromyalgia Pain two years ago, Mullholand — like a lot of people — thought the disorder’s symptoms were mild aches and pains. “How could I be in so much pain and have it just be Fibromyalgia Pain?” The main symptom is chronic, widespread pain, but it can also cause headaches, sleeping problems, fatigue, and irritable bowel syndrome.

Mullholand, 42, has severe pain in her shoulders, neck, back, and hips. She constantly feels like she doesn’t have any energy. “I wish people knew more about the day-to-day life that people with Fibromyalgia Pain have to live, and understood the real pain and sickness that we feel,” she said. As many as 12 million Americans know what it means to live with Fibromyalgia Pain, according to the American Chronic Pain Association (ACPA).

Doctors don’t know what causes it, though stress, infection, or physical trauma can sometimes trigger symptoms. The fact that 9 out of 10 people with Fibromyalgia Pain are women suggests that female hormones may be a contributing factor. Research points to changes in the pain pathways throughout the body of patients with Fibromyalgia Pain. An August study in the journal Pain found that half of a group of 27 Fibromyalgia Pain patients had damage to nerve fibers in their skin.

“This provides some of the first objective evidence of a mechanism behind some cases of Fibromyalgia Pain, and identifying an underlying cause is the first step towards finding better treatments,” said study author Anne Louise Oaklander, MD, PhD, director of the Nerve Injury Unit at Massachusetts General Hospital.

Fibromyalgia Pain Diagnosing it can be tricky because symptoms often come and go and resemble other conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis. An ACPA survey found that 77 percent of cases take three years or more to be properly diagnosed. Mullholand’s primary care doctor at first suspected she had the autoimmune condition lupus.

Why Fibromyalgia Pain Feels Different

To diagnose Fibromyalgia Pain, doctors typically rely on certain guidelines from the American College of Rheumatology: The total number of tender points on the body that hurt when pressed. There are 18 (or 9 pairs of) points, such as the elbows and knees, that doctors examine. At least 11 of the 18 points must be painful to diagnose Fibromyalgia Pain. The level of fatigue a patient is feeling if they’re waking up feeling tired or having cognitive problems. If the symptoms persist for at least three months. Whether another health condition may be causing the symptoms

Being able to spot differences in symptoms and ruling out other possible diseases is key to diagnosis, according to Dr. Danehower. For example, someone with rheumatoid arthritis will have trouble moving their joints and have swelling in the hand and wrist, whereas Fibromyalgia Pain has a good range of motion. Osteoarthritis patients feel more pain exercising, while Fibromyalgia Pain patients feel worse when they’re at rest.

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People with lupus also typically have shortness of breath, chest pain, and a butterfly-shaped rash over the bridge of their nose.“There’s a misconception among some patients that Fibromyalgia Pain is a phony disease. It goes back to the idea that so much of the diagnosis is subjective,” said Danehower. “Some patients will get to me and say their original doctor doesn’t think it exists, and they’re glad to get a diagnosis and understand it.”

Once diagnosed, Fibromyalgia Pain can’t be cured. But there are medications that can help lessen its symptoms. Your doctor may prescribe antidepressants or anti-seizure drugs, and recommend over-the-counter medicines like ibuprofen or acetaminophen to manage the pain.

According to the American College of Rheumatology, Fibromyalgia Pain relaxation techniques such as yoga, cognitive behavioral therapy, and alternative treatments like acupuncture may help. Mullholand found that hot water eases her pain, so she takes frequent baths. There isn’t much research to support many of these methods’ effectiveness, and patients should discuss any treatment options with their doctor.

“For many people with Fibromyalgia Pain, they will exercise for a week or two and then start hurting and think that exercise is aggravating their pain, so they stop exercising,” said senior author Dennis Ang, MD, associate professor of internal medicine at Wake Forest Baptist. “We hope that our findings will help reduce patients’ fear and reassure them that sustained exercise will improve their overall health and reduce their symptoms without worsening their pain.

”Even with treatment, Fibromyalgia Pain is a reality that people like Mullholand have to face every day.“The most misunderstood thing about Fibromyalgia Pain is that it’s real, it isn’t in our heads,” said Mullholand. “We may not look sick on the outside, but we are sick on the inside.”

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11/03/2023
Main Fibromyalgia Causes In Women That No One Knows Yet
Women are far more likely than men to get Fibromyalgia Causes —a disease that causes pain and tender points throughout the body. Between 80 and 90 percent of people who are diagnosed with this condition are women, according to the National Institutes of Health. The reason for this gender inequality may have to do with hormones, immune system differences, or genes. But researchers still aren’t exactly sure why women get Fibromyalgia Causes in much greater numbers than men.

Fibromyalgia Pain

Fibromyalgia Causes a very specific kind of pain. Women often describe it as a dull ache that starts in the muscles. To be diagnosed with Fibromyalgia Causes, the pain must be on both sides of your body. And, it must affect both the upper and lower parts of your body. The pain may come and go. It can be worse on some days than on others, which can make it hard to plan for daily activities.

Main Fibromyalgia Causes In Women

Fibromyalgia Tender Points Fibromyalgia Causes: In addition to more widespread pain, causes fibromyalgia tender points around the body. They’re called fibromyalgia tender points because when you press on them, they hurt. There are 18 possible fibromyalgia tender points. You may have pain in some or all of these places:
- back of the head
- area between the shoulders
Main Fibromyalgia Causes In Women
- front of the neck
- top of the chest
- outside of the elbows
- top and sides of the hips
- insides of the knees
Fatigue

Fibromyalgia Causes: The pain from fibromyalgia can make it very hard to sleep. Conditions that often occur with Fibromyalgia Causes—such as restless legs syndrome and sleep apnea—can also keep you awake at night. A lack of sleep night after night can make you feel tired and cause you to have trouble concentrating during the day. In a vicious cycle, a lack of sleep can also make your pain worse.

Fibro Fog

Fibromyalgia Causes in Women who may start to notice that they have trouble remembering and concentrating. They may mix up words when they speak, or get confused more easily than they used to. These thinking problems are sometimes called “fibro fog” because the mind feels foggy. Although doctors aren’t sure what’s behind “fibro fog,” it may be caused by a lack of sleep or by the effects of fibromyalgia pain on the brain.

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Headaches

About half of fibromyalgia Causes in women develop headaches, according to a study in the journal Clinical Rheumatology. Many women get migraines—a throbbing type of headache that can cause nausea, vomiting, and flashes of light. Why fibromyalgia women are more likely to get headaches isn’t clear. But experts think fibromyalgia Causes in women and headaches may stem from the imbalance of chemicals like serotonin and epinephrine in the brain.

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Painful Periods

fibromyalgia Causes in women: In general, menstrual period cramps can be mild or painful, depending on the woman. But women with fibromyalgia report having more painful periods than usual. Some women with fibromyalgia also have endometriosis. In this condition, tissue from the uterus grows in other parts of the pelvis. Endometriosis can cause uncomfortable periods too. Women with fibromyalgia Causes may also find that sexual intercourse becomes more painful.

Irritable Bowel and Bladder (IBS)

Main Fibromyalgia Causes In Women: Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is another health condition that is more common in women, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. And women with fibromyalgia are more likely to have IBS. Researchers don’t know the reason why IBS and Fibromyalgia Causes are connected. IBS causes symptoms such as stomach cramps, bloating, constipation, and diarrhea, which can also have a big impact on a woman’s life.

Restless Legs

Many women with fibromyalgia get a creepy, crawly feeling in their legs that wakes them from sleep. This condition is known as restless legs syndrome (RLS). RLS is much more common in people with fibromyalgia. About 33 percent of people with Fibromyalgia Causes have RLS, compared to only 3 percent of those who don’t have fibromyalgia. RLS disturbs sleep, and it can lead to daytime drowsiness.

Sensitivity

Fibromyalgia Causes If you have fibromyalgia, you might notice that you have to put on a sweater every time the temperature drops, or that you break into a sweat whenever the mercury rises. Temperature sensitivity is very common in women with this condition. Some women with fibromyalgia are also more sensitive than usual to other things, such as loud noises or bright lights.

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11/02/2023
Researchers Find Main Source Of Pain In Blood Vessels

Are you experiencing constant muscle pain and fatigue? There is a good chance that you are suffering from fibromyalgia. As many as 5 million Americans that are aged 18 or older are affected by it. Women are the primary targets of this chronic disease, affecting up to 90% of them, and it’s very hard to treat.

For many years, research has pointed to this pain and fatigue just being “in the patient’s head.” It’s been characterized as a psychosomatic disorder, which means that it’s caused by mental factors that attribute to a person’s imagination.

Many people complain about pain in their neck, shoulders, back, and legs. But no research has been able to pinpoint what is causing this pain. Until now! Recent research has finally determined that this pain is in fact not just an imagination, but actually caused by a sensory nerve in blood vessels found in the palms!

Scientists at Integrated Tissue Dynamics were responsible for the study. They found that the fibres that were supposed to be only responsible for the blood flow in the skin are also responsible for sensing touch and pain.

In order to be sure about their findings, the team conducted a second study to see if they could locate any pathology in the blood vessels that could also contribute. After analyzing skin samples they collected from women who suffered from fibromyalgia, they discovered that there was a large increase in sensory fibres at certain sites within blood vessels of the skin.

These nerves are part of the arteriole-venule shunts, which are responsible for heat regulation in our body by controlling the blood flow in our blood vessels. In warm conditions, the shunts shut down which forces blood into the skin surface so it can be released.

In cold conditions, the shunts open up and allow the veins to conserve heat, thus our hands and feet become cold.

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The lead scientist on the study, Dr. Albrecht, explains that this excess sensory innovation may be because of painful hands that fibromyalgia patients experience.

“Since the sensory fibres are responsible for opening the shunts, they would become particularly active during cold conditions, which are very bothersome times for fibromyalgia patients.”

The research team also came to another conclusion; they explain that our hands and feet usually contain more blood than they needed, so they’re used as reservoirs for blood which can be delivered throughout the body. Because of the pathology that occurs in these shuts, the blood flow is usually mismanaged.

President of Integrated Tissue Dynamics, Dr. Rice, elaborated on their findings, “The pathology discovered among these shunts in the hands could be interfering with blood flow to the muscles throughout the body. This mismanaged blood flow could be the root cause of muscle pain and achiness and the sense of fatigue that fibromyalgia patients experience.”

These findings are a step in the right direction for those suffering from fibromyalgia; it offers a proper treatment instead of the usual painkillers and antidepressants.

So if you’re suffering from fibromyalgia, or know someone that is, it’s good to finally know that you’re not crazy, and you can certainly be sure that fibromyalgia is real!

Causes of Fibromyalgia: Doctors are not completely sure of what actually causes a person to get fibromyalgia, a variety of factors may work together.

Genetics: In most cases, fibromyalgia runs in the family, so there could be a certain genetic mutation that can cause you to be more susceptible to the disorder.

Infections: Certain illnesses have the ability to trigger fibromyalgia.

Physical or Emotional Trauma: Fibromyalgia can sometimes be triggered by physical trauma, like a severe car accident. Psychological stress can also be a triggering factor as well.

Just because there is a new breakthrough that has discovered what might cause the pain for fibromyalgia patients, doesn’t mean that they should stop doing certain things that keep it from acting up. You need to continue taking care of yourself and layout a program that helps with that.

You should first try and reduce the amount of stress in your life. This could mean putting some time aside to just relax. Getting enough sleep is another key point. Since fatigue is one of the main characteristics, getting enough sleep is essential. Also, you should try and exercise regularly. It may hurt at first but it will eventually reduce the pain significantly.

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10/31/2023
Tom Petty’s Cause of Death: Accidental Overdose Medication Opioid Chronic Pain

After months of speculation, a medical examiner has ruled that Tom Petty died of an accidental overdose, according to a statement from the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner. The Hall of Fame musician had taken several pain medications, including Fentanyl, oxycodone, and generic Xanax. Other medications included generic Restoril (a sleep aid) and generic Celexa (which treats depression).

The Heartbreakers, Bruce Springsteen, Stevie Nicks, and more pay tribute to a genius craftsman who never stopped believing in the power of rock & roll

The coroner’s office listed Petty’s official cause of death as “multisystem organ failure due to resuscitated cardiopulmonary arrest due to mixed drug toxicity,” noting the singer suffered from coronary artery atherosclerosis and emphysema.

Petty had been prescribed the drugs to treat emphysema, knee issues, and a fractured hip, his family said in a statement accompanying the results. Petty’s coronary artery disease had been a persistent problem throughout his final tour.

“Despite this painful injury, he insisted on keeping his commitment to his fans and he toured for 53 dates with a fractured hip and, as he did, it worsened to a more serious injury,” Petty’s wife Dana and daughter Adria wrote in the statement. “On the day he died, he was informed his hip had graduated to a full-on break and it is our feeling that the pain was simply unbearable and was the cause for his overuse of medication.”

Petty was found unconscious and not breathing at his Malibu home on October 2nd. He was rushed to a hospital where he was placed on life support. Although he had a pulse, doctors found no brain activity when he arrived and the decision was made to pull life support. He died hours later.

The singer had recently completed a 40th-anniversary tour with his band, the Heartbreakers. It was intended to be his “last trip around the country,” though he told Rolling Stone he wasn’t going to stop playing. “I need something to do, or I tend to be a nuisance around the house,” he said.

Petty said he’d experimented with cocaine over the years (“[It] was never a good look,” he told Men’s Journal) and drinking (“I didn’t like the taste or the buzz,” he said). But it was in the late Nineties, when he was in his late 40s and two decades after he’d become a superstar, that he developed an addiction to heroin after a bitter divorce from his first wife. “Tried to go cold turkey, and that wouldn’t work,” he said in author Warren Zanes’ book Petty: The Biography. “It’s an ugly fucking thing.” He sought out treatment for his addiction and remarried in 2001.

“Using heroin went against my grain,” Petty said in the book. “I didn’t want to be enslaved to anything. So I was always trying to figure out how to do less, and then that wouldn’t work. Tried to go cold turkey, and that wouldn’t work. It’s an ugly fucking thing.”

Since his death, several artists have paid tribute to Petty onstage. Country artist Jason Aldean dedicated some of his time as the musical guest on Saturday Night Live to sing “I Won’t Back Down.” Bob Dylan performed Petty’s “Learning to Fly” at a concert in Broomfield, Colorado. And Dave Matthews, Emmylou Harris, and others sang “Refugee” at a benefit show in Seattle. Petty’s Greatest Hits album subsequently made it to the Number Two spot on the Billboard chart after his death.

He was laid to rest on October 16th at a private service in Pacific Palisades, California.

Petty’s family said they hope the musician’s death leads to a broader understanding of the opioid crisis. “As a family, we recognize this report may spark a further discussion on the opioid crisis and we feel that it is a healthy and necessary discussion and we hope in some way this report can save lives,” they wrote. “Many people who overdose begin with a legitimate injury or simply do not understand the potency and deadly nature of these medications.”

Full Statement from Dana and Adria Petty

Our family sat together this morning with the medical examiner – coroner’s office and we were informed of their final analysis that Tom Petty passed away due to an accidental drug overdose as a result of taking a variety of medications.

Unfortunately, Tom’s body suffered from many serious ailments including emphysema, knee problems, and most significantly a fractured hip.

Despite this painful injury he insisted on keeping his commitment to his fans and he toured for 53 dates with a fractured hip and, as he did, it worsened to a more serious injury.

On the day he died he was informed his hip had graduated to a full-on break and it is our feeling that the pain was simply unbearable and was the cause for his overuse of medication.

We knew before the report was shared with us that he was prescribed various pain medications for a multitude of issues including fentanyl patches and we feel confident that this was, as the coroner found, an unfortunate accident.

As a family, we recognize this report may spark a further discussion on the opioid crisis and we feel that it is a healthy and necessary discussion and we hope in some way this report can save lives. Many people who overdose begin with a legitimate injury or simply do not understand the potency and deadly nature of these medications.

On a positive note we now know for certain he went painlessly and beautifully exhausted after doing what he loved the most, for one last time, performing live with his unmatchable rock band for his loyal fans on the biggest tour of his 40 plus year career. He was extremely proud of that achievement in the days before he passed.

We continue to mourn with you and marvel at Tom Petty and the Heartbreaker’s incredible positive impact on music and the world. And we thank you all for your love and support over the last months.

Thank you also for respecting the memory of a man who was truly great during his time on this planet both publicly and privately.

We would be grateful if you could respect the privacy of the entire Heartbreaker family during this difficult time.

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10/23/2023
Fibromyalgia and Chronic Pain Harms The Brain: Northwestern University Research

Summary: People with unrelenting pain are often depressed, anxious and have difficulty making simple decisions. Researchers have identified a clue that may explain how suffering long-term pain could trigger these other pain-related symptoms. Researchers found that in people with chronic pain, a front region of the cortex associated with emotion fails to deactivate when it should. It’s stuck on full throttle, wearing out neurons and altering their connections.

People with unrelenting pain don’t only suffer from the non-stop sensation of throbbing pain. They also have trouble sleeping, are often depressed, anxious and even have difficulty making simple decisions.

In a new study, investigators at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine have identified a clue that may explain how suffering long-term pain could trigger these other pain-related symptoms.

Researchers found that in a healthy brain all the regions exist in a state of equilibrium. When one region is active, the others quiet down. But in people with chronic pain, a front region of the cortex mostly associated with emotion “never shuts up,” said Dante Chialvo, lead author and associate research professor of physiology at the Feinberg School. “The areas that are affected fail to deactivate when they should.”

They are stuck on full throttle, wearing out neurons and altering their connections to each other.

This is the first demonstration of brain disturbances in chronic pain patients not directly related to the sensation of pain.

Chialvo and colleagues used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to scan the brains of people with chronic low back pain and a group of pain-free volunteers while both groups were tracking a moving bar on a computer screen. The study showed the pain sufferers performed the task well but “at the expense of using their brain differently than the pain-free group,” Chialvo said.

When certain parts of the cortex were activated in the pain-free group, some others were deactivated, maintaining a cooperative equilibrium between the regions. This equilibrium also is known as the resting state network of the brain. In the chronic pain group, however, one of the nodes of this network did not quiet down as it did in the pain-free subjects.

This constant firing of neurons in these regions of the brain could cause permanent damage, Chialvo said. “We know when neurons fire too much they may change their connections with other neurons and or even die because they can’t sustain high activity for so long,” he explained.

‘If you are a chronic pain patient, you have pain 24 hours a day, seven days a week, every minute of your life,” Chialvo said. “That permanent perception of pain in your brain makes these areas in your brain continuously active. This continuous dysfunction in the equilibrium of the brain can change the wiring forever and could hurt the brain.”

Chialvo hypothesized the subsequent changes in wiring “may make it harder for you to make a decision or be in a good mood to get up in the morning. It could be that pain produces depression and the other reported abnormalities because it disturbs the balance of the brain as a whole.”

He said his findings show it is essential to study new approaches to treat patients not just to control their pain but also to evaluate and prevent the dysfunction that may be generated in the brain by chronic pain.

The study will be published on Feb. 6 in The Journal of Neuroscience. Chialvo’s collaborators in this project are Marwan Baliki, a graduate student; Paul Geha, a post-doctoral fellow, and Vania Apkarian, professor of physiology and of anesthesiology, all at the Feinberg School.

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10/17/2023
Fibromyalgia and Hip Flexor Pain: Dr Sher Bailey

It is not uncommon to have hip flexor issues or pain in this area when living with fibromyalgia. The hips, hip flexors, and lower back correlate with fibromyalgia pain areas due to tender areas around the lower back, many more trigger point areas and other conditions that affect the surrounding areas.
The hip flexor muscles allow your hips to move with flexibility. You are engaging these muscles whenever you move your legs, and that means your hips are involved in most of the movements that you make throughout the average day.

A healthy person may not realize how often they use their hip flexors, but anyone living with fibromyalgia who experiences hip flexor pain will be well aware of this on a more regular basis.

I have personally dealt with hip flexor pain and then later re-strengthening of these areas while developing more fibro–safe exercises after my full hysterectomy three years ago. Yes, I do get it. I will address more of this later in the lower part of this article.

While there are some known injuries and medical conditions that can cause pain in the hip flexors, it can be difficult to identify a direct cause of this pain in someone with fibromyalgia, except for the many daily activities that I often refer to.

We might treat the pain as another symptom of the diagnosed condition or take more time to determine an exact cause for the pain. Either way, fibromyalgia, and hip flexor pain are often debilitating if not treated efficiently and promptly.

Understanding Fibromyalgia and Hip Flexor Pain

The psoas is responsible for a lot of general back and leg pain because the sitting positions that most people hold throughout the day cause the muscle to shorten for a long period of time. When you stand up and start moving around again, that muscle doesn’t want to lengthen and function properly.

Hip flexor pain is often referred to as flexor tendinosis. The pain from this condition typically comes from one or both of the following muscles: Illicacus and Psoas. These muscles are often lumped together as one unit, referred to as the iliopsoas.

For those suffering from fibromyalgia, the pain may come from other muscles that help the hips move. This includes the quadriceps, even though those muscles are lower than most hip flexor muscles.

While flexor tendinosis caused by an injury or issue not related to fibromyalgia may focus on one particular muscle or area of the hip, fibromyalgia patients may experience pain that spreads out throughout this region of the body. The cause of the pain is often unexplainable, as is typically the case with fibromyalgia pain.

Treating Fibromyalgia and Hip Flexor Pain

One simple way to prevent some fibromyalgia and hip flexor pain is to avoid sitting in one position for a long period of time. Get up and move around periodically so that your muscles don’t have time to set in one position.

You often hear me recommending safe and effective exercise and the importance of participating in some level of exercise in order to keep your body strong and more flexible, and this is another recommendation for hip flexor pain as well.

The more you learn how to move and how angles and over compensation do matter, the easier it is to prevent some causes of muscle pain. You can follow me on the Fibro Fit People page to learn more ways to safely and gently work these more vulnerable areas. In the video section there you will see exercises like my “side to side” exercises that help to gently work the hips and lower back, piriformis and more.

I also work with women after hysterectomy and other abdominal surgery to gently strengthen these vulnerable areas. I have been there, and yes, it is possible to feel strong after a hysterectomy and while living with the complexity of fibromyalgia and co-conditions.

The stretch I am performing here is great to do anytime, especially after sitting. We draw one leg up to the knee (no shoes) placing the foot gently on the inside of knee or lower if needed (this loosens the hips) then draw the arm up on the same side and feel the light stretch from your hips through your obliques.

If you spend much of your day sitting at a desk, invest in an office chair that is highly adjustable. Set the chair higher, allowing your hips to rest above your knees. This position is healthier for your hip flexors and may eliminate pain caused by the shortening of those muscles in the typical office chair position. You may also want to consider a standing desk that allows you to easily lift your work space.

I started using a standing desk last year and find it very helpful, in fact, I do more standing at my desk now than I do sitting. (note: some standing desks can be difficult on the shoulders to put up and down so it might be necessary to get a standing desk that uses an electric control for moving positions)

Regular strength training and very gentle stretching (done safely) may help keep those muscles strong and flexible. Again, be sure to avoid excessive sitting or this can sabotage efforts to incorporate effective exercise.

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10/16/2023
Fibromyalgia Caused By Malfunctions In Two Key Body Systems – Autonomic Nervous System and Hypothalamus-Pituitary-Adrenal Axis

A recent study threw up an interesting notion on the root of fibromyalgia. The study suggests that fibromyalgia could be caused by malfunctions in two chief body systems – the Autonomic Nervous System (ANS) and the Hypothalamus-Pituitary-Adrenal Axis (HPA). These two body systems are key in regulating the production of important hormones and managing stress responses by the body. Imbalance in the two-body systems can lead to sleeplessness, lack of energy, higher pain sensitivity, mood changes, digestive problems, etc…

Autonomic Nervous System (ANS)

The Autonomic Nervous System is a large network of multifaceted neurons that maintain homeostasis in the body. This network includes cardiovascular, ophthalmologic, thermoregulatory, genitourinary, and gastrointestinal systems in the body.

The ANS contains both the Sympathetic and Parasympathetic nervous systems. The former controls the response called “fight or flight” when one gets into seemingly dangerous situations, whereas the Parasympathetic nervous system lowers the heart rate and slows down the muscles to save energy.

Fibromyalgia is linked to a malfunction in the ANS. Patients with fibromyalgia find that their Sympathetic Nervous System functions at an elevated pace and that their Parasympathetic Nervous System works at a much lower rate. Such individuals always face this inevitable “fight or flight” response. When such individuals are in a hyperactive state, they have an escalated heart rate. Women with this problem suffer from dysfunctional ANS.

Hypothalamus-Pituitary-Adrenal Axis (HPA)

The HPA axis is a network of stress responses by the brain, pituitary, and adrenal glands. The main function of the hypothalamus is to maintain the body’s balance. It receives and sends messages from the nervous system via hormones through the circulatory system. The hypothalamus regulates and controls blood pressure, digestion, sleep cycles, sex drive, body temperature, coordination, heart rate, and sweating.

The pituitary gland is responsible for the secretion of certain important hormones for the body while the Adrenal Gland produces hormones for the entire body and controls chemical reactions and the “fight or flight” response to stress.

How ANS and HPA Lead To Fibromyalgia Pain

Together, the ANS and the HPA axis are major paths for body responses during stressful conditions. These responses include pain, trauma, infection, low blood sugar, and low blood pressure.

Due to certain malfunctions in the ANS and HPA, the body can struggle to maintain homeostasis. External factors such as persistent daily stress, injury, or other stressors can further knock the body’s equilibrium off-balance. The body systems and stress response regulated by the ANS and HPA respectively can go haywire.

Studies conducted have shown that fibromyalgia patients are prone to either inactivity or overactivity in the HPA, causing abnormal levels of important hormones and hence leading to various symptoms of fibromyalgia.

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10/14/2023
Heartbreaking letter from a Bristol woman who suffers from debilitating disease fibromyalgia

What happens when your life starts to unravel?

For 23-year-old Peyton Connor, that happened last May when she was diagnosed with fibromyalgia.

The long-term chronic condition can cause increased sensitivity to pain, extreme fatigue, difficulty sleeping, and memory loss.

After collapsing at work at the end of 2015, several tests revealed she had the condition, which has changed her life completely.

The condition can cripple, can cause people to fall into isolation. Some sufferers lose their social life altogether.

Here, Peyton pens a heartbreaking letter to those closest to her.

A Letter to my Loved Ones (What I Wish You Knew)

Dear family, dear friends,

First of all, please know how much I love you. I am so grateful that you’ve stuck around and put up with me and all the craziness that has surrounded me since I got poorly.

I couldn’t have gotten through the grueling diagnosis stage, and through all the disbelief from the ones that didn’t think I was sick without your support.

While I proved them wrong, you’ve no idea how much I wish they were right – that there was nothing wrong, and it was all make-believe.

I wish that I could put into words how genuinely heartbroken I am.

Unless you’ve been in my shoes, you cannot understand how painful it is to see so many opportunities snatched away from you, so many dreams gone, before you even had the chance to grasp at them.

It’s a pain that is both mental and physical – an ache in my head and in my heart.

Life throws these things at us for a reason, and we have to find a way to survive it, but that doesn’t make it an easy thing to do.

We adapt to the situation we’re in because we have to. It’s the only choice we have, to keep going.

Not only am I heartbroken, but I am also angry. Who wouldn’t be?

We ask ourselves why us, why me, but there are no answers to those questions.

Think about them for too long and you’ll go crazy. It doesn’t start out as a bright fiery kind of anger, but instead, it smolders.

Enough that you don’t feel it at first. But then it adds a layer. And another. And another. Until everything is mired in hatred.

This illness is like a thief, but it’s a clever thief. This thief knows better than to come in and steal everything in one fell swoop.

That would be too easy, too noticeable, and it would be over too soon.

Instead, this particular thief is cautious. He hides in the shadows, taking things one at a time so that at first you don’t even notice.

You brush it off with a shrug when you notice the shaking starting up randomly. You ignore that creak of pain that’s always in the same place and doesn’t seem to shift.

You laugh off the memory loss, and you cover up the fact that you’re having accidents – jokes about keeping your legs crossed when you cough in the future. You keep going.

And because you keep going, you push through all the demons pulling at you, people think you’re fine. You reaffirm this belief by telling them again, yes indeed, you are fine.

When they express their concerns you tell them convincingly that it’s just a cold, a touch of flu, that time of the month. You lie for it. Because in life we are taught only how to keep moving forward.

And when you find yourself believing the lie, then and only then is when the thief will strike.

He will gather up all of his collection, along with a few new things he’s found lying around your body, and he will leave. He will be sure to disconnect a few wires, and short fuse a few sockets in your mind before he goes.

And that is when reality hits you. All at once, you are not the person you used to be, and who you are now is a stranger to you.

Coming face to face with an impostor in your brain, after 23 years of solitude, of control… is terrifying.

It is ingrained in you to fight this impostor. We don’t like to let strangers take control. But they’re much stronger than we are.

We try to fight the impostor, to medicate them into submission, to talk them out of their position. We try to think positive, exercise, and diet, and change parts of ourselves in the hopes of driving the impostor out of our minds… but the joke is on us.

These changes are just his subtle way of getting an even firmer hold on us. We played into his hands.

So, what is left for us to do, except adjust, accept the rules this impostor, this thief, has made necessary, and adapt to those conditions.

We change our entire lives, we change all our habits, and we kiss goodbye to dreams we’ve had since childhood. We accept that it wasn’t meant to be.

So, all that is left is to ask of you, my loved ones, my friends… to accept this too. Accept that what we do is not out of choice, but more because we had no choices left to make.

Accept that we are not weak, but simply used up all of our strength.

Accept that we are not lazy, but tired.

And accept that we do not like these changes anymore than you do.

But as history shows, we are built to adapt. So we did.

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Official Fibromyalgia Blogs

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10/12/2023
Music Therapy can Reduce Fibromyalgia Pain

In fibromyalgia patients, music therapy can reduce pain, depression, anxiety, and improve sleep. The findings come from researchers at the University of Granada who found that music therapy combined with relaxation techniques can help improve many areas in the lives of fibromyalgia patients. With improved depression, anxiety, sleep, and reduced pain, a patient’s quality of life can greatly improve.

Study participants were fibromyalgia patients from Spain who underwent a basal test prior to treatment, a post-basal test four weeks after the treatment, and another one eight weeks after the treatment.

The researchers applied a relaxation technique based on guided imagery and music therapy led by a researcher. Patients were also given a CD to listen to at home. Researchers measured variables associated with the main symptoms of fibromyalgia and then the patients were given an opportunity to participate in their own treatment.

The researchers suggest that guided imagery and music therapy is a cost-effective, easily implemented, and overall effective treatment for fibromyalgia patients. The researchers noted, “Further empirical research studies are needed to address other physiological variables associated with the well-being generated by these two techniques, and that analyzes patients’ self-efficiency and personal power to get involved in their own treatment.”

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Manage fibromyalgia pain through music therapy

Music therapy is an effective mode of treatment for fibromyalgia patients. It is carried out by a music therapist who assesses the patient’s needs in order to create an individualized treatment plan that can involve singing, listening, composing, and moving to music.

Music therapy has been around for many years and isn’t just effective for fibromyalgia. In fact, music therapy can be utilized for many ailments in order to improve patients’ quality of life by helping to reduce stress, alleviate pain, and improve overall well-being.

A patient does not need to be musically inclined in order to benefit from musical therapy and there isn’t a specific type of music that needs to be used. A music therapist works closely with the patient to understand their own unique needs and picks music based on those needs. Although working with a therapist is recommended, there is also the so-called prescriptive music that consists of 50 to 60 beats per minute. This recorded version of music therapy also has been found to help lower blood pressure and reduce pain.

If you have been struggling with the symptoms associated with fibromyalgia and want to try an alternative mode of treatment, speak to your doctor about a referral for music therapy as it could very well offer you benefits.

Music can be beneficial to the management of chronic pain, as it can cause physiological changes within the brain in the regions associated with language, memory, and attention. These changes also affect the way the brain processes pain, which can lead to an overall change in the way a patient experiences pain.

Music therapy benefits in fibromyalgia treatment

Music therapy is especially effective for those with fibromyalgia, as it is something that can be done in the comfort of their own home. Fibromyalgia patients are sometimes too fatigued or in too much pain to make the journey to a doctor’s office, meaning therapy that can take place with minimal or no travel is especially favored. It can be completed in your own time, on your own schedule, and is cost-effective, meaning that it is easily accessible for all.

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For More Information Related to Fibromyalgia Visit below sites:

References:

Fibromyalgia Contact Us Directly

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Official Fibromyalgia Blogs

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Fibromyalgia Stores

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10/10/2023
Chronic pain patients need services beyond just opioids: B.C. advocate

People who live with chronic pain need options beyond prescription opioids, and it’s up to the British Columbia government to provide more services such as physiotherapy, says the head of a group that supports patients and their families.

“There has really been a lack of any appropriate response to chronic pain in our province and in our country,” said Maria Hudspith, executive director of Pain BC, the only non-profit society in Canada to bring together clinical experts and policy-makers to work on chronic pain management initiatives.

Besides painkillers, patients must have access to physical therapy and psychological support but wait for lists stretch from one to three years at the few specialized pain clinics in the province, she said.

“We’ve seen this overreliance on the prescription pad as the only tool in the toolbox,” Hudspith said. “Some people may become dependent on the medication in order to function and some of those people may become addicted.”

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One in five people in B.C. lives with pain that can be relentless and crippling but she said some communities have no specialized healthcare providers for patients who need intervention after an injury or surgery, for example.

A lack of dedicated pain services means patients make more doctors visits and may require more surgeries, resulting in high healthcare costs and poor quality of life, Hudspith said.

“There’s a growing recognition that this is a huge problem that is really, in any way, at the root of a lot of issues that we’re seeing.”

Hudspith said Pain BC has been in discussions with the provincial government to expand services.

Neither the Ministry of Mental Health and Addictions nor the Health Ministry could provide any information when the provincial government was contacted for comment.

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For More Information Related to Fibromyalgia Visit below sites:

References:

Fibromyalgia Contact Us Directly

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Official Fibromyalgia Blogs

Click here to Get the latest Chronic illness Updates

Fibromyalgia Stores

Click here to Visit Fibromyalgia Store

10/02/2023