Dear Fibromyalgia

Tag: fibromyalgia diagnosis

Learn how Fibromyalgia is diagnosed, including key symptoms, diagnostic criteria, and the tests used to rule out other conditions.

  • Fibromyalgia and Skin Problems: Clothing that Causes Itching

    Fibromyalgia and Skin Problems: Clothing that Causes Itching

    “I base most of my fashion sense on what doesn’t itch”, Gilda Radner

    There isn’t anything more comforting to me than cloth that is soft and soothing. Mostly, it is cotton that gives me a feeling of being in a cocoon. Since the most popular blog on this busy website is about itching it has brought to mind the ways in which we can reduce the itching and scratching (the “Itchy & Scratchy Show” from The Simpsons is brought to mind) of fabric that does not bring comfort.

    In an effort to “change my brain” regarding pain, I followed the advice of experts many years ago and took on a project which was creative and new to me. In addition, it is somewhat repetitive, also part of the triad of characteristics that make up this endeavor. Quilting was my choice of a new project/hobby. Never a sewer it was indeed a steep learning curve but it brought me into the realm of fabrics.

    I found myself in shops that were new to me as I walked among the bolts of material that were either comforting or irritating to the touch. It was then that I finally understood why I have never been a fashion queen. I am only at ease in soft, cotton fabrics, otherwise, my body is ‘itchy and scratchy. Rashes, tingling, and burning will develop if the clothing I wear is not soothing to the touch.

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    When my oldest son was a toddler he would take a piece of new clothing and rub it against his face and if he did not like the feel of it he would say it was ‘picky’ and would not wear it. It seems as though this is hereditary but maybe not! Raised in the 1970s he and his two brothers were a product of that terrible acrylic, flashy and scratchy clothes for boys. Nylon, rayon, and other non-natural fabrics were the bane of their existence.

    Raised in the 1950s myself I remember the unpleasant sensations of the crinoline skirts, tight waistbands, itchy dresses, and uncomfortable high-heeled shoes. I would itch after wearing a crinoline and anything tight, in particular nylon stockings and later panty-hose. High-heeled shoes were another pain-evoking dilemma for me.

    Currently, I am embarking on making a quilt for a friend from African fabric which has been in her home for many years from her working days in Africa. The dyed (done by hand) material is soft and enticing. I could imagine the lovely draping and amazing feel of the soft fabric on my skin.

    I am certain that all the itching and subsequent skin problems that we ‘fibromyalgia persons’, (mainly women) experience are no doubt exacerbated by irritating fabric against the skin, make-up that is poisonous, and shoes that affect our feet in later life. Is it little wonder that more women than men experience itching and scratching until the skin erupts? Added to this is the pressure women are under to dress fashionably which usually means uncomfortably.

    The fashion industry is the second greatest polluter of the environment after oil. Not only is it responsible for pollution of the earth but it also pollutes our sensitive bodies. Do try a day without makeup and nail polish (poisonous substances have been found in nail polish that can affect the endocrine system and potentially the reproductive system, The research in this area is ongoing).

    Spend a week in soft, loose,non-irritating clothing, avoid chemicals in the form of hair dyes and makeup, give up the heeled shoes, and note for yourself if it helps with the itching and rashes. Above all, it is our central nervous system that will enjoy the vacation from what is considered fashionable ( note: uncomfortable). It is primarily men who determine women’s fashion although as it is often said: women dress for other women, not for men!

    This could be more complex in the area of transgender and fluid orientations nonetheless, for all humans comfort is paramount. We can all redefine what is fashionable and how we present ourselves to the world if we demand clothing that is healthy for our bodies and not made from toxic fabric.

    Taking care of our skin, the largest organ of the body will reduce the amount of itching and rashes we experience as persons with fibromyalgia – the dis-ease of the central nervous system.

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  • The many faces of fibromyalgia

    The many faces of fibromyalgia

    “What’s in a name?”, Shakespeare

    The nomenclature of Fibromyalgia can be known as: “Central Sensitization”, “Post Traumatic Stress Disorder”, “Cycles of Over-Exertion-Relapse”, and “Chronic Fatigue Disorder”, and now a new term: “Systemic Exertion Intolerance Disorder”- all with the same characteristics.  What’s to be done so that we can explain ourselves to others while so many labels of these invisible syndromes abound?

    In fact, do all these terms mean the same thing? Are they bio–psycho–social in nature yet present with symptoms that are almost identical? The more I read, live with, and experience these conditions the more certain I am that they are linked under the umbrella of “medically unexplained symptoms”, referred to as MUS. It appears to me that there is less understanding of the linkages than ever before as new labels appear. How can we separate the ‘bio’ from the ‘psycho’ ‘social’? Are they all neurological conditions?

    Fibromyalgia (FMS)  and Chronic Fatigue (CFS) are no doubt, identical twins. It is rare to have one without the other.  Pain, malaise, sleep disorders, brain ‘fog’, digestive disorders, anxiety, fatigue, dizziness, and pain affected by exertion,  among a host of other symptoms affect the person to such an extent that the central nervous system becomes overly sensitized/ hyper-aroused. Extreme reactions to a vast array of environmental situations or over-exertion plague the person with FMS and CFS and are known triggers that bring on a flare-up.

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    But wait! People with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) experience these same symptoms: physical pain, sleeping difficulties, dizziness, fatigue, digestive disorders, triggers that are known as flashbacks, hyper-arousal of the central nervous system, anxiety, and depression make up the countless list of challenges that face the person with PTSD. Is this condition a cousin, a sibling, or a triplet of FMS and CFS?

    So what’s with this label of Systemic Exertion Intolerance Disorder (SEID)? Who is this new relative? Ah, but this is the identical twin to CFS! It’s a ‘Cycle of Over- Exertion-Relapse‘ (COER) syndrome that is common among those with FMS, PTSD, and CFS. Are they all siblings or quints?

    Now to the next ‘syndrome’ ( a list of symptoms that do not in and of themselves make up an actual disease). This appears to be the biggie these days- Central Sensitization (CSS). Is this the mother who has spawned these neurological offspring? Her personality is highlighted by a history of anxiety, depression, pain, fatigue, psychological trauma, heightened pain affected by movement, and over sensitivity of the central nervous system.

    Is this the term that makes these conditions more acceptable to those in the health professions? It sounds more ‘scientific’ and medical. It fits a ‘bio’ interpretation and covers the ‘psycho’ and ‘social’ aspects of the other siblings. Is the psycho the result of a Highly Sensitive Person (HSP) that can make many uncomfortable, and therefore to be avoided? The ‘social’ is something we have to live with every day and not a welcome one for the health professionals with whom we have contact.

    As can be seen, I have more questions than answers. But, there is little doubt that whichever label we identify with we are HSPs with a hyper-aroused central nervous system, and there are millions of people facing the same kinds of daily challenges.

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  • Hypnosis for Fibromyalgia

    Hypnosis for Fibromyalgia

    “With hypnosis, we can help people modulate perceptions in ways that are therapeutically helpful”, David Spiegel

    For those of us with chronic pain and/or a myriad of other distressing physical and psychological conditions the practice of ‘changing our brains’  through relaxation and exercise regimes can be overwhelming. Mindfulness meditation is one way that we can work with our minds to improve our daily lives, but it takes time and discipline.

    What if there is a quicker way for therapists to teach us how to bring about relief from those challenging symptoms of fibromyalgia such as pain, and chronic fatigue? The medical community is finding that hypnosis can be effective in that regard, although to this point there is little if any evidence-based research on the effects of hypnosis for those of us with fibromyalgia. Nonetheless, it sounds promising.

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    Note the work of Drs. Herbert and David Spiegel: Adriana Barton in the Globe and Mail, June 12, 2017 (Section L) writes of the “growing scientific support for hypnosis”.  She quotes Dr. David Spiegel’s description as a “very powerful means of changing the way we use our minds to control perception and our bodies”.

    Hypnosis is being used in Belgium, Canada, and the US, among a host of other countries for a variety of conditions. Barton discusses the work of ” Dr. Leora Kutner, a pediatric psychologist who specializes in clinical hypnosis, a technique for leveraging the brain’s healing abilities during a trance state”.

    Given the ways in which those of us with fibromyalgia, PTSD, and other chronic pain disorders rehash our anxiety-ridden experiences that are stored in our memories, it is hopeful that we could turn to an approach that might release us somewhat from the past. Most of us are hurting deep down in our psyches and if we can discover ways to relinquish some of these painful memories we could at least try to ‘change our brain’ through hypnosis.

    The past is always with us. Sometimes we carry it easily but other times it drags around behind us. While those of us with fibromyalgia crave stability and certainty it is of course unrealistic. Change is inevitable, yet even small change can occur very rapidly and bring with it triggers that instigate a flare-up.  It could be even as simple as a weather change or the excitement of a family gathering that can act as a trigger.

    The question is how we manage these events in our daily lives. If hypnosis can help us with the challenges we face on a day-to-day basis as uncomfortable or stressful memories flood our minds, what better non-invasive way to try a new approach? It doesn’t appear to be hocus pocus. The jury is out with regard to whether or not it will be found to be effective for fibromyalgia.

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  • Is the cause of fibromyalgia both a nature/nurture conundrum?

    Is the cause of fibromyalgia both a nature/nurture conundrum?

    ” There are many other (besides testosterone) behavior-eliciting hormones fundamental for human well-being, including estrogen and progesterone in females”, Carl Sagan

    The question arises about why fibromyalgia is more prevalent in highly sensitive women and men. The debate about nature/nurture has not yielded specific answers and for a while, I have thought of it as a moot point. As a nurse/sociologist I have leaned toward the impact of the social environment in early childhood.

    But, as some science in human sexuality suggests there is a relationship between levels of testosterone in utero and the extent to which specific traits are manifested after birth. I am now even more confused. However, I continue to believe that both what happens to the development of the fetus and afterward in the environment are both relevant, although to what degree each plays a more significant role may never be known.

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    Does fibromyalgia occur as a result of an anxious mother who could not easily handle stress/anxiety because she was not herself exposed to enough testosterone, thereby depleting the fetus of ‘enough’ testosterone? If this fetus had more exposure to testosterone would she then be more qualified for the more mechanically oriented occupations like science and math, as has been suggested?

    A Google controversy has brought forth arguments from both sides regarding sexism versus science. The neuroscientist Debra Soh, writing in the Globe and Mail, August 9, 2017, A11, states: “Contrary to what detractors would have you believe, women are on average, higher on neuroticism and agreeableness, and lower in stress tolerance”.

    My initial reaction, given the state of the world in 2017 was that women and highly sensitive men are indeed more anxious and less able to effectively handle the chaos and instability that men (mostly) with high levels of testosterone have created. One need only to watch the news to notice the continued presence of men raising havoc in the world.

    What have testosterone levels done to those of us with low levels of the hormone? Are we, in general, neurotic, anxious, and passively agreeable as Soh suggests? Has that resulted in syndromes of medically unexplained syndromes (MUS) such as fibromyalgia, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, and PTSD to name a few?

    Did we develop these syndromes because we have less testosterone or is it because we cannot tolerate the ways in which women, visible minorities, the LGBTQ, the poor, and other disadvantaged groups are being treated? It may be these conditions are the result of both a nature/nurture issue, but seriously, is it because we have less testosterone as a result of our mothers not being exposed to enough of it? There are more questions than answers.

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  • “Pulling yourself up by your bootstraps”: struggling with fibromyalgia

    “Pulling yourself up by your bootstraps”: struggling with fibromyalgia

    ” Early in life, I was visited by the bluebird of anxiety”, Woody Allen

    Anxiety is the root cause of fibromyalgia, particularly at an early age, or even in the womb. So, how is one to overcome the early stages of this deep-seated emotional characteristic that those of us with fibromyalgia struggle with on a day-to-day basis?

    Even more significant: how do we explain to others that the challenges of life-long anxiety cannot be overcome by those who lack empathy or compassion who suggest we just get on with life and stop complaining? It would seem as though I begin each new blog with a series of questions that aren’t easily answered.

    It is fear that triggers the amygdala to release neurotransmitters. In turn, the hypothalamus dumps adrenaline which causes elevated heart rate, flushing, shallow breathing, and other physiological symptoms. Fear and anxiety are two sides of the same coin.

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    I can trace my early anxieties/ fear to anxious parenting, Catholic nuns who terrified me with thoughts of hell, a crisis of moving from a large city to a small town as an adolescent, and a 17-year-old who like others of the day, was used as a source of free labor in a diploma based nursing school, nursing in general, an early bad marriage, three C sections, a divorce, completing a Ph.D. as a single parent, being stalked, remarriage with a blended family of five teenagers, caring for elderly parents, and finally, a heart attack, followed by a hip replacement.

    Now, of course, aging has reared its challenging head. Each new crisis, no matter the seriousness, triggers the amygdala. One might look at this list and believe it is not as horrific as the life of those who suffer greater atrocities. Nonetheless, there are two kinds of people- those who thrive in acute stress situations and those who don’t. I am of the latter kind of person, born as a highly sensitive person.

    Beginning life as a high-energy person I am no longer that same woman. While age is certainly a factor I have not survived those life events as one who has much resilience to spare. Now, while I am fortunate with my wonderful, caregiving spouse, financially secure, and proud of the adult children and grandchildren, I still suffer from chronic fatigue and pain.

    More than that I have general free-floating anxieties which are often unexplained. I am quick to fearfulness, and the glass is often half empty. I meditate, although not as consistently as I should and could. I ride my exercise bike regularly. I have regular massages and great friends.

    However, I am very self-conscious about even mentioning any ailments to many, and specifically to a certain friend who suffers from what I call “boot-strap-ism”. She believes one should just get on with life and that aging is not a state of gloom and doom, mentioning old star performers as an example of embracing old age.

    Perhaps I too should do the same, uncurl those bootstraps. After all, the alternative to old age is not all that desirable! I do try, but then a flare-up occurs, often for no reason that I can identify and I simply cannot pull myself away from anxiety. In all consciousness, I cannot feel sorry for myself. I am a privileged woman. I have not suffered the ravages of war, racism, extreme poverty, or homophobia.

    As young women, we are trained for fear, but many of us become strong, fearless, resilient women as we age. Others struggle with a hyper-aroused central nervous system that produces a highly vigilant woman (or man) who is overly empathetic and lives with fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue, and PTSD. We can’t judge another’s fears and anxieties. We can never know the struggles someone else goes through. We might think we do but never can. So, self-compassion is paramount, rather than self-criticism.

    Now a new season is emerging. Storms, hurricanes, earthquakes, unsettling political climates, and threats of nuclear wars have most of us in a tizzy and a state of permanent anxiety. Shall those of us in a more calm country with so far none of the ravages of hurricanes and other current climate disasters (excepting for the fires on the west coast of Canada) relish in the beauty of the autumn leaves? I don’t know if the cup is half empty or half full. My bootstraps are tangled and it isn’t easy to lift myself up too high.

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    Fibromyalgia Stores

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  • Letting go: How to live with Fibromyalgia

    Letting go: How to live with Fibromyalgia

    ” To let go is to release the images and emotions, the grudges and fears, the clingings and disappointments of the past that bind our spirit”, Jack Kornfield

    In the newspaper today there is an editorial written by Jane Brody titled “More specialists explore treating pain without drugs” (The Globe and Mail, L5, September 15, 2017). She cites the conditions that drug-free options for pain can help with, such as fibromyalgia, news of which was published last year by Richard L. Nahin in the Mayo Clinic Proceedings.

    Some of the tools that the research has shown to be effective (for such conditions as backache) are massage therapy, chiropractic manipulation, superficial heat, mindfulness meditation, Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT),  and yoga. They are among the many strategies I have tried at one point in my long journey, accompanied every day with fibromyalgia.

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    Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) is intended to help people restructure their thoughts and let go. It has shown to be effective in changing the brain, although it cannot be said at this point to be highly evidence-based.

    Of late I have used a small book that is intended for the same purposes. It is based upon the principle of “Logosynthesis”, a strategy to help those of us with chronic anxiety, which often leads to fibromyalgia. It is somewhat of a self-help book but based upon the premise that the brain is elastic and can change (neuroplasticity) by using a few key phrases.

    While all of these approaches, such as ‘walking mindfulness’, yoga, Chi Gong, and Tai Chi, among a host of others may seem airy-fairy to some, they are not, in fact, simply feel-good strategies. Mild exercise of any sort immediately changes the neuropathways of the brain and replaces by movement thoughts that create angst, pain, and fatigue.

    While logo synthesis is one mechanism that a person can employ, there are countless others that require discipline to let go of the trauma that was long ago created which resulted in a hyper-aroused central nervous system. Choosing one or more that fit your lifestyle helps to become the mistress of our own fate. Massive amounts of drugs that seem to proliferate on the shelves of those suffering from fibromyalgia are not the answer.

    The strategies that do not cost anything are mindfulness, walking, Chi Gong, Tai Chi, CBT, and logosynthesis. Others which are comforting to those who do ‘body work’, such as chiropractic therapy, massage, and physiotherapy can be expensive and are not intended to directly change the brain, although they do have the benefit of relaxation. We must do what we can to heal ourselves from past trauma thoughts which resulted in anxiety and stress. We have to train ourselves to LET GO.

    The news today is that Lady Gaga is hospitalized and has canceled performances because of fibromyalgia. We can all commiserate with her during this intense flare-up. More troubling is the fact that the kind of high-stress profession she is involved with does not allow much time for attention to the discipline required to calm the CNS, the culprit in fibromyalgia.

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    References:

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    Official Fibromyalgia Blogs

    Click here to Get the latest Chronic illness Updates

    Fibromyalgia Stores

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  • Fibromyalgia: Healing yourself

    ” What I want for my fans and for the world, for anyone who feels pain, is to lean into that pain and embrace it as much as they can and begin the healing process”, Lady Gaga

    There has rarely been such public awareness of fibromyalgia as there is now that Lady Gaga has become public about her own suffering. While there are thousands of those of us who suffer from the debilitating pain and fatigue of this syndrome, many still believe it is malingering.

    Unfortunately, it takes a public figure to allow the disbeliever to at least entertain the possibility that this condition, not a disease, but a dis-ease,  is real. I am not a fan of pop stars and have not even seen Lady Gaga perform. In fact, I know little about her, but why does it take a widely known singer to convince the public that those of us with highly sensitive, over-stimulated central nervous systems live in a world encompassed by pain and a multitude of other ‘symptoms’?

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    We live in a world of the constant bombardment of our senses. All of us have experienced past trauma of some sort. Many can easily move on while others continue to take more chaos into our very being. Watching TV news, reading a newspaper, or internet news only heightens the sense of danger we feel for ourselves and others. It is rampant about death and tragedy and those of us with FMS and CFS have systems that can no longer absorb more trauma.

    We can be called whiners, complainers, and acting victims but the reality is our pain is real. It is the result of prolonged anxiety such that the mind closes down and the body takes over. Generally, it stems from childhood trauma which could be abusive or unloving, but not necessarily so. It could also be the result of being extremely hypersensitive and traumas, not necessarily from childhood, have exacerbated our central nervous systems to a point of no return. The emotional trauma leads to real physical trauma.

    What is to be done? Our minds need stillness, calm and quiet to heal our bodies. Living in the moment with compassion for our injured selves allows us to begin the healing process. I am struck today, September 22, 2017, by the cover picture and story in the Globe and Mail about the UN International Day of Peace. Ottawa citizens took part in mindfulness meditation for peace on Parliament Hill, led by Dr. Jon Kabat-Zinn with nearly 1,000 people participating.

    Instead of reading about a blustering threat of killing an entire nation, earthquakes, flooding, hurricanes, hate crimes, fascism, Nazi groups, and race and gender injustices that add further psychic pain to our already over-burdened brain,  I could see some semblance of hope. There IS some! But, for our own demons peace has to come from within. Medications, talk therapy, and support groups can help but we have to become experts in our own minds. We have to heal ourselves.

    There is no cure for an already overburdened central nervous system, but we can learn to treat that anxious mind by being at peace living in the moment, finding comfort in perhaps odd ways that are unique to us, and living with joy that may be fleeting, but is there to call on when we need it. I have a piece of fabric that makes me smile when I look at it.

    I imagine it is me looking in a mirror, trying to see into my brain all the garbled thoughts that make me anxious. I can “lean into it” as Lady Gaga suggests and sigh at that mind that hangs on to past trauma. What a fiasco… you gotta’ laugh…

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    Official Fibromyalgia Blogs

    Click here to Get the latest Chronic illness Updates

    Fibromyalgia Stores

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  • Fibromyalgia: pink palms, smooth feet

    Fibromyalgia: pink palms, smooth feet

    ” The biology of pain is never straightforward, even when it appears to be”, Lorimer Moseley

    I thought I knew it all: fibromyalgia is a constant hyper-arousal of the central nervous system and all the symptoms that evolve from that disorder. But recently I met with an internist who held my hand’s palms upward and told me she would have known I had fibromyalgia just by looking at my palms which are pink! I have pink palms, which is a sign of fibromyalgia and its impact on ‘my nerves.  She also commented on my pink cheeks. I was stunned. This was new to me, that this is often a sign of fibromyalgia.

    So back to google again to find out more about this phenomenon. My hands ache and will hurt more as the weather becomes colder, of that I have no doubt. They ached during the heat of the summer. I have to remember to keep moving and get up when my desire is to curl up on the sofa. I rub my hands constantly with cannabis cream.

    I also have a carpal tunnel in both arms and hands that keeps me awake at night. Worse is that I know surgery for a carpel will reactivate my central nervous system and I will have massive flare-ups post-surgery. I don’t know why I never noticed that my palms and the back of my fingers were very pink! I did notice that my feet were unusually soft and smooth and hurt as much as my hands.

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    My hands and feet ache especially when there is a weather change. The skin of the hands and feet are noticeably red in many with fibromyalgia according to the researcher Dr. Frank Rice in his study published in Pain Medicine in August 2013. The source of my blog is taken from the internet- Bottomline Inc. Very basically the research team’s theory is based upon the physiology of how some blood flows directly from arteries into veins via arteriole-venule (AV) shunts.

    These valves are open and close to control the passage of blood and respond to cues from the nervous system in order to regulate body temperature. “The parts of the body where AV shunts are most plentiful are the cheeks, nose, soles of the feet and palms of the hands”. It is thought that if the shunts are unable to function well because of excessive nerve fibers the mismanaged blood flow could be the source of widespread muscle pain.  In the study they found that the” AV shunts were four times larger and had roughly two to eight times as many nerve fibers as those in women without fibromyalgia”, using various technologies as measurement tools.

    Dr. Rice writes: ” The AV shunts are sites where sensory nerve fibers are intermingled with nerve fibers of the sympathetic nervous system, which is activated by stress.” Aha! This feeds into my view that those of us with fibromyalgia who suffered from childhood trauma were and are highly sensitive children/adults, resulting finally in the central nervous system developing a state of constant hyper-arousal, easily activated by stress/ anxiety, even something as seemingly innocuous as weather changes. So, let me be clear. I don’t think these nerve endings – or too many nerve fibers are the CAUSE, rather they are the RESULT.

    It seems to make perfect sense to me. My cheeks have always been very red and the soles of my feet so pink and tender that people who gave me pedicures, or massage therapists exclaimed they had never seen such smooth feet before. In fact, though, they are tender and I cannot wear sandals as my tender feet burn painfully upon contact with the soles of shoes.

    I have watched when others have their feet “sandpapered” as they have pedicures, and winced as I could not imagine how that would affect me! There has never been a time when I didn’t have smooth feet or pink cheeks! Imagine! I learned just recently that these were signs of fibromyalgia. I can’t believe I never noticed how pink and smooth my palms are before this.

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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

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  • Sara Corning: A Brave Humanitarian Nurse

    Sara Corning: A Brave Humanitarian Nurse

    “She learned to Serve Others”, the headstone of Sara Corning

    My dear Readers:

    Now it has been 11 years of writing almost monthly blogs about fibromyalgia and attending to the stories about people who are ultra-sensitive, highly empathetic,  anxious, unable to tolerate the pain of others, and have developed an overactive central nervous system which is known as fibromyalgia. I am today taking another route at the beginning of this lovely month of June.

    Unlike Florence Nightingale who came back with her heavy lamp from the Crimea and collapsed with fibromyalgia, I am writing today about another kind of nurse, one who was every bit as brave as Florence Nightingale and survived until the ripe old age of 97, in her home town of Yarmouth, Nova Scotia. She was the marvelous Sara Corning. It is unlikely she suffered from fibromyalgia so the question you might ask is about the contrast between the two.

    I don’t have an answer to that question, but what I do know is that nurses have heavy burdens to bear and never more so than those who faced devastation caused by wars and massacres. Like military personnel who return from wars, some develop post–traumatic stress disorder (aka fibromyalgia), while others can carry on their lives in a more usual manner.

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    Now to the purpose of this blog today. As you know from previous writings, I blame my highly sensitive nervous system on childhood trauma and in particular the experiences I had as a student nurse in the mid to late 1950s. During those days we were used as a source of free labor to staff hospitals, often without any days off for three years, working for 12 hours shifts with a great deal of responsibility, ill-trained, learning through an apprenticeship system.

    It was not just in small-town hospitals in Nova Scotia, but generally throughout Canada, the US, and other parts of the world. We were exploited and did not have within us the knowledge or experience to rebel, after all, we were but teenagers. Wanting to record those experiences of student nursing days, I began interviewing in a conversational way, women who had been student nurses up until the 1960s when the times began to change. The oral histories I had with women who had been nursing in the 1920s and 1930s are stored in the Nova Scotia Archives and I thought I was done with recording nursing history.

    Now, in my old age, as a time to reminisce, I look back at the trauma inflicted upon me and my classmates, and once again decided to speak with women of my vintage about their experiences. The result is the book whose cover I shall show you. I have just received the copies fresh off the press, published by GlenMargaret Publishing, Nova Scotia.

    So, where does this tie into Sara Corning you might ask? Well, for the first reason, she, like me was from Yarmouth, Nova Scotia. Secondly, we were both nurses.  Finally, as a social activist all my life I deplored violence, massacres, genocide, exploitation, and social injustice. Therefore, in order to pay back society as a result of the privileges I have had as a nurse, I decided that I would donate the proceeds to the Sara Corning Society in Yarmouth so that her story would never be lost in that small town.

    A statue will be relatively soon erected, a street already named for her, perhaps a scholarship for a student nurse, a bench…the ways are numerous. As statues of unsavory men are being torn down, what better way to honor women, and nurses than through statues? But even more so the Sara Corning Centre for Genocide Education in Toronto whose work is far-reaching will have an impact on future generations Please go to their website and read more about her.

    As I write I know that there are many readers who are nurses and whose lives are filled with pain from the sights they have seen, the exhaustion that can be overwhelming, and the death and despair they see on a daily basis. Yet, they persevere as did Sara Corning. It isn’t a book about Sara but about others who came after her, nurses everywhere who devote their lives, perhaps not as dramatically as she did, but are heroines nonetheless.

    SARA CORNING

    (Synopsis inside the book cover)

    It was in 1919 that this remarkable humanitarian nurse departed for the Near East, where she helped to rescue and care for thousands of orphans, victims of the 1915-1923 Armenian genocide and Greek massacres, including during the Greek-Turkish forced populations exchange of 1923.

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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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  • The twins: Fibromyalgia/ PTSD

    The twins: Fibromyalgia/ PTSD

    “After a traumatic experience, the human system of self-preservation seems to go onto permanent alert, as if the danger might return at any moment”, Judith Lewis Herman

    In my book almost a decade ago, I wrote about Gulf War syndrome and the similarities between this condition and fibromyalgia. From the terms ‘shell shock’ and ‘Gulf War syndrome’ has emerged the contemporary ‘Post–Traumatic Stress Disorder’  label.  We have now landed firmly on the relationship between these three conditions and fibromyalgia.

    Years and years of studying and researching the topic of fibromyalgia have convinced me that PTSD and fibromyalgia are the same things. There I’ve said it! And, finally, others are saying it too. What do all those terms share in common?   How is it that PTSD and fibromyalgia are twined? Wars, abuse, crises, and trauma of many sorts take their toll on us all, but it is the highly sensitive person whose psyche becomes over-burdened. Here are the ways in which the two conditions match:

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    Sleep: Insomnia is insidious, silent, and invisible. Worse still are night terrors and dreams that rob peace of mind and wear one down. Not only do physical ailments develop from unrestful sleep, but also emotional problems develop. Things that seem bearable somewhat during the day become unbearable in the dark. Sleep deprivation and other disturbances are common.

    Anxiety: Often gripped with the feeling of dread but cannot tell why. There is a constant merry-go-round of fearful thoughts in the brain. Looking constantly for anticipated trouble. A neurotic terror of the unknown is a frequent companion. The world is seen in black and white. The anxiety levels rise to panic. Change is not well tolerated.

    Lack of contentment: Achieving even little contentment and peace is a struggle. Living in the moment is difficult as there is the anticipation of the possibility that danger lurks around the corner. Living with tension and fear of the future while remembering the past is common.

    Lack of resilience: Easily startled, frightened even when not in a dangerous situation. Flashbacks in terms of smells, sights, and sounds from shocking, scary, or crises once experienced. Negative thoughts about oneself result in being hard on self and mired in depressive thoughts.

    Along with these emotional reactions, there are the physical ailments that accompany the emotional ones. Pain, fatigue, abdominal upsets, lack of energy, sensitivity to sounds, smells, frightening sights, uncontrollable itching, tingling of limbs, and a myriad of other symptoms are what PTSD and fibromyalgia have in common to a lesser or higher degree.

    • Each person is unique and may or may not share all of these emotional and physical symptoms but the similarities can no longer go unheeded.

    https://fibromyalgia-6.creator-spring.com/
    https://www.teepublic.com/stores/fibromyalgia-store

    Click Here to Visit the Store and find Much More….

    For More Information Related to Fibromyalgia Visit below sites:

    References:

    Fibromyalgia Contact Us Directly

    Click here to Contact us Directly on Inbox

    Official Fibromyalgia Blogs

    Click here to Get the latest Chronic illness Updates

    Fibromyalgia Stores

    Click here to Visit Fibromyalgia Store