“Pain is real when you get other people to believe in it”, Naomi Wolf
As I have frequently written there are two kinds of pain: nociceptive and neuropathic. Those of us with fibromyalgia suffer from the latter. It is the most difficult to live with as it is long-term damage to the nervous system that has become chronic. It cannot be treated with opioids long-term as it only gives temporary relief. Many find some degree of effectiveness with Gabapentin ( I do) or Pregabalin.
So many readers write off their pain challenges, often resorting to opioids which result in addictions. However, nociceptive pain such as I had recently from a hip replacement does produce relief from such medications. Burns, operations, and broken limbs, usually all of a temporary nature, are examples of this type of pain. But, I quickly found that my highly sensitive pain receptors as a result of sensitization of the Central Nervous System rebelled and did not tolerate the morphine I was prescribed after surgery. Nausea was the side effect I suffered from, resulting in switching quickly to Tylenol. The pain from the scar has ended. This was nociceptive pain.
So, what are we to do with the other kind of pain? Neuropathic pain is complicated. Opioids are not the answer. While I keep advocating mild exercise as one form of self-help, sometimes more strenuous activity is warranted. Many of us can hardly tolerate any exercise at all, mild or vigorous. Strenuous activity usually brings about fibro flare–ups ( I found this out with increasing activity/ stretching following surgery in order to help with walking and avoiding limping).
Now I am in a quandary as to how much to do without increasing my pain level. My brain keeps me traveling down that same old pain neural pathway. Training the brain is not an easy task, but there is little option. Mindfulness meditation, walking in spite of the pain, and exercise biking are my strategies, and an understanding physiotherapist who tells me I expect too much of myself. I remind myself that is the bane of our existence, all of us with this dis-ease called central sensitization (fibromyalgia)… are too hard on ourselves.
I cannot overstate how complex daily living becomes for those of us with neuropathic pain. We have to be kind to ourselves and recognize that while this is a permanent condition, self-compassion is key to our quality of life.
What is happiness? Sometimes I think I have been seeking it my entire life and it still often eludes me. I want to be happy. I have worked at it. I meditate, have done yoga and chi-gong, I even have colored in books (the newest craze), made quilts, and listened to joyful music, all said to enhance creativity which is thought to be integral to being happy.
When I was young and religious I prayed. It made me fearful, not happy. I have looked at amazing skies, October foliage, and a calm lake and enjoyed their beauty, but I do not often experience the peacefulness that happiness is said to bring. Is the feeling of being at peace the same as feeling happy? Some happiness experts say that if you smile often enough it will entice your brain to believe you are happy. I smile often when around others and many would consider me happy. Maybe, then, I do experience happiness, which differs from peacefulness. Perhaps it is so fleeting that it escapes my attention?
We all bear our scars. I have a close family member who has Multiple Sclerosis, is engaged in life, has fun-filled outings with friends, and is an upbeat, self-defined happy person. She does not lament about her lot in life but is able to find joy in her everyday activities in spite of living in a wheelchair. Has she been programmed in such a way that she can overcome difficulties that overwhelm others to the point of despair? She does have a strong support system of friends. Is that her secret? Or, is it that keeping busy prevents her from dwelling on her disabilities?
Dr. Edward Diener the psychologist known as “Dr. Happiness” has the view that those who have a strong support system of family and friends are the people who report being the happiest. However, Dr. Sonja Lyubomirsky found that processes of social comparison, self-evaluation, and personal perception as well as genetics and circumstances comprise the gamut of happiness. Conversely, Dr. Mihaly Csikszentmihaly, a psychologist, suggests that people need to find difficult activities they can do and do them more often, that is, doing meaningful work and keeping busy. It can be seen that the happiness experts vary in their suggestions as to what compromises or enhances happiness.
I have a wonderful support system of friends and family, and a loving spouse. There are many enjoyable moments, but is that happiness? I have anxious days and nights, filled with pain and low energy, with worry about my abilities and perhaps loss of independence. One suggestion I read about was to change the ways in which one walks, that is, to take purposive long strides, swinging one’s arms.
I can’t do this as my walking is difficult and painful, particularly following a hip replacement four months ago, and especially when I try to take long steps. As a short person, I have never walked that way. So? I should walk in a way that is awkward for me and smile often even when in pain from fibromyalgia and then I will be happier?
I am still confused about whether or not feeling peaceful is the same as being happy? Is happiness just a temporary state that which one can measure how much happiness s/he has in a day? Does the weather and time of year affect one as dramatically as some suggest?
This is an extraordinarily beautiful time of year where I live, but it will soon be grey November, a time when there is so much darkness and which is, for me, a sad time. Am I then living in the future and not enjoying the moment? October is a wonderful month. The weather is cooler, the trees are turning magnificent colors, it is Thanksgiving (for Canadians) as it is harvest time, plus the air is fresh. It is a time for reflection and hunkering down for the dismal November month with bare trees and cold harsh winter (not so for my Australian and New Zealand friends!).
Is it my fault I don’t consider myself an unusually happy person? Was it the past trauma I experienced or is it genetic? I have been reading a most extraordinary book by the historian Yuval Noah Harari Sapiens (2014). He writes:
“There’s no natural selection for happiness as such- a happy hermit’s genetic line will go extinct as the genes of a pair of anxious parents get carried on to the next generation”.
Well, as I end these musings today and watch the waning of lovely October, I realize I had both: a pair of anxious parents, and a great deal of past trauma. Together these two nature and nurture traits have produced me with a highly sensitive nervous system- this “central sensitization” which produces anxiety and difficulty with living in the present.
I will keep on with mindfulness meditation (although I know that MM is not intended to bring happiness but to pay attention, on purpose, to our thoughts and to live in the moment) and walk as much as I can, and even more importantly I will do the things that bring me happiness in spite of the challenges. Either way, I will have the pain so why not combine with those activities which are joyful? After all, happiness is fleeting and varies from minute to minute.
“evolution has molded us to be neither too miserable nor too happy, It enables us to enjoy a momentary rush of pleasant sensations, but these never last forever. Sooner or later they subside and give place to unpleasant sensations”.
“There’s someone in my head, but it’s not me”, Pink Floyd
Just as I thought that I had nothing new to write about I have discovered that the weird ‘brain’ sensations I have, which only last for moments, are common among those of us with this frustrating condition of fibromyalgia! I have had these peculiar short-lived experiences that are followed by dizziness for several years now. The episodes are almost like a small temporary memory loss, almost feeling faint-like. I don’t have the language to describe them. It is as though my skull almost empties for a few seconds. It is somewhat creepy to imagine a skull without a brain.
Many have written that coming off a medication brings about these zaps/pings/shocks/memory loss/dizziness occurrences. But, I have not come off any medications. Still, I have read that being on Gabapentin can cause them. I do take 300 to 400 mg per day. Is this what is causing them? The attacks aren’t too frequent but certainly do cause slight dizziness and loss of balance.
I have often had electrical shocks throughout my body- this isn’t the same thing. I have written about ‘brain fog’ several times – again, this isn’t exactly the same thing. I have had vertigo- it is different from that as well. I wish I had the language to describe the episodes. It’s as though my brain loses a second or two into the air, is not in my own body!
Others have written that changes in temperature can affect brain zaps. This may be so as changes in the environment affect all of us with fibromyalgia. But, this isn’t the complete answer. The causes seem to be unknown although definitely connected to the nervous system. Like fibromyalgia itself, the problem is that we are seeing so many of us with common symptoms and questions about our nervous systems gone awry, but with very few answers available.
There is little doubt in my mind that these zaps are part of my anxiety episodes. It is the cause I keep coming back to. My hyper-aroused central nervous system, based on past trauma, which is in a constant state of hyper-vigilance, is in its usual mode of overload. At least this is the only tentative answer I have for now. It fits with the rest of my modus operandi.
Well, along with other weird sensations those of us with fibromyalgia live with, let us at least know for now that this weekend there are many who will dress up to look and behave even more creepy than our nervous systems! Be safe.
“There is a crack in everything. That’s how the light gets in”, Leonard Cohen–Anthem
Cannabinophobia has resulted in a frenzy of political, medical, social, and cultural chaos for generations in spite of the fact that this herb has been around for 38 million years. Prohibition against cannabis usage has resulted in billions of dollars spent trying to stop its usage; hundreds of lives have been destroyed because of arrests, labeling them as criminals while governments have wasted their time trying to contain its widespread recreational use. But, it is medical marihuana specifically that I am the most interested in, and as Backes has written:
“The way to approach cannabis as a medicine is to do so cautiously, despite the fact that human beings have been using medicinal cannabis for millennia”. Physicians cannot prescribe but can authorize the use of cannabis. However, some physicians will not even do that in spite of the patient’s pain, and even worse in cases like multiple sclerosis where it has been shown to help with spasms, many will not even authorize it! For those of us with fibromyalgia and other chronic pain, as well as other conditions such as multiple sclerosis, waiting for the legalities to be sorted out means that we are expected to wait until the hysteria has subsided.
In Canada where I live the Liberal government has promised to legalize cannabis, but it is a slow process. It is likely to happen in 2017, the first of the G7 nations to do so. The government’s task force will release its report momentarily. Currently, in the US, eight states have legalized marihuana for medical and recreational purposes. With the recent US election, it is possible that all this progress may be rescinded. Only time will tell. Many want to be open-minded about the topic but it is far too often that their personal biases prevent reasonable discussions. While it is often said that religion, sex, and politics are taboo subjects to be avoided in polite company, I believe cannabis should be added to that list.
While I have many books and other reading material regarding marihuana (often spelled marijuana), The Pot Book remains among my favorite. Searching through the hundreds of internet sites, published articles, and books is an ominous task leaving the confused even more in a quandary. There is so little out there about the fibromyalgia pain, fatigue, and malaise, (among a host of other symptoms) and using cannabis for treatment, that it is a little wonder those of us with this syndrome wonder what should be done. Even this extensive book does not cover the topic and although most researchers write about chronic pain, the term fibromyalgia is not specifically used.
My view has been and remains- if alcohol, cigarettes, and prescription medications are available as a panacea for stress, anxiety, depression, and pain why not cannabis? If one can easily access cigarettes or imbibe alcohol for the social, recreational, and personal pleasure of relaxation why isn’t it the same for having a toke? Why is it legal to take a prescribed chemical such as valium (Diazepam) for example, but not an herb, like marihuana?
But, wait for a minute-an herb? I have long ago given up on herbs knowing that the myths associated with them are airy-fairy, woo, and snake oil, in fact, are unproven to be helpful. I can attest to their ineffectiveness. Why is this particular herb one which I consider to be beneficial for medicinal purposes? In fact, years ago I spent much money and time boiling Chinese herbs, not even realizing the heavy metals and other toxic substances in those concoctions and all this without any positive results.
Do people like to be deceived? Although I did not derive any benefit from them I still hoped I would. It was self-deception on my part as were the so-called ‘complimentary/alternative’ concoctions I wasted even more money on before giving upon them. They are not scientifically evidence-based. The ways in which we deceive ourselves are due to inherent biases. Most of these herbs are generally in the realm of pseudoscience. So here’s the question: why do I believe cannabis is helpful for the many ailments of fibromyalgia? Is the use of marihuana scientifically evidence-based? Are anecdotes enough for us to rely on? It is difficult to be unbiased/neutral and there are indeed unsupported assertions about marihuana, a highly contested issue.
When I first wrote about cannabinoids on this site 2019 all those years ago I explained that I had never tried cannabis for pain or fibromyalgia, nor for any other reason. I have never smoked a cigarette nor do I drink alcohol, the latter because it is too stimulating for me; it is not a moral issue. I avoid caffeinated coffee for that same reason. I simply don’t like the feeling of being out of control, my central nervous system cannot tolerate stimulants.
I have never taken a psychotropic drug, and other than Gabapentin and an occasional Tylenol I suffer through this unrelenting pain. I am not a martyr but until it was suggested I try medical marihuana I believed there wasn’t any other hope for relief and the anecdotes I was reading about cannabis seemed encouraging. When I read the hundreds of comments on these many blogs I have written over the years, I am in awe about how many mood-altering drugs people are taking for their emotional wellbeing. The pain of fibromyalgia is nonending. Why not try the unknown I thought. I was eager to try! I am considered a naïve user.
I confess to worrying I feel when people smoke cigarettes knowing that the evidence is clear, even written on cigarette packages, that smoking causes lung cancer. The tobacco that tobacco pickers made themselves from leaves burned the back of their throats. Over the years many have told me and written about the same sensations they incur after smoking cannabis, particularly from unknown sources, that is, there is more phlegm and inflammation in the respiratory system like burning, coughing, and wheezing from the heat of the smoke.
Tobacco wasn’t always regulated nor were the ingredients clearly stated on packages. If cannabis was regulated and ingredients stated before use would buyers become more cautious about from whom they were buying? Would they switch to vaporized, oils, sprays, suppositories, even the new market of pills, or edible means of taking marihuana for recreational reasons?
Or, is it the ritual, of preparing, and/or sharing a smoke that is enjoyable? Even more significant, the cost may be prohibitive for many forms of cannabis, so it is likely that those who are taking cannabis for pain are smoking. Costs must always be considered as many people with fibromyalgia have had to stop working due to their pain and cannot afford an oil or vapor and certainly not the spray. For those of us with fibromyalgia and sensitive to smoke we do have alternatives, hopefully, the costs will not be prohibitive.
In an article for CBC News, November 24, 2016, Opinion, Peter Thurley writes:” Stigma of the lazy pot-smoker hurts medical marijuana users” and the ways in which “they often give a nudge wink and say, “Lucky you, getting high on weed, eh?” He writes of the extractions (such as an oil) that “take much more plant matter to produce than other methods such as smoking or vaporizing”. The process results in higher costs.
In another CBC production, on November 25, 2016, Marketplace, alarms went off at the findings when the science-based study of four participants who were given weed to smoke to determine brain wave data after they had become high. But, it is this kind of scientific–based research that is sorely needed. Technology has allowed us to view the responses of our brains using fMRI and EEGs. We have to be able to make informed decisions. However, where is the brain research after a person has consumed a prescribed psychotropic ‘medication’?
In the last four years at one hospital in Denver, it was said that there was a big increase in the number of young clients with nausea, abdominal cramps, and vomiting due to cannabis. The data has shown that the current level of THC in weed is now 6 times more powerful than it was in the 1970s…and adolescent psychosis is an even more serious problem. It is speculated that using marihuana before the age of 25 is harmful to the brain. Yet, there is anecdotal evidence that cannabis is helpful in some cases of children with such conditions as epilepsy and certainly in cancer-related situations.
I am unhappy when I see someone inebriated or completely stoned. It is obvious that regularly drinking alcohol or toking toexcess is harmful for personal and societal reasons, as are other addictions. So now where am I on this controversial issue that has the general population in such a frenzy? Well, I have just become registered as a person who is legally allowed to use cannabis oil, taken orally for medical reasons. My fibromyalgia pain has increased tremendously since my hip replacement five months ago.
I have residual pain. Central sensitization has accelerated and flare-ups are more frequent with intense back pain from many degenerations of the lumbar spine. I have a choice: increase Gabapentin (and weight gain) or take an herb in the form of an oil. I chose the latter, despite still believing that most other herbs do not serve many purposes (although at least half of prescription drugs are plant-based, with added chemicals). I conclude after many years of reflecting and reading the science and hearing anecdotal testimonies that cannabinoid usage is helpful for chronic pain, and what is more chronic than fibromyalgia? It is not a cure but a potential panacea.
There are many internet sites, articles, and books that delve into the history of the herb, this Indian hemp plant cannabis, from which marihuana and hashish are made. For the most part, the history is written about how it was used for euphoria, or hemp itself was used in clothing and other products, rather than for medicinal/medical purposes. As a hallucinogen, it is said to have been used by the Chinese Emperor Shen Nung in 2727 B.C. (2737 B.C?, dates vary. See narconon.ca and/or deamuseum.org and/or livescience.com) who reported on its therapeutic use. Books and articles are plentiful about its history. “Cannabis is one of the oldest psychotropic drugs in continuous use.
Archaeologists have discovered it in digs in Asia that date to the Neolithic period around 4000BCE”, (Groopman, 2014). More ‘recently’, in 1839, a British doctor, William O’Shaughnessy wrote about its benefits and it became widespread for medical use, even prescribed to Queen Victoria for menstrual discomfort (Groopman, 2014).
Could this physician have imagined such a device as a gel pen filled with cannabis oil to apply locally? Or that there would be vaporizers, suppositories, oils, pills and other edibles, and even patches? That there were hundreds of slang words/terms one used that have evolved over the decades of marijuana usage? The spelling of marijuana or the terms used by users seems to men to be irrelevant so I will use them in various kinds of ways that are easiest for me to make a point.
The literature often appears to be completely two-sided without a middle ground of pros and cons about using the plant for mood-altering purposes in any form. Furthermore, whether or not it is effective for medicinal purposes has not been as carefully researched as prescription drugs. Much of the data is anecdotal. It is understandable since it is illegal in most countries. Now that several American states have legalized its use it is hoped that more participants will be willing to volunteer for larger studies without fear of repercussion, that is if the ‘new’ President does not undercut those states who have legalized it.
I am certain that Canada will lead the way in research as soon as the new year legalizes this ‘weed’. There is hardly a day that passes when the national paper ‘The Globe and Mail’ does not feature an article on marihuana. Who then will fund these studies? Will fibromyalgia sufferers be participants in these studies?
To be realistic Big Pharma might be unlikely to fund the research so the problem of funding remains an issue unless it can be shown to be profitable for the pharmaceutical companies. As a point of interest the study conducted by Dr. Mark Ware and colleagues of McGill University in Montreal in 2016, writes about the pharmaceutical development of cannabis patches for diabetic nerve pain and fibromyalgia! It is a small beginning for those of us with fibromyalgia and chronic pain. ‘Illegal’ home growers and ‘legal’ growers are of course somewhat leery about this new legalization, particularly if it is taken over by Big Pharma.
Marihuana is a social, political, and medical issue that is very complex. Growing a crop in one’s yard may be subject to criminality. The pharmaceutical companies may end up having complete control over the countries where it is legal.
The difficulties persist as most people are passionate about the topic and especially about government and/or Big Pharma’s control of the industry. Daniel LeBlanc wrote “Canada’s new legal marijuana regime is expected to feature a mishmash of provincial rules and a heavily regulated production system that will initially favor existing producers of medical cannabis, sources say” (The Globe and Mail, December 1, 2016).
It is obvious that with the issue of medical marihuana the ‘prescription’ is not precise. How is a person know which product will be effective for individual clients? How much THC (tetrahydrocannabinol) and the ratio to CBD (the second most common cannabinoid produced by the cannabis plant) is appropriate for each person? Briefly stated THC will give a person a ‘buzz’ while CBD does not. CBD has medical benefits and can counteract THC lethargy and getting ‘high’. It is used for anxiety, and pain, as an anti-inflammatory, and antispasmodic. Finding the right combination is a slow process for each individual.
Neither side is willing to be open-minded to the other, no doubt myself included. An example might be a discussion about why a drug such as a valium for anxiety is socially acceptable and legally prescribed while smoking weed is considered illegal in most countries. The opposite position could be that valium has been scientifically shown to alter a mood and the dosage is tightly controlled, whereas medical marihuana without much THC may not change such conditions as anxiety, in fact, may even increase anxieties.
Those who are definitely in one camp or the other are in the majority while those who see both sides of the argument seem to be in the minority. The entire concept is mired in controversy with passion raging on both sides of the argument. Nonetheless, health care providers are left in a quandary as to whether or not medical marihuana is effective for pain or is thought to be because of the placebo effect. That is, those compounds without much THC may help with pain, for example, but may do little for underlying anxiety. Evidence-based research is not yet as abundant as it could be, and it is not black and white. When authorizing medical marihuana physicians must use caution and it is by trial and error that one finds the right script.
It is here that I confess my own bias against any kind of invasion of the mouth, throat, larynx, and lungs by smoke, having seen many cancer patients suffering as a result of inhaling cigarette smoke. (There are others who are not in favor of edibles as they have been concerned about gastric issues and the difficulties of dosage control.) In my view, the evidence supporting either position is not definitive so our own biases are not ‘provable’ (I use this word loosely).
Some suggest that cannabis can actually prevent lung cancer while others suggest it is instrumental in causing it! Those who are pro-smoking disagree with others who say that it is equally as dangerous as smoking cigarettes. In fact, it may be more deleterious as the smoke is held longer in the lungs by the inhaler.
While science-based evidence is badly needed it may or may not help the situation if one is not open to discussion about their own point of view. It is the old idea that if marihuana is legalized it will lead to addiction and the use of dangerous drugs. A casual alcohol drinker does not necessarily become an alcoholic so that issue is a moot point.
One would have thought that California, of all the perceived laid-back states, would have legalized pot but it wasn’t until November 8, 2016, with the ‘Adult Use of Marijuana Act’ that this state ended its prohibition for those over 21. They now have what they consider to be a sensible system that treats marijuana similarly to alcohol with regulations and taxing procedures. Patients with a state ID card for medical usage will not have to pay taxes. It should be fully implemented by 2018.
However, “the state would impose a 15-per-cent tax on retail sales of pot and additional taxes on growers” (Gary Mason, The Globe, and Mail, Monday, November 7, 2016 A7). “Legalization could generate more than $1-billion in tax revenue” (Mason). As marihuana becomes legalized in more and more countries, small growers will be penalized, and the greater the opportunities for Big Pharma. It follows that the underground ‘bootleggers’ will be forced to proceed illegally.
The complexity is overwhelming. I am at this point myself overwhelmed by the amount of information I have been exposed to over these many years. I could write reams of pages on the political issues involved with legalization, for example, the legalities of driving while taking medical marihuana, using it at work, or traveling to other countries as a medical user.
While there is promise regarding the patches I cannot imagine using them for the ‘pain all over’ which affects us on a daily basis! A peculiar sight indeed! I cannot yet attest to the efficacy of medical marihuana oil for fibromyalgia and specifically for myself– stay tuned.
Well, here I am in the second month of experimenting with this wondrous herb. It isn’t easy trying to find the right mixture of THC to CBD that fits me! Medical marijuana is not to be considered one size fits all. In fact, I am not sure I have the right times of day with the right amounts of each of the ingredients completely suited to me even now after two months. It has been trial and error.
But I have been aided by my family physician and the very well-informed members of the National Access Cannabis clinic. The choices are mine and it involves reading, understanding, and recording how each process is helping (or not). It is winter, cold, and depressing as I struggle with hip and back pains combined with fibromyalgia and sleep issues. My brain seems frozen in this ice block.
But I have a new kind of cannabis to use! My physiotherapist gave me a free sample of a topical cream of cannabis PANAG Topical A OTC which will be marketed this spring. I have just begun using it on various painful spots. It is too soon to tell if it will be helpful.
The times they are a’chang in’… time to lobby for universal acceptance in Western society of an herb that can help with chronic pain and multiple other symptoms. We need to reduce taking many chemicals whose long-term usage is dangerous to our kidneys and liver. Prohibition of cannabis is senseless, it is a safe herb, nonaddictive, and often effective for many conditions like fibromyalgia.
In the words of a famous, highly influential, and significant astronomer Carl Sagan:
The illegality of cannabis is outrageous, an impediment to full utilization of a drug that helps produce the serenity and insight, sensitivity, and fellowship so desperately needed in this increasingly mad and dangerous world.
” People who are prone to anxiety are nearly always people-pleasers who fear conflict and negative feelings like anger”, David D. Burns
Everyone worries, it falls under the umbrella of anxiety. It is not about living in the moment but rather it is about looking back in the past where it all began and into a future that is pure fantasy. Those of us with excessive anxiety are prone to catastrophic thinking, our thoughts go to the worst-case scenario. The glass is usually half empty. We are often gloomy but hide those thoughts from everyone; the sky is falling. Our brains are encouraged to ‘worry well’ by closing in on the worry loop. It is obvious that we face multiple challenges. The amygdala in our brain is constantly fired up, and on high alert, causing adrenal fatigue and a hyper-aroused central nervous system.
And so, our ‘symptoms’ continue hyper-vigilance, un-refreshed sleep, brain fog, joint and muscle pain, digestive disorders, itching, nightmares, extreme reaction to loud noises, lights, smells, an intolerance to all but mild exercise, prone to carpal tunnel syndrome, and supersensitivity to foods, chemicals and any kind of excitement. The list seems endless. We have been called ‘jumpy’, ‘neurotic’, ‘malingers’, and ‘high strung’, among other names that stigmatize.
So I want to rename our personality traits as positive. We are caring, highly emphatic, compassionate, intuitive, and sensitive. In a world that is exceptionally chaotic, it is little wonder that we are anxious for our fellow human beings, in particular those who are marginalized, that is, the poor, those who suffer because of racism and sexism, and people subject to homophobia. We listen to lies on television, we are pitted one against the other, and we sense the hopelessness of others while at the same time we have our own struggles and do in fact, lack self-compassion. We feel the anxiety of others which adds to our own extreme anxiety. This is why we have fibromyalgia…we relate to the pain of others while our own is neglected.
In other blogs, I have written about how to take care of ourselves to have a better quality of life, but here my rant is about the madness we see around us every day in a world where people in power place the world at great risk. There are many who are fighting the good fight, but right now in history it is easy to be overwhelmed, which is what the four relatives of fibromyalgia, PTSD, Multiple Chemical Sensitivities, and Chronic Fatigue are about- feeling overwhelmed, anxious, and struggling with despair, our own and the fate of the world.
I have rarely written about the politics of fibromyalgia, instead kept this website to the personal. But, the old adage of the feminist movement “the personal is political” seems to me to belong overdo for discussion about these four siblings noted above.
” Trying to eradicate symptoms on the physical level can be extremely important, but there’s more to healing than that; dealing with psychological, emotional and spiritual issues involved in treating sickness is equally important”,Marianne Williamson
I have become discouraged of late with a fibromyalgia group on FaceBook. One person asks about a particular symptom and others write in that they too have the symptom. While it helps to know that others are suffering to the same extent, it leaves the person feeling helpless and a victim of the dis-ease. This is especially so when we become focused on symptoms.
To be fair, sometimes there are often good suggestions as to how to deal with a particular issue, and for the most part, it is a forum for support, that can be comforting. But fibromyalgia is more than just a list of symptoms. Not only do we have many of the same challenges among ourselves, but there are other conditions that are alike and can define us as well. We do not have a disease, but a dis-ease and fibromyalgia is one part of a family of triplets and one other sibling.
Fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS) does not stand alone and it is important first off to discuss how these symptoms are shared with others that are labeled differently but are the same syndrome. These are the triplets:
1) Chronic Fatigue Sydrome (CFS- sometimes known as Myalgic Encephalomyelitis, or ME), 2) Post TraumaticStress Disorder (PTSD) and 3) Fibromyalgia Syndrome (FMS). Yet, there are those who try to separate these three. Furthermore, we have another sibling (which may or not be part of a quadruple, rather than ‘just’ a sibling to the other three) called 4) Multiple Chemical Sensitivities(MCS).
Many SYMPTOMS of the four are the same. The personalities of them all are: highly sensitive, natural empaths, and have a heightened ability to sense the emotions and feelings of other people, which is overly emphatic. Most importantly, it is deep-seated anxiety that defines those of us with these syndromes. While those who have MCS have a history of asthma, rashes, dry or sore eyes, rhinitis, and blocked nose sometimes more so than the triplets, sleep disturbances, joint and muscle pain, bloating, and severe itching link MCS sufferers to the triad. I wish there was but one word to call these four syndromes.
The symptoms which preoccupy people with these conditions might vary from one person to another but eventually, we usually experience them all to some degree.
Last week I read a blog on the FB page about the symptom of difficulty in swallowing. It certainly can be caused by an inflammation of the throat, it could be irritated by gastroesophageal reflux (GERD), for example. But it appears to me that when there is no known cause it is more commonly brought on by extreme anxiety; it was formerly known as “Globus Hystericus”, and it is psychogenic.
Fibromyalgia, is, after all, extreme anxiety in highly sensitive persons. Difficulty in swallowing is known to be common among those who are in the midst of great stress and panic. The many symptoms of FMS/CFS/PTSD/MCS often include shortness of breath and the sensation of a lump in the throat. The common usage of the term ‘lump in the throat is one that brings forth an image of someone who feels extreme sadness/ depression/ anxiety for oneself and others.
Another recent symptomposted on the FB page is related to “insurmountable fatigue”, in other words, CFS. I have seen the film UNREST, which is about chronic fatigue, (otherwise known to the filmmaker as ME) “characterized by post-exertional malaise”. UNREST is available on Netflix. The symptoms of CFS include physical and mental fatigue, debilitating pain, sleep dysfunction, cognitive dysfunction, sensory sensitivity, and worsening of these symptoms after even minimal exercise, along with a host of other physical challenges (sound familiar to those of you diagnosed as someone with fibromyalgia?).
I found the film to be very upsetting as it appeared to be focused on having a physiological cause for that which I consider to be psychogenic. The woman portrayed in the film tried one alternative/complementary approach after another and it seemed as though when one new one helped as a placebo effect she would consider herself better. Then after being bedridden for a long period of time she would get up, walk and hike rather vigorously, finally collapsing. It was in fact, a film intended to politicize CFS, rather than one which points out that for all these conditions a focus on symptoms is counterproductive and reinforces the idea that if one can manage this particular one, life would resume as normal.
These four conditions require certain steps which the individual is responsible for, as there isn’t a magical elixir that can be taken to cure. These are the suggestions for how to improve your quality of life:
Talk therapyand reflection about childhood and the ways in which a person was set up as a child to become vulnerable to generalized anxiety is crucial initially. This anxiety is manifested in many ways- fears, addictions- to alcohol, food, drugs, compulsive shopping/buying, and so on- one size does not fit all. When this kind of reflection is in place then the person can readily understand triggers that bring on flare-ups. It is unhealthy to be constantly looking back, but in order to move forward into the moment, it is necessary to uncover how it all began.
Light exercise, even a 5-minute walk several times a day.
Practice Mindfulness throughout the day, while eating, drinking, shopping or buying to the extreme, not planning for the future, or looking back at the past and instead live in the moment. This is perhaps the most challenging and difficult practice to undertake consistently.
Movementis imperative. Taking to the sofa or bed is not a healthy habit. Light yoga, Chi-Gong, Tai Chi or another form of movement is a way to change that plastic brain to go down another pathway other than one focused on symptoms.
Avoid stimulants such as alcohol, caffeine, and sugar. Maintain a healthy diet.
Undertake a new-to-you hobby that is creative, repetitive, and will challenge your brain in new directions. Try to avoid repeating the same hobby year after year but challenge yourself to new ones.
Avoid stressful situations with people who trigger your reactions of itching, pain, fatigue and other unpleasant reactions. If it is a family member reduce your time spent to a minimum. If you are in an abusive situation, end it.
Try to lead a more quiet lifestyle away from large crowds which overstimulate your already over-stimulated central nervous system.
Meditation practice is paramount even if it is only for a few minutes each day and increased slowly to at least 20 minutes. BREATHE!
Avoid over-medicating. These conditions are not diseases, they are syndromes that require discipline on your part, and taking too many mood-altering drugs can cause more brain fog, less desire for exercise, and dependencies.
Remember: We are highly sensitive persons, with generalized anxiety and a hyper-aroused central nervous system. No one else can help us as we are the master/mistresses of our own fate. Focusing too much on symptoms is counterproductive and never-ending!
Find a loving friend/ spouse/ therapist who will give you a massage most of all stop the intense focus on symptoms but rather practice the numerous ways in which to achieve a better quality of life. For now, I must sign off and enjoy this beautiful, sunny day in cold Nova Scotia. Stay warm, be cool!
Anton St. Marten writes that to feel intensely is “the trademark of the truly alive and compassionate”. Rather than believing that the person who is highly empathetic and sensitive is weak, it is, in fact, a general society that is dysfunctional and often lacking in empathy.
In the fibromyalgianewstoday.com issue I received recently there is an article published on January 22, 2018, which reads: “Personality Disorders Prevalent Among Fibromyalgia Patients, Study Suggests” by Alice Melão. The articles she cites appear to believe that those of us with fibromyalgia (FM) are: “exhausting to manage”, “perfectionists” and “demanding”.
Furthermore,” Personality disorders, such as obsessive-compulsive, avoidance and histrionic behaviors, are prevalent comorbidities, among patients with diagnosed fibromyalgia”. I was aghast when I read this article and in particular when I read the angry comments from other readers who are hurt by this language. As one commentator wrote: “These articles are not only useless, they are damaging”. Alice Malão cited the ten studies :
Martinez et al., 1995, “Psychological aspects of Brazilian women with fibromyalgia”, Journal of Psychosomatic Research.
Thieme et al., 2004, “Comorbid depression and anxiety in fibromyalgia syndrome: relationship to somatic and psychological variables, “Psychosomatic Medicine.
Rose et al., 2009 “Study on personality and psychiatric disorder in fibromyalgia”, Presse Medicale.
Cerón Muñoz et al,. 2010 “Fibromyalgia and personality disorders”, Semergen-Medicina de Familia.
Uguz et al., 2010 “Axis 1 and Axis 11 psychiatric disorders in patients with fibromyalgia “, General Hospital Psychiatry.
Pando Fernández, 2011, “Fibromyalgia and psychotherapy” Revista Digital de Medicina Psicosomática Psicoterapia.
Garcia-Fontanals et al., 2014 “Cloninger’s psychobiological model of personality and psychological distress in fibromyalgia, International Journal of Rheumatic Diseases
Fu et al., 2015, “Psychiatric and personality disorder survey of patients with fibromyalgia,” Annals of Depression and Anxiety
Gumà-Uriel et al., 2016, “Impact of IPDE_SQ personality disorders on the healthcare and societal costs of fibromyalgia patients: a cross-sectional study”, BMC Family Practice.
Kayhan et al., 2016, “Sexual dysfunction, mood, anxiety, and personality disorders in female patients with fibromyalgia,” Neuropsychiatric Disease Treatment.
It appears from these articles that people/women with fibromyalgia are hysterics, difficult to manage, and obsessive-compulsive. The thousands of readers of my blogs definitely have something in common with one another, but it is not a personalitydisorder. Our commonality is hyper-empathetic sensitivity in a world gone awry. While I don’t know about but three celebrities who have or had fibromyalgia I cannot attest to these three as having personality disorders.
I don’t know Lady GaGa who has stated she has FM, but I have read extensively about Florence Nightingale and her retirement to seclusion at age 38 after being in the Crimea. Was it PTSD or fibromyalgia she suffered from and aren’t they the same? Was she in fact hysterical when she served during the Crimean War? Was she difficult to ‘manage”? Was she in fact an ‘obsessive-compulsive’ person? My questions are the result of years of living with this condition and self-reflection. Yes, Nightingale wanted to change the world of health care and even the military, both of which she considered mismanaged. Is that obsessive-compulsive? Did she fit this personality disorder pattern? Do I?
As a child, an adult, a responsible mother, wife, and professor I was never considered “difficult to manage”, in fact, the exact opposite. I was generally compliant, easy to get along with, and certainly an obedient child. More to the point I have never been in the least bit obsessive-compulsive, and as for hysterical about everything in life I don’t fit that picture. Additionally, I have never been considered a perfectionist, in fact, (unfortunately for my spouse) the exact opposite again.
So why is it that we are considered people with similar “personality disorders”, a damning label? Is it because we have an invisible dis-ease and therefore our health challenges are considered suspect? Is it because the majority of us are women and highly sensitive? Why is it that the military who have PTSD (fibromyalgia) have a different name for the same symptoms? We all have great concern for the veterans who suffer from shell shock/ Gulf War Syndrome/ battle fatigue/ PTSD (all can be compressed into the label of fibromyalgia) and we acknowledge there are degrees, as there are with those not in the military who also has FM/PTSD.
I prefer instead to turn this around, turn it onto its head and use a different language. As stated on many occasions, fibromyalgia occurs in highly sensitive persons (HSPs as Elaine Aron has defined the concept in her original book The Highly Sensitive Person). Whether or not this is nature or nurture is debatable, but nonetheless, the child who is highly sensitive feels things very deeply and as an adult, this trait exemplifies a certain type which is not a disorder, but rather as Aron states, is a gift, like the canary in a coal mine.
We DO have a hyperactive mind, a frequently overstimulated central nervous system, with a highly-empathetic nature. We do feel the pain of others too deeply. The question though is to ask these researchers if we have a disorder or rather, an intense desire to help others to the detriment of ourselves? Consider this: why do so many nurses and social workers have fibromyalgia? Why are so many military personnel suffering from PTSD?
We see, hear and anticipate the pain of others in these overly sensitive minds of ours to the extent that anxiety becomes second nature, particularly since we had not developed a hard shell in our earlier years. We are highly intuitive, much more than the general public. Is this a disorder that is perceived as deplorable? Is it not a gift? Why does it continue to have a psychiatric label that is shameful?
Sit quietly for a minute and imagine this stream with leaves quietly floating by in the water.
Now think of the many thoughts, that are like a barrel full of monkeys, aggravating your mind, flitting around uncontrollably. With each thought (or monkey) that arises, a place that thought on a leaf and imagines it floating away. The thoughts will come non-stop, but in between thinking of the leaves remember to focus on the breath. Keep up thismindful/ meditativestrategy, gently allowing each thought to drift away on each new leaf you see in your mind.
This is a somewhat similar practice that I recently experienced in a mindful/meditation group. It can be very helpful for those of us with fibromyalgia whose minds (brains, Central Nervous Systems) are in a constant state of hyper-arousal. In fact, mindfulness meditation is probably THE most useful strategy we can undertake when our hyper-vigilant CNS is in overdrive, which is, almost always.
Meditating daily for 15 to 20 minutes requires discipline. It can be done, but it isn’t easy. To be mindful is to be present every moment, aware of our thoughts and the emotions that arise because of our response to them. This is even more of a challenge, especially with a fibromyalgia mind which is in a constant state of turmoil. We find we judge ourselves even more critically than we do others. We lack self-compassion.
We believe the sky is about to fall at every new change in our physical and mental environment. Our minds are racing towards the next activity and we feel like a failure because we can’t keep up the same pace we once had. We feel hopeless and for a while think that we need new medications. Then, when they don’t help very much we begin the cycle once more, rushing around, bringing on a flare-up, over-exercising, feeling anxious, then depressed as those challenging symptoms incapacitate us.
We tell ourselves to pace but when we fail to do so we become our worst critics. The mind flits around from one thought to another. We forget to remember our breath which is often shallow and not relaxed. We are the embodiment of anxious, disquiet minds (and bodies), holding us in captivity.
Mindfulness is easy to describe and the most difficult to practice. But, there are few choices, except to live constantly struggling with this unruly mind of ours. Paying attention, on purpose, without judgment, and living in the moment is a way to break the cycle of an unquiet state of mind. When I turned 70 my dear spouse gave me this vase that has the inscription: “Remember to breathe”.
“We must cultivate the courage to look deeply, with clarity and courage, into our own suffering”, Peter A. Levine
Dr. Levine is the world’s leading expert on the study of stress physiology. I began reading his works years ago when my physiotherapist suggested Waking the Tiger and I have not looked back since. His theories resonate with me. It was in 1969 when he began his work on the mind/body healing approach which developed when a client came to him who had panic attacks, agoraphobia, and fibromyalgia.
When words came out of his mouth and he said to her: “There’s a tiger in your chest. Run.”, he was surprised by his own language. Levine is the originator, developer, and Director of The Somatic Experiencing Trauma Institute.
I often have a tiger in my chest, or, to be more specific it is in my head, that is, my brain. Luckily the brain is highly changeable (plastic) and can be transformed from the overly alert, hyper-vigilant, ruminating organ of those of us with fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue, and other medically unexplained syndromes. But, what have these brains of ours done to our bodies in the meantime, generally as a result of trauma in our early personality developmental years from which evolved we highly sensitive persons?
The brain controls our physical functions and sensations. It affects our balance and coordination. It processes and sends out messages to different parts of our bodies and those of us with fibromyalgia who suffer from the many symptoms do so because of the fear messages from our brains. We have brains that are overly reactive and suspicious of many daily living experiences like weather changes, loud noises, bright lights, unusual smells, large groups of people, and excitement of any kind, pleasurable or not, resulting in becoming overly cautious about even ordinary things of the world.
We live with excessive anxieties/fears. We are people who have a highly sensitized nervous system and that is what causes fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue. But, there are others who think we have an actual disease, rather than a dis-ease. I believe we have converted our extreme anxiety into bodily sensations. They are real, extremely painful at times, causing generalized fatigue, and an inability to exercise strenuously so much so that exertion of any kind often exhausts us and can cause a flare-up. This condition is called ‘conversion disorder‘.
Does that suggest we are malingering, hysterical, weaklings? We cannot label ourselves negatively but must have self-compassion as our pain is as real as if it was caused by a virus, bacteria, microbe, or any other physiological actual disease. Conversion disorder might seem like a negative label but I think that having such a name encourages us to explore our own mind/brain for the ways in which we have handled past trauma in our lives and to view ourselves kindly as highly sensitive persons.
In fact, we are as Elaine Aron, the originator of the concept of the highly sensitive person has described like canaries in a coal mine. The world needs more empathy and sensitivity and we have plenty to share. Unfortunately, we have so much that we are over-extended. But, there is hope for us. We can’t completely eradicate fibromyalgia from our highly sensitive selves but we can exercise moderately as movement is crucial.
Meditation and quiet time are highly recommended. A hobby that is creative and new to us tames our brains and leads to new pathways as the path to the pain center is overly worked. Overmedicating is not the answer and is usually highly ineffective.
A little medical cannabis oil can help the pain. It has helped me.
We are the experts of our own lives and must have a great deal of compassion for ourselves as we find so often that others do not.
