Dear Fibromyalgia

Tag: Fibromyalgia

An in-depth guide on Fibromyalgia, covering its symptoms, causes, treatments, and tips for managing this chronic condition effectively.

Fibromyalgia is a Painful Condition that is very Real to the Suffering Patients

The pain of fibromyalgia is real and the patients need help. The most frustrating element for fibromyalgia patients is that some healthcare providers think it is a “fad disease” and that erodes the doctor-patient trust that is so essential in treating patients with painful conditions. I will highlight a few points about fibromyalgia in plain English without any medical terms so that patients and families with no medical background can understand it.

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1. Sad reality about fibromyalgia:

If you are suffering from fibromyalgia and you think your doctor does not seem to believe your pain is real, you are not paranoid. Yes, some doctors are very skeptical of fibromyalgia pain and think it is all in your head. Medical doctors are trained to believe in scientific facts and physical evidence.

If there is a disease that is not detectable by blood tests or MRI scans, the scientists in us tend to have a hard time accepting the reality. Before high-resolution MRIs were invented, many patients with Multiple Sclerosis were dismissed as having psychiatric issues.

When they could see spots in the brain images that could explain the unusual symptoms of patients with multiple sclerosis, they started to believe those patients. Similarly, there may be a day in the future when they can find some objective evidence to explain the pain but until then, you will be seeing some skeptical doctors.

2. Just because you can not see it does not mean it is not real:

Medical science is still primitive when you understand how complex a human body is. We can measure and see many different structural components of the human body and can analyze myriad of chemicals that run in our veins but we still do not completely understand how pain is generated.

There are many good theories of how pain originates but theories are just theories. It is a mistake to dismiss something as not being real when science can not completely explain it. You need to listen to the patient closely and with an open mind if you want to truly understand what is real and what is not.

Yes, there will always be some patients that fake pain to get pain medications but you can not dismiss a whole class of patients based on a few who abuse the system. When you listen closely, you can find out that the pain in fibromyalgia patients fits a certain pattern and they do have a pattern of point tenderness. The pain is real, the suffering is real. Ignoring that fact does not do justice to patients suffering from fibromyalgia.

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3. Role of blood tests and scans:

Many patients with fibromyalgia think that the diagnosis was made after they had several blood tests and scans in the hospital. In reality, blood tests and scans are typically done to explore any other possible explanation for the symptoms.

Sometimes patients with typical pain of fibromyalgia can have other problems that can be detected by these tests. When everything is normal, they get the diagnosis of fibromyalgia. This is how patients get the misconception that the diagnosis was made from the tests.

4. Most important treatment for fibromyalgia patients:

If you are a healthcare provider treating patients with fibromyalgia, the most important first step to successful treatment is to listen to the patient and acknowledge their pain and suffering. Just to know that they have a doctor willing to listen to them and work together to help relieve their suffering gives them the hope and strength they need to overcome this painful suffering.

Medications are important but trust is the major factor. With mutual trust, it becomes easier to work together to find the medication that works for that individual patient. It may take some time with trial and error but eventually, something will work as long as they have a common goal and mutual trust.

5. Things you as a patient can do to win over the skeptical doctor

Unfortunately, you may have to work with a skeptical doctor if your choice is limited. But they are not necessarily bad doctors. They are just concerned about prescribing pain medications to people that might get dependent on pain pills. They are hesitant to give medications to a disease that they can not see on x-rays. There are certain things you can do to win them over.

First, try to be as objective as you can about your pain. Do not say things like, “I hurt all over, I have been in pain all my life, nothing works for my pain.” That may be the reality but if you word your concerns more objectively, the scientist inside the doctor may be willing to recognize the pattern and be forced to do something about it. You can say, ” I have pain in my shoulders, equally on both sides.

The pain goes down to my back and my hips. It feels like sore muscle pain. My pain is fairly constant but gets better at times and gets worse at times. Ibuprofen only slightly takes the edge off, takes it down from a 9 to 8 but the relief only lasts for about 2 hours….” You get the idea. Be as specific about your pain as you can and try to talk quantitatively and factually than emotionally.

That will help overcome the stereotypical image of the fibromyalgia patient screaming “I hurt all over” in the minds of the doctors and make them want to help you.

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References:

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Official Fibromyalgia Blogs

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Fibromyalgia Stores

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02/09/2022
Fibromyalgia Diagnosis, Leaves you Exhausted and Unable to Think

People with fibromyalgia often describe their symptoms as a flu-like infection that doesn’t go away. It leaves you exhausted and unable to think or find the right words (symptoms of fibro fog). Many people with Fibromyalgia are exhausted to the point of collapse. No amount of sleep is refreshing or restful, and often the muscle pain keeps the person from getting any sleep at all. Symptoms can be debilitating and often the patient feels as if they have to push themselves to the breaking point to just do the simplest things.

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•Constant pain throughout the body, often in the hands, feet, arms, legs, back, neck, and chest

The pain is unrelenting and is often described as burning, stabbing, radiating, tingling deep aching, or roaming. This pain does not ease with over-the-counter pain medication or other common remedies, and it is often more severe than what normal people feel. For example, if you pat someone gently on the back, it would not hurt them, but for someone with fibromyalgia, a simple hug or pat on the back can feel like being stabbed. The slightest touch is excruciating, for no other reason than the nerves are overly sensitive.

•Fatigue that no amount of sleep or caffeine/energy drinks resolves

The fatigue is not like the normal fatigue of a person who works hard and gets tired. It is a type of tiredness that lingers for months at a time and never goes away. Doing the simplest tasks, like making a meal, taking a shower, or getting dressed exhaust the person to the point where they feel they must take a nap. When doing regular household chores, they must stop and rest frequently before the task is complete. They have little to no stamina to speak of. The equivalent would be a “normal” person trying to live and function after not sleeping at all for three days.

•Sleep difficulties

Like insomnia, tossing and turning (because of pain), waking up several times a night, and a general sense of unrest in the mornings, as if you have not slept at all. The person often can not get through the day without a nap, because they are so tired and don’t sleep well at night. Typical sleep aids do not help. The brain simply doesn’t go into a deep enough stage of sleep to be restful for someone with Fibro. As a result, the person does not dream nearly as much as someone without Fibro.

•Brain fog, characterized by forgetfulness, memory problems, concentration problems

Being “spaced out” and unable to recall conversations, facts, numbers, or names, despite common “memory tricks“, lists or reminders. Often the person reads at a much slower rate than they are normally used to and comprehend less, or they mispronounce or stumble over words. Often they misspell words because they literally can’t remember how to spell.

•Morning stiffness that makes “jumping out of bed” impossible

Often the stiffness is so bad that the person can’t move very well for several minutes or hours in the morning. Simple stretching does not take the stiffness away. The muscles of the body are constantly tight, despite regular massage and stretching.

•Muscle knots, cramping, a weakness that is not due to strenuous physical activity and overuse

These things are a daily occurrence, despite rest and hydration. The most noticeable weakness is often in the arms and hands, and any repetitive activity (climbing stairs, typing, walking, kneeling, bending, lifting, etc.) aggravates and increases muscle pain. Often a person with Fibro can not lift a normal amount of weight that most people would find easy to carry. Their muscles just don’t work right.

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•Digestive and metabolic disorders

Like IBS, heartburn, indigestion, intestinal cramps, diarrhea, and constipation. Gluten intolerance, insulin resistance, and other food sensitivities aren’t always a major concern by themselves but coupled with all the other symptoms, are part of the diagnosis of fibromyalgia. The brain doesn’t send out the right signals to the body to be able to digest and process food properly.

•Headaches/migraines are usually a symptom of some level of chemical or sensory sensitivity

Loud, high-pitched noises, bright lights, sunlight, perfumes or other strong smells, or certain chemicals in foods can cause headaches to worsen. Headaches are common and often feel as bad as a severe hangover, without the fun of drinking. Over-the-counter pain relievers do not help.

•Balance problems like feeling dizzy, lightheaded, and blurred vision

Are all part of the neurological component to fibromyalgia’s effect on the body. Someone with fibromyalgia will often fall over, trip over things, or drop items they are holding. The person is not clumsy or stupid or slow. It is simply because the brain misfires and sends the wrong signals to the muscles and nerves. These things happen on a daily basis, not just every once in a while.

•Sensitivity to weather changes is often one of the key signs of fibromyalgia

People with fibromyalgia often have a hard time controlling their body temperature. The extreme heat of summer or the frigid cold of winter is often much more pronounced for someone with Fibro because they cannot cool or warm their body as well as a normal person. They will get heatstroke or hypothermia a lot faster than someone without fibromyalgia. Ironically, sometimes a person with fibromyalgia may feel like they are boiling to death in below 20 weather, or be freezing cold and shivering in 100 degree summers.

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References:

Fibromyalgia Contact Us Directly

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Official Fibromyalgia Blogs

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Fibromyalgia Stores

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02/09/2022
Agonizing Pain, Debilitating Fatigue, Joint Stiffness, and Sleep Deprivation has given me Fibromyalgia

After 27 years of service, decorated U.S. Army Brigadier General Becky Halstead (Retired), the first female West Point graduate in U.S. history to command at the strategic level in Iraq and Afghanistan, decided to retire after being diagnosed with fibromyalgia – a medically unexplained syndrome affecting the muscles and connective tissues. Currently, the disease affects as many as 12 million Americans and has been reported two times as prevalent in deployed veterans.

“Agonizing pain, debilitating fatigue, joint stiffness, and sleep deprivation-you name it and I felt it,” says Halstead. “There I was in Iraq, responsible for over 20,000 military men and women, and I privately struggled to physically keep myself going.”

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Initially, Halstead was prescribed every drug imaginable, though the pills only masked the pain and resulted in a spiral of reactions affecting her psychological and physical health. It wasn’t until a close friend suggested chiropractic that she was able to find relief and return to a normal, nearly pain-free life.

She discovered that the comprehensive treatment of chiropractic care improves joint motion, reducing and in some cases eliminating the pains and symptoms associated with fibromyalgia – such as fatigue, sleep deprivation, and depression.

“Chiropractic services helped improve my whole outlook on dealing with this chronic ailment,” she says. “The spinal adjustments along with the postural and nutritional advice I received helped to treat the fibromyalgia and allowed me to have many days with minimal pain and most days without any medications. The care of a doctor of chiropractic was life-changing for me.”

Today, Halstead is a spokesperson for the Foundation for Chiropractic Progress, a not-for-profit organization dedicated to raising public awareness of the benefits associated with chiropractic services. Brig. General Halstead has made it her personal mission to educate others suffering from fibromyalgia – and to consider consulting with a doctor of chiropractic, as she did.

“Chiropractic services are a viable option that can positively impact overall wellness and health,” she concludes.

Up to this point, we have presented the benefits of chiropractic services mostly in the context of treating and avoiding sports injuries. But the value of therapy extends much further. Even those who do not actively participate in sports place constant stress upon their spines during the course of a typical day.

This causes the vertebrae to gradually become misaligned. As a result, you may experience chronic back and neck pain as well as many other impairments. A professional chiropractor can adjust your spinal column, and restore your body’s natural processes.

The hands-on nature of chiropractic services requires patients to visit the chiropractor a number of times. To be treated by the best chiropractor, a patient needs to go into the office. A chiropractor may provide acute, chronic, and/or preventive care thus making a certain number of visits sometimes necessary. Your doctor of chiropractic should tell you the extent of treatment recommended and how long you can expect it to last.

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References:

Fibromyalgia Contact Us Directly

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Official Fibromyalgia Blogs

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Fibromyalgia Stores

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02/09/2022
When you Got Fibromyalgia?

The brief answer is that in 2002 I was 33 and I took up running again after a four-year absence due to a ruptured disk that needed surgery to fix. When I began to run it became a real joy in my life. It was a mind over matter hobby that helped me to discover how far I could push my body and learn to listen to it at the same time.

During my running years, I knew already that my mother had Fibromyalgia and from there, her symptoms became something I learned about and talked with her about.

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So in late 2003 at 34 years of age, I began to experience some painful realities. For instance, when I would sneeze I felt a powerfully strong wave of pain flush through my upper body. The kind of cringe-worthy pain that kept me stunned until several moments when it disappeared or until I sneezed again which was normal since I typically sneezed twice in a row. This sort of pain I kept to myself and I’m glad to say that I don’t experience this as much as I did early on.

As a runner, I felt like I could run for miles and feel the better for it physically and mentally. So in late 2003, my second set of symptoms came with great discouragement when on Monday I ran 11 miles with such satisfaction that I couldn’t wait to push myself further on Tuesday.

But on Tuesday I experienced a fatigue brand new to me. No pain and no stiffness that seemed foreign to me but the fatigue worried me. I could not even run a half-mile without having to turn back. This continued to be sort of a pattern with me at the time. As healthy as I was there should be no excuse for this fatigue.

I saw my doctor and we went over my symptoms and landed on depression, which was and has been a true struggle since my high school days. Possibly I’m not sleeping well enough and lack certain vitamins. But these symptoms are not typical with fibromyalgia even if I trace back to this timeframe as my onset.

It wasn’t until 2007 when I sat down with my mother and knowing full well what she was going through it really was quite easy for both of us to fully self-diagnose me with fibromyalgia. From there it took a few years to get a doctor to believe what I already knew.

So this is my brief version, there are many years of loss and pain that only people with chronic pain live with could possibly relate to.

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References:

Fibromyalgia Contact Us Directly

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Official Fibromyalgia Blogs

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Fibromyalgia Stores

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02/09/2022
I tell you about Fibromyalgia as Experiencing Pain where there’s no Injury

When people ask, I explain Fibromyalgia (“FMS”) as “experiencing pain where there’s no injury.” This is why it’s so difficult to treat.

Based on my experience, and that of about 50 other people with a connection to FMS that I’ve questioned over the years, I have believed for many years now that it is caused by trauma – physical trauma, like a car accident, or emotional trauma, such as a bad divorce, because the physical affects the emotional and the emotional affects the physical, they cannot be separated.

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Since most of the answers here are from three years ago, they cannot be judged in terms of validity as much in the scientific and medical communities can change in three years. Nonetheless, a common thread among many of them is their reference to stress, depression, and other maladies often caused by trauma.

As to the suggestion that genetics may be a cause, I think medical research will find, if it hasn’t already, that any connection to genetics is related instead to family dysfunction and the extent to which that may lead to a person being more susceptible to experiencing PTSD in situations that might not trigger PTSD in others, but even that is a stretch.

In the final analysis, I think research will find that FMS is not caused by genetics.

I had the hallmark symptom of FMS feeling bruised all over within weeks of the trauma-triggering event without knowing what it was, but it was 14 years before I awoke one morning with full-blown FMS. The intervening PTSD that lasted nearly all of that 14 years was so intense, both physically and emotionally, that, if I did have FMS sooner than that, I wouldn’t have known it.

I believe, instead, that it wasn’t until the severe PTSD (finally diagnosed in year 9) began to subside that FMS made its appearance. The following describes what I believe happened internally. It’s what makes sense based on all the things I was experiencing physically.

With trauma, the “fight-flight-freeze” response is triggered which releases adrenalin, but when this release of adrenalin continues for too long, the body/brain forgets how to turn it off.

As a result of this disruption in brain chemistry, the neurotransmitters become confused and end up super-sensitive, so the sensitivity to pain that some mentioned as a possible cause doesn’t cause FMS. It’s one of its consequences.

It’s my understanding that over the last year or so, the medical community has come to believe that trauma is the cause, but, as was the case in my situation, the trauma-triggering event can precede the appearance of FMS by years.

Of all the drugs and other treatment options I’ve tried, low-dose Methadone has worked the best, eliminating the weakness that, after 20 yrs. with FMS, seems to trouble me the most. If I could remain in motion 24/7, I wouldn’t have much difficulty at all. Guess that’s why I end up staying up all night so often.

I’ve noticed that, though the FMS has gradually subsided over the years except for the weakness and inability to sleep more than 2–4 hours, a flare can be easily re-triggered by stressful situations.

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References:

Fibromyalgia Contact Us Directly

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Official Fibromyalgia Blogs

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Fibromyalgia Stores

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02/09/2022
As a Fibromyalgia Sufferer Myself, I’ll tell you how it developed in me, As a story form for an easy understanding

About eight years ago, I went to my OB/GYN as I was experiencing some mild fatigue and joint pain. I had had a 20-year career as a dancer and had been diagnosed with osteoarthritis. I was having some anxiety about work and had been through a recent breakup, but we looked at physiological causes anyway and ruled out lupus, RA, and Lyme disease.

When my anxiety about an impending merger at work became worse, we tried an SSRI, but the side effects were untenable, and talk therapy seemed to work better. We kind of wrote it off to a lot of typical midlife stuff and arthritis, but my NP thought it could be fibromyalgia.

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Fast forward to about four years ago. The merger at work resulted in me having been made redundant. I had gone through a financial crisis like many people during the economic downturn–drained my savings, lost my house, etc. I was an empty nester and had become the target of some parental alienation when my ex remarried. I had had to put one of my dogs to sleep, and my BF had broken up with me.

I had moved to Mexico, a traumatic event itself, where the COL is low, and I worked both at my own business and paid jobs from home and in San Diego to support myself. I had a big event in San Diego for my business that necessitated getting up at 3 am, driving a long distance, stressing about the border crossing, and stressing about the event itself.

Everything went fine, but two days later I could hardly walk I was so tired. I kept thinking I was coming down with the flu, but it never happened. After a bit of looking on the Internet, I finally decided I was likely having a fibro flare. It went away in less than a week, and I thought nothing more about it until about six months ago.

I had moved house for the fourth time since moving to Mexico. I had been through the wringer over the previous four years with unbelievable stress. Two banks had at separate times discontinued my ATM card because of general bank fraud here, leaving me stranded without money.

I witnessed the immediate aftereffects of two cartel hits. I found out one landlord was a gangster who had every unit in my building hooked up to my electric meter. He kidnapped one of my dogs (witnessed by neighbors) and dumped him outside of town.

After some similar experiences, as well as my car being hit three times without compensation, I was in another house, a little further south. It was arduous getting there because a freelance writing client (the primary line of work I had settled on to supplement my own business) had left for Europe for six weeks without paying her bill–thousands of dollars I needed to move.

Then I come to find out that at this place, the property manager has been cooking the books on the rent and stealing from the landlady, who in turn, wants to kill me and take all my belongings–apparently a common practice of hers. (If you’re tempted to think I’m making this up, live for a while in Baja.)

I spent two weeks walking around with a knife on my belt, my Rottweiler, who BTW, protected me from an intruder in the middle of the night, always at my side. I had to pay $500 to bribe the guard to open the gate to let me out with my moving truck, my entire house packed overnight, knowing I had to go. I had the night duty officer at the consulate on speed dial.

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I get to the new house, the one I’m in now, and I’m working like a dog writing web content remotely to catch up with the $500 bribe money and pay my new rent. The LL is cool, understanding what happened, I’m settling in, walking my dogs on the beach every morning, commending myself for surviving the last half-decade, and finally finding a nice place to live, like there’s some sort of karmic justice in the world.

And wham… I wake up one day, and it’s like I’ve been hit by a truck in my sleep. I can hardly walk, every joint in my body is on fire, and I’m overwhelmed with fatigue. This sort of ebbs after a month or so until I trip over a piece of PVC pipe lying on a restaurant patio and fall on both knees, one of which has had surgery for arthritis. Back with the pain… again…

I have finally only recently recovered from the pain of that fall, but I am left with crushing fatigue. I am grateful every day I can work from home as a writer, but I have put my other biz on hiatus and become a hermit with my social life. I have to believe that my fibromyalgia is primarily stress–induced (I could probably list 20 more things like the ones above), but there are clearly physical triggers as well. I wonder too if my arthritis didn’t predispose me somehow to it, or even the knee surgery I had to treat it.

There was also an aspect of stress/adrenaline keeping my fibro at bay when I basically couldn’t afford to be disabled and then my body kind of relinquishing when I could finally rest. I am menopausal, and I’m sure my thyroid/adrenal system is shot. I probably have some PTSD too from chronic fear over the last few years.

My weight has gone up between everything I have related above. I have tried to get Obamacare, but the system says I don’t exist, after numerous initiations setting up an account. It’s probably because I haven’t used a credit card in years, so my identity can’t be verified. The last time my ATM card failed, it took four tries before a bank could verify my identity to get a new one. It finally became more stressful trying to get health insurance than having the insurance would have been worth it.

I can’t untangle what’s what, so I try to treat the common factors by reducing stress, eating as healthily as I can, reducing alcohol and caffeine, and getting a good night’s sleep. I take a tiny amount of tramadol, which is available OTC here, thank God, as well naproxen and Tylenol for pain. Occasionally I take a small dose of Valium to knock myself out at night when I really need to sleep, which I don’t always do well, in spite of my fatigue.

I have stopped giving a flying flip what anyone thinks of me at this point, including family and friends who just “hmm hmm” me if I try to explain either my fibro or the circumstances that seem to have precipitated it.

If I could be granted a magical genie’s wish, I think I’d go back in time to make a million different choices to erase the physical and mental stresses that led to where I am today. The philosopher in me likes to think sometimes that I’ve been led down this path to make me a better writer or fulfill some other grand plan, but then I remember what it was like to run or have any sort of a normal life, and I don’t know. I don’t know if I would trade a Nobel Prize for this condition.

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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

02/09/2022
Genetic Factor in some people that some sort of Trauma or Emotional-sets off or Triggers Fibromyalgia.

I’m not an expert with medical credentials but I can answer as a survivor who’s found her own peace with this crazy illness. It seems there’s a genetic factor in some people that some sort of trauma-physical, mental, or emotional-sets off or triggers fibromyalgia.

My fibromyalgia came after a hysterectomy and the following emergency surgery to remove my infected hemorrhaging ovaries. I was on the mend when I started having severe stomach problems (IBS) that didn’t make any sense.

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A couple of months of that and then the fibrofog came along with exhaustion and body pain, migraines, and other symptoms. I also was having a tough time in my marriage that ended in divorce years later. I kind of felt like my body was trying to tell me something my mind didn’t know yet.

It seems that something happens to someone-an an accident, a surgery, a sexual assault, anything that shocks and traumatized our bodies and minds, and our brains are never quite the same. It’s neurological, they have done lots of studies on that.

It’s been also considered to be an autoimmune disorder or a disorder like lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis. It’s not given as much validity because it also seems to have emotional and mental components as well.

When you have fibro your brain gets easily overwhelmed, noises, feelings, stressors, physical pain that’s intense and doesn’t go away-then anxiety kicks in-not anxiety that’s just about worries-but your body feels anxious like it’s being attacked almost.

There’s lots of research on sensory overload and fibromyalgia showing that it’s a real physical symptom. Nerve endings are more sensitive and stressed causing random pain. Other syndromes and illnesses can happen with fibromyalgia making it all more complicated.

Depression is common, not just because we’re sick and exhausted and hurting which would be enough reason, but because it’s similar chemicals involved and parts of the brain as well.

I was part of a group for fibromyalgia and over 350 women responded about sexual or other types of abuse they’ve had and that they consider that trauma the beginnings of their fibromyalgia. It was the stress, the PTSD, and the emotional upheaval of abuse that started it for them.

They’re making progress on diagnosing and doing lots of research on it all, but because everyone with fibromyalgia is different, has different symptoms, other illnesses, different ways it started makes it hard to say definitively what causes it. We can only guess or make inferences right now.

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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

02/09/2022
Fibromyalgia is Complicated and so are its Causes

This is the 64 million dollar question. I wish I could answer it but fibromyalgia is complicated and so are its causes. However, I will say that I’m sure it’s connected to the evil quad that is causing so many people to be sick these days: antibiotic use, too much sugar in the diet, a sterile, nutrient-free, toxin overloaded food supply (thanks to agribusiness) and bad chemicals in all the plastics our foods are packaged in.

That said, here are things that have been mentioned as issues and causes: Epstein Barr virus, car accidents or other trauma, surgery, a disorder of the gut biome, hypothyroid, POTS. I can tell you my own disease progression: it started with IBS in my 20’s. I was working in ICU, a very intense, high-stress job.

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In my 30’s I got married and worked in a doctor’s office and my health improved. Then around 40, I was having muscle problems. I had bronchitis twice in 6 months, with 10-day courses of augmentin (a broad-spectrum antibiotic) each time. The muscle trouble worsened to the point I asked my Dr for a course of physical therapy.

I did the Wharton stretch method, which helped. I walked a lot and got about 90% of my health back. Then I started bleeding very heavily with my menses and had to have a hysterectomy at the age of 44. I got worse again. At 46 I was in a minor car accident, broadsided at a stoplight when I had the right of way.

I wasn’t cut, and I didn’t break any bones, but it put me into a fibromyalgia crisis, where all my muscles spasmed, and I had a nerve pinch down my left arm that lasted a month. I found a book at that time called Myofascial Pain and Dysfunction. As a result of reading it, I went to a physiatrist who diagnosed me with fibromyalgia and said, “ I can’t help you”.

That was devastating! I’d never heard of the disease, so I went straight to Barnes and Noble and bought a book, which said basically,” You hurt like hell, no one knows why, and learn to live with it” Over the years I’ve learned to get off sugar and gluten, but a little dark chocolate is ok.

Eat organics when possible, particularly meats, eat lots of raw veggies and a moderate amount of fruit. Keep exercising and stretching, but gently. Walking, Pilates and tai chi are good. Swimming is only good in a warmed saltwater pool. Take probiotics for your gut. Get your thyroid levels for both T3 and T4 checked.

Adrenal stress goes along with this disease. It can cause you to leach potassium which will make you feel exhausted and make your heartbeat irregularly. I supplement prescription-strength potassium daily. I also supplement magnesium malate, vitamin B12 SL, and Omega 3 fish oil, and I put flax oil in my fruit and veggie smoothies.

I tried Cymbalta, Prozac, Plavix at different times, and found them not to be helpful. My strict diet is what keeps the pain away. I’m usually at a level 2–3, which I can bear. In the beginning, it was at 5–7, which is hard to live with. I hope you figure out what helps you. Good luck!

https://www.teepublic.com/stores/fibromyalgia-store

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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

02/09/2022
Stress that Causes the Hypothalamus may lead to Fibromyalgia

Fibromyalgia is primarily a neurological brain disorder. It is seven times more likely to strike women than men, and it doesn’t matter what nationality you are. The hypothalamus part of the brain acts as a circuit breaker/fuse box for the rest of the brain and body. It’s like the battery for the entire body.

There are several things that typically cause Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome to manifest, but basically high amounts of stress are what cause the hypothalamus to blow its fuse, creating a host of neurological problems, like hormone imbalances, increased pain sensitivity, fatigue, and “brain fog“.

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Essentially, you’ve got a dead battery that won’t hold a charge, which is why so many people experience debilitating fatigue. The blown fuse can happen in an instant, and you get no say in if or when it happens.

The hypothalamus has done a system-wide “shutting down” and tried to reboot, in an effort to protect your body and brain from further stress and damage. Like when you turn off your computer and restart it because using Ctrl +Alt +Delete hasn’t worked. Only, by doing this, the brain is permanently altered, like a computer virus that can’t be repaired.

A person can quite literally be fine one day and wake up the next morning feeling so completely different, and your entire life has changed because your brain no longer functions the way it used to. Many Fibro/CFS patients can pinpoint the exact day/week/month everything changed for them. The most common “triggers” fibromyalgia patients report are:

•a virus/illness or a prolonged decrease in the immune system
Lime’s Disease, Epstein Bar Virus, Mono are often associated with the development of Fibromyalgia and CFS symptoms. etc.

•a sudden traumatic event
A house fire, abusive situations, physical attacks, etc. Similar to PTSD, or Dissociation disorders, the brain is trying to cope and process the additional shock and stress, triggering the hypothalamus to “protect” the rest of the brain by flipping a switch.

•an accident
Car accidents, drowning, severe falling, etc. can cause the hypothalamus to be trying to “protect” by flipping the switch.

•medical or dental surgery
Any time you have surgery, it puts the body under huge increases in stress, because cutting into your body sends the brain “we are under attack!” signals.

•pregnancy
Because of the drastic hormonal shifts, joint stress, depleted vitamins and minerals, and the physical trauma of the birth process, pregnancy creates so much stress that for whatever reason the mother’s body just can’t handle it. Fibromyalgia develops during pregnancy or soon after birth. For many women, their Fibromyalgia symptoms and Chronic Fatigue are ignored as simple “hormone shifts” or ” new mommy fatigue”, when in fact her body will never really readjust back to normal.

• high-pressure lifestyles/stressful jobs/major anxiety
Workaholics, or people who don’t take enough time off, or just can’t relax and rest. In school-age students, the stress of studies, trying to get good grades, fears of the future, or even too many activities can cause an abundance of stress the body can’t handle.

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For some adults, this means they get sick in the form of common things like high blood pressure, heart attacks, or stroke. Others can develop Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, or other random “stress-related” illnesses.

Many people are able to live completely normal, energetic, and happy lives BEFORE these stressful, triggering events. Any of these things can cause the hypothalamus fuse to blow like a light bulb that goes out. Once that fuse blows, basically your “brain is broken“. It doesn’t matter how old you are, or what gender.

Even children and teenagers can (and do) develop Fibro and CFS, especially if they have had an accident, undergone serious trauma, or had to have surgery. Being young doesn’t automatically mean someone is healthy, even if they “look healthy”.

This can happen to anyone, at any time, and once it does, there is no way to change that. You can’t just flip the switch back to fix it. The hypothalamus begins sending the wrong signals to the rest of the brain and to the nerves, causing the super sensitive fascia, painful joints and muscles, sensitivity to touch, and intolerance to certain foods and weather changes, causing thyroid and metabolic changes, and cognitive disruptions.

Ironically, the brain’s fuse box blows in an effort to protect your brain and body from further damage because of the prolonged stress you have already been under. This is the chief reason why so many Fibromyalgia patients experience a “Flair Up” of pain and other symptoms when they are under high amounts of additional life stress, like family conflict or having to pack and move. Things like exercise and many mundane physical activities are just too stressful for an already constantly stressed out body, so these things cause a flair-up of symptoms.

The body is already so stressed out from whatever life has thrown at you and being in pain 24/7 that you just can’t handle it anymore. The “Flare Up” will force you to slow down and rest, even when you have things you need to do. This is why a Fibro/CFS patient can feel okay enough to go out and do things one day (feeling “normal”) and be utterly exhausted for the days or weeks after, in a “Flair up“.

Because Fibromyalgia is so physically debilitating, in this way your body is forcing you to rest and slow down, so it can make an effort to heal itself and relax. This is why people with Fibro need to take steps to simplify their life and be as stress–free as possible.

Medicine and Science is just now figuring this out, and it might take another couple of decades for them to agree on a treatment plan that will actually cure the hypothalamus and flip the switch back on.

https://www.teepublic.com/stores/fibromyalgia-store

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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

02/09/2022
Fibromyalgia Diagnosis gives me new SUCKINESS

As everyone else said, it does suck, but how it feels to live with chronic illness varies as much as people vary. People react to their new limitations, lifestyle, and the overall new “suckiness” of their life differently, based on personality, previous experiences, support network, mental health, and a million other variables.

I, for example, handle it really well. I’m 100% disabled. My autonomic nervous system doesn’t work properly which causes heart rate and blood pressure abnormalities, frequent fainting, inability to stay on my feet for more than a few minutes at a time, body temperature variations, inability to digest food normally, and a ton of other whacky symptoms. I also have fibromyalgia and migraines that can last for days on end.

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Small, everyday activities that most people take for granted I have to plan in advance – things like getting dressed, taking a shower, or making food take planning, setting up workarounds, and recovery time.

Over time I have outfitted my apartment to be more convenient for me…placed furniture in such places so that no matter where I am I have something to grab on to, make sure there is always a seat within reach, put down extra rugs for padding if/when I fall, outfitted my shower and bathroom with seats and handles, etc.

I live alone, so these precautions are necessary. I am always thinking ahead about what I might need or what problems might come up. Right now I only need a wheelchair part-time, but what if I become constrained to it full time, how will I need to change my living arrangements? Am I prepared for that? How hard will it be? Should I start some early preparations now, just in case? I want to make a certain meal for dinner.

Can I stand long enough to prepare it? Is there any way I can split up the preparation to make it easier? Can I do part of the prep the day before and freeze it so I don’t have to do it all at once? Stuff like that.

Notice my answer focuses on action more than on feeling. That’s because that’s how I am. I’m not an emotional person. I don’t get caught up in the touchy-feely stuff and I don’t get upset that I’m sick. Shit happens.

There’s nothing I can do about it so I don’t see the point in being upset about it. I want a doctor that will fix me, not one that will give me sympathy or tell me it’s going to be okay. As I said, everyone reacts differently.

Many people with chronic illness, on top of all the things I’ve listed, struggle with anxiety and depression because it is hard to keep dealing with all these stupid days today struggles when you’re looking down the road of the rest of your life, years, and years down the line, and realizing it’s not going to get any better, it’s not going to change, that this is it, this is your life now.

Depression and/or anxiety can make getting out of bed hard for someone without additional health problems, let alone in someone who is disabled for other reasons as well. For me, at least, I’m not sad about it, I’m just busy. I used to be busy working. Now I’m busy being sick – constantly.

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

02/09/2022