[psisci]

Please be as honest as possible.

[SweetSunshine]

In my experience FM is associated with:
Users may choose many (4 total votes)
trauma
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sexual abuse
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physical abuse
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neglect
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mental illness

I am a bit confused on this one. I answerd the best I could. But I was never given any information on this per say. I know in my experience with Fibromyalgia... that stress can trigger flare ups with it. But I dont think its a clear cause of it. As far as I know there is no clear cause right? Maybe I am wrong???

[withit]

I have very strong opinions about fibromyalgia. It's probably as debatable as the subject of meds and borderline.

I am not on any meds at this point, as I have not found the meds to aid me in any which way. I am following a certain food plan which is providing me with optimum energy. I am taking nutritional supplements which help with inflammation and sleep.

Fibromyalgia hit me like a bolt of lightning. And life hasn't been the same since.

When I talked to my new therapist about my dx of fibro, she highly recommended I get onto some anti-depressants. I countered with, ''What's behind the depression? Meds won't take care of that'' That's my personal take. I know my take is not very popular to say the least.

Two weeks later I reported that I am feeling a lot better. All I did was change my diet, take some nutritional supplements, get to bed at a decent hour, and take it easy. No meds in the picture, and my depression and pain had lifted.

I believe fibro is brought on by unremitting unrelieved stress. The mechanism involved in stress-regulation breaks down. Like if you let you 're gonna mix a dough in a mixer, and the machine is equipped to handle 5 pounds and you burden it with ten pounds, that motor is gonna break down.

I hope I will regain previous level of functioning. I do not know if I can, if I will. Would love to hear from others who have been able to.

[withit]

Sometimes I witness an event that sets off a reaction of emotional pain. For example, my son scraped his knee badly, the sight of blood and the thought of his pain made me experience emotional pain. At the very moment that I experience emotional pain I am also experiencing a real pain sensation elsewhere in my body.

So I have this idea that the cross-over of pain circuits plays a role in fibro pain.

Any thoughts on this?

[dalila]

<font color="green">I think fibro tends to start when something happenss that changes your lifestyle - I was an athelete until a bike with faulty brakes lead to an accident. I couldn't walk for a few weeks , then I had a cast from hip to ankle. The fibro started soon after that. </font>

[wisewoman]

dumb question but isn't there a diagnosis to correctly diagnose this illness? I thought it was blood work?

[tranquility]

Helloooo...

Well, there are many theories of how fibro starts. Most docs would say it starts after a trauma (very common after whiplash from a car accident). Mine seemed to start after I had a knee replaced. I had to have three surgeries in total and after a year I realized the pain as now something different. That's when I was diagnosed.

There is also research that shows there is a difference in the brain of people who have fibro - can't quite recall what the difference is right now.

There are no diagnostic tests to confirm fibro. A good doc. will rule out everything else. I have been tested for lupus, lymes disease, rheumatoid arthritis, toxic metals, thryoid disorder, and many other inflammatory tests that woud indicate possible cancer if the numbers were off. After all the tests it showed I am iron deficient, magnesium deficient (very common in fibro sufferers), vitamin d deficien. Some of these deficiencies could also be from having gastric bypass surgery.

After ruling all the diagnosable illnesses, they also will do a physical examine where they will apply minimal pressure to certain pressure points. If you have pain, not discomfort, in a majority of thse points they will diagnose with fibro.

No cure, no tx really. I was on pain killers but there is only so long you can take those and the milder pain killers don't work.

I get a massage every two weeks, I went for reflexology for the first time - my sister does it and I never had her do it until this weekend, I go to the chiropractor (use to be every week but wallet is getting light so now it's every two or three weeks), hypnotherapy once a week for pain mgmt (just started), and for the last 8 weeks I have been on a wheat/dairy/sugar free diet. I'm on anti-depressants but that as from far before this diagnosis. I recently went on provigil to help with extreme exhaustion.

The diet really has not helped the pain, but I've lost 23 pounds. And I found out I'm allergic to tomatos!

There is testing on a new pain killer that will work with the pain receptors in the brain and it will be a non-narcotic drug with none of the side effects of current narcotics. Sounds like a dream to me!

-Tranquility

[Rick61701]

I explain it to my clients as a "Pothole" in the road of life that has changed your alignment as is pertains to the way you thought you should be going. The farther you get away, and longer you wait before getting back on track, has a direct relation to the severety and types of issues you have. You need to pay attention to your body and listen when it "talks" to you. I have found this the case with many problems not just FM.

I hope this makes sense, its kind of hard to explain in writing.

Rick

[tranquility]

Rick -

Very interesting. I read your post a couple of times and I think I get it.

What i'm getting from what you are saying is that it's almost like you are fighting with your own body and the more you fight the worse it gets? Almost as if you stop the fight and just let it be that it may get better?

Interesting view point and I can see the validity in it. If I'm even on track here Sometimes the foggy brain is not in best form LOL. I just went back and read my previous post and with some of the misspellings even I didn't understand parts - no excuse since we can use spell check!

-Tranquility

[Rick61701]

Tranquility, Let me see if this makes more sense.

Open attachment to see drawing.

Line 1 is your life line. Or the way you expect / want your life to be. When you hit the "Pothole" your alignment gets knocked off. The farther / longer you go off of "correct alignment" ,the more symptoms and the more severe the symptoms. (In my experiance) When you do what is needed to get you back on the right path (Line 1). Things get better.

I hope this makes more sense

[(JD)]

I know of a differentiation that is often misunderstood, but made by the most educated doctors: fibromyalgia causes pain responses to TENDER POINTS. Myofascial pain causes pain responses in TRIGGER POINTS as well as other areas. This is just one way to dx fibro and or myofascial pain. This in no way diminishes the pain one feels.

There are many meds to try, most coming from the study of meds for MS.
A person with chronic pain shouldn't have to worry about long term narcotic use. Besides, there isn't a "high" experienced when you have chronic pain...seems the body is using the med as it's intended, as a replacement for the natural pain killers you body USED to make. (Maybe it's when a pain med is ADDED to a body's own pain killer, that causes a high? IDK..I really don't.)

Stress, worry etc all compound pain. I am a connected being. (Wish I weren't so connected at times.)

feel better soon