[tawnybratt]

Fibromyalgia

Do you suffer from Fibromyalgia?
We want to hear your story.
Your symptoms, and your treatment. What worked for you. What didn't work. Please feel free to share your experiences.

Fibromyalgia Care Guide at http://www.drugs.com/CG/FIBROMYALGIA.html


I've been suffering with this muscle disease for over 8 years. It is woven into other diagnosis such as, IBS, TMJ, CFS, MPS, migraines, Raynaud's and restless leg. On a daily basis I take, a multivitamin, Iron, Ibuprofen (when needed), (100mg at bedtime) of trazadone, (1mg. 3x a day) of xanax, (40mg. 2x a day) of oxycontin, (2mg 2x daily) of lopermide, (50mcg every 72 hrs) duragesic patch and I just got a TENS unit issued to me last week. It helps a great deal. Through the years, I've had nerve blocks, trigger point injections and lots of physical therapy. At this point everything I've read is about the same thing. If any of you are new to this, I have many links I could share w/you and strongly recommend to read "Fibromyalgia & Chronic Myofascial Pain Syndrome" (I have the first book, but she wrote another one a few years ago so I am not sure what new info is in the newer book) and "The Fibromyalgia Advocate" both are by Dr. Devin Starlanyl M.D.

My condition began after a terrible car wreck where I was stopped on the freeway waiting to get off on an exit (it's normal for this high traffic area at certain times to be stopped) but a girl hit me doing 65mph and forced me to hit a car in front of me twice because I couldn't stop my car) I had the best care while seeing a Rheumatologist and my MD treating me as a team. Now, I can't afford the "Rheumy" and only see an M.D. He helps me a great deal but I still don't feel as well as I did several years ago. But this pain over all this time just seems worse so I'm not sure if it's the same or not. I just want to sleep all the time so I don't feel this.

I wonder if anyone here is struggling w/this same condition and what you do for relief. I want to share this hint also. To look at amazon.com and whatever topic you are looking for... and then see if there are any used books. Many times you can find them in almost new condition and even with the shipping it's cheaper than the bookstores.

Wow, this has turned out to be a long post but, I'm eager to make my point clear and start a good discussion. Thank you for taking the time to read my post and I look forward to getting to know many of you on these message boards.

{{{{{{{Gentle Hugs}}}}}}
-Teresa

[ryansdad]

Tawny,
Gentle chiropractic care has helped lots of people with fibromyalgia. I see a lot of people with fibromyalgia in my office and have found that the majority of them have had a car accident in their past too. A lot of the research points to a malfunctioning nervous system as the main culprit. Since chiropractic specifically corrects nervous system problems, it works well with fibromyalgia.
Other things such as eliminating aspartame from the diet, limiting gluten intake, and increasing water will also help. Fibromyalgia is unfortunately a condition that takes a long time to develop and will therefore take some time to improve, but if you stick with the things I mentioned above, you will definitely see substantial improvement. If you are or have had chiropractic care in the past and didnt see much improvemnet, find someone else, dont give up on it. I have lots of information at my disposal, so any questions or concerns I welcome. Good luck!

[pain on pain]

Dear Tawnybratt,
When I read your post I felt like I was reading all about myself.
I have fibromyalgia and all the symptoms that come along with it as
you do. I have taken so many kinds of drugs and had so many kinds of test. The drugs don't work and the test say there is nothing wrong with me. I have 4 children and believe me I wouldn't say I had all of these problems if I didn't. I'd love to be able to play with them more and be more active with them, but I am always tired.
My main physician sent me to many different doctors and then when they had no answers she refused to give me pain medicine unless I went to a rheumatologist, finally I broke down and went and she said there is nothing she could do for me, that my doctor has done everything and given me everything that she would have tried. She did give me a perscription for Zanaflex ( this is a muscle relaxer) and sent my doctor a note with permission to give me 60 percocet a month 1 tablet 2 times a day, it isn't much but I'll take what I can finally get I'll just use it when I need it most. If I run out I am not allowed with any more until the month is up. It is sad what you have to go through to get pain relief, especially when no one believes you. I even had physical therapy like you and all it done for me was make me hurt worse. Oh well need to go for now. Let me know how you feel. The Zanaflex seems to work, 2 4mg tablets at bedtime.

[ditzyfitzy]

I've been diagnosed with fibromyalgia for over 6 years now--probably had it for ten. I am on social security disability because of it.

I've been on all of the meds.....but, I find that a basic antidepressant like Effexor or Zoloft helps.....and nothing really helps for the pain (I've taken a LOT of different meds) except weekly massages, hot tub therapy, acupuncture and some chiropractic relief.

I believe that the best relief I found was the naturopathic doctor. If you have one in your area--you should see if he/she has experience in treating fibro. One of the first things they will do is cut all sugar and a lot of the bad carbs from your diet. The good carbs are allowed. I felt a LOT of pain relief and still do when I am diligent about what I put in my mouth. He also gives me standard process supplements---which I feel have helped.

I also have chronic fatigue syndrome with the fibro--and I have found a homeopathic remedy in Canada that has helped me a great deal. If you would like the info--give me an e-mail.
Lynn

[Shadowlord]

I am 40 and first got sick at 25 and I was extremely active; played sports, backpacking, avid runner, horseback riding and training, etc. I was passed around to about eight doctors and was given every medical test in the book. Finally, my rhueumatologist said they had ruled out everything else except fibromyalgia and I fit every profile. I have been on so many medications over the years including many that now have lawsuits pending against them. So I definately feel like a lab rat. I am a small person so major weight gain has not been a problem for me due to good genetics. However, I suffer miserably 24 hours a day every day with chronic pain in my muscles and around the joints, neck and shoulder blades. It is not a matter of IF I will have pain it is just HOW MUCH or HOW SEVERE each day. I eat healthy, exercise regularly (even if it is just walking - but I try to do some very light weight training as my doctor said is immperative to keep up my strength and immune system), take vitamins and supplements, soak in hot baths, etc. I have studied and researched everything I can to try to improve the quality of my life, but some days it is just so depressing. I have friends who did drugs and drank and they have no health issues. It just doesn't seem fair. At present I take a very low dosage of klonopin (.25 - .50 mg) at night to help me rest because I have restless leg syndrome and cramps at night. I have found that none of the arthritis drugs works any better than just plain old ibuprofin (motrin). I was taking ultram (a synthetic opiate which defintely helped on really bad days) even though that also did not totally take my pain away. But the doctor took me off because it is addicting like any natural opiate. But I am here to tell you that I can barely make it some days. I am miserable and feel my life is just passing me by because I never feel like going anywhere or doing anything because I am in so much pain all the time. I lost my job due to a company bankruptcy in 2004 and got federal aid to get retraining so I decided to go back to college (I didn't really mind losing my job because I hated my work anyway - bookkeeping - very stressful - but the problem is that I lost my health insurance also) and am working on an Entertainment and Broadcast Journalism Degree. I love to sing, play piano, write poetry, songs, photography, videography, music and media production and just about anything creative so maybe I can do that for a living since I only have myself to depend on. I still love being out in nature and love backpacking even though I rarely feel able to do it anymore. I also used to rapell down bluffs before the fibro. I just can't depend on my arms and shoulders to support anything. Just moving feels like someone is shredding my muscles with knives. Anyway, I am understand the docs viewpoint, but I need some relief, some medication so I can function. When I am in so much pain, it takes away all my ambition because all I do is focus on the pain. I have tried meditation but this only goes so far. I am ready to get back on ultram or something. Anything is better life like this. I feel everyone who really does have fibromyalgia's pain. The problem I have run into is that there are people out there that the doctors are misdiagnosing with fibro because they are too lazy to do all the medical test and it is hurting those of us who truly have this syndrome. I know people who say that there doctor told them they have fibro but they are doing activities I couldn't even dream of doing and I want to be active again since I was an athlete prior to this disorder. So they certainly do not have fibro. Fibro seems to be the catchall for anything a doc today can't figure out easily or quickly. It really makes me mad becasue as I said it hurts those of us who do truly have this. Oh well, thanks for letting me ramble. I just needed to vent because I am going through a terrible flare up right now.

shadow

quote:Originally posted by tawnybratt

Fibromyalgia

Do you suffer from Fibromyalgia?
We want to hear your story.
Your symptoms, and your treatment. What worked for you. What didn't work. Please feel free to share your experiences.

Fibromyalgia Care Guide at http://www.drugs.com/CG/FIBROMYALGIA.html


I've been suffering with this muscle disease for over 8 years. It is woven into other diagnosis such as, IBS, TMJ, CFS, MPS, migraines, Raynaud's and restless leg. On a daily basis I take, a multivitamin, Iron, Ibuprofen (when needed), (100mg at bedtime) of trazadone, (1mg. 3x a day) of xanax, (40mg. 2x a day) of oxycontin, (2mg 2x daily) of lopermide, (50mcg every 72 hrs) duragesic patch and I just got a TENS unit issued to me last week. It helps a great deal. Through the years, I've had nerve blocks, trigger point injections and lots of physical therapy. At this point everything I've read is about the same thing. If any of you are new to this, I have many links I could share w/you and strongly recommend to read "Fibromyalgia & Chronic Myofascial Pain Syndrome" (I have the first book, but she wrote another one a few years ago so I am not sure what new info is in the newer book) and "The Fibromyalgia Advocate" both are by Dr. Devin Starlanyl M.D.

My condition began after a terrible car wreck where I was stopped on the freeway waiting to get off on an exit (it's normal for this high traffic area at certain times to be stopped) but a girl hit me doing 65mph and forced me to hit a car in front of me twice because I couldn't stop my car) I had the best care while seeing a Rheumatologist and my MD treating me as a team. Now, I can't afford the "Rheumy" and only see an M.D. He helps me a great deal but I still don't feel as well as I did several years ago. But this pain over all this time just seems worse so I'm not sure if it's the same or not. I just want to sleep all the time so I don't feel this.

I wonder if anyone here is struggling w/this same condition and what you do for relief. I want to share this hint also. To look at amazon.com and whatever topic you are looking for... and then see if there are any used books. Many times you can find them in almost new condition and even with the shipping it's cheaper than the bookstores.

Wow, this has turned out to be a long post but, I'm eager to make my point clear and start a good discussion. Thank you for taking the time to read my post and I look forward to getting to know many of you on these message boards.

{{{{{{{Gentle Hugs}}}}}}
-Teresa

[ditzyfitzy]

May I suggest that you try one of the Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue Centers? I've been going to the one by Cleveland for almost a year now--and feel a LOT better. It is quite a commitment both financially and time wise...but, they are getting tremendous results...A lot of my pain and fatigue and inability to sleep at night were taken away with bio-identical compounded progesterone, and estradiol as well as compounded Armour thyroid. They have also found underlying infections that most doctors do not bother to test for....that we are working on getting rid of. (mycloplasma pneumonia is the tough one for me...very resisitant). If you'd like more info on the clinic and where they are located you can find it at their website: http://www.fibroandfatigue.com/. I'm not 100% better....but, I feel a HECK of a lot better than before I started going there...and I've had fibro/chronic fatigue for 13 years...and seen every kind of doctor, used every kind of remedy both conventional and unconventional out there!
Worth going to their free lecture...
Lynn

quote:Originally posted by Shadowlord

I am 40 and first got sick at 25 and I was extremely active; played sports, backpacking, avid runner, horseback riding and training, etc. I was passed around to about eight doctors and was given every medical test in the book. Finally, my rhueumatologist said they had ruled out everything else except fibromyalgia and I fit every profile. I have been on so many medications over the years including many that now have lawsuits pending against them. So I definately feel like a lab rat. I am a small person so major weight gain has not been a problem for me due to good genetics. However, I suffer miserably 24 hours a day every day with chronic pain in my muscles and around the joints, neck and shoulder blades. It is not a matter of IF I will have pain it is just HOW MUCH or HOW SEVERE each day. I eat healthy, exercise regularly (even if it is just walking - but I try to do some very light weight training as my doctor said is immperative to keep up my strength and immune system), take vitamins and supplements, soak in hot baths, etc. I have studied and researched everything I can to try to improve the quality of my life, but some days it is just so depressing. I have friends who did drugs and drank and they have no health issues. It just doesn't seem fair. At present I take a very low dosage of klonopin (.25 - .50 mg) at night to help me rest because I have restless leg syndrome and cramps at night. I have found that none of the arthritis drugs works any better than just plain old ibuprofin (motrin). I was taking ultram (a synthetic opiate which defintely helped on really bad days) even though that also did not totally take my pain away. But the doctor took me off because it is addicting like any natural opiate. But I am here to tell you that I can barely make it some days. I am miserable and feel my life is just passing me by because I never feel like going anywhere or doing anything because I am in so much pain all the time. I lost my job due to a company bankruptcy in 2004 and got federal aid to get retraining so I decided to go back to college (I didn't really mind losing my job because I hated my work anyway - bookkeeping - very stressful - but the problem is that I lost my health insurance also) and am working on an Entertainment and Broadcast Journalism Degree. I love to sing, play piano, write poetry, songs, photography, videography, music and media production and just about anything creative so maybe I can do that for a living since I only have myself to depend on. I still love being out in nature and love backpacking even though I rarely feel able to do it anymore. I also used to rapell down bluffs before the fibro. I just can't depend on my arms and shoulders to support anything. Just moving feels like someone is shredding my muscles with knives. Anyway, I am understand the docs viewpoint, but I need some relief, some medication so I can function. When I am in so much pain, it takes away all my ambition because all I do is focus on the pain. I have tried meditation but this only goes so far. I am ready to get back on ultram or something. Anything is better life like this. I feel everyone who really does have fibromyalgia's pain. The problem I have run into is that there are people out there that the doctors are misdiagnosing with fibro because they are too lazy to do all the medical test and it is hurting those of us who truly have this syndrome. I know people who say that there doctor told them they have fibro but they are doing activities I couldn't even dream of doing and I want to be active again since I was an athlete prior to this disorder. So they certainly do not have fibro. Fibro seems to be the catchall for anything a doc today can't figure out easily or quickly. It really makes me mad becasue as I said it hurts those of us who do truly have this. Oh well, thanks for letting me ramble. I just needed to vent because I am going through a terrible flare up right now.

shadow

[ScorpF4]

I always that that FMS or Fibro or whatever its called was just a "disease" that addicts come up with to get prescribed opiate drugs..? But thats just what the Doctors say...?

[zippysgoddess]

Scorp, please see my other post where you made your very rude, insensitive and nasty comments. You are being a total jerk to people that are truly suffering.

verwon@gmail.com

My information is not guaranteed correct. I do not get them right all the time, but I do enjoy the hunt~

[ScorpF4]

Stop ur nonsense zippygodless. I am not being rude, simply tryin to figure our what this NONSENSE disease is all about. lol im kidding... but seriously wtf is this? this disease sounds like opiate withdrawal 24/7 thats why i said what i said.! i know my stuff zippy, dont question me EVER again.. ight?!

irie eyed the jedi
JahRed

[zippysgoddess]

Right, like I ever did, do so now, or will ever in my lifetime take orders from you. In your dreams!

verwon@gmail.com

My information is not guaranteed correct. I do not get them right all the time, but I do enjoy the hunt~

[zippysgoddess]

And I told you what this disease is, by the way, if you had paid attention to my posts.

As a basic description, the people who suffer from it have nerve synapses that misfire, making them hyper-sensitive to any type of stimuli, the brush of feather is interpreted by their nerves as pain, instead of softness. Their own skin causes them pain and there is no known cause or cure. It is also horrible because it can come and go, sometimes sufferers might have long spans of time with no problems, then one day, for no reason, they are suddenly in agony again, and some sufferers never get relief. In that respect, it is similar to the attacks the people get with MS, and understanding it and the why of it, is just as elusive as MS, but it is a very real disease ruining the lives of a lot of people.

I will apologize for jumping on you, I misunderstood your posts as seeming that you were accusing them of just wanting drugs, not that you were genuinely wanting to know about the disease itself.

Now, just to add some further information for you, the reason this disease is so miserable and debilitating for so many people, has to do with the mechanism of action, when your nerves are jumping like that and just going crazy on fire with pain signals, not even the strongest narcotics available can relieve all of their pain and symptoms. Narcotics and other pain meds, and you might already know this, are designed more to prevent pain than to actually get rid of it once it has already started, so while they can help a little, they cannot alleviate it all because Fibro sufferers nerves are just constantly being irritated by everything and anything.

I suffer this same thing with a permanently impinged sciatic nerve. I find myself somedays actually wishing the nerve would be killed so I don't have to feel that pain anymore.



verwon@gmail.com

My information is not guaranteed correct. I do not get them right all the time, but I do enjoy the hunt~

[MyMindsTaken]

Im 20 yrs old. and i can remember even in high school complaining about back pain. However recently i wen to several different docotrs in dofferent states. I had so many test done, and finally one doc. said i had fibromyalgia. I suffer from pain yet none of my doctors give me any drugs, so i never know what i day will be like, i have a boyfriend and sometimes he just doesnt understand. I also deal with depression. its been affecting my school work and going to class. i used to be so flexible and work out all the time and now it hurts just to stand up, my whole body has changed its so tense. I have all the tender spots. I have decided to try getting message, but i am scared b/c you can barley touch me and ill scream.

have any of you found something that helps?

[blast]

I am so suprised that there are still people out there that think that Fibromyalgia doesnt' exist and we just want drugs. I wish that was all it was!!!
A lot of us don't even take the opoid drugs for the pain, and some of us do. That is a personal choice. However, for us that don't, we suffer, as the ones that do, take it do too, daily. It is hard for us to just get up somedays. We never know how we are going to feel, we live day by day. I wish people who didn't have a chronic illness wouldn't judge people that do. Commenting on it or wanting to find out more about it is fine, but for someone to talk about it without knowing anything about it, is just plain wrong. I suggest you do some of your own research, and just maybe, you can come back to this post, and write something positive to all of us who have fibro.

[hulagirl]

Thank you for saying that!!! I have been suffering for years as well and it has caused depression and panic attacks, we have no up days only "not as bad ones!" So many people let me down when I was finally diagnosed with Fibromyalgia. I couldn't get out of bed and barely limped to the bathroom for almost a year. My former friends and family members who judged me only made me feel worse and I regret caring so much about their opinion of me. Believe me when you have chronic pain, you can't waste precious energy getting upset! Of course, some people are so uneducated that they think anyone on pain meds is faking illness to get them for recreational use. I have learned to weed those types out of my life. It can be hard especially if it's family, negativity can hinder chances of recovery or periods of remission. Thank God I am surrounded by extremely supportive people now. Anything else is unacceptable!

[halfwitty]

Originally Posted by ScorpF4

Stop ur nonsense zippygodless. I am not being rude, simply tryin to figure our what this NONSENSE disease is all about. lol im kidding... but seriously wtf is this? this disease sounds like opiate withdrawal 24/7 thats why i said what i said.! i know my stuff zippy, dont question me EVER again.. ight?!

irie eyed the jedi
JahRed

Find somewhere you can get the full text but

Fibromyalgia patients show an abnormal dopamine response to pain
European Journal of Neuroscience 25 (12), 3576–3582.

Abstract

Fibromyalgia is characterized by chronic widespread pain and bodily tenderness and is often accompanied by affective disturbances. Accumulating evidence indicates that fibromyalgia may involve a dysfunction of modulatory systems in the brain. While brain dopamine is best known for its role in pleasure, motivation and motor control, recent evidence suggests that it is also involved in pain modulation. Because dopamine is implicated in both pain modulation and affective processing, we hypothesized that fibromyalgia may involve a disturbance of dopaminergic neurotransmission. Fibromyalgia patients and matched healthy control subjects were subjected to deep muscle pain produced by injection of hypertonic saline into the anterior tibialis muscle. In order to determine the endogenous release of dopamine in response to painful stimulation, we used positron emission tomography to examine binding of [11C]-raclopride (D2/D3 ligand) in the brain during injection of painful hypertonic saline and nonpainful normal saline. Fibromyalgia patients experienced the hypertonic saline as more painful than healthy control subjects. Control subjects released dopamine in the basal ganglia during the painful stimulation, whereas fibromyalgia patients did not. In control subjects, the amount of dopamine release correlated with the amount of perceived pain but in fibromyalgia patients no such correlation was observed. These findings provide the first direct evidence that fibromyalgia patients have an abnormal dopamine response to pain. The disrupted dopaminergic reactivity in fibromyalgia patients could be a critical factor underlying the widespread pain and discomfort in fibromyalgia and suggests that the therapeutic effects of dopaminergic treatments for this intractable disorder should be explored.

PS-- I have many drug allergies. At my last ER visit for an acute spasm (total immobility of the neck and shoulders) all I could remember was NO SULFA AND NO NARCOTICS. I am totally narcotic intolerant. Even Tylenol with Codeine. They tried me on vicodin after removing impacted wisdom teeth. I couldn't take them, made me sick. After childbirth 1 I left the hosp in 23 hrs. Second child I was in 4 days sick as hell before realizing they had me on narcotics. Ended and home the next day. What did the ER doc do? IV valium, a nameless anti inflammatory and 2 shots of morphine which I admitted I had never had before. After first dose I still could not put my head back on the bed. After the second I could move but was in major pain and very out of it. I refused more meds. He sent me home with an Rx for Percocets. I took 1 (still pretty out of it on the other meds). After the second I was so sick I didn't take the rest. I threw it in my tried-it-don't-fill-a-script-for-it-again box. I laughed recently figuring out that one of the others was an expired bottle missing 2 tabs for hydrocodone AKA dilaudid. Even when I don't know its a narcotic I get so sick I DC. I have tons of useless discarded and expired narcotics I never took. So NO, I'm not in withdrawal, I get sick when I take them.

[Omega3]

Originally Posted by hulagirl

Thank you for saying that!!! I have been suffering for years as well and it has caused depression and panic attacks, we have no up days only "not as bad ones!" So many people let me down when I was finally diagnosed with Fibromyalgia. I couldn't get out of bed and barely limped to the bathroom for almost a year. My former friends and family members who judged me only made me feel worse and I regret caring so much about their opinion of me. Believe me when you have chronic pain, you can't waste precious energy getting upset! Of course, some people are so uneducated that they think anyone on pain meds is faking illness to get them for recreational use. I have learned to weed those types out of my life. It can be hard especially if it's family, negativity can hinder chances of recovery or periods of remission. Thank God I am surrounded by extremely supportive people now. Anything else is unacceptable!

Hi I'm new here,

I can totally agree with hulagirl. I was told I was a hypochondriac, that it was all in my head. Then I was told by some faithful, it was my sin causing the problem, then my unconfessed sin and then family curses that had brought this on me, until 22 years later a neuro surgeon found the cause. Looking at my x-rays informed me I had a rotated spine and fusion in my backed and asked me if I was in an accident. So obvious but no one saw it before.

Just wanted to share my own story. I was in a horrible car accident at age 6 and another accident at age 19 in which my spine was injured over the T3 and T4 vertebras. Before the vertebras fused my neck was rotated by 10 degrees, which means my neck constantly pulls to my left.

I started with chronic headaches 2 weeks after the accident which increased with time, developing into chronic muscular spasms of the neck and shoulders and chronic headaches. Added to this I have been under excessive stress since early childhood due to family issues and health issues and because being A type personality, put too much on my plate.

You see most Fibro people can trace back to the exact moment it all began, and for those who haven't, think about it, you will see some kind of trauma started the cycle. Trauma and Fibro go hand in hand, and please don't make light of stress. Ongoing excessive stress is also linked to Fibro.

I was diagnosed with Ankylosing Spondylitis as well as Fibromyalgia last year. I am now with a Fibro specialist.

To those who don't know what the disease is and what causes it, let me enlighten you.

Fibro is basically an arthritic type condition of the soft tissue muscles brought on by a traumatic incident (death), stress or by an real accident like mine.

Basically the muscles are oxygen starved and so they fail to relax and repair at night. This is caused by a drop in the seratonin levels of the Fibro victim, which means they suffer with insomnia, they don't sleep. Because you don't sleep the muscles don't relax and repair. Serotonin is the neurotransmitter in the brain that affects your nervous system and your mood. Some Fibro peoples brain fail to make this neurotransmitter at all and so need supplementation.

So basically, seratonin is the thing that makes you happy, relaxed, care free and feel good. It helps relax your muscles at night and makes you sleep. Can you start to see the real underlying problem here. No sleep, no energy, muscle cramps/spasms and eventually depression.

Most Fibro people suffer with chronic fatigue from lack of sleep which make them grumpy, they develop depression because they lack seratonin and worst of all the pain does not cease, day or night. Its true, you don't have any up days just those where the pain is less.

I personally am in hospital at least twice a month from vomiting uncontrollably from the pain caused by the spasms in my neck from the injury I have. I'm told by Neuro surgeons that they won't touch me. So what do you do, the pain is like nothing you can describe to someone who hasnt got it. Its real, my husband can testify to it. Most days you wish you were dead.

I've tried antidepressants which I'm trying desperately to come off of because of the chronic weight gain and added headaches.

I just want to say to those who don't have it, thank God you don't, I wouldnt wish this condition on my worst enemy. My heart broke after hearing my older sister now has it following her abusive marriage.

To those who have it. Lets encourage each other when and where we can. We need each other to get through this and support does allot to help. Just knowing you are not alone does help.

Thanks for reading.

[Robert_325]

Originally Posted by Omega3

Hi I'm new here,

I can totally agree with hulagirl. I was told I was a hypochondriac, that it was all in my head. Then I was told by some faithful, it was my sin causing the problem, then my unconfessed sin and then family curses that had brought this on me, until 22 years later a neuro surgeon found the cause. Looking at my x-rays informed me I had a rotated spine and fusion in my backed and asked me if I was in an accident. So obvious but no one saw it before.

Just wanted to share my own story. I was in a horrible car accident at age 6 and another accident at age 19 in which my spine was injured over the T3 and T4 vertebras. Before the vertebras fused my neck was rotated by 10 degrees, which means my neck constantly pulls to my left.

I started with chronic headaches 2 weeks after the accident which increased with time, developing into chronic muscular spasms of the neck and shoulders and chronic headaches. Added to this I have been under excessive stress since early childhood due to family issues and health issues and because being A type personality, put too much on my plate.

You see most Fibro people can trace back to the exact moment it all began, and for those who haven't, think about it, you will see some kind of trauma started the cycle. Trauma and Fibro go hand in hand, and please don't make light of stress. Ongoing excessive stress is also linked to Fibro.

I was diagnosed with Ankylosing Spondylitis as well as Fibromyalgia last year. I am now with a Fibro specialist.

To those who don't know what the disease is and what causes it, let me enlighten you.

Fibro is basically an arthritic type condition of the soft tissue muscles brought on by a traumatic incident (death), stress or by an real accident like mine.

Basically the muscles are oxygen starved and so they fail to relax and repair at night. This is caused by a drop in the seratonin levels of the Fibro victim, which means they suffer with insomnia, they don't sleep. Because you don't sleep the muscles don't relax and repair. Serotonin is the neurotransmitter in the brain that affects your nervous system and your mood. Some Fibro peoples brain fail to make this neurotransmitter at all and so need supplementation.

So basically, seratonin is the thing that makes you happy, relaxed, care free and feel good. It helps relax your muscles at night and makes you sleep. Can you start to see the real underlying problem here. No sleep, no energy, muscle cramps/spasms and eventually depression.

Most Fibro people suffer with chronic fatigue from lack of sleep which make them grumpy, they develop depression because they lack seratonin and worst of all the pain does not cease, day or night. Its true, you don't have any up days just those where the pain is less.

I personally am in hospital at least twice a month from vomiting uncontrollably from the pain caused by the spasms in my neck from the injury I have. I'm told by Neuro surgeons that they won't touch me. So what do you do, the pain is like nothing you can describe to someone who hasnt got it. Its real, my husband can testify to it. Most days you wish you were dead.

I've tried antidepressants which I'm trying desperately to come off of because of the chronic weight gain and added headaches.

I just want to say to those who don't have it, thank God you don't, I wouldnt wish this condition on my worst enemy. My heart broke after hearing my older sister now has it following her abusive marriage.

To those who have it. Lets encourage each other when and where we can. We need each other to get through this and support does allot to help. Just knowing you are not alone does help.

Thanks for reading.

Fibromyalgia is a terrible disease. No doubt. Same is true about basically all autoimmune diseases. I have Raynaud's Phenomenon, Rheumatoid Arthritis and APS (Antiphosholipid Antibody Syndrome) ... all autoimmune diseases. I would not wish any of them on anyone either. I have had two nearly fatal blood clots from the APS. Nearly had three fingertips amputated on my right hand from digital ulcers due to lack of blood circulation from the Raynaud's. And the RA left me unable to do hardly anything for a few years. Most of my serious opiate abuse started with these problems. I am very happy to say that I have improved so much over the recent year.

In all autoimmune diseases our bodies natural defense systems attack itself in one way or another. Just like Fibro is often brought on by trauma, Raynaud's is often brought on by frostbite, pregnancy, several things. Most autoimmune diseases work this way. Raynaud's and Fibro are very similar only affecting different systems in our bodies. Both are results of being oxygen starved and both are extremely painful. Sadly not enough is known for sure about any autoimmune disease or a cure could be found. None of them have a cure at this time. Chronic fatigue is common to Raynaud's, RA as well as Fibro patients and most patients compromised by any of the many autoimmune diseases. I moderate on an autoimmune disease forum. Would be happy to share the info with you if you would like to send me a message. There are a lot of Fibro patients there that you could likely relate to. Let me know if you are interested.

[SeritoninSurvivor]

I suffered from numerous symptoms that would fall under the Fibromyalgia diagnoses for around 18-20 months, a few years ago.

Symptoms included severe , deep musclular and joint pain and stiffness, severe plantar's facitis (arch & heel pain) raw nerve endings (felt like I was on fire), migrane and deep, deep fatigue.

Symptoms were present 24/7, but worsened in heat, humitidy and especially during low pressure systems. At it's worst, the only relief I got was swimming (cooler water was better than warm water for me, so it needed to be either an unheated pool or lake ) . It was the only time I was pain free and had good flexibility and full mobility. Unfortunately, I'm not a mermaid and couldn't conduct my life from the pool.

I tried everything I could think of to alleviate my symptoms. I changed my diet: eliminating aspertime, wheat, gluten, all corn products and nighshades (tobacco, potatos tomatoes, eggplant, etc). I started using over the counter pain relievers but nothing was very effective.

My internist referred me to a rumetologist in the early summer of 2005, but a battery of X-rays, scans and bloodwork all turned up negative for arthritis. Eventually my diagnoses was "unspecified inflammation" and I was given a script for Tramadol - which not only didn't touch the pain, but I found out I had developed sensitivity to acetominophen which actually made my symptoms worse. Opiods didn't help.

Eventually I found vast relief in the most unexpected place.

I was sent on a business trip to Los Angeles in August of 2005. The plane trip was miserable... but the dry heat of that mediterranian climate worked wonders for me. Within a couple of days I was pain free and walking MILES on the city sidewalks with no foot or heel pain and no muscle or joint stiffness. I also spent a few days in the high dessert during that trip (in the dry climate 8 days in all) and when I returned home to the midwest, my symptoms did not return, and have stayed gone - only manifesting again when I took Tylenol (acetominophen) for a headache once.

I still don't know whether this was fibromyalgia or something else masquerading as fibromyalgia.

I suspect I had some kind of systemic fungal infection which "dried up" when I got into a dry, hot climate for several days.

[BetterOffDead]

Check out http://www.ldninfo.org. Naltrexone is an opioid antagonist (blocker) that has been shown to increase endorphin production significantly. The endorphin production turns around and causes all sorts of other positive changes, some of which really seem to help people with auto-immune diseases like Fibromyalgia, Crohn's, chronic fatigue, and others.