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The following testimony was given to me. I have no way of knowing who wrote it. It is the only article in this whole web site that I didn't write or noted who wrote it. If this is your story please contact me. I would like to give you credit. I feel that this woman has insight on this condition you can't get out of medical books, therefore, I am running her article unabridged. I usually suggest taking Tahitian Noni, Una De Gato and SKL (Skeletal Strength) and going on an pH balancing diet. FIBROMYALGIAI suffer from Fibromyalgia; thus the reason for my writing this article. Like many patients with Fibromyalgia, I felt alone and, well, doomed sentenced to chronic pain, fatigue and a life of grim choices: Western medicine and treatments right out of a Stephen King horror novel or just plain suffer from pain that would not stop. One of the medical doctors shrugged and said, "Honey, look at it this way-you will not die from it, but you will die with it." Actually, that turned out to be incorrect in a left-handed way. You see chronic pain kills, plain and simple. Before I begin, I would like to give you a brief personal history to demonstrate what most FMS patients go through before diagnosis and treatment options are given to them. Besides, from my own personal experiences, my information comes from interviewing many other FMS in my hometown. As Assistant Director (and Founder/Editor of the group's newsletter), I had a unique opportunity to meet with FMS patients and hear their stories. (Although I resigned last August, I still network with the group-{my associate} sends me her "natural people", as she calls them.) When I meet a "new" FMS person, the first question he or she usually asks is "how long have you had it?" Frankly, I think I have suffered from Fibromyalgia most of my life. However, my most severe symptoms appeared in April of 1984. I suffered a whiplash as a result of being rear-ended in my auto. Twelve weeks later I found myself in the hospital for emergency surgery not related to the car accident. Severe trauma is classic of how FMS begins. During childhood, my complaints were dismissed by the doctor as growing pains and juvenile arthritis. As a young adult I was sent to physician after physician-each with his or her own idea as to my condition. None of the treatments offered stopped my pain. My intolerance to many western medical drugs, which caused severe side effects, exaggerated the problem. I am sure the doctors felt I was a head case. Bottom line is that most of us who have gone through this doctor shopping and relay system had to endure more than just tests. Doctors do not like failure cases. It is frustrating to them to not be able to give the patient-in-pain a prescription which allows them to go home and get better. Chronic pain does not work that way-FMS is a chronic pain condition. By definition, chronic pain is pain that has lasted six months or longer. Add years to this, and you have a patient who is at the end of their rope. The doctors who try to help them throw up their hands and send the patient to yet another physician for one more opinion. This rendition will sound so familiar to many FMS sufferers, as well as most chronic pain patients. We are the walking wounded. I was finally diagnosed with FMS by a Rheumatologist in 1986, only then it was called Fibrositis. The doctor listened to my complaints, read my medical files and just shook his head. "Great," I thought-"here we go again." Surprisingly, the doctor went straight to the tender points on my body and pressed. I nearly passed out. He gently finished the exam, excused himself and returned with a brochure on fibrosistis. I almost wept when I read the publication. It described my symptoms to the letter-what a relief to know I had "something". Self-doubt is typical in cases like mine. FMS was first recorded around the 1930's yet research interest did not really get started until the 1970's. Fibro Myalgia means pain that affects soft tissue. Pain in the muscles, ligaments, and often, tendons. Fibromyalgia has been called everything from soft tissue rheumatism, rheumatic gout, myofascial pain syndrome, and fibrositis (inflammation of connective tissues). Fibromyalgia has been referred to as a disorder, syndrome and disease. The current phase by the medical community is Fibromyalgia Syndrome or FMS. Some authorities believe that FMS and chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) are one and the same. FMS is usually treated by Rheu-matologists or by a physician specializing in chronic pain management. FMS symptoms are often described as "I hurt everywhere". The major symptoms is pain, widespread pain. A condition of FMS that sets this apart from other muscle pain disorders is the presence of tender points- isolated areas that are tender or painful to touch and pressure. Differences between tender points and trigger points (points that are present in healthy people) is that tender points are highly specific. If you press on either side of a tender point the patient will not feel pain. Pressure on the tender point itself will cause most FMS patients to come off the exam table. Until this testing format was discovered, Fibromyalgia was considered by most doctors as being "all in your head". Research was minimal until men, specifically professional athletes, began to show FMS symptoms so severe that it affected their performances. Other symptoms of FMS are: generalized musculoskeletal aching, and pain and stiffness for at least three months. A doctor looks at all these symptoms and reaches a diagnosis after ruling out underlying causes such as other rheumatic disorders, endocrine disorders, malignancy or trauma. To further complicate diagnosis, FMS patients also have normal laboratory tests and radiographs (x-rays). Fibromyalgia pain can begin gradually or suddenly. It may initially be felt in one specific area of the body, such as the shoulders, neck or the lower back, then spread. Pain can be dull, diffused, or sharp-knife like. People will commonly use words such as aching, gnawing, stabbing, radiating and shooting. Some think they have pinched a nerve. Patients describe chest pain so intense that at first the symptoms seem like a heart attack. Burning pain has been often described, especially, on the tender points. FMS is accompanied with an array of symptoms and other health problems. The list is quite extensive, so I will cover the most frequently mentioned: Vertigo (dizziness and balance problems), severe headaches, irritable bowel syndrome, subjective swelling in the extremities (hands and feet), Parethesia (numbness, tingling in extremities), and sensitivity to the environment (particularly cigarette smoke, bright lights, the sun, cold, heat and loud noises). Weather affects FMS patients-changing weather and high mold spore count can cause FMS pain to increase. Cognitive problems (difficulty with thought processes such as concentration, thinking, remembering clearly) and short term memory loss. Sleep disorders are reported in more than 75% of FMS patients. They sleep poorly or awaken frequently throughout the night, often feeling more tired in the morning than when they went to bed. The sleep is nonrestorative. This type of sleep disturbance has been documented in sleep laboratory studies and is a true sleeping disorder. Morning stiffness is also common with FMS. This stiffness is often referred to as "gelling" because your body seems to set like Jell-O. Fatigue is high up on the complaint list. The fatigue can be mild or profound, interfering with all daily activities. It comes as no surprises to anyone with FMS, that Fibromyalgia is often called the "irritable everything" syndrome! Fibromyalgia can be brought about by a physical trauma such as a car accident, a fall or surgery. It can start with an illness like the flu. In some people, FMS develops after a sudden hormonal change, like childbirth or a hysterectomy. A sudden emotional trauma such as the loss of a loved one can set in motion FMS conditions. In other articles on FMS, many "experts" believe only "type A" personalities get FMS. In my contacts with other FMS patients, there was an unbelievable range of ages, health conditions, as well as personality types. Every body type, posture and weight were represented. Life styles ranged from couch potatoes to marathon runners. Personalities from type B to very intense, career driven type A's. This is a basic list of nutritional support FMS sufferers need to be on in order to control the pain and help the body's systems. For de-toxing the body's system (this gives the body a fighting head start, and helps other nutritional work better): Rotate
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Editor's note: The Thai-go is producing dramatic results. |
