Fibromyalgia???

Question

this is what my mom has, i know 3 years ago i never even heard about it! i was just wondering if you have?

Answer 1

No one has it ... it does not exist!
Many people with chronic pain misdiagnose themselves (or are misdiagnosed by others) as having fibromyalgia. People with chronic pain seem to wage a personal fight in order to obtain a diagnosis of fibromyalgia. I don’t understand why that person would not want the CORRECT diagnosis, whatever that correct diagnosis may be. It makes no sense to "lobby" for and insist on a certain diagnosis such as fibromyalgia. The last thing someone already in pain needs is a diagnosis of fibromyalgia if that is not truly what they are suffering from.

My objection to supposed syndromes such as Chronic Fatigue and Fibromyalgia is that patients with these conditions often insist on a certain treatment yet they are rarely equipped with the ability to understand the pathophysiology of it. The definition for fibromyalgia is so broad and vague that people with many other conditions can fall into the trap of thinking they have fibromyalgia. There are far too many symptoms that can be explained by other disease process. Some of the reported symptoms of fibromyalgia are; pain, migraines, pelvic pain, memory loss, fatigue, dry mouth, dizziness, blurred vision and weight loss or gain. All of these by themselves or in combination can be associated with known disorders that have proven effective treatments.

Another problem with fibromyalgia is the tendency, by those who profess to have it, to become militant about it. The goal should not be to force skeptics into accepting fibromyalgia as a legitimate disorder; the goal should rather be to get well. There are many skeptics like me who doubt fibromyalgia is a distinct disease entity. Most of these skeptics are smarter than me and so they wisely keep quiet about their views. I wish I could disclose to you how many physicians I personally know that do not believe for one minute that the disorder is real.
So let us take a look at what the doctors say, not in words but in their treatment of fibromyalgia. I read someone post that their mother takes anti-depressants for their fibromyalgia; they said “it blocks the pain.” Really? Is that what anti-depressants do? Again, people claiming to have fibromyalgia have no idea what the medications they take actually do or how they actually work. Elavil/ Amitriptyline is in a class of drugs called tricyclic antidepressants and commonly prescribed in treating fibromyalgia. Elavil affects chemicals in the brain that may become unbalanced and cause depression. There is absolutely no validity to the theory that Elavil somehow treats the pain associated with fibromyalgia. Most fibromyalgia patients are put on powerful anti-depressants and don’t even realize what they are actually being treated for.

The unfortunate truth is that there are many people who do have chronic pain, but are just too stubborn to actually seek a proper diagnosis from an appropriate specialist. It’s much easier to hang on to a pipe dream and find comfort in a community that feeds off of its own misery. Just because you believe it to be true does not make it so. I’ve heard people tell me that they are allergic to every non-narcotic pain reliever there is in a veiled attempt to get something stronger. What I strongly suggest is that if you truly suffer from pain that cannot be explained by anything else, you seek a second and third opinion until you get a proper diagnosis. If a psychiatric medication makes you feel better then maybe you might want to come to grips with the fact that you may have a psychiatric disorder. My two year old daughter makes me “kiss her boo boo” when she falls and it miraculously gets better. Was the pain real? Did the kiss make it better, or did just the thought of the kiss make it better? You tell me.

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The Answerer below says: "The reason anti-depressants help is they contain neuropathic agents as well - neuropathic agents calm down the irritated nerves, nerves run the muscles."

What a load of CACA. This is exactly what I'm talking about. Making up BS to explain away this ridiculous "disorder" is exactly the problem. The pathophysiology of anti-depressants is NOTHING like that. SSRI's and TCA's that are commonly prescribed for people with Fibro and CFS don't "calm down the nerves". Stop buying into this horse dodo and come to grips wit the reality that it's either in your head, or it's something else. GET A REAL DIAGNOSIS!

Answer 2

Wow, I seem to be answering a variant of this question pretty often recently... Here's what works for me. It's not fool proof, I still have bad days, and I still have flares, but it helps. Diet can be crucial. Limit processed foods, sugar, caffeine, etc. Drink plenty of water, eat plenty of fresh fruits and veggies. Supplements help. I take a magnesium/malic acid combo from solaray that does wonders (also has 5htp, valerian root, a nice combo). I take fish oil (1000 mg 3x a day, Pure Encapsulations brand- very high quality and no mercury worries) Happy Campers are great for those days when stress is an issue (they are a life saver some days) Self care is important. Sleep enough, rest enough, take time for yourself. Use heat and ice as often as you feel the need. Check into the Theracane and trigger point workbooks. Massage and chiropractic are lifesavers. Maybe see about getting a portable electric stim machine, mine is enough to keep me mobile some days... Exercise, although painful, is mandatory. Walk, stretch, swim, do Yoga, Pilates, Tai Chi, maybe even check out the miracle ball, while it's not all that great as an exercise the little balls do a great job of releasing tension from your low back and hips. Stay comfortable. I know I'm beginning to sound like a sales pitch, but MBT shoes are awesome. They are ugly, and unreasonably expensive, but they mean that I can actually go shopping in Target or at the mall and not have to sit down every few minutes. I went to an aquarium recently and didn't have to stop once, it meant a lot to be able to do that. I've actually been able to make it across campus in them without having to stop and rest my back! There are a number of other supplements people recommend, this is just what works for me. *** Edit*** Ramesh1938, you are full of crap. There is no evidence to suggest that Fibromyalgia leads to drug addiction. Fibromyalgia is NOT a symptom of mental anguish or narcissism. It has nothing to do with getting sympathy from others. Please, pull your head out of your behind and go crawl back under your rock.

Answer 3

I have fibromyalgia. Your first answer is pretty much a nay-sayer; unfortunate.

The intensity of this comes and goes.

You have to think of this, in a way, like a pot roast.
If you have noticed when you cook a meat, it is easier to slice in one direction than another, right? Sometimes people say going with the grain, going against the grain. Our muscles are much like this. The "covering" of the muscles in someone with fibromyalgia is like rubbing against the grain - something has made the signals cross and it causes spasms, pain, aches, fatigue, trigger points, and all that jazz... Massage does help; trigger point injections help; Lidocaine/Marcaine analgesic patches help. The best way to get this to lessen is be as active as you can be - it is not a psychologic injury.

The reason anti-depressants help is they contain neuropathic agents as well - neuropathic agents calm down the irritated nerves, nerves run the muscles. It's like a filament - it's all tied together and no one should be so arrogant to tell anyone that it's a separate problem or its all in your head (compare that to a tumor - the tumor is just in that area, right? The nerves, run from your spine throughout your body - it is not so well-defined.)

She'll be fine - the more she understands her problem, the better she will be able to control what sets it off.

Best wishes.

Answer 4

The best way to describe fibromyalgia, which is hard to diagnose but very real, is like an arthritis of the muscles. I was diagnosed three years ago and have only found real (and thankfully non-narcotic) pain relief in the past year or so. I take a daily regimen of 800 mg. of Aleve and a 1000-mg. flaxseed oil capsule at bedtime and use Arnica, a homeopathic herb, as needed for flareups. Check out the links below for information on how to order Arnica.


A note to Medicgvd: I've seen your posts on other threads about fibromyalgia, and it continues to amaze and dismay me that even if you disbelieve that fibromyalgia is more than just psychomatic, you don't even recommend any non-narcotic pain remedies. There ARE non-narcotic, nonprescription and homeopathic remedies that work well for many cases of chronic pain, but instead of telling people in essence just to suck it up and get over their excuses for trying to obtain narcotics, you could help people consider real alternatives. The OTC meds I take are also commonly used by arthritis patients, so would you advise them as well just to forget about pain relief even if it could be found by non-narcotic, nonprescription means? You're doing your patients a great disservice by seeing pain relief as an either-or proposition between narcotics or the lack thereof and have said nothing, at least as far as I've seen, about considering other alternatives--including homeopathic remedies, since pharmaceuticals have limitations. Please, if you can't make a positive recommendation to people suffering with chronic pain, just keep your comments to yourself.

Answer 5

Yes, I have heard of it, and here is some important info regarding this condition.

Fibromyalgia (fye-bro-my-AL-gee-ah) is an arthritis-related condition that is characterized by generalized muscular pain and fatigue. The term "fibromyalgia" means pain in the muscles, ligaments and tendons. This condition is referred to as a "syndrome" because it's a set of signs and symptoms that occur together.

Fibromyalgia is especially confusing and often misunderstood condition. Because its symptoms are quite common and laboratory tests are generally normal, people with fibromyalgia were once told that their condition was "all in their head." However, medical studies have proven that fibromyalgia does indeed exist, and it is estimated to affect about 2 percent of the U.S. population today.

In 1990, the American College of Rheumatology, the official body of doctors who treat arthritis and related conditions, finally legitimized fibromyalgia in the medical community by presenting its criteria for diagnosing it. It is diagnosed when the you display the following symptoms:

A history of widespread pain (pain on both sides of the body and above and below the waist) that is present for at least three months

Pain in at least 11 of 18 tender-point sites.

Answer 6

This Site Might Help You.

RE:
Fibromyalgia???
this is what my mom has, i know 3 years ago i never even heard about it! i was just wondering if you have?

Answer 7

I know of at least three people who have it. From what I've seen it stems from inactivity and episodes are greatly reduced when the person is active on a regular basis.
The joint pain it causes doesn't exactly help motivate the person to excersize, unfortunately.

Answer 8

Carolyn Dean discusses this very well in her excellent book The Miracle of Magnesium. See the other references for a good discussion and advice.

Answer 9

Yep, My mom's got it, too. It's painful!

Answer 10

my daughter has it.