Fibromyalgia Syndrome and all the symptoms ..

@patootie (3592)
January 14, 2007 2:50pm CST
I am sure if you have read any of my other posts you may have read that I have Fibromyalgia Syndrome .. some folks have asked me what it is and I will try and explain .. Fibromyalgia is a complex set of symptoms that mainly revolve around pain and fatigue .. there is no cure and not enough reseearch being done to find a cure in my lifetime probably, yet around 8% of the population may have Fibromyalgia to some extent or other .. unfortunately I have it quite severely and I can only describe it as having influenza all the time .. that horrible feeling of muddly headedness, joints and muscles aching, really tired and wanting to sleep, tender and sensitive skin and just feeling really 'poorly' all the time .. in the UK the British Medical Association give the following list of 63 symptoms as being the most common .. I can have one or more of these symptoms every day (as well as the continual 'flu tupe feeling) .. different symptoms the next day and they can even change half way through the day .. you never know how you are going to wake up .. so you can never plan to do anything until you see how you feel in the morning .. anyway here is the list ... Fibromyalgia Syndrome - a list of the 63 most commonly known symptoms PHYSIOLOGICAL PROBLEMS: __ recurrent flu-like illness __ recurrent sore throats, red and injected __ painful lymph nodes under the arms and neck __ muscle and joint aches with tender and trigger points - up to 18 of them __ night sweats and fever __ severe nasal and other allergies __ irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) __ weight change - usually gain __ heart palpitations __ mitral valve prolapse __ severe PMS __ yeast infections __ rashes and itching __ uncomfortable or frequent urination __ interstitial bladder cystitis __ chest pains (non-cardiac) __ temporomandibular joint dysfunction (in the jaw) __ hair loss __ carpal tunnel syndrome __ cold hands and feet __ dry eyes and mouth __ severe and debilitating fatigue __ widespread pain __ other chronic illness(es) usually present (like diabetes, hypoglycemia, asthma, lupus, ms, etc.) __ numbness in the limbs, not painful like pins & needles __ painful swelling in the hands, legs, feet, neck __ GERDs (gastro-esophageal reflux disorder) __ “growing pains” start in childhood and teens, continue into adulthood __ widespread body pain during/after physical exertion COGNITIVE FUNCTION PROBLEMS: __ attention deficit disorder __ spatial disorientation __ calculation difficulties __ memory disturbance __ communication difficulties (problems speaking, confusing words) PSYCHOLOGICAL PROBLEMS: __ depression __ anxiety and panic attacks __ personality changes, usually for the worse __ emotional lability (mood swings) OTHER NERVOUS SYSTEM PROBLEMS: __ sleep disturbances __ headaches __ changes in visual acuity __ numb or tingling feelings __ burning sensations __ light headedness __ feeling 'spaced out' __ desequilibrium __ frequent unusual nightmares and disturbing dreams __ tinnitus (ringing in the ears) __ difficulty in moving your tongue to speak __ severe muscle weakness __ susceptibility to muscle, tendon, ligament injury __ intolerance to bright lights __ intolerance to alcohol __ intolerance to sound __ extreme sensitivity to medications and their side-effects __ alteration of taste, smell, and hearing __ insomnia __ inability to achieve stage 4 restorative sleep __ morning stiffness in the muscles and joints __ restless leg syndrome __ muscle spasms __ muscle quakiness and shivering during/after activity or exercise __ sleep paralysis (related to stage 4 sleep deprivation)
4 people like this
20 responses
@Randync (544)
• United States
15 Jan 07
I am sorry you have this terrible thing. My fiancee has it and her mother has it. She has to struggle mentaly just to get out of bed and deal with it some days.
1 person likes this
@patootie (3592)
15 Jan 07
Ohh dear .. I am so sorry .. it's a really difficult thing to have .. as I know all too well ... I too have to 'talk to myself' to get out of bed very often .. I'm sure I would feel so much better to just stay in bed all nice and warm and cosy .... nut I know I can't .. I hope you have found this discussion of some help .. even just knowing you are not alone in suffering with it is helpful ..
@patootie (3592)
25 Jan 07
Thank you for posting .. I know just how hard an effort it is sometimes to even type a few words .. I too have problems with the fatigue, but still not being able to sleep .. I feel too tired to even watch tv but the moment I lay down in bed I am wide awake .. One thing I found very helpful was my consultant telling me to never do more than 70% of what you feel able to do .. it almost felt as if I had been given 'permission' to stop doing something and rest more often .. and you don't get so fatigued either .. Set yourself small goals, don't be too ambitious and then you can achieve small things .. I keep a set of cleaning products and cloths in every room .. them as I am passing I can just tackle a little job without having to waste energy fetching all the things I need to do it .. this really helps me to feel I can tackle jobs .. I also set myself the daily 'goal' of doing 4 very small household chores in every room I go in .. so if you go to the kitchen to make a coffee .. wipe round the sink, or fill up a refillable container .. throw out the rubbish .. or on bad days .. even straightening the tea towels or hand towels is a good job done .. honestly the smallest task done is one less to do .. in the bathroom tidy the towels, straighten the jars .. you will be amazed at how much you can achieve without too much effort .. it boosts your self worth no end And if you really are having a very bad day and need to be in bed don't waste time feeling sorry for yourself .. gie yourself a relaxing manicure of use a face pack .. go on .. love yourself .. you are worth it !! Hope you can feel a little better day by day ..
2 people like this
• United States
25 Jan 07
I am the fiance' he is talking about. I would much rather stay in bed than get out and hurt all over I am on 14 different medicines and they just added Magnesium. I can't remember my phone number half the time. I hate it I have insomnia here lately. I can't sleep at night then I wait until my body gets totally exhausted which is normally in the morning than I can go to sleep. I have been to a lot of drs and go to a specialist right now for it. I hate messing up what Im trying to say half the time. I hate having part of my leg completely numb. I hate the depression. I also hate having my fiance' having to worry about me. It is the reason we aren't married yet. I don't want my fiance' to have to take care of me for the rest of my life.
@citygirl (1080)
• Canada
15 Jan 07
I am familar with all of this as I have it as well. I thought I would share a tip with you that has helped me a lot. My asian doctor sujested this and it helps me. I go to chinna town an get real ginsing in the root form. I make a cup of tea and put a slice in every day and let this steap drink it then eat the ginsing it self. It has helped the fatigue a lot. Don't take it more than once a day as it could raise your blood presure. Just thought I would share that with you. All the best. Happy new year to you.
1 person likes this
@patgalca (18164)
• Orangeville, Ontario
28 Jan 07
You cannot take ginseng if you are on anti-depressants. Some herbal remedies do not mix well with pharmaceuticals. Please check with your pharmacist before you start an herbal remedy or other supplement to see if they interact with your medication.
@patootie (3592)
28 Jan 07
Yes, I always makes sure I check out compatability before starting any new supplement .. but that's a good reminder .. thanks !
@patootie (3592)
15 Jan 07
Many thanks .. every little tip is precious .. as there is no real medical treatment .. I shall have to try that ...
@patgalca (18164)
• Orangeville, Ontario
28 Jan 07
Because of the varying symptoms and causes of fibromyalgia, it is considered an autoimmune disease as well as a neurological illness. This makes sense as the central nervous system controls all body parts and pretty much all body parts are affected with fibro. I have had it for 10 years. I must tell you that I was taking 6-8 Tylenol 3's a day. I am now taking 1-3 a day. I think the combination of losing weight (can't take two at a time anymore or I'm loopy), exercise, and the supplement Mag-Citrate (Magnesium/Malic Acid) have made the difference. Of course after 10 years I know my limitations and I pace myself, but sometimes things can't be helped and you have to do what you have to do. Stress doesn't help. Getting back to Mag-Citrate, we have 3 stores in our town who carry this product and all three actually ran out of it awhile back. I went over a week without the 3 a day I take and I noticed the increased pain in my back and legs. I purchased two bottles in another town and the pain decreased immediately. You must look into this if you haven't already. Yes, trauma is a trigger for the illness but there are varying theories as to what lays behind that. Personally, I believe in the theory that mononeucleosis plants an infection that lays dormant until triggered by a trauma, stress or, in my case childbirth. Undiagnosed polio is another theory. I run a support group in my town so I know a lot about the illness and have had many practioners come speak to our group. If you want to send me a personal message, feel free.
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@patootie (3592)
28 Jan 07
I did try the magnesium tablets but to be honest I found they made no difference at all .. and I tried them for 6 months ... and curiously when I lose weight I have a worse time than when I am 'overweight' .. and I think this is one of the problems with this syndrome .. it affects people differently .. so finding a cure is an almost impossible task .. what would work for me wouldn't work for someone else ... I take Tramadol daily and that keeps my head fairly clear of the fibro fog .. and also helps with the pain .. but I also have severe degenerative osteo arthritis so some of the symptoms cross over from one disease to another .. And I have never had mononeucleosis (or Epstein Barr Virus as it's also called) so that isn't behind my fibro .. but a lot of study here in the UK leads back to the infection that also triggers arthritis being a possible kicking off point ..
@shoelover (896)
• Australia
14 Jan 07
I am sorry that they have not found a cure for this. It sounds like you are in constant pain and generally don't feel very well at all. Somehow it looks like they have found this condition and put it in the too hard basket as it has so many different aspects to it. What you would want is for some scientist to have a family member with this condition to find at least part of a cure. A friend of my fathers has this condition and only last week asked me to find out as much as I can about it as they do not have access to the internet. All her doctor would say was that she has the condition and to learn to live with it as there is no cure. I hope you had a more understanding doctor.
1 person likes this
@patootie (3592)
14 Jan 07
To a great extent we do just have to live with it as there is no really effective treatment ... I have to take quite a lot of pain killers daily which allow me to cope a bit better ... my doc is very understanding, but again there is nothing they can really do other than offer pain relief I am so sorry to hear a friend of your fathers has been diagnosed with this dratted syndrome .. there is a really good and very helpful Canadian web site called www.fibrohugs.com .. perhaps you could pass on the address to your fathers friend .. because the more we know about fibro the better we can cope with it ..
@missybal (4490)
• United States
15 Jan 07
I have fibromyalgia. I was diagnosed at age 20 and am now 24. I had to go through a great deal of pain management to learn to cope with the pain and realize my limitations on what I could and couldn't do anymore. I use to take a lot of the pain medications now I use more natural products and take lots of vitamins mostly vitamin B's and I use tea tree oil products from Melaleuca and my health has improved a great deal. I use to take anti-depressants but I gave all that up. I take good care of myself with lots of fruits and vegitables get a light gentle massage from a person who knows about melaleuca. The massage hurts at first but helps a great deal in keeping my muscels from getting to the point of tensing up and spazeming. I get low grade fevers with the pain, something that all came on at first when I was diagnosed. I gave up all chemicals and pills other then vitamines and drink lots of water and stay away from soda and only drink 100% juices. It helps!! I was also diagnosed with Epstein Barr when I was 19. It's a rare form of mono that only shows up in a certian blood test. It has many of the symptoms along with chronic fatique and fibromyalgia. If you have a such bad symptoms I strongly suggest you get tested for this illness. It never truely leaves your body once you get it and can be disableing. The reason I suggest this is because this is an illness that can be proven and if you are to the extent that you can not work you have a greater chance of proving it if you have Ebstein Barr. A lot of doctors don't even know about this illness. It does not show up with a cotton swab test. It is only present in the blood test. Many people who have been diagnosed with chronic fatique or fibromyalgia find they have Ebstein Barr, there is a 20 point span that shows how bad off you are. I'm a 3 and it put me where I could barely walk for 3 months and now I am unable to work outside the home due to how the illness has broken down my immune system.
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@patootie (3592)
15 Jan 07
Thank you for writing about your own 'fibro' experiences .. it is a very unpleasant syndrome isn't it .. and well done you for finding all those ways to help yourself .. I was tested for EP and it was negative .. and thankfully here in the UK Fibromyalgia Syndrome is accepted as a chronic illness and so I was able to 'medically retire' 15 years ago on full disability benefit .. sadly only just enough to pay my bills, nothing spare at the end of each month .. but at least I can just about cope!
@sindai (204)
• Canada
28 Jan 07
I have had fibromyalgia for the past few years. Alot of people I tell think it's all psychological. It's all in your head, this pain your feeling. whatever! They have no idea! I have seen a few doctors about it and have gone to physiotherapy. The only thing you can do is to exercise. Yoga is really good. Eat healthy and get enough sleep. It's hard to do...when you're so tired and in pain. I was feeling a bit better when I followed my exercise routine, but then I started to get lazy when I stopped going to physio every day. And of course the pain came back. I guess people with this health problem just really have to motivate themselves to eat properly and exercise. I'm trying to get back into it.
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@patootie (3592)
28 Jan 07
Some people can exercise .. but some can't .. my muscles tear easily and I have even torn tendons just getting out of the car .. I have tried building up the exercise slowly .. but it just doesn't work for me and I was getting more and more pain and even had to use a zimmer frame to walk with .. now I have stopped trying to exercise and I am back walking with one stick again ... Fibro is a recognised syndrome and it's not 'in your head' at all ... try going to the www.fibrohugs.com web site and reading through some of the info there .. give your friends the info and they will soon see that you do have a real illness ,...
@raveemenon (1071)
• India
26 Jan 07
I am neither a medico nor a counsellor. I am getting introduced to this strange and irritating illness for the first time. Sad that Allopathy could not find a cure for the same. I would recommend any alternate system of medicines that you have faith . Say something like Homoeopathy, or the so called spiritual healing like pranic healing since i found cure for many such irritating things from similar systems. do not laugh it off since my first hand experience can speak of two cases of cures , one an eczema that is incurable in allopathy and the other Asthma. Both were cured by Siddha system of medicine that is popular in Tamil nadu in India,the suggestion was from a very divine(?) source. In fact Asthma is not a disease and more of a system weakness and the eczema they say originates from anxieties and worries , that is to say, the seat is the mind and precisely the reason for no cure. But if you treat the disease and symptoms, such problems cannot be controlled but if you treat the patient it may work. That is exactly i see them doing in some of the other systems like Ayurveda , Siddha and Homeopathy . Why dont you make a try? good luck.
@patootie (3592)
26 Jan 07
About 10 years ago I started looking into the knowledge behind ayurvedic practices to help with my fibro .. It is a huge subject but to put it in a nutshell I found ayurvedic toiletries such as hair care shampoos, conditioners and all other skin creams are made 'in sympathy' with the bodies natural elements .. (sorry I have put that quite badly, but ayurvedic toiletries work in tune with our bodies) .. I now use ayurvedic toiletries and I have found them a huge help, especially with the hair loss that can be a part of fibro .. it was the petrochemicals in mass produced shampoos that was causing a lot (but not all) of my scalp problems .. I had a friend who lived in India throughout our winters .. one year he brought back a friend who was knowledgable in the Siddha system of medicine .. I was very sceptical at first .. but after being told that some foods were causing me further problems (not the only problem) .. and experimenting with not eating them and then reintroducing them to my diet I became convinced that he was helping me .. So I do understand what you are saying .. and in conjunction with western medications I do believe that by embracing the knowledge of these ancient beliefs we can help to make our bodies more 'in tune' and so less affected by fibro And no I have taken leave of my senses .. I just think that there is more than one way to treat illnesses such as fibro where it is the bodies own mechanisms going haywire that cause us the problems ... anything that helps to lessen the impact of that is a winner to me ..
@hariharbhat (1312)
• India
26 Jan 07
You have given in detail about it. I believe this site may be useful : http://www.fibromyalgia-support.org/
@patootie (3592)
26 Jan 07
Yes, there is some helpful advice on the web site .. but it is a web site that has been set up to promote their own products which are supposed to help with fibro .. I think it's probably better to get advice from an independent web site really
@unisis (1673)
• Indonesia
26 Jan 07
FMS ( fibromyalgia syndrome) is a widespread musculoskeletal pain and fatigue disorder for which the cause is still unknown. Fibromyalgia means pain in the muscles, ligaments, and tendons ? the soft fibrous tissues in the body. FMS common symptoms - Premenstrual syndrome and painful periods, chest pain, morning stiffness, cognitive or memory impairment, numbness and tingling sensations, muscle twitching, irritable bladder, the feeling of swollen extremities, skin sensitivities, dry eyes and mouth, dizziness, and impaired coordination can occur. Patients are often sensitive to odors, loud noises, bright lights, and sometimes even the medications that they are prescribed.
@patootie (3592)
26 Jan 07
Sadly .. yes, yes and yes to all that .. I'm afraid I know only too well about all these problems .. but knowing about them really does help me in my daily life .. the more I learn about fibro the more I can help myself to avoid the more severe problems of fibro .. Yesterday I had the 'itchy skin' sensations .. I find applying moisturiser and wearing soft, smooth and stretchy materials next to my skin helps enormously .. today I woke up feeling dizzy everytime I stand up .. so I will do any jobs I need to do sitting down today .. I wonder what it will be tomorrow .. oh well at least we get a variety of symptoms .. rarely the same thing twice in a row heheh!!
@emeraldisle (13139)
• United States
15 Jan 07
Thank you very much for posting this list. I had one doctor ask me if I'd been diagnosed with this but when I said I hadn't he let the matter drop. The more I find out about it the more I think this is what I have. I was reading through that list and was able to check off quite a bit of the symptoms that I have on a daily basis and if not daily at least very often. It helps to have this information for when I see my doctor. I can ask him if this is possible and if I need to get checked out for it. In same ways it helps to know what could be the problem because then you know what you are dealing with. What can be done or can't be done, what you can say is "Yep it's part of that" or what I should worry about. I know that there might not be much they can do about it at this point but at least they can do some things to help alleviate the symptoms.
@patootie (3592)
15 Jan 07
Yes, I always take a list of my symptoms with me if I have to go to hospital etc .. most medical people do not have a very big understanding of fibro .. There is a lot of information on the www.fibrohugs.com web site ..
@chertsy (3798)
• United States
26 Jan 07
I also have fibromyalgia. I have a lot of the problems you have listed. I just thought it was related to other things. Only thing I don't understand is the growing pains. I'm only 5'6. The earliest I remember having the leg cramps was at age 5. I read up on growing pains, and my pains wasn't normal for that. What I have read was that more females have this than males. I wonder why is that.
@patgalca (18164)
• Orangeville, Ontario
28 Jan 07
I believe women get more stressed than men. A great many nurses have fibromyalgia. I think men are more laid back, don't worry as much and they sure as heck don't go running to the doctor when something hurts. I have to force my husband to go to the doctor when he hurts his back or something. The men that do have it have been in very serious accidents. One was electrocuted.
@patootie (3592)
28 Jan 07
Stress is certainly not a problem for me .. I have no stressful situations at all in my life ..
@patootie (3592)
26 Jan 07
Fibromyalgia 'disrupts' many of the bodies muscles .. our eyesight can be fairly one day and a bit blurry the next, because the muscles that work the lens in the eye get fatigued more quickly that a non fibro sufferers would do .. it can even affect your nails .. if you have ridges running up your mails this can have been caused by the muscles under the nail bed affecting the growth .. 'Growing pains' are probably just the muscles growing too fast for the bone structure on which they sit, but in a fibro sufferer in can also be muscle fatigue .. for instance walking 200 metres to someone with fibro can cause as much muscle fatigue and pain as a 'normal' person running 2-3 miles .. we need to be very careful not to damage our muscles by doing too much repetitive actions such as walking, lifting etc I have read a lot about fibro and I think the reason more women can suffer with fibro than men is because our muscles are generally less sturdily built .. we simply don't have such a strong muscular framework and so the muscles can be affected more by fibro than by men .. although I do believe there are many men out there who do have fibro .. but they just don't have so many muscles based problems to get diagnosed as suffering with fibro ..
• United States
27 Jan 07
I have Fibro also. I guess I should do more research on it as I didn't know all these things went along with it. I know some days I can't type very well and some days I do pretty good. I get things turned around. The speed is usually still there but the letters don't end up in the right order. :-) I also have a LOT of trouble thinking straight. Words are in the files but I can't pull them up. So I'll say get that thing a lot because I can't come up with the word. My family gets rather frustrated with me but I just can't help it. It just won't come to me. Sometimes I'll say something and not even realize that it was the wrong thing until someone questions me and then I have to say, well, I meant...... Argh! The muscle spasms are probably the most annoying to me because they HURT!!!!! Especially the ones in the thigh. I've even had muscle spasms in the top of my head! I didn't know the ringing in the ears went with it either. I have many of the symptoms listed and maybe most but not usually all at the same time. And the light, noise and smell thing! I didn't know that went with it. I just thought I was overly sensative. There was one site I was on that had a message board and one of the threads was about juicing. People are having some very good results with using a juicer with various fuits. I haven't tried it yet. I think one of the most frustrating things about it is that we look completely normal so people expect us to act normal. It's like they don't believe we really have a problem and it's all in our heads. I try to lead a normal life and, for the most part, do. I hurt but nobody wants to hear how miserable I feel so I mostly keep it to myself. I also feel like my internal thermosat is broken. I can't be comfortable for long. I'm either too warm or too cold and ALWAYS TIRED!!!
@patgalca (18164)
• Orangeville, Ontario
28 Jan 07
Yes, I have the ringing in the ears too. I think that keeps me from getting to sleep more than the pain does. I take sleeping medication which helps tremendously. I go to bed late but fall right asleep and sleep through the night. Last I heard doctors were reluctant to relate ringing in the ears to fibromyalgia. I also heard there is a water pill that helps but doc didn't want to put me on anymore meds as my kidney creatine levels have been up.
@patootie (3592)
28 Jan 07
This is why I am trying to learn as much as I can about this syndrome .. just knowing about muddling words and difficulty in thinking makes me feel better to know it's 'normal' .. it's general called 'fibro fog' as it's like trying to think through a thick fog .. I think having a healthy diet with lots of fruit is good whether you are ill or not .. and I do like fruit juice as it's a good thirst quencher when we have the 'dry mouth' problems ..
@mari61960 (4893)
• United States
15 Jan 07
I had a friend that worked under me, one day we went out for dinner during our break at work. A thirteen year old boy had stolen his parents car and ran a red light, slamming into my car. My car was totaled but we were basically ok. My friend had a stiff neck the next day but we had both been checked out at the hospital. My freind got more aches and pains as time went on. She was eventually diagnosed with Fybromyalgia. The doctor said it was probably brought on during the trauma of the accident.
1 person likes this
@patootie (3592)
15 Jan 07
No one seems to quite know why, but a traumatic incident is often what can start off Fibromyalgia Syndrome .. practically everyone I know with fibro has had an accident or major psychological shock of some kind ..
• United States
18 Jan 07
Wow, thank you for providing all of the information, I now can refer others to this posting when they have a question.. It was very kind of you to do, and you gave information that I don't think I even got from my doctors when I was dx'd. Thanks again, happy posting!:)
@patootie (3592)
18 Jan 07
I am sorry to learn you have this dratted syndrome ... it's quite amazing how many folks do suffer with it .. and suffer in silence as all too few medical people learn anything about it .. don't forget to check out the www.fibrohugs.com web site when I was first diagnosed I found so much information on that site and in fact printed it off for my own doctor to read ..
@cjsmom (1423)
• United States
15 Jan 07
I know what you're going through as my sister-n-law has it as well. There's no proof but we feel that she contracted it after some heavy items fell on top of her head while at work. She has tried everything with her doctor and nothing really seems to help her. When I talk to her I'll ask her what she is taking and if she gets a bit better I can contact you and keep you informed if you'd like. Request me as an friend if you'd like. God Bless.
@patootie (3592)
15 Jan 07
The accident could well have triggered the fibro .. as it seems to be quite a common theme for this kind of accident to start fibro off ... www.fibrohugs.com has a lot of good and helpful info .. I hope your sis-in-law can find some relief from her symptoms ..
• United States
15 Jan 07
I have never heard of that. That's good to know. I dont think I can even say that word.
@patootie (3592)
15 Jan 07
Heheh .. crazy word isn't it .. fi-bro-my-al-gia if that helps .. it is sometimes also called Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) and even sometimes ME (Myalgic Encephalopathy My-al-jik En-kefa-lop-athy) .. although my underdstanding is that all three syndromes are caused by slightly differing bodily problems, but all effectively have the same symptoms ..
@Meljep (1666)
• United States
15 Jan 07
You are right -- this is a very miserable condition. A lot of people don't understand it and therefore someone who has it can sometimes be accused of being just lazy. Some people take MSM Glucosamine Chondroitin to assist in the management of the symptoms. It will be great when they come up with a cure for this.
@patootie (3592)
15 Jan 07
I think the problem is we can look quite well and healthy .. even though inside we feel really awful and are in constant pain .. I really don't know what symptoms I am going to wake up with from one day to the next ... today I am having the 'spinning head' disorientation ... each time I get up the room whooshes round ... so today I will just have to do a lot of sitting around type jobs until the spinning goes away ... and severe 'flu like symptoms .. I really just want to crawl back into bed ... At least we get a bit of variety each day with our symptoms hahaha!! Not funny at all I know but we have to have a laugh don't we ...
@samsonskola (3357)
• United States
15 Jan 07
I too have had fibromyalgia for several years. I was reading through the list that you put up and realized the onset of other conditions of this that I hadn't remembered as being associated with this. I know how it is to try to deal with this. There's nothing so far that has really helped me with my symptoms, possible fr a short time, that's all. Hopefully someone will come up with some better answers someday in the future. Until then, it will be as someone I know once told me...On a good day, I hurt...On a bad day, I'm miserable. It's a shame more can't be done.
@patootie (3592)
15 Jan 07
I am sorry you have this miserable disease .. I take pain killers daily to help my brain deal with the pain .. I can take the edge off and still function albeit still in pain of some kind all the time .. but if I take enough pain killers to completely remove the pain then I am practically a zombie and would need 24 hour care ... I think the main thing is to try and pace yourself .. my consultant said never do any more that 70% of what you feel capable of doing .. then you don't get so exhausted ..
@lumina83 (131)
• France
15 Jan 07
hello, my daughter in law has to live with it since a few years. She goes from doctors to doctors but none of them can help to fight pain... And where i live (france) fibromyalgia isn't recognized as a real desease. She stopped her work, and with another desease she would have a little income from social help, but nothing because french medicine says it's not a real desease... Many of people (and families) touched by fibromyagia try to have the same rights for fybromialgia as for others deseases... It will take a long time fighting, but one day they'll win.
@patootie (3592)
15 Jan 07
I am so sorry to hear your daughter in law is not getting the help she deserves .. I know we would all work if we could ... and I hope the French authoroties will soon realise this .. There is a lot of helpful info on the Canadian www.fibrohugs.com web site .. maybe she can print off some of the info to give to her medical people ... it might help her get better recognition for the syndrome ..
• India
15 Jan 07
Best Answer - Chosen By Voters Dear,visit a real good specialist,a neurologist.to say accurately is it CFS and fibromyalgia or depression.I am inclined to think that if you not present the symptoms of depression it is more likely you not to suffer from it..and there's so sure solution and also harmless..for CFS is reqiered to be treated simply with the addition of arginine aspartame,so try it..Sargenor is one product which contains it and you can buy it without prescription and has no side effects..Unfortunately,too many specialist don't pay the needed attention and are inclined to superficial answers like too much stress,just a case of depression etc.I really suggest you to try(again I repeat Aspartame is totally free and taken even without a prescription will not harm you)..Sagenor..I suffered from CFS and that helped me within 10 days.I also suffered from depresson and can tell there's a great difference between them!! Good luck and if you need more info or whatever I'll be glad to answer you!!
@patootie (3592)
15 Jan 07
I think you need to find a better specialist .. aspartame is a poison in anything more than very small doses .. and is known to cause many illnesses .. Take care my friend .. sounds like you need help
• India
15 Jan 07
Oh really interesting.
@patootie (3592)
15 Jan 07
Umm .. well thanks .. !
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