fibromyalgia syndrome

Read and learn more about fibromyalgia syndrome. For more, visit the Pain Q&A website FeelTheHurt.com

Q: fibromyalgia syndrome?
My wife suffers from fibromyalgia syndrome and gets run down quite easily. Today she fainted twice and banged her head on the radiator. Obviously this is a little worrying as I would normally have been at work. She gets hardly any help from our GP. Every time somethings wrong with her he just says ‘Yeah, that’ll be your FMS’. Shes on strong medication (forever, we assume) to help with the pain. Is there anybody out there who might give us a little bit of good advice???

A: Fibromyalgia Syndrome – Cause – Diagnosis – Symptoms – Treatment
Fibromyalgia syndrome cause, diagnosis, symptoms, medications, pain relief, and treatment. Fibromyalgia syndrome is a chronic condition characterized by body aches, widespread pain, sleep problems, extreme fatigue, depression, anxiety, and other symptoms, in combination with tenderness of specific areas (muscles and tender points) on the body.

http://arthritis.about.com/od/fibromyalgia/Fibromyalgia_Syndrome_Cause_Diagnosis_Symptoms_Treatment.htm

Q: Where can I find a good doctor for fibromyalgia /chronic fatigue syndrome?
I’m based in Leicestershire, UK, and need a good NHS doctor, sympathetic and knowledgeable about fibromyalgia / chronic fatigue syndrome. Any suggestions how/where I might be able to access one?

A: Really sorry you have this, can’t really help, but in our area its impossible to find anyone who has an interest. My consultant saw me once told me to adjust my life style to cope and then signed me off. had some hydrotherapy and then was sent to a fitness classs which I declined because there was no way. No one seems to understand the nature of this awful illness.

Q: Can fibromyalgia or chronic fatigue syndrome be secondary to another medical problem?
My business partner has been VERY ILL for about 6 months I came across a article about cronic fatigue syndrome and fibromyalgia. He has every symptom. we have been to several physicians but still no diagnosis. Should we be looking for something specific other then CFS. can cronic fatigue syndrome secondary to other medical conditions?

A: The best way to be diagnosed is to get an appointment with a Rheumatologist. The College of rheumatology came up with the Tender Points and the diagnostic tool, which is still the standard in determining whether it is Fibromyalgia or one of the other diseases which it can mimic. Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome share many similar symptoms but are two separate diseases. A person can have both and yes they can be secondary to another separate Disease. Below I will list a couple of sites you may want to check into. I have found them very helpful in my own disease process. I am sorry for your friend’s illness and hope that at least a diagnosis will be forthcoming. My diagnosis was years in the process, so I understand the frustration. Recently there is so much more attention on the disease with the FDA approving a drug specifically for use with Fibromyalgia, that your friend will hopefully not have as far to go for an answer. Good luck to you both.

Q: How do I differentiate between chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia, and depression?
I have all the symptoms for CFS and fibromyalgia. All my blood work comes up clean. Since I am a teenage girl, my doctors are trying to push depression although i don’t present the mental symptoms. My parents beleive it is more like CFS or fibromyalgia. How can i differentiate and get the correct diagnosis?

A: 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!!

Q: I have suffered with fibromyalgia syndrome for over eight years. I have yet to find a combination of medicine
What is the best medications to take for fibromyalgia syndrome that won’t cause weight gain and have the least side effects?

A: That depends on the patients and their willingness to try lifestyle and dietary changes in addition to their medications. There is no simple answer.

In the next year there is going to be a new class of antidepressant that is going to come out that will make major changes in many disorders(Agomelatine), fibro being one of them. It works on both depression and insomnia without the fatigue we get from the current sleep meds. This medication also has none of the sexual side effects of our current medications. I would assume any medication that doesn’t have fatigue as a side effect will be most helpful for those of us suffering from weight gain problems. The medication is in final trials now. There is hope out there so hang tough .

Q: I think i might have chronic faitgue syndrome or fibromyalgia. how can i tell the difference?
I have been sick since late october early november. So far, the doctors have not been able to diagnose anything and have basically been putting me on random medications just to relieve the symptoms. I have missed 28 days of school since I first began getting sick and I can only miss two more before the end of school. I’m only fifteen.
Symptoms I have:
Fatigue (sleeping thirteen hours +) i have real trouble making it through a school day without falling asleep)
exhaustion
pain in my knees, ankles, and weirdly my elbows.
headaches
congestion
ive had a fever a couple times..
ive been really nauseous occasionally and ende up having to go to the ER because of it.

Does anyone who has CFS or Fibromyalgia identify with these symptoms or know of any other possible causes?
p.s. All blood tests have come up normal, and I dont have rashes or bruising on my body.

A: Oh Boy, Fibromyalsia is really tough to diagnose, but my guess would be at your age it isn’t that. Sounds more like Rheumatoid Arthritis, to me. Your other symptoms DO coincide with either disease. Except for the nausea, and that is probably from your meds. Your body is young for all or those and they are very bad for you.

I too have had a slew of blood tests going as far back as when I was 17(I’m 42 now) and nothing ever showed up in those tests until about 3yrs ago. Have your parents ask for extensive X-Rays, and a MRI. That is one true way to show the deterioration of your cartilage. My son is 21 and has also been diagnosed w/ Osteoarthritis, So you might try to determine if it is in your family background.

I have found 1 product that has been very helpful to my son and I, and its natural. Kinda expensive but we both feel its worth it!!!!

Questions? you can e mail me at bearsmom2005@yahoo.com
Good Luck, it is a long journey, but dont give up!

Q: which website gives the best information about fibromyalgia syndrome?
my friend is suffer this and i want to known how i can help her
thks very much for yours answers

A: Fibromyalgia is a common nonarticular disorder of unknown cause characterized by achy pain, tenderness, and stiffness of muscles, areas of tendon insertions, and adjacent soft tissues. Diagnosis is clinical. Treatment includes exercise, local heat, and drugs for pain and sleep.

Q: how do i get my spouse to understand about my Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue syndrome?
She seems to think I am super women and I can get all housework done and errands in my condition. I just feel like laying down because of the pain and fatigue.

A: soem fibromyalgia association is promoting teh clothespin test-have the well partner put clothespins on her fingers and see how tehy tolerate it-

Think the pregnancy simulators that they have for teh non pregnant partner to teach tehmhow it feels-

could do something liek have your partner wear restrictive clothing-weights on arms and legs-set the alarm to go off at midnight-just keep hitting the snooze to bewoken up agian 9 minutes later-get up after only 3 hours of sleep for a week to simulate the fatigue…..

Q: Is anyone suffering from Fibromyalgia Syndrome and how do you cure it?

A: There are plenty of people suffering, because there isn’t a cure.

There are, however, ways to manage the symptoms, and you can improve your quality of life and prognosis.

It’s important to understand that fibromyalgia (FMS) is a neurological disorder of hypersensitivity. That means that the nervous system is cranked up to “high” for some reason, and can respond more intensely to all kinds of things. Most people are aware of the fact that people with FMS feel pain more intensely than other people, but we are also more sensitive to temperature changes, lighting, aromas, tastes, textures, and all kinds of other things. FMS can cause someone to take longer to heal from any kind of illness or injury, or to be more prone to illness.

The severity of FMS symptoms can wax and wane over time. When they are particularly bad, we refer to that period as a “fibro flare” or say the patient is “in a flare.” Stress is a major aggravating factor, and stress reduction can reduce your overall level of symptoms and the frequency of your flares.

Stress is a fairly anomalous concept, of course, and as long as we’re alive, we’re experiencing stress. But there are things we can control. We can reduce our contact with people who are particularly difficult to be around, even ending relationships with nasty people. We can change our living conditions, decluttering and making our homes easier to keep up with and more peaceful to live in.

One thing I very strongly recommend is establishing a “retreat zone” in your bedroom. Make that your safe place, where no arguments or difficult conversations are allowed. Do nothing unpleasant there. Bring in a HEPA air cleaner if you have any allergies. Make the room as dark as possible to guard your sleep. A fan or other white-noise generator will help to mask sounds from outside the noise. Give yourself a comfy place to sit and pursue your hobbies, if possible.

Reduce the stress on your body by cleaning up your diet. Eat fresh, whole foods, as close to the source as possible. Try reduce the amount of processed, packaged, “junk” foods you eat. Drink plenty of clean, filtered water.

Move gently every day. Stretch, do something like yoga or water exercise, continue some sport or activity you love – be as active as your body allows.

Warm baths and heating pads can help with the pain. If you need medication, don’t be shy about asking your doctor for help. If the meds that your general physician or rheumatologist will give you aren’t enough, ask for a referral to a pain management specialist. You aren’t likely to get one ’til you’ve been through a year or so of the meds from a rheumatologist, but after that, it’s reasonable to seek the referral.

Be warned, though, that if you have any history of drug or alcohol abuse, especially with any legal record, pain management doctors are unlikely to take you as a patient. They’re under too much legal scrutiny to do so.

Finally, keep a positive attitude. Take care of yourself emotionally and spiritually. Give yourself time to play – schedule it! In fact, schedule regular “dates” with yourself and separate dates with your partner, if you have one.

Chronic illness can be very hard on relationships. Be conscious of that, and talk openly with your partner about the strain. It may be a good idea to find a family therapist so that the whole family can have some extra support and a way to face the issue together. If you have kids, they may be afraid of what’s going on and not sure whether or not it’s okay to talk about it.

Good luck!

Q: Did you know Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome arent diseases?
They’re simply the symptom of a chemical intoxication or a nutrient deficiency.
Foods from stores contain chemicals. MSG is in almost all canned foods.

A: ther is a differenc ebetween REAL FMS and chemical intoxification andnutrient defiency

ALL 3 exist…..

just because some people have pain and fatigue from MSG or chemicals doesn’t mean tehy have fibromyalgia….

if the MSG theory were true–more people with be sick

there is a rumor about nutrasweet being teh cause of fibro–i never had nutrasweet–yet i have fibro

there are 2 types

REAL fibro
FAKE fibro

among the subtypes of teh fake–are teh attention seekinghypochonriacs and lazy people….as well as peoiple who really have something else such as lymes, arhritis, etc.

i have had REAL fms for over 30 years….i worked at least full time–if not over time–including volunteer work until last year when i experienced a major decline….i do also have a couple otehr conditions that complicate it….

when it started i was a child–i couldn’t keep up with my peers..at times it hurt to breathe and i felt like i was suffocating…i was very uncoordinated….

in my teens i was in excrutiating pain–i would press my leg against the heater trying to relive teh pain…

when i moved into my own place–i told teh neighbors not to call teh police if tehy heard me screaming at night–i was just in pain and tehre wasnithing taht could be done

i had FMS alone for about 12 years without any other chronic helath problems

so yes it is real–but it ishighly overdiagnised..

most docs are incompetant and are teh cause of teh problem–they label any pain–even if due to lifestyle choices or another condition as FMS

i know a diagnosiable hypochndriac taht has iot–as well as someoen who was trying to collect SSDI–while working in child care…..

i have heard many people on here say it is autoimmune or what theya re taking fro inflammation–

it is NOT beleived to be autoimmune–tehre is NO inflammtion–those people are most likely misdiagnosed

i say a couple say they were diagnosed with thyroid and fms on the same day–that in not possible–you have to manage th ethyroid 1st before you can consider teh fms diagnosis…thyroid casues paion and fatigue.

i have seen MANY people on her say they were initially diagnosed with FMS…butt han dound out tehy had thyroid or MS or lymes, etc…..most likely they nver had fms

many docs call teh pain of lymse –fms
or the pain of arthrist is fms–that is MALPRACTICE

they are starting to find irregularities in objective tests..hopefully they will be able to show who really has it and who doesn’t

i am 99% sure i really ahve it–i know i have something–i just cna’t be 100% sure it is fms

unfortunately most people with REAL fms do not recognize teh problem of misdiagnosis and automatically beleive everyione that says they have it–

i will not go to support groups or assocaite withotehr who claim to have it–unless i can beleive they might really have fms–

my hypochondriac friend consatntly whines about it–and i am really sick–and sick of her her bit$% when she really isn’ty sick–this woman thinks she has every disease she hears about..inlcuding cerebal palsy, autism, cancer, pnemonia, etc….

there is a difference between being tired and achy and being in such intense pain you can’t stand up or sleep..

at night i would dig my nails into my stomach trying to disctart myself from the pain in my legs

anyone who claims to ahve cured fms never had it in teh 1st place…they had a different condition such as a nutrional problem taht casued pain and fatigue

i don’t knwo why its all or nothing with people–they think it must always be true if someone says tehy have fms–or its always fake–

its both–i wouldn’t be surprised of only 10% of people claiming to have fms really do–and 90% of the tyime its the docs fault for misdiagnosisng it–teh people are really sick–just not with fms

just like ADHD–it is a real problem–but its also an excuse for misbehaving kids

Q: What’s the difference between fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome? Is fibro just a milder form of CFS?

A: one is NOT milder than the other

no one knows for sure–they may be teh same thing or variations of tehe same the thing–like type 1 and type 2 diabetes

for now they are considered to be different conditions…

cfids is thought to be autoimmmune and has more ’sick’ type symtpoms lick sore throat fever headache
fms is not beleived to be autoimmune

generally–if someoens primary symtpom is fatigue–they are more likely to be diagnosed with cfids

if teh primary symtom is pain it is more likely to be diagnosed as fms

many people are diagnosed with both

Q: Any problems with getting the shingles vaccine when you have fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome?
Has anyone with CFS/FM had the shingles vaccine and did you experience any bad side-effects?

A: I would avoid a vaccine. There is mercury, formaldehyde, lead, aluminum, phenols, etc. They are not that safe. I have heard that people with fibromyalgia benefit greatly from a wheat free diet. Maybe give that a try and avoid the poisons…
http://www.thinktwice.com/
http://www.nvic.org/state-site/state-exemptions.htm
http://www.vaclib.org/index.htm
http://www.mercola.com/article/vaccines/neurological_damage.htm
http://www.informedchoice.info/cocktail.html

http://www.vaccines.bizland.com/links.htm

Q: How were you diagnosed with Fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome?

A: you don’t need to meet the exact criteria to still have FMS–but many conditions are misdiagnosed as FMS–Vitamin deficiency, hormonal problems, lymes, MS, Lupus, depression etc…..if you have any of these–you most likely don’t have FMS–especially once treated and teh symptoms go away

it is possible to have both–but FMS is highly over diagnosed by incompetant doc sho use it as a genral term for pain–

to get a diagnosis–these and other similar conditions need to be ruled out–

Q: any body suffer from Fibromyalgia syndrome ? & If so would like to have someone to chat with?

A: Find a good support group. There are several on Yahoo, and you can also find several through FMA.

Q: If you have Fibromyalgia and you have chronic myofascial pain syndrome – what treatments worked?
I’ve been suffering with Chronic Myofascial pin in my upper back all the way across & the only thing that really stops the pain is if I lay down (I’m not going into that business). I have NOT been to a therapist that specializes in myofascial pain but I do see a LMT every 2 weeks. I take muscle relaxers & Tramadol along with other pain relievers. Help!

A: I have had some luck with a supplement called d-ribose (corvalen is the brand name I use) it has helped with energy and pain some.