Fibromyalgia

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Cranio Sacral is just plan awesome. It always made me feel so much better. (I should go again since it has been so long).

I used to think it was more than a coincidence than my husband and I both had pains on the same days in the same places and we both experienced many other symptoms which we now know to be those of FM/CFS. I received a diagnosis of Fibromyalgia in February 2006 from a Rheumatologist. At the time I was quit pissed, as I felt it was a wastebasket diagnosis and I was being dismissed. The more I read though, the more it fit, so I finally accepted that maybe she wasn't a quack after all. Took me a good year or better to accept that fibromyalgia might exist.

My husband and I both have AS, and though he has not been formally diagnosed with fibromyalgia, his symptoms at times are worse than mine.

I got the diagnoses for fibromyalgia back in 1985. They were calling it polymyelitis, then, and put me on some type of anti-inflammatory drug, which bothered my GI tract. Ten years later, it developed into the whole chronic fatigue/fibro syndrome, and I was diagnosed by a Rheumatologist. Soon it got so bad that I had to stop working full time.

There's one other thing I feel like I should ask about. I don't know if it's a muscle or nerve thing, or neurological, but I thought it might be related to the general weakness I feel, especially on waking up. Sometimes, mostly in the mornings, I'll find that my right arm is somewhat weak and very tight, and my hand will curl into an unusual position when relaxed. I'm still able to use it, but it just tightens up and doesn't hang normally. It has also occasionally happened to my left hand, but to a lesser degree.

I had considered the possibility that I may have simply slept on top of my arm and forgotten it, or whatever, but I'm pretty sure that's not the case, though it sometimes also happens when my arm falls asleep. It doesn't happen very often, but it doesn't usually seem to matter how I sleep. In general, it goes away and my hand returns to a normal position within the time it takes me to take a shower and get dressed, which is maybe half an hour to an hour some mornings when I'm feeling really weak and slow.

It doesn't feel tingly or anything, just tight and unnaturally curled.

I have FM and was interested to hear my physio's explanation that FM is a form of muscle sensitivity. I guess that makes sense. I am over sensitive in so many other areas, why not muscles too?

I have alway had fatigue for as long as I remember. that is the one of the first things I went to the doctor about. It is not taken seriously. I get by I don't bother perusing that anymore. I happen to believe CFS, FM, ME are loose terms describing sensory issues.

haha ive seen that Fibromyalgia comercial, with that lady reading the book shes all, hands so sore to the touch.. and then she goes on about how its a real condition and they now have a med for it

Fibromyalgia reminds me of that smelling disorder were people cant stand anything that smells like purfume or gas, one of my sisters friends mothers has it and collects ssdi for it because eveyone wears purfume or colone at jobs, shes so wierd

taken&edistyled from first link, for reading comfort purposes only:

SYMPTOMS of Chiari or Spinal Cord Compression are exacerbated by exertion,
esp. by leaning the head backward or coughing; symptoms may include:

- headache in back of head, may radiate behind eyes and into neck & shoulders
- disordered eye movements, vision changes
- dizziness, autonomic symptoms (orthostatic intolerance, NMH)
- muscle weakness
- unsteady gait
- cold, numbness & tingling in the extremities
- chronic fatigue
- tinnitis (ringing, buzzing or watery sounds in the ears)
- sleep apnea
- speech impairment
- hearing loss
- gastrointestinal problems, irritable bowel syndrome, frequent urination
- lack of gag reflex, difficulty swallowing

this listing might just be picked up by someone & turned into
have-you-ever-experienced-questionnaire; responses to be indicated by bolding -
or even by simply preserting y/n/? [1/0/?]

however: latter mode does not allow for my automatic response to Q1:
[hm... gonna have to give that one a good think] which is notquitethesameas [ ? ]
solution: anyone answering [ ? ] should comment

o well oblio wrote:
this listing might just be picked up by someone & turned into
have-you-ever-experienced-questionnaire

? - headache in back of head, may radiate behind eyes and into neck & shoulders
0 - disordered eye movements, vision changes
? - dizziness, autonomic symptoms (orthostatic intolerance, NMH)
1 - muscle weakness
1 - unsteady gait
1 - cold, numbness & tingling in the extremities
? - chronic fatigue
1 - tinnitis (ringing, buzzing or watery sounds in the ears)
? - sleep apnea
? - speech impairment
1 - hearing loss
1 - gastrointestinal problems, irritable bowel syndrome, frequent urination
? - lack of gag reflex, difficulty swallowing

all ?? would have to involve introspective judgement as to "would i lable X as Y? yes i have experienced the occasional problem with fatigue but what would constitute chronic; sleep apnea: same; swallowing: similar
a number would require more exact definition: exactly what type of speech impairment are you looking for; what do you specifically mean by autonomic symptoms

i mean: a symptoms-list should not stop at simply listing xxx-symptoms
that symply means nothing practical

[quote="monty"]Fibromyalgia links at Shrubmed

Acupuncture, massage and hypnosis seem to be some of the best researched natural therapies for fibromyalgia.

There are a few studies that show that a vegetarian diet can help fibro - a couple of theories on this, including 1) less inflammation (less oxidized cholesterol, homocysteine, CRP) with a vegetarian diet, 2) animal proteins are different enough from our proteins to trigger an immune response, but they are similar enough so that the antibodies we produce attack our own muscles.

If you think you might have fibromyalgia or have aches and pain in the muscles, you should check out myofascial therapy - fibromyalgia and myofascial syndrome go together in many cases. Myofascial therapy is a type of massage therapy that you usually can do yourself. The basic idea is that 'knots' can form in muscles, and these knots generate pain and inflammation. When one knot forms, the body tries to shift the load to surrounding muscles to avoid the pain or discomfort - and it leads to a condition where the other muscles get knotted up. Some people for whatever reason (genetics, biochemistry, or ??) seem to form the knots easily, especially after injury or even exercise strain... I get them from sitting at a desk too long or driving.

I have spent $20 for a how-to book (The Trigger Point Therapy Workbook: Your Self-Treatment Guide for Pain Relief) and $30 for a tool called the thera-cane (which lets me reach all the points in my back and shoulders). A person could do it for cheaper using improvised tools (like a tennis ball in a sock hung from the wall - just lean against the ball to find and massage out knots in the back).

I also have chronic myofascial pain. There are many books about how to deal with these knots, educate yourself and experiment with self treatment. If you have a large or muscular frame you will likely need more pressure to get the muscles to release. I personally use a lacrosse ball instead of a tennis ball because it is so much denser and does a better job of penetrating my muscles.

I have actually found something that works 50x better. It is called Gokavi acupuncture. It was developed by a Dr. in Canada and you can find many practitioners who are well trained in Canada. I live in the US and there are only 3 Dr who are certified in the whole country. Look up Gokavi acupuncture on google to find the Dr's website. If you submit a question to Dr Gokavi via her website and leave her your telephone number she will call you personally, she is incredibly kind with her time and expertise.

After many years searching for an answer to my pain I found that I had done damage to nerves and all my other problems sprouted from this nerve damage. Don't give up searching for an answer and solution to your pain. If you have fibro you should also read a book by Devlin Starlin, this is her website it is incredibly educational. www.sover.net
Good luck, let me know if I can answer any questions for you.

Have you had any neck or whiplash injuries? Your arm symptoms sound like thoracic outlet syndrome, I have that also.

Do you have pain in the back of your head at the base of your skull? That is a common site for nerve damage from an injury which could be the start of your problems.