Fibromyalgia: A brief summary from a patient

I had to do a health report for one of my classes and what better subject then Fibromyalgia.  I took some of the information from the two books listed at the bottom of this posting and some of the information is from experience.  I hope you enjoy reading this no nonsense summary of what fibromyalgia is to me. 

Fibromyalgia: from the Latin word fibro (fibrous tissues), my (muscles) and algia (pain), it is a chronic syndrome that affects approximately 4 percent of the population with 3.4 percent being women. This disorder affects a person’s muscles and soft tissue and almost always is accompanied by sever fatigue.  The cause is unknown but thought to because by stress, sleep disorders, trauma and possibly a change in hormones.  Unlike multiple sclerosis or rheumatoid arthritis, fibromyalgia is not progressive.  A progressive disease continues to get worse and can be fatal.  Fibromyalgia is for life and has periods of remission and flare-ups that vary in length and severity. This cycle keeps a person diagnosed with fibromyalgia in a constant state of waiting, waiting to feel better and waiting for the next flare-up to come. A person who is eventually diagnosed as having fibromyalgia may have started out by having by an episode amplified pain.  Maybe they had a minor surgery or injury but the pain is a hundred times worse than it should be. For the person without fibromyalgia the pain may be intense for a few days, maximum, but a person who is experiencing intense pain past that may be suffering from something other than a normal pain.  Along with this amplified pain comes a host of other ailments.  The best way to deal with this disorder is to be under the care physician of a qualified physician who understands the fibromyalgia patient.

What: Fibromyalgia is characterized by wide spread musculoskeletal pain, aching, and stiffness associated with sleep disturbances and fatigue. Fibromyalgia strikes people in all age ranges from young children to the elderly. Most people develop it in their 30’s and 40’s.

Why: Research on the brain inconclusively discovered that people with fibromyalgia have lower levels of important neurochemicals in the brain that effect how the brain processes things.  These include:

~Serotonin, a chemical messenger that plays a part in feelings of well-being, modulating pain and promoting deep sleep.

~Norepinephrine, dopamine and cortisol, important stress relieving hormones

.~phosphocreatine and adenosine triphosphate (ATP) which regulates calcium in muscle cells need to contract and relax.

Symptoms:

Main: Muscle pain, Tender Points and Sleep Disturbance.

Other Symptoms Associated with Fibromyalgia includes:

Fatigue, /Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Joint Pain, TMJ, Headaches/Migraines, Irritable Bowel/Bladder Syndrome, Cognitive Impairments/Memory Problems, Restless Leg Syndrome and other sleep disorders that do not let your body get restorative sleep.  Raynaud’s Phenomenon, Carpel Tunnel Syndrome, Mitro Valve Prolapse, depression/anxiety and panic disorders. Also includes wide spread pain above and below the waist on both sides of the body.

Diagnosis: Ruling out other conditions.

The doctor needs to rule out other problems and/or diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, reflex sympathy dystrophy, multiple sclerosis, and other arthritic conditions. They also need to rule out perpetuating factors such as growth hormone deficiency, hypomagnesaemia, thyroid dysfunction, vitamin deficiency, or infections such as Lyme disease or the Epstein Barr virus.

No blood test exists for fibromyalgia but excluding other conditions is important.  To proceed with a fibromyalgia diagnosis, a history of at least 3 months of widespread pain must be present. A joint and muscle examination, a neurological examination and a tender point examination test will be done. During diagnosis, your doctor will palpitate eighteen areas ranging from your neck down to your knees f testing for pain. If eleven of the eighteen points are painful (not tender) the diagnosis of fibromyalgia will be made.

Treatment: So Now What

Once diagnosis is made you can start moving forward.  You can successfully live with fibromyalgia if you manage it properly. Your doctor may prescribe medication for you to take. There are several medications on the market approved for fibromyalgia such as Cymbalta, Lyrica, Savella.  These are medications that ease pain by working on the brains chemistry.  Your doctor may also put you on an antidepressant or a mood stabilizer to help with depression and feels of hopelessness.  To also deal with your pain they may prescribe Ibuprophen or Vicodine for depending on the level.   

Lifestyle Change: Now it’s up To You.

Now is the time to make some significant changes in your life.  There are professional that can help you alter your life style so you can better manage your symptoms.

Occupational Therapy:

An occupational therapist can help you modify how you do things, sleep better, work more efficiently and have better quality of life.  They are educated in getting people going to live a full life again.

Physical Therapist:

A physical therapist will teach you how to exercise in such a way to keep your pain at a minimum while you are getting the benefit of exercising. When you have fibromyalgia the worst thing you can do is lay in bed.  Physical activity is good for your body and your spirit.

Therapist/Psychologist:

Seeing a therapist who understands what it is like to have fibromyalgia is very important. Fibromyalgia is sometimes difficult to explain and some people have a hard time understanding that it is real. 

Stress Management and Relaxation:

In order to keep your fibromyalgia in check you need to be as free of stress as possible. Chronic stress can lead to a significant flare. Eliminating anything from your life that you consider stressful will be benefit to your health.

Bibliography:

Online Sources:

Web MD Internet Site

Fibromyalgia Health Center romyalgia Health Center

http://www.webmd.com/fibromyalgia/default.htm

Hard Bound Resources

Taking Charge of Fibromyalgia: Everything You Need To Know to Manage Fibromyalgia. By Julie Kelly, M.S., R.N. and Rosalie Devonshire, M.S.W., LCSW Fifth Edition Published by Fibromyalgia Education Systems, Inc. 1991-2005

The Complete Idiots Guide To Fibromyalgia, Second Edition By Lynne Matallana with Laurence A. Bradley, Ph.D. Published by Alpha, A member of Penguin Group(USA) Inc. 2009

Additional Source:

Debbee Finney, I have fibromyalgia.  I was diagnosed in 2004 and have been to doctors that think I am lying, I’m a hypochondriac and I have mental problems.  Fibromyalgia has a huge psychological component when it comes to the support you get.  I was fortunate enough to find a doctor in 2009 that changed the way I deal with my illness.  I went through a Rehabilitation program at Cedar Sinai in Los Angeles in 2010 and have been doing very well with the lifestyle changes I have made. Some of the information in my report comes from my experience as a patient. 

Drastic Measures

In my quest to find a doctor to help me I found out how the medical field really views the diagnosis of Fibromyagia. They don't believe you.  "Hypochondriac"," lazy", "exercise more", "eat better", "your just depressed"..on and on it went.  I now had a diagnosis but no one I could turn to.  Every time I had a problem it was difficult to travel to Santa Barbara, so I eventually gave up on seeking help from any doctor. I only went to an acupuncturist at that point along with self medicating myself.
I had plenty of pain pills, anti inflammatories, a tens units and plenty of alcohol. That is the way I made it through the day.  I was in bed, in pain, all day. It was all I could do to drop off and pick up the kid from school.  It was back to my bed  until I had to cook dinner and act like a wife and mother. I would have more then a few drinks to make it through the evening and then I had insomnia so bad that I stayed up all night trying to do some sort of crafts to keep my mind busy.  This was the vicious cycle I had created.  It got to the point where I was not making rash decisions.  My husband had no idea what was going on financially. Between my not working and trying to keep my spot at the salon, we were in trouble financially but I was so far out of it that I did not think to tell him. All the stress of the constant pain and worry over if I was ever going to get better had caused me to lose touch with reality, I was on my way to having a mental breakdown.  In late November I was done, I'd had enough of everything and lost it.  I cried all day.  My son came home to this broken women.  Poor boy he had no idea what to do. All I knew was that I wanted to go away. I did not want to hurt myself I just wanted to disappear. I was confused and feeling helpless. I had to get myself help. The only way I could think to be heard, to get help with my physical pain that was causing me this extreme mental anguish was to be committed. Yes as in "Psych Ward" kind of committed.  I spoke with my friends mom ,who is a nurse on a psychiatric ward, to ask where to go, who to see.  She gave me great advice and really understood how I was feeling.
My husband knew something was going on at home but since he was at work he did not fully understand it when I hold him, "When you get home I need you to take me to the hospital ". I explained when he arrived. Stunned, my husband did as I asked.  After a tearful drive to a local ER, I told the nurse that I felt I was having a breakdown and that I wanted to be admitted for a psychological evaluation. (dramatics have been omitted since this was like an out of body experience for me)
Next would come the walk through the double glass, double doors where I would spend the next 72
 hours...

My Journey Back to Living, Diagnosis

Hi I am Debbee and I suffer with Fibromyalgia.  I was diagnosed in 2004 but was undiagnosed for the many years prior with sever back, arm and leg pain... Migraines, depression, pain, bleeding, days in bed, a fallen uterus, a sagging bladder, crying, despair, exhaustion, insomnia and sever gastric problem

 I was not until I went to the Sansum Clinic in Santa Barbara, California that I was diagnosed. That was a major turning point in my life.  Along with the pain I had been suffering, I was dealing with sever menstrual bleeding that lasted for 21 days of my 28 day cycle along with a fallen uterus.  I visited every doctor in my northern Los Angeles County area and was left feeling hopeless. No one could tell me what was going on with my body.
Upon completing a comprehensive physical, I was diagnosed with Fibromyalgia. The female problem was still a mystery.  I was referred to specialists in the fields of gynecology and rheumatology. For my female issued I was finally offered what was to be the only solution to the bleeding: a  total hysterectomy.  I know it sound drastic but after having the sever bleeding for over 18 months I was ready to be done with the whole 'period" thing.  Since my husband and I had already decided to not have any more kids and had made to official by my husband getting fixed, the issue of future pregnancies was a non-issue. I was 37, married with a 15 year old son and I was ready to move on. Next was to see what I to do about this ailment I was diagnosed with. So begins my journey to become well.