Fibromyalgia Support Group

Thanks for all your great answers. They basically are the same if you look at it. I also had wierd illnesses throughout my life. When I was six years old, I was sick for 3 mos with a fever over 101 and could not go to school. I had asthma, and was always sort of frail.. I started running, up to 15miles a day (I now think it was too much for a kid), but it helped me at the time. I had mononucleosis at age 16, I have the herpes simplex virus, with cold sores, but not often. I got severe mold illness from a house that was filled with many types of mold. The same time that Ed McMann got it, and sued, his dog died from it. Same thing, a leak was not fixed. I got pleurisy that never recovered when I climbed a mountain. I remember in high school, as a runner, one of the girls said to the coach "how come Carla's legs seem to sink into the ground when she runs?" Boy, I just loved that comment, there was the fatigue for you...I actually thought that in between illnesses, I felt good, but it was my "normal". Then as Peace said, I had tons of stress, and then multiple events stacked, and my body could not get out of that fight or flight. The adrenals are meant to pour out cortisol for 15 seconds, like when a robber breaks in, not for 15 years.... I just spent an hour reading and talking to a representative of the Portland Fibromyalgia and CFS center. They have centers all over the US, and they also believe it is more a "result" of different things in different people, trauma, illness, viruses, shock, chronic pain, etc, that leads to fibro. So they want to treat the underlying cause. Sorry Peace you had that 3 year relationship. I agree, I was told by a doctor, "you cannot take stress, and you have had way more than the average stress. " And then trying to treat the disease creates stress, so I am learning to take little bites of tasks.. it is a whole new life... I am sure there are books with antidotes, but these stories were incredible. I actually think people with fibro are to be commended because you have to have STRENGTH, to go through what we go through. Hugs everyone, raindrop

same for me as everyone!
if you read my journel =i have all in there had so many illness & tradgiety its a wonder i can even speeck!
if it wasn't one thing it was another since my birth in 1955 every year or two was something!
& i think our bodies or minds can only handle so much =then just shorts out!
sending eveyone healing prayers & angels
0x0
paula

Is a Definate Dis-Ease...to Bee sure

I have a specialist who's been working with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome since the early 70's. People come from all around the States to see him. He says that CFS is the disease and that Fibromyalgia is one of it's results. (I'm with Peace on the Whatever part - call it what you want)

Special doc says it's caused by a herpes spectrum virus most of us get by the time we're 3. It can lie dormant in us for up to 30 years. It settles in our brain tissue. Once activated by a trama - mental or physical - it invades our weakened parts. That's why we're all the same, but different.

It starts at the HPA axis and works its way through like the steel ball of a pachinko machine.

I've been on anti-viral med (Valtrex) since February and I really think it's doing something fibro-wise.

There's some good science behind it all but I write this with a grain of salt because I've been fooled before. I want to be ok more than anything. It's been nearly 20 years and I'm so ready to start living my life.

I have spinal cord stenosis, however muscles, fatigue etc started about a year ago, I would make all kinds of excused, I'm stress not eating well, etc. I thougth I was going crazy. My quality of life went way down hill, I loved to walk and couldn't, I just got through work, then would sleep, my weekends were spent on the couch sleeping or in pain. I am now on Cmybalta, ti helps somewhat. I take Vitamen D, B12, C and a multi. What I don't understand is some days I feel pretty go then it seems to hit again. Do others experience this? I am 61 years old, still work as a social worker, and used to be very active.....Help I need info!

I start to notice my pains after i injured my ankle really bad. I was and am under a lot of stress in my relationship with my hubby. I was told from my doctor that most people that have fibro have been sexually/emotionally abused in there life. In my case that is true.

I guest with me being only 4 years old the fear and pain had to go somewhere within.

Think I have always had it and that the very painful "growing pains" I experienced as a kid was the first sign of it. I am an abuse survivor which yes I think plays a part in all this mess

hmm... i've been on Zovirax for maybe a year or so... 400 mg 2x a day... i don't get any more lip blisters or any blisters above my groin... and the extreme pain (on my R side & leg) asc with the blisters isn't there anymore....

but as far as the FM goes, it has had NO effect on those symptoms. ....wish it did, cuz i hate this shit.

mocha,

we DO experience what you describe... we seem ok then it all hits us again. this is very common and pretty much fibro's nature. you have to be very careful and pace your self. almost anything can trigger it. what you described as "hitting you" is called a FLARE. anything can bring a flare on, weather, stress, over doing it one day, loud noises, etc. just make sure that one day when you feel "ok" to not use all your energy at once. save some for the next day. and pay close attn to your body, if it says stop and lay down ,then do so.

also try to get some swimming in like 1x a week (up to 4x a week). it would be really good for the fibro.

there probably is a genetic component to it. i think our brains are wired differently since we all seem to be oversensitive to lots of things. weather, cold or hot, pain, sounds, and everything in our environment. i stopped dance as a kid because my ankles hurt so much. i remember crying the first time someone filed my nails with an embry board. the blood pressure cuff always makes me yelp, too. and the urinary stress. the out of control aspects of the autonomic system which is just supposed to regulate us without thought. until i started restorative sleeping with xyrem i could not recover. now my pain level is way down and i can be more active. i use xyrem twice a night, mixed with crystal light, and have been doing this for 3 years. hope you get a chance to try it. i felt better the morning after. right away. it was like the fairy tale; sleeping beauty. awakened not with a kiss but with a chemical.