Fibromyalgia Support Group
You're not alone in your pain. Fibromyalgia is a condition that can be difficult to diagnose and manage. If you're trying to cope with pain throughout your body, sleep problems, general fatigue, or other common fibromyalgia symptoms, you're in the right place. The community is here for you to talk about therapies and share your challenges.
Something that I have been thinking about for a while.
Why are FM/CF patients feeling so ill, but their bloodwork shows that all items have normal values? Should we perhaps start to think outside the box, and look for other disease causing processes? For example: a virus, or a disease causing protein (called prion), or abnormal flow of brainchemicals ( neurotransmitters)? How about mitochondrial disease? Occluded cerebral vein?
The medical community is very set on tradition, ie bloodwork means white blood cells, red blood cells, iron levels etc. Well, guess what, there is nothing wrong with you, because your bloodwork says so! Don't get me wrong, I do believe the traditional test are important, life saving information. I was a healthcare professional for 25 years, and have seen firsthand how valuable these tests are.
But now, we have a problem, right? How come thousands of people have the same pattern of illness, yet there is no common and measurable disease indicator? At least, not a very helpful one. I am thinking low Vit D levels, for instance, but not sure if this finding is proven to have a causal relation with FM.
Even if there is something out of range on your bloodwork, does that mean it's the cause of FM, or a symptom of FM? Are supplements the answer, or is FM causing abnormal processing of elements such as Vit D, and supplements will further complicate the abnormality?
At the end of the day, all that we want is "our life back"! Please remember May 12 is FM awareness day, and get as many people involved as you can to find a cure!
Why are FM/CF patients feeling so ill, but their bloodwork shows that all items have normal values? Should we perhaps start to think outside the box, and look for other disease causing processes? For example: a virus, or a disease causing protein (called prion), or abnormal flow of brainchemicals ( neurotransmitters)? How about mitochondrial disease? Occluded cerebral vein?
The medical community is very set on tradition, ie bloodwork means white blood cells, red blood cells, iron levels etc. Well, guess what, there is nothing wrong with you, because your bloodwork says so! Don't get me wrong, I do believe the traditional test are important, life saving information. I was a healthcare professional for 25 years, and have seen firsthand how valuable these tests are.
But now, we have a problem, right? How come thousands of people have the same pattern of illness, yet there is no common and measurable disease indicator? At least, not a very helpful one. I am thinking low Vit D levels, for instance, but not sure if this finding is proven to have a causal relation with FM.
Even if there is something out of range on your bloodwork, does that mean it's the cause of FM, or a symptom of FM? Are supplements the answer, or is FM causing abnormal processing of elements such as Vit D, and supplements will further complicate the abnormality?
At the end of the day, all that we want is "our life back"! Please remember May 12 is FM awareness day, and get as many people involved as you can to find a cure!
this may not answer your question, but i found this interesting paragraph today about FM.
Fibromyalgia represents an energy crisis in your body; it occurs when your hypothalamus (a region of the brain that controls hormones that maintain a range of bodily functions) "blows a fuse, so to speak. And its often an event such as an infection, injury, hormonal deficiency or illness that causes the fuse to blow, explains Teitelbaum.
((hugs)) - Patricia
I do hope someone somewhere is doing some serious research into FMS cause, diagnosis and treatment. Anything they can find out will get us that much closer to feeling normal again.
I read something similar yesterday under the treatments category. The thread is called: STOP, you must read this.... (I think)
Anyway, the woman talks about her mother was Dx with FM years ago and recently discovered she had Hyperparathyroidism which is hard to diagnose. Parathyroid are located on the backside of the thyroid gland and are pretty much a whole other gland in themselves. Docs often check the thryoid but no the parathyroid. I did a little research after reading her post and found it very interesting. If you have elevated Calicium levels and anything but LOW PTH (parathyroid hormone) than boom, you have hyperparathyroidism. You may have to have your calcium levels observed over a period of time to see if they rise and fall b/c even someone with hyperparathyroidism can show normal cacium levels sometimes.
All the symptoms for hyperparathyroidism are the exact same as FM. All it is is a small tumor on one of your parathyroid glands. It is easily surgically removed and 99% of the time, not malignant. Just a small mass. My friend recently was experiencing FM symptoms along with a few others. She pretty much diagnosed herself with Cushing's Disease which is similar, in that it is a small tumor on your anterior pituitary gland. She just underwent the surgery and within 3 days had dropped 15 lbs of water weight. (Cushing's causes your body to retain fat and not be able to lose it, she was almost 400 lbs)
This has interested me enough to talk to my doctor next time I go and see if we can start monitoring my Calcium and PTH levels.
Argh.
Thakns for the heads-up on FM day! I did not know that was coming up.