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.
Grace, my 18 yo is a swimmer. When the pool isnt available, the coach will have them do drylands Grace hates it. The authors name always reminds me of that
I have begun reading. I am about to start Ch 4. He has already referred to Dr. Martinez-Lavin and Dr. Wood on fight or flight and dopamine. . This is changing how I think about FM.
I want to copy out for you the In a Nutshell bordered block at the end of Ch. 1
Fibromyalgia isnt forever -- you can recover!
People with fibromyalgia have an overactive sympathetic nervous system, also known as the bodys fight or flight response. An overactive fight or flight response results in the continual release of adrenaline, dopamine, and other important stress related hormones. If this elevated fight or flight activity continues, dopamine will become depleted.
Disruptions in your sleep cycle (which you may or may not be aware of) prevent dopamine from being replenished at night
When your body experiences fight or flight fatigue, dopamine loses its effectiveness as a filter. Its like taking out earplugs at a rock concert and discovering that the music is so loud it hurts. Once you lose the protection of dopamine, a pain blockier, all of your sensations (pain or otherwise) are suddenly amplified.
The pain caused by depleted dopamine continues to trigger the fight or flight response, and fibromyalgia becomes a self-perpetuating illness.
There is a solution to fibromyalgia. With knowledge and an effective treatment plan, you can rebalance your nervous system and reverse the fibromyalgia cycle.
In subsequent chapters, he mentions triggers that can be primary or secondary, and includes such as hypermobility, sleep apnea, PTSD, restless legs syndrome, other physical pain and emotional stress such as depression and anxiety! As I said, I am only about to begin Ch. 4, but I would highly recommend you take a look at it.
I have begun reading. I am about to start Ch 4. He has already referred to Dr. Martinez-Lavin and Dr. Wood on fight or flight and dopamine. . This is changing how I think about FM.
I want to copy out for you the In a Nutshell bordered block at the end of Ch. 1
Fibromyalgia isnt forever -- you can recover!
People with fibromyalgia have an overactive sympathetic nervous system, also known as the bodys fight or flight response. An overactive fight or flight response results in the continual release of adrenaline, dopamine, and other important stress related hormones. If this elevated fight or flight activity continues, dopamine will become depleted.
Disruptions in your sleep cycle (which you may or may not be aware of) prevent dopamine from being replenished at night
When your body experiences fight or flight fatigue, dopamine loses its effectiveness as a filter. Its like taking out earplugs at a rock concert and discovering that the music is so loud it hurts. Once you lose the protection of dopamine, a pain blockier, all of your sensations (pain or otherwise) are suddenly amplified.
The pain caused by depleted dopamine continues to trigger the fight or flight response, and fibromyalgia becomes a self-perpetuating illness.
There is a solution to fibromyalgia. With knowledge and an effective treatment plan, you can rebalance your nervous system and reverse the fibromyalgia cycle.
In subsequent chapters, he mentions triggers that can be primary or secondary, and includes such as hypermobility, sleep apnea, PTSD, restless legs syndrome, other physical pain and emotional stress such as depression and anxiety! As I said, I am only about to begin Ch. 4, but I would highly recommend you take a look at it.
When I read something about fibro or adrenal fatigue, I always am on the look out for what applies to me, and when I find something that does, then I consider trying it. So many people on here have underlying autoimmune disorders, cancer, RA, Lyme's disease and the like and what might help me, could make them sicker.
When we start comparing what we each consider to be our "triggers" there are a lot of similarities, but there are always some who have had no serious physical or emotional trauma, no Lyme or other triggering viruses, and no known exposure to toxins - at least no more than the average person who doesn't have fibromyalgia. Some of us seem to have a family connection suggesting a genetic link, others don't even know anyone else with fibromyalgia, let alone have it in their family.
It seems unthinkable to me that there will be one single cure when there is so much diversity in symptoms, and seemingly in causes/triggers as well.
I also look closely at the posts with information and symptoms that match or closely resemble mine hoping for a better understanding and/or information that will give me an "aha" moment. I'm also mindful of the fact that, as you said, what does help me may make someone else sicker.
OK I'm tired and it's way past my bedtime :)
Best to all....
It took me over 10 minutes to sign on also.
I had several things happen that could be triggers so I am not sure what one or if it was a combination. I had been feeling tired for quite some time and had a sleep study done and was diagnosed with sleep apnea but I had no pain or other symptoms at that time. My fiance was deported a few months before and I had been staining baseboards in my apartment building and was breating in toxic fumes and through my back out. Went to the chiropractor for a couple of weeks and my back was better but realized it just wasn't my back it was every where.
It was all over after that, here I am 5 years later with no job and basically no life.
What do you all think was your trigger?
I am VERY skeptical of cures and causes also. But that's b/c I think we aren't all sick for the same resaon, so what applies to one subset of FMers is not always going to apply to another. This forum is invaluable b/c it allows us to share freely our stories about what triggered, what helped, etc. I'd like to see someday a thoroughly comprehensive, well-constructed, long-term study (I mean at least ten yaers long) involving regular testing of levels of things like dopamine, viral loads, white cell counts, etc etc., as well as careful tracking of symptomology and response to treatments. That, however, would take massive funding and require a very good set of epidemiologists, biostatisticians, and more---but until that day, I'm happy to read anything that may give me a clue on how to beat my symptoms back into that "remission" I enjoyed for a good long time.
OK, totally off my soapbox.
Bootsie,
i had multiple things happen to me in a 2 yr span so maybe it was all of them that pushed my body overboard. here's a list of few of them:
- sexual trauma
- 9/11 exposure & clean up (toxins and smoke inhalation) at the Pentagon
- back injury
- mononucleosis
- physical assault
i started getting sick shortly after 9/11. but pretty much after i injured my back, i hit rock bottom and never recovered.
how about your trigger for FM?
You might want to keep honest thinking to yourself as it's not going to be appreciated in a fibro support group........
I thought to myself are we now going backwards and this from a Doctor at "The Cleveland Clinic" A Doctor William S Wilke MD Rheumatology, the book oddly is called The Cleveland Clinic Guide to Fibrimyalgia. (copyright 2010)
I knew before I read it I would not enjoy it because of my time spent at the Clinic....Please do not waste your money or gas to get it from a library....it is a joke...This expert needs a wake up call please...
Sue