Fibromyalgia

[simple_gifts]

Guy at work who is < 50 just got diagnosed with this. It appears it is quite debilitating. Doctor has decided to just prescribe Prednisone (i think that is it) and says that's about it. Curious if anyone has had experience with this issue and if any alternate/additional treatments should be considered. We've searched around; i'd like some real world feedback. Many sites indicate magnesium and b vitamin deficiencies. Not sure the Dr. is making a informed decision or is just lazy; another person that deals with him has indicated the dr. is "prescription oriented" in his approach to a lot.

I've suggested a second opinion from an out of network dr. since my mother was misdiagnosed on two different occasions,(different malady) the latest of which could have killed her with the medicine she was taking; the dr. just got it flat wrong. That could be the case here, perhaps lyme disease. (another can o' worms)

Any feedback is appreciated.

-T

 

[SrDriver]

My Aunt had problems with it and found out that 1400 I.U. of Vitamin D a day helped a lot.

Many people are deficient in Vitamin D.

As always this should be discussed with the doctor.

 

[Mykl]

My wife has severe fibromyalgia. Do you have any specific questions?

I mentioned the Prednisone to her and she tells me that doesn't make sense, that all it'll do is make your coworker fat. Prednisone is basically a steroid that's designed to reduce inflamation... unless he's having some other issues the Prednisone shouldn't be for the fibromyalgia.

 

[Mykl]

More words from her...

Lyrica and Gabapentin are the two most effective medications for fibromyalgia. She also mentioned a medication called Mobic, which is typically useful for men. But that alone doesn't work, you need to stay active and exercise (despite the pain), eat right and maintain a healthy body composition. If you let yourself go and deteriorate, not only will you still be in pain, but you'll be even worse off because now you're far less healthy and in pain.

 

[simple_gifts]

Originally Posted By: Mykl
My wife has severe fibromyalgia. Do you have any specific questions?

I mentioned the Prednisone to her and she tells me that doesn't make sense, that all it'll do is make your coworker fat. Prednisone is basically a steroid that's designed to reduce inflamation... unless he's having some other issues the Prednisone shouldn't be for the fibromyalgia.


ok, maybe i got that part (the medicine name) wrong. Specifically I'm looking for other/additional approaches than just taking pills. The Dr's approach is "here, take these" not much else.

 

[Eddie]

The Dr. may not be 100% convinced that is is Fibrmyalgia and is prescribing the Does pack to see if the condition might be some inflammation. Not sure if us oil "Experts" should be practicing medicine. )

 

[Roadkingnc]

I was diagnosed with this several years ago, and I had low levels of minerals and vitamin d. Took meds for a few years, hurt all the time but kept working and moving around.
Then it all went away, almost totally pain free. They say it goes into remission at times.

 

[Mykl]

Originally Posted By: simple_gifts
Originally Posted By: Mykl
My wife has severe fibromyalgia. Do you have any specific questions?

I mentioned the Prednisone to her and she tells me that doesn't make sense, that all it'll do is make your coworker fat. Prednisone is basically a steroid that's designed to reduce inflamation... unless he's having some other issues the Prednisone shouldn't be for the fibromyalgia.


ok, maybe i got that part (the medicine name) wrong. Specifically I'm looking for other/additional approaches than just taking pills. The Dr's approach is "here, take these" not much else.


Three main things...

1. Get enough sleep (if you don't not much will help, melatonin and Unisom are helpful)
2. Exercise every day (start slow, has to be the right balance, not too hard though)
3. Stress management is important (high stress = bad)

Supplements that she takes that helps...

- Vitamin D
- Magnesium citrate (up to 2000 mg a day), it may not have an effect immediately, but she recomments buying it in bulk
- Fish oil - a symptomless way to help with inflamation
- Heat (heating pads, heated blankets, etc)
- Hot bath w/epsom salt (wife says this shows consistent and immediate results with everybody she knows who has fibromyalgia)
- Biofreeze, Ben Gay, topical stuff helps
- Marijuana (immediate pain relief, nothing else is as effective)

Right now she's completely off of her medications because we're planning a kid, the medications for fibromyalgia aren't good for unborn children. She says she feels a bit worse, particularly on bad days, but because she maintains good habits otherwise (as outlined above) she's not crippled.

 

[Mykl]

Originally Posted By: Eddie
The Dr. may not be 100% convinced that is is Fibrmyalgia and is prescribing the Does pack to see if the condition might be some inflammation. Not sure if us oil "Experts" should be practicing medicine. )


I wouldn't dare give anybody advice about this on my own, and unfortunately I'm not an oil expert either. This is all coming straight from my wife, a person who is quite well read on the subject as she's been fighting this for about 16 years now. The problem is as has been described, doctors generally wish to cure everything via pills and don't take the time to go over other options.

This is a tricky illness and if you don't have the self motivation to ask hard questions and spend your own time doing research you're probably going to be very miserable and in a lot of pain. The same is true of many complicated illnesses, but you simply can't leave it all up to the doctors... because more often than not you'll find yourself worse off.

 

[SatinSilver]

In addition to all the other tips I'll add to drink a lot of WATER. Take your weight and divide it in half. That's how many ounces you should drink. Do the 5 things below and you will start feeling better. This is from a health website that says to set 5 daily goals. You can pick from a long list but the focus is on 5.

1. Five servings of fruits and vegetables per day.

2. Twentyfive push-ups (they get easier).

3. At least 10 minutes of exercise per day.

4. 8 hours sleep.

5. Water as mentioned above.

 

[demarpaint]

My mother has suffered with it for many years, and has gone to a few specialists for it. It sucks, and there is no cure for it. Usually they start with Prednisone to treat it. They can also use or add to it Cymblta, Lyrica, Meloxicam, Elavil, Gabapentin, Nortriptyline, to name a few, and if it gets real bad Oxycodine or other pain meds. Thank God she isn't there yet.

A good diet, a good nights sleep, and exercise are also suggested. Acupuncture, Tai-Chi, Swimming, and Yoga might help.

IIRC blood CED rate is high showing inflammation.


Please excuse my spelling of the meds, I could be off a letter or two.

 

[4D-56]

Fibromyalgia. Something ive never had but I see it as another symptom of us living out of sync with nature. I'd hit this hard if it were me.

I would NOT take anything from a pharmaceutical Co. There is a lot of misdiagnosis around this illness. A friend that now has ADVANCED ALS was diagnosed with Fybro' !?

What I list below applies to reversal of all dis-ease and is a great guideline for LIVING and thriving.

#1 water. What are you drinking?? You need the purest available. If you are on city water, get a Kangen Water Machine with a serious pre-filter system (I can help you with all of that) If you can , get spring water from a tested & trusted spring nearby. Most of us are dehydrated and dont know it.

#2 reduce meat, eliminate wheat, sugar, alcohol, dairy & soy.

#3 Buy a quality juicer and juice mainly green veggies and some fruits every day.

#4 add a lot of lemon & lime juice to your water

#5 High dose Vit D3

#6 Time release N-Acetyl Cysteine.

#7 High dose Vit C.

Eat real, whole foods, spend more time buying and preparing good food, do not eat food products.

Spend less time watching TV, playing with electronic devices and more time in the woods, in nature, at the beach etc etc...

#8 dont drink coffee, its just to dehydrating.

#9 get any amalgam mercury containing fillings removed ASAP.

#10 add in wheatgrass, barley grass, alfalfa, chlorella to the diet.

#11 get an understanding of the subtle yet profound power of earthing, connecting to the ground with bare feet. Has a great effect on the blood, and pushes away effects of EMF...and more! There are products that are now available to have you grounded while indoors at earthingproducts.com THIS IS A BIG DEAL.

#12 get some Super R-Lipoic Acid from Life Extension.

#13 and one of the big ones, go to cellerciser.com and buy a rebounder. This is THE #1 exercise and the #1 way to move lymph. The lymphatic and immune systems are intimately connected. Rebounding on a QUALITY rebounder should be done for 20 minutes 3 times a day to reverse disease. Do not buy a cheap one from Sports Authority etc...anything less than $250 is gonna cause damage.

Please, feel free to ask any questions of the above, this is just my 2c and knowledge from my own experience of getting well from major depression, anxiety, major low energy. All of the above have had a profound and incredible impact on my life.

I wish you well..

 

[Mykl]

Originally Posted By: stro_cruiser
Fibromyalgia. Something ive never had but I see it as another symptom of us living out of sync with nature. I'd hit this hard if it were me.


That's all great advice for how to be healthier in general, but fibromyalgia is not a symptom of us living out of sync with nature. Nobody really knows exactly what causes it, even if there are some theories floating around. I'm told that a lot of experts feel that it can be caused by severe mental or physical trauma suffered at some point in your life. But you certainly don't get it just because you eat poorly or watch too much TV. In fact, TV and electronic devices can be useful to distract from your pain (laughter in particular, is helpful), if you are so afflicted.

 

[4D-56]

Originally Posted By: Mykl
Originally Posted By: stro_cruiser
Fibromyalgia. Something ive never had but I see it as another symptom of us living out of sync with nature. I'd hit this hard if it were me.


That's all great advice for how to be healthier in general, but fibromyalgia is not a symptom of us living out of sync with nature. Nobody really knows exactly what causes it, even if there are some theories floating around. I'm told that a lot of experts feel that it can be caused by severe mental or physical trauma suffered at some point in your life. But you certainly don't get it just because you eat poorly or watch too much TV. In fact, TV and electronic devices can be useful to distract from your pain (laughter in particular, is helpful), if you are so afflicted.


You over-generalize what Im saying. 9.9 out of 10 of us are so out of sync with nature, we dont even know it. We're dropping like flies and we wonder why. Its a big all-inclusive picture that has many facets, since you mention it, one facet is TV and will always be a part of the problem, never the solution. Its gonna get harder to stay well.

Have you been really ill, ever?...If not then thats a different perspective, if you have, im sorry about that but you may have your experiences from it just like have mine, the solutions to which (some of them) are listed above.

Eating poorly and the far extending issues around how we live in every way are the foundation of most of what we ail.

to think that TV & electronic devices could be a solution is scary to hear. They are little more than a distraction from life & actual living, love, relationship, and create a greater separation between us and what we are: nature.

All im doing is presenting my approach. Its a gift, take it or leave it, folks.

 

[drfeelgood]

I believe I may be able to help with any questions you may have. I have treated more "fibromyalgia"(I'll abbreviate it as FMS) than I can recall over the last 20+ yrs. I've used traditional and alternative treatments.
First of all, FMS is not a disease. There are no known diagnostic tests that confirm definite FMS. It is a constellation of symptoms or syndrome, that, unfortunately, is often a diagnosis of exclusion. Symptoms include widespread symmetric pain and tenderness, disturbed sleep and mood,fatigue and various others. It is often associated with other conditions including migraines, endometriosis, irritable bowel, and interstitial cystitis. It affects women far more than men, though it is unclear why. Thorough examination and testing is warranted to exclude other entities, including, but not limited to rheumatologic, autoimmune diseases, vitamin deficiencies, thyroid disorders and psychiatric disorders.
FMS is not curable, obviously, since there is no agreed upon cause. The cutting edge research is indicating changes within the central nervous system that increase or amplify pain-signalling seems to be present in FMS.
However, there are things that conventional medicine has found effective in reducing symptoms. As much as patients hate to do it, aerobic exercise has been shown helpful in multiple studies. Medications duloxetine(Cymbalta), pregabalin(Lyrica) and milnacipran(Savella) are the FDA approved drug therapies, but many others are used "off-label".
I would generally agree with some of the other posts regarding lifestyle and nutritional changes. It can never hurt. Also, vitamin D deficiency is extremely common and has been found in many FMS patients.
I could literally type a book, but have probably posted too many words already. Hope this helps and would be happy to answer any other Q's.

 

[Roob]

Talk to your friend and find out if this is his GP or a specialist recommending the current course of treatment.
If it's his GP then have him ask for a referral to a specialist, like a physiatrist.
I wish him well.

 

[simple_gifts]

I sent my coworker this link for his consideration; I really appreciate all your sincere replies.

Thank you.

-Thomas.

 

[Shannow]

I got Bell's Palsy nearly two weeks ago, and as that's clearly got inflamation was diagnosed 75mg of prednsone...5 days in, I thought it was going to kill me and ditched it with two days to go.

If that carp is only precautionary, then it doesn't need to be there...I had better results with aspirin...seriously.

 

[threeputtpar]

That Lyrica is some wicked stuff! It felt like I was on speed every day. My wife couldn't stand me, but I sure was a productive person. I think I lost 20 pounds in 2 weeks because I couldn't stop doing things, and I exercised more in that time than I did in the 10 years previous.

My diagnosis, was actually a misdiagnosis. Fibro diagnosis is actually what docs come up with when your symptoms put you in the "none of the above" catagory, so you're not sick with anything else it must be Fibro.