Fibromyalgia

[Guest guest]

Just a bit of info on Fibromyalgia.

FM is a syndrome, not a disease. A syndrome is a

collection of symptoms that have enough in common to

be given a name.

A sleep disorder goes hand and glove with FM. . . In

one study, the found that they could cause FM in

anyone by depriving them of sleep. However, after

catching up on their sleep, some people KEPT the FM

symptoms, where others became symptom free.

FM frequently begins after a major life stressor. . .

An accident, and illness, or stress like that caused

by a family death.

IMHO . . . what these have in common is that all of

these can cause one to lose sleep!

FM is diagnosed by pain in 11 of 18 pressure points on

the body. These points are where muscles come together

to connect to the bone.

With FM, the membrane that covers the muscle becomes

very tight. . . This causes the muscle to pull agains

the joints and feels like joint pain.

Treatment needs to be multi-faceted. . Getting

sufficient deep sleep is essential! . . . There are a

number of methods to try . . . relaxation techniques,

hot baths, Sleep Time tea . . . on a temporary basis,

Melatonin, i.e. whatever it takes to get deep sleep. I

take Temazapam, 15mg. Although it's not recommended

for use over a long period, I've been taking it, with

my doctor's blessings, for years with no disernable

side effects.

Deep massage therapy is essential for me. . . every

two weeks. . . I don't consider it a luxury, but a

necessity. Initially massage is very painful because

the therapist is stretching that membrane . . . with

regular massage, it's much better. Massage therapists

have told me that a FM client starts out feeling as

though they have very strong muscles, and end up

feeling mushy.

Supplementing with Magnesium can be very helpful. My

computer, with it's links, is in the shop. I've posted

Dr. Mannesmann's Magnesium Research Lab web address a

number of times but can't find it now. The body stores

20% of it's magnesium in the muscles. Being deficient

can cause added muscle pain. You need a supplement

that has two parts Calcium to one part Magnesium to be

effective.

Observing a healthy diet is important.

Exercising - as in keep moving - is important. Too

many people with FM go to bed, or sit around, think

they will get better . . . actually, the more you

rest, the worse you hurt!

There are books and support groups for FM . . . If you

get into a support group, be sure it's a postive one

that works towards healing, not one that dwells on the

negatives!

Learning to manage stress and anger is extremely

important as well.

For my self, I've reached a point where I wouldn't

know that I have FM . . . neither would my massage

therapist. However, if I fail to observe any single

part of my " program " , it can come back with a

vengence!

My analogy for it is walking a balance beam. As long

as I keep everything in balance, I do fine. But if any

single aspect of my life gets off balance, I can fall.

My goal is to get the beam as wide and as close to the

floor as possible.

There are probably a few things I've missed . . . like

using a far infrared sauna that can help too . . .

Maybe some other ladies would like to add their

observations/suggestions!

Hugs to all,

Rogene