Guest guest Posted December 7, 2004 Report Share Posted December 7, 2004 To add more to that question. A bit of information that I got from Webmd. Fibromyalgia Topic Overview What is fibromyalgia? Fibromyalgia is a chronic disorder that causes widespread pain and tenderness in the muscles and soft tissue (including tender points) as well as sleep problems, fatigue, and a variety of other symptoms. These problems can be severe enough to disrupt a person's work and daily activities. Fortunately, the condition does not permanently damage the muscles, joints, or internal organs. Fibromyalgia is a syndrome of chronic pain, not a disease or a psychological disorder. > > Sue said <<what's fibromyalgia? >> > > Good question! > > Well, it's hard to tell fibro symptoms from hep c symptoms. Sometimes they lump them together. Sometimes I doctor will call the hep c symptoms fibro because an insurance may cover fibro better than hep c, or sometimes your symptoms just might fit better into that category (pain trigger points etc). That doesn't mean they weren't caused by hep c. Hep triggers a lot of secondary problems, esp immune system problems. > > People with hep and/or fibro have good days and bad days. I know there are days when I don't get out of bed. There are days when I absolutely must have my pain pills and then there are months I go without them. There are days when I have to park in the handicap parking and the day didn't start out that way, but suddenly, I'm drained and there's no way I can walk from point A to point B and still get my work done and get back to the car. > > (Yes, I have a handicap parking permit just for that purpose. Don't be afraid to ask your doc for one, ESPECIALLY if you are on treatment!) > > I hope this info gives you an introduction to fibromyalgia. Where you are, it might be called something else. Remember, I'm a Texan and only know Texan terms .... Alley > > > from http://www.fmnetnews.com/pages/basics.html > WHAT IS FIBROMYALGIA SYNDROME? > > FMS (fibromyalgia syndrome) is a widespread musculoskeletal pain and fatigue disorder for which the cause is still unknown. Fibromyalgia means pain in the muscles, ligaments, and tendons - the soft fibrous tissues in the body. > > Most patients with FMS say that they ache all over. Their muscles may feel like they have been pulled or overworked. Sometimes the muscles twitch and at other times they burn. More women than men are afflicted with FMS, and it shows up in people of all ages. > > To help your family and friends relate to your condition, have them think back to the last time they had a bad flu. Every muscle in their body shouted out in pain. In addition, they felt devoid of energy as though someone had unplugged their power supply. While the severity of symptoms fluctuate from person to person, FMS may resemble a post-viral state. This similarity is the reason experts in the field of FMS and chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) believe that these two syndromes may be one and the same. Gulf War syndrome also overlaps with FMS/CFS. > > SYMPTOMS AND ASSOCIATED SYNDROMES > > Pain - The pain of FMS has no boundaries. People describe the pain as deep muscular aching, throbbing, shooting, and stabbing. Intense burning may also be present. Quite often, the pain and stiffness are worse in the morning and you may hurt more in muscle groups that are used repetitively. > > Fatigue - This symptom can be mild in some patients and yet incapacitating in others. The fatigue has been described as " brain fatigue " in which patients feel totally drained of energy. Many patients depict this situation by saying that they feel as though their arms and legs are tied to concrete blocks, and they have difficulty concentrating, e.g., brain fog. > > Sleep disorder - Most FMS patients have an associated sleep disorder called the alpha-EEG anomaly. This condition was uncovered in a sleep lab with the aid of a machine which recorded the brain waves of patients during sleep. Researchers found that most FMS patients could fall asleep without much trouble, but their deep level (or stage 4) sleep was constantly interrupted by bursts of awake-like brain activity. Patients appeared to spend the night with one foot in sleep and the other one out of it. > > Sleep lab tests may not be necessary to determine if you have disturbed sleep. If you wake up feeling as though you've just been run over by a Mack truck - what doctors refer to as unrefreshing sleep - it is reasonable for your physician to assume that you have a sleep disorder. Many FMS patients have been found to have other sleep disorders in addition to the alpha-EEG, such as sleep apnea, sleep myoclonus (nighttime jerking of the arms and legs), and restless legs syndrome. A newly discovered sleep disorder, upper- airway resistance syndrome, is also being evaluated for its association with FMS. > > Irritable Bowel Syndrome - Constipation, diarrhea, frequent abdominal pain, abdominal gas, and nausea represent symptoms frequently found in roughly 40 to 70% of FMS patients. > > Chronic headaches - Recurrent migraine or tension-type headaches are seen in about 50% of FMS patients and can pose a major problem in coping for this patient group. > > Temporomandibular Joint Dysfunction Syndrome - This syndrome, sometimes referred to as TMJ or TMD, causes tremendous jaw-related face and head pain in one quarter of FMS patients. However, a 1997 published report indicated that close to 75% of FMS patients have a varying degree of jaw discomfort. Typically, the problems are related to the muscles and ligaments surrounding the jaw joint and not necessarily the joint itself. > > Other common symptoms - Premenstrual syndrome and painful periods, chest pain, morning stiffness, cognitive or memory impairment, numbness and tingling sensations, muscle twitching, irritable bladder, the feeling of swollen extremities, skin sensitivities, dry eyes and mouth, dizziness, and impaired coordination can occur. Patients are often sensitive to odors, loud noises, bright lights, and sometimes even the medications that they are prescribed. > > Aggravating factors - Changes in weather, cold or drafty environments, infections, allergies, hormonal fluctuations (premenstrual and menopausal states), stress, depression, anxiety and over-exertion may all contribute to symptom flare-ups. > > > > > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 1, 2005 Report Share Posted April 1, 2005 How are you, fine i hope, Do you have any suggestions on constipation on how i can treat it, it is terriable. I am on med for pain and they make me so constipated i don't know what to do, is there any fast way that will help? I need help fast..... Carol " Shshonee (Alley) " wrote: Sue said <<what's fibromyalgia? >> Good question! Well, it's hard to tell fibro symptoms from hep c symptoms. Sometimes they lump them together. Sometimes I doctor will call the hep c symptoms fibro because an insurance may cover fibro better than hep c, or sometimes your symptoms just might fit better into that category (pain trigger points etc). That doesn't mean they weren't caused by hep c. Hep triggers a lot of secondary problems, esp immune system problems. People with hep and/or fibro have good days and bad days. I know there are days when I don't get out of bed. There are days when I absolutely must have my pain pills and then there are months I go without them. There are days when I have to park in the handicap parking and the day didn't start out that way, but suddenly, I'm drained and there's no way I can walk from point A to point B and still get my work done and get back to the car. (Yes, I have a handicap parking permit just for that purpose. Don't be afraid to ask your doc for one, ESPECIALLY if you are on treatment!) I hope this info gives you an introduction to fibromyalgia. Where you are, it might be called something else. Remember, I'm a Texan and only know Texan terms .... Alley from http://www.fmnetnews.com/pages/basics.html WHAT IS FIBROMYALGIA SYNDROME? FMS (fibromyalgia syndrome) is a widespread musculoskeletal pain and fatigue disorder for which the cause is still unknown. Fibromyalgia means pain in the muscles, ligaments, and tendons - the soft fibrous tissues in the body. Most patients with FMS say that they ache all over. Their muscles may feel like they have been pulled or overworked. Sometimes the muscles twitch and at other times they burn. More women than men are afflicted with FMS, and it shows up in people of all ages. To help your family and friends relate to your condition, have them think back to the last time they had a bad flu. Every muscle in their body shouted out in pain. In addition, they felt devoid of energy as though someone had unplugged their power supply. While the severity of symptoms fluctuate from person to person, FMS may resemble a post-viral state. This similarity is the reason experts in the field of FMS and chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) believe that these two syndromes may be one and the same. Gulf War syndrome also overlaps with FMS/CFS. SYMPTOMS AND ASSOCIATED SYNDROMES Pain - The pain of FMS has no boundaries. People describe the pain as deep muscular aching, throbbing, shooting, and stabbing. Intense burning may also be present. Quite often, the pain and stiffness are worse in the morning and you may hurt more in muscle groups that are used repetitively. Fatigue - This symptom can be mild in some patients and yet incapacitating in others. The fatigue has been described as " brain fatigue " in which patients feel totally drained of energy. Many patients depict this situation by saying that they feel as though their arms and legs are tied to concrete blocks, and they have difficulty concentrating, e.g., brain fog. Sleep disorder - Most FMS patients have an associated sleep disorder called the alpha-EEG anomaly. This condition was uncovered in a sleep lab with the aid of a machine which recorded the brain waves of patients during sleep. Researchers found that most FMS patients could fall asleep without much trouble, but their deep level (or stage 4) sleep was constantly interrupted by bursts of awake-like brain activity. Patients appeared to spend the night with one foot in sleep and the other one out of it. Sleep lab tests may not be necessary to determine if you have disturbed sleep. If you wake up feeling as though you've just been run over by a Mack truck - what doctors refer to as unrefreshing sleep - it is reasonable for your physician to assume that you have a sleep disorder. Many FMS patients have been found to have other sleep disorders in addition to the alpha-EEG, such as sleep apnea, sleep myoclonus (nighttime jerking of the arms and legs), and restless legs syndrome. A newly discovered sleep disorder, upper-airway resistance syndrome, is also being evaluated for its association with FMS. Irritable Bowel Syndrome - Constipation, diarrhea, frequent abdominal pain, abdominal gas, and nausea represent symptoms frequently found in roughly 40 to 70% of FMS patients. Chronic headaches - Recurrent migraine or tension-type headaches are seen in about 50% of FMS patients and can pose a major problem in coping for this patient group. Temporomandibular Joint Dysfunction Syndrome - This syndrome, sometimes referred to as TMJ or TMD, causes tremendous jaw-related face and head pain in one quarter of FMS patients. However, a 1997 published report indicated that close to 75% of FMS patients have a varying degree of jaw discomfort. Typically, the problems are related to the muscles and ligaments surrounding the jaw joint and not necessarily the joint itself. Other common symptoms - Premenstrual syndrome and painful periods, chest pain, morning stiffness, cognitive or memory impairment, numbness and tingling sensations, muscle twitching, irritable bladder, the feeling of swollen extremities, skin sensitivities, dry eyes and mouth, dizziness, and impaired coordination can occur. Patients are often sensitive to odors, loud noises, bright lights, and sometimes even the medications that they are prescribed. Aggravating factors - Changes in weather, cold or drafty environments, infections, allergies, hormonal fluctuations (premenstrual and menopausal states), stress, depression, anxiety and over-exertion may all contribute to symptom flare-ups. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 2, 2005 Report Share Posted April 2, 2005 Carol, Hmmm how do you want to take care of this situation? With natural ways or with medication. Prune juice,apple juice, drink lots of water. The pain medication tend to dry out the GI Tract and therefore cause constipation, also it slows down the action in the GI tract. A iceburg salad will do it for me. I just can't eat iceburg lettuce. Sometimes a strong cup of black tea will get things moving in me. LOL But there are many over the counter medications that will get the action started. Correctal,exlax,,and so forth. I would go with the as it is not as harsh as some. But first try a couple of glass 12 oz glass of prune juice. Love Janet > > Sue said <<what's fibromyalgia? >> > > Good question! > > Well, it's hard to tell fibro symptoms from hep c symptoms. Sometimes they lump them together. Sometimes I doctor will call the hep c symptoms fibro because an insurance may cover fibro better than hep c, or sometimes your symptoms just might fit better into that category (pain trigger points etc). That doesn't mean they weren't caused by hep c. Hep triggers a lot of secondary problems, esp immune system problems. > > People with hep and/or fibro have good days and bad days. I know there are days when I don't get out of bed. There are days when I absolutely must have my pain pills and then there are months I go without them. There are days when I have to park in the handicap parking and the day didn't start out that way, but suddenly, I'm drained and there's no way I can walk from point A to point B and still get my work done and get back to the car. > > (Yes, I have a handicap parking permit just for that purpose. Don't be afraid to ask your doc for one, ESPECIALLY if you are on treatment!) > > I hope this info gives you an introduction to fibromyalgia. Where you are, it might be called something else. Remember, I'm a Texan and only know Texan terms .... Alley > > > from http://www.fmnetnews.com/pages/basics.html > WHAT IS FIBROMYALGIA SYNDROME? > > FMS (fibromyalgia syndrome) is a widespread musculoskeletal pain and fatigue disorder for which the cause is still unknown. Fibromyalgia means pain in the muscles, ligaments, and tendons - the soft fibrous tissues in the body. > > Most patients with FMS say that they ache all over. Their muscles may feel like they have been pulled or overworked. Sometimes the muscles twitch and at other times they burn. More women than men are afflicted with FMS, and it shows up in people of all ages. > > To help your family and friends relate to your condition, have them think back to the last time they had a bad flu. Every muscle in their body shouted out in pain. In addition, they felt devoid of energy as though someone had unplugged their power supply. While the severity of symptoms fluctuate from person to person, FMS may resemble a post-viral state. This similarity is the reason experts in the field of FMS and chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) believe that these two syndromes may be one and the same. Gulf War syndrome also overlaps with FMS/CFS. > > SYMPTOMS AND ASSOCIATED SYNDROMES > > Pain - The pain of FMS has no boundaries. People describe the pain as deep muscular aching, throbbing, shooting, and stabbing. Intense burning may also be present. Quite often, the pain and stiffness are worse in the morning and you may hurt more in muscle groups that are used repetitively. > > Fatigue - This symptom can be mild in some patients and yet incapacitating in others. The fatigue has been described as " brain fatigue " in which patients feel totally drained of energy. Many patients depict this situation by saying that they feel as though their arms and legs are tied to concrete blocks, and they have difficulty concentrating, e.g., brain fog. > > Sleep disorder - Most FMS patients have an associated sleep disorder called the alpha-EEG anomaly. This condition was uncovered in a sleep lab with the aid of a machine which recorded the brain waves of patients during sleep. Researchers found that most FMS patients could fall asleep without much trouble, but their deep level (or stage 4) sleep was constantly interrupted by bursts of awake-like brain activity. Patients appeared to spend the night with one foot in sleep and the other one out of it. > > Sleep lab tests may not be necessary to determine if you have disturbed sleep. If you wake up feeling as though you've just been run over by a Mack truck - what doctors refer to as unrefreshing sleep - it is reasonable for your physician to assume that you have a sleep disorder. Many FMS patients have been found to have other sleep disorders in addition to the alpha-EEG, such as sleep apnea, sleep myoclonus (nighttime jerking of the arms and legs), and restless legs syndrome. A newly discovered sleep disorder, upper- airway resistance syndrome, is also being evaluated for its association with FMS. > > Irritable Bowel Syndrome - Constipation, diarrhea, frequent abdominal pain, abdominal gas, and nausea represent symptoms frequently found in roughly 40 to 70% of FMS patients. > > Chronic headaches - Recurrent migraine or tension-type headaches are seen in about 50% of FMS patients and can pose a major problem in coping for this patient group. > > Temporomandibular Joint Dysfunction Syndrome - This syndrome, sometimes referred to as TMJ or TMD, causes tremendous jaw-related face and head pain in one quarter of FMS patients. However, a 1997 published report indicated that close to 75% of FMS patients have a varying degree of jaw discomfort. Typically, the problems are related to the muscles and ligaments surrounding the jaw joint and not necessarily the joint itself. > > Other common symptoms - Premenstrual syndrome and painful periods, chest pain, morning stiffness, cognitive or memory impairment, numbness and tingling sensations, muscle twitching, irritable bladder, the feeling of swollen extremities, skin sensitivities, dry eyes and mouth, dizziness, and impaired coordination can occur. Patients are often sensitive to odors, loud noises, bright lights, and sometimes even the medications that they are prescribed. > > Aggravating factors - Changes in weather, cold or drafty environments, infections, allergies, hormonal fluctuations (premenstrual and menopausal states), stress, depression, anxiety and over-exertion may all contribute to symptom flare-ups. > > > > > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 2, 2005 Report Share Posted April 2, 2005 Also ,opiates or opioids will actualy cause your bowels to stop functioning altogether like another member sais phillips or ex-lax will do the trick also try a stool softener like DOCUSATE SODIUM will help a the generic brand i buy is called equate you can get it cheaper at walmart hope this helps.....toyota1059 e-mail is jodybaine747@... Jody Baine Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 2, 2005 Report Share Posted April 2, 2005 Hi Janet, Thank you for the imput, I will get so prune juice first, it that does not work then i will go on to something stronger. Janet how long is it that you been diagnosed with Hep C? I had found out about two in a half years ago. I have not done any of the treatments yet, but i fear i may have to pretty soon. I have to call my doc soon to get some blood work done, i don't feel that great latley, I had gotton this bad cold last month it had lasted about a month, i had gotton double ear infection, and broncutius, it took so long to recover, i have never gotton an ear infection since i was a little girl about sixs years old, go figure. I have lost alot a weight not because of my ear infections or lung infection, i had been losing weight before that, my family is getting worried, i do eat regulary but i don't have much energy as you know most of us with hep c do not, and on top of that the fibro, Have you done the treatment yet? Do you take pain meds too for the pain. Well it is nice to have someone to talk to, I have not posted in awhile. Well hope to hear from you soon, what state are you in, i am in ct. Carol Janet wrote: Carol, Hmmm how do you want to take care of this situation? With natural ways or with medication. Prune juice,apple juice, drink lots of water. The pain medication tend to dry out the GI Tract and therefore cause constipation, also it slows down the action in the GI tract. A iceburg salad will do it for me. I just can't eat iceburg lettuce. Sometimes a strong cup of black tea will get things moving in me. LOL But there are many over the counter medications that will get the action started. Correctal,exlax,,and so forth. I would go with the as it is not as harsh as some. But first try a couple of glass 12 oz glass of prune juice. Love Janet > > Sue said <<what's fibromyalgia? >> > > Good question! > > Well, it's hard to tell fibro symptoms from hep c symptoms. Sometimes they lump them together. Sometimes I doctor will call the hep c symptoms fibro because an insurance may cover fibro better than hep c, or sometimes your symptoms just might fit better into that category (pain trigger points etc). That doesn't mean they weren't caused by hep c. Hep triggers a lot of secondary problems, esp immune system problems. > > People with hep and/or fibro have good days and bad days. I know there are days when I don't get out of bed. There are days when I absolutely must have my pain pills and then there are months I go without them. There are days when I have to park in the handicap parking and the day didn't start out that way, but suddenly, I'm drained and there's no way I can walk from point A to point B and still get my work done and get back to the car. > > (Yes, I have a handicap parking permit just for that purpose. Don't be afraid to ask your doc for one, ESPECIALLY if you are on treatment!) > > I hope this info gives you an introduction to fibromyalgia. Where you are, it might be called something else. Remember, I'm a Texan and only know Texan terms .... Alley > > > from http://www.fmnetnews.com/pages/basics.html > WHAT IS FIBROMYALGIA SYNDROME? > > FMS (fibromyalgia syndrome) is a widespread musculoskeletal pain and fatigue disorder for which the cause is still unknown. Fibromyalgia means pain in the muscles, ligaments, and tendons - the soft fibrous tissues in the body. > > Most patients with FMS say that they ache all over. Their muscles may feel like they have been pulled or overworked. Sometimes the muscles twitch and at other times they burn. More women than men are afflicted with FMS, and it shows up in people of all ages. > > To help your family and friends relate to your condition, have them think back to the last time they had a bad flu. Every muscle in their body shouted out in pain. In addition, they felt devoid of energy as though someone had unplugged their power supply. While the severity of symptoms fluctuate from person to person, FMS may resemble a post-viral state. This similarity is the reason experts in the field of FMS and chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) believe that these two syndromes may be one and the same. Gulf War syndrome also overlaps with FMS/CFS. > > SYMPTOMS AND ASSOCIATED SYNDROMES > > Pain - The pain of FMS has no boundaries. People describe the pain as deep muscular aching, throbbing, shooting, and stabbing. Intense burning may also be present. Quite often, the pain and stiffness are worse in the morning and you may hurt more in muscle groups that are used repetitively. > > Fatigue - This symptom can be mild in some patients and yet incapacitating in others. The fatigue has been described as " brain fatigue " in which patients feel totally drained of energy. Many patients depict this situation by saying that they feel as though their arms and legs are tied to concrete blocks, and they have difficulty concentrating, e.g., brain fog. > > Sleep disorder - Most FMS patients have an associated sleep disorder called the alpha-EEG anomaly. This condition was uncovered in a sleep lab with the aid of a machine which recorded the brain waves of patients during sleep. Researchers found that most FMS patients could fall asleep without much trouble, but their deep level (or stage 4) sleep was constantly interrupted by bursts of awake-like brain activity. Patients appeared to spend the night with one foot in sleep and the other one out of it. > > Sleep lab tests may not be necessary to determine if you have disturbed sleep. If you wake up feeling as though you've just been run over by a Mack truck - what doctors refer to as unrefreshing sleep - it is reasonable for your physician to assume that you have a sleep disorder. Many FMS patients have been found to have other sleep disorders in addition to the alpha-EEG, such as sleep apnea, sleep myoclonus (nighttime jerking of the arms and legs), and restless legs syndrome. A newly discovered sleep disorder, upper- airway resistance syndrome, is also being evaluated for its association with FMS. > > Irritable Bowel Syndrome - Constipation, diarrhea, frequent abdominal pain, abdominal gas, and nausea represent symptoms frequently found in roughly 40 to 70% of FMS patients. > > Chronic headaches - Recurrent migraine or tension-type headaches are seen in about 50% of FMS patients and can pose a major problem in coping for this patient group. > > Temporomandibular Joint Dysfunction Syndrome - This syndrome, sometimes referred to as TMJ or TMD, causes tremendous jaw-related face and head pain in one quarter of FMS patients. However, a 1997 published report indicated that close to 75% of FMS patients have a varying degree of jaw discomfort. Typically, the problems are related to the muscles and ligaments surrounding the jaw joint and not necessarily the joint itself. > > Other common symptoms - Premenstrual syndrome and painful periods, chest pain, morning stiffness, cognitive or memory impairment, numbness and tingling sensations, muscle twitching, irritable bladder, the feeling of swollen extremities, skin sensitivities, dry eyes and mouth, dizziness, and impaired coordination can occur. Patients are often sensitive to odors, loud noises, bright lights, and sometimes even the medications that they are prescribed. > > Aggravating factors - Changes in weather, cold or drafty environments, infections, allergies, hormonal fluctuations (premenstrual and menopausal states), stress, depression, anxiety and over-exertion may all contribute to symptom flare-ups. > > > > > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 2, 2005 Report Share Posted April 2, 2005 Hi, Was on methadone for 30 years and now on Duragesic at a high dose for my chronic pain (Fibromyalgia, Osteo Arthritis, Neuropathy). Talk about a stuffed toilet Yes I take stool softener and bulk up on natural fiber (Metamucil Pill and or powder) etc. It helped me after clearing it with my docs. Your natural cycle with opiate drugs change so don't expect to go back to your pre pain medicine movement cycle. We are all different and our clocks beat at different rates. Your reaction to fiber may work in a better than expected manner or may return you to a routine level. This depends on many factors ie type of medicine (Natural synthetic), medicine dose and or frequency of dose, effect of an opiate on your system (Liver, rate of absorption) etc. Fred Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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