Tuesday, July 29, 2014

A Little Info on Fibro...

Disclaimer: The information contained in this blog is strictly that; information. I am putting out this blog to share my experiences and knowledge that I have gained while researching my own health care conditions. I am not a doctor. This blog is not intended to be a substitute for medical advice or treatment from a doctor who is familiar with your condition.  If you feel that you have some of these symptoms, or any other symptoms for that matter, PLEASE CONSULT YOUR PRIMARY CARE PHYSICIAN FOR ADVICE AND FOLLOW UP.



Today, I will be focusing on the signs and symptoms of Fibromyalgia. While I won’t be getting into Endometriosis right now, it is important to note that there is co-morbidity between Fibromyalgia and Endometriosis: Meaning that many women who have Fibromyalgia, also suffer from Endometriosis. Many women, me being one, have started our journeys with undiagnosed pelvic pain. I will get more into detail on the symptoms of Endometriosis in a future blog.


Fibromyalgia is not a new disorder. It has been around since Biblical days. According to the article “History of Fibromyalgia” by Karen Lee Richards at the website HealthCentral.com, the earliest description of Fibro can be found in the book of Job 7:3-4 and 30:16-17. A quote from Richards’ HealthCentral article states “I, too, have been assigned months of futility, long and weary nights of misery. When I go to bed, I think, `When will it be morning?' But the night drags on, and I toss till dawn…And now my heart is broken. Depression haunts my days. My weary nights are filled with pain as though something were relentlessly gnawing at my bones.” (Job 7:3-4 and 30:16-17 - NLT)” (p. 1) Doesn’t that sound like what some of us are going through?!


According to Richards (p. 2) the term Fibromyalgia was first known as fibrositis in 1904, named by Sir William Gowers. Fibrositis means inflammation of fibers. The term held up until 1976, when it was given its current name: Fibromyalgia. The reason for the term change is that no doctors could actually find inflammation, making the previous term incorrect. Fibromyalgia means pain in the muscles and tissues.


In the book “Living Well with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and Fibromyalgia” by author Mary J. Shomon, some of the most common symptoms of Fibromyalgia are (this list is by no means complete, there is an exhaustive list of Fibro symptoms):


v Widespread body pain for at least three months. The pain should be bilateral (on both sides of the body) and upper and lower body pain. Pain at the cervical spine, anterior chest, and lower back must also be present.


Pain at 11 out of 18 tender points must be present when pressure is applied to the area. See picture below.


 
http://www.womens-health-advice.com/fibromyalgia/tender-points.html





Fibromyalgia pain can be explained in many ways; Burning, cramping, sharp, pressure, aching, soreness, stabbing, and stiffness to name a few.


Persons with Fibromyalgia may experience recurrent tension and migraine headaches. We may have muscle stiffness and cramping. We may also have fatigue, extreme exhaustion, and the feeling that our body is going through a flu-like illness. These feelings are not relieved by rest. Stressful events, physical and/or mental can also exacerbate our fatigue/exhaustion.


Persons with Fibromyalgia may also suffer, as Shomon explains on page 70 of her book, with what some call post-exertional malaise. This literally means that after a period of physical activity, we can become physically sick. We can experience muscle pain, fatigue, and exhaustion after exertion. This feeling may last for 24 hours or more.


Fibromites (as some chose to call those diagnosed with fibromyalgia) can also experience sleep difficulties. Personally, I have terrible insomnia, which makes my fatigue that much worse. We can also experience, as quoted by Shomon:


v Morning fog


v Sleep apnea- (our breathing stopping while we sleep)


v Sleep myoclonus-nighttime jerking, jumping, and spasming of arms and legs (me, me!!!)


v Restless leg syndrome


v Unrefreshing sleep


v Frequent waking during the night


v Trouble falling back to sleep


v Insomnia


v Nightmares


v Night sweats


v Frequent nighttime urination


v Early waking






There are many other important symptoms to look for, such as vaginal pain, depression and anxiety, skin tenderness, and cognitive difficulties such as memory loss, impaired attention span, difficulty concentrating (brain fog) and an impaired ability to learn new information. I would recommend reading the book pictured below, which is where much of this information was received.







Links to books that I have found extremely helpful



                                                               The-First-Year-Fibromyalgia

                                                                   







References


Richards, K.L. (3/16/2009). History of fibromyalgia. Retrieved from http://www.healthcentral.com/chronic-pain/fibromyalgia-287647-5_2.html

Shomon, M.J. (2004), Living Well With Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and Fibromyalgia. New York, NY: Harper Collins Publishing Inc.

More than a thousand words...

Pictures have a way of speaking volumes. These pictures show that our illnesses are not always invisible.


Picture 1 shows me on a good day. I was able to put on makeup, got to work and be productive. I even wore a bold lip color that day because I was feeling it. 


 


Picture 2 shows a tired, painful me, who hasn't been to work in about three weeks. To me, I look weak at the eyes and just tired. Check it out...NO MAKEUP! That is an important distinction to make for me because I love my makeup. It's a creative outlet. And this day, I'm not feeling it. And don't miss the fact that I have my heating pad on my shoulders.

Seriously??? You're going to treat me like that?!

I know. I'm quite inconsistent with this blog thing. But what had happened was...

I have been going back and forth with Endometriosis pain and had settled my mind that this is what I has going to have to deal with. No biggie, some days are just going to be days of incapacitation. I got this! Until i realized that I have been feeling very achy and my migraines had started again after a five year hiatus. But hell, being achy was something that for as long as I can remember, I have been experiencing, Well, the headaches and body pain, not to mention crushing fatigue after running normal errand began to take over my life. I couldn't even go to my fave store... Target! If I did, I would have hell to pay and my bed would be my friend for a few days.

I was depressed and a new symptom popped up; anxiety! I felt like a basket case. So off to the Internet I went, looking up my symptoms. What I came up with? Fibromyalgia. At the time, I was under the care of an HMO, who would brush me off and say shit like "well, you're getting older" "You should use a little weight and exercise" What they didn't seem to understand was that I, as a 43 yer old, should not feel twice my age when getting out of bed in the morning and I damn sure shouldn't have searing pain when my feet hit the floor. That is not normal aging! Screw y'all!

In January, I changed my insurance to a PPO and met a wonderful doc who off the bat agreed with me and said it sounded like I was describing Fibro. She did labs for Lyme and b12. My tests came back normal, so the doc went over the tender points test with me. Voila! A Fibromyalgia diagnosis. I felt so relieved! I felt vindicated because I knew I wasn't wrong and this was definitely not normal aging. I was started on Duloxetine by my psych nurse practitioner, and my primary doctor agreed with that. I was also having spasms at my right shoulder and neck, so my doctor did prescribe Tramadol.

I am still having pain. Some days are better than others. Today, not so much. I have the heating pad around my shoulders as we speak and I have taken my Tramadol. This is gonna be an uphill climb. But I have no choice but to strap on my hiking shoes.