Has anyone have or had fibromyalgia and have had a breast reduction. I am concerned about healing and the scarring. Does it cause any problems?
my mother in law has that and if anything it help. a little slower on healing time better worth it in the end
Jan
31
Jan
27
Different medications are used in fibromyalgia treatment even though the FDA has not yet approved any of them specifically for this condition. Some of these medications may be beneficial for some patients and completely ineffective for others. There is no way to know for sure if a drug will help you until you give it a try.
Below is a list of medications used as fibromyalgia treatment:
• Muscle Relaxers
• Antidepressants
• Painkillers
• Sedatives
• Vitamins
Each one of these medications is used to treat fibromyalgia in a different way to help improve the overall condition of the patient. However, they only help and can’t eliminate the disease.
Explanation of Medications Used
Fibromyalgia affects the muscles causing a lot of pain for its victims. Muscle relaxers are used to help reduce this pain. They can also help you sleep by relaxing the muscles and reducing cramps, tightness and spasms.
Fatigue and depression are two of the main symptoms of fibromyalgia. Antidepressants are used to help a person relieve some of the depression and receive more rest. They can also reduce some of the muscle pain by helping a person to feel calmer. Amitriptyline better know as Elavil is the most common type of antidepressant prescribed for someone suffering from fibromyalgia.
Painkillers are simply used to help reduce the amount of pain a person has to endure. This includes the medications listed below.
• Aspirin
• Tylenol
• Ibuprofen
• Narcotics
Over the counter medications only ease the pain a little and will not eliminate it. Narcotics are more effective for some people but still will not completely get rid of all the pain. Narcotics are usually limited due to the possibility of becoming addicted to them. However, recent studies have found that when taken for chronic pain the person has a better chance of not becoming addicted.
Sedatives are used to help a patient receive a good night sleep. Many people with this condition find it almost impossible to sleep all night. For the ones who do sleep it is usually not a restful state and they wake up still feeling tired. Sedatives can help them feel more rested and lessen the fatigue somewhat.
Vitamins can aid in the treatment of fibromyalgia in a couple of ways. Vitamin C can help to build up a person’s immune system and can reduce swelling in some people. Vitamin B-12 helps reduce tenderness that is accompanied by this condition along with the tingling sensation many people feel. Using medication as a fibromyalgia treatment along with other lifestyle changes can help improve the symptoms of this condition.
Jan
24
I have been diagnosed with fibromyalgia. I have around the clock headaches, extremely low energy, sore spots on my body, aching joints and muscles, neck pain, back pain, I have a hard time concentrating or focusing, have anxiety, and stay worried and stressed all of the time and I can't help it. These are all symptoms of fibromyalgia and everything I have tried hasn't worked. I have 4 children who need more of me than what they are getting due to my physical condition. What is the best cure for this?
I have had fibromyalgia for over 10 years and when I first got it, I felt pretty much how you described.
It took me years of research and application to find what works best for me. Every person is individual, so you will have to go by trial and error, but here is some of what I do…
1. Take an antidepressant. I've tried many prescribed by my doctor and found that even St.John's Wort works very well. The antidepressants raise your seretonin levels, (the feel good chemical in your brain,) and you just generally feel better all over.
2. Get some exercise every day. Not too little, but not too much. Too little will allow your muscles to become stiff and sore but too much will make them ache like crazy. I find yoga and walking to be the two best exercises for me. I do them every day and my body feels 1000% better.
3. Eat a healthier diet. Too much sugar, white flour, fat and carbs, seem to exasperate the condition. Try to stick to natural foods, whole grains, fresh fruit and vegetables.
4. Get enough sleep and rest. Try to get 8 hours of sleep each night if possible. If you have what I do, and wake up each night and toss and turn, try taking a herbal sleep remedy. Valerian and passionflower worked very well for me. They sell sleep remedy blends in health food stores and I find they really help.
5. Mediation and relaxation…even if it's only for 5 minutes a day, will make a big difference. I know you said you have 4 children, and I have 5, all boys, so I know it's really hard to get any time to meditate or relax, but it's really, really, important if you are going to be any good to them. You have to take care of yourself.
6. Journalling. Again, I know this takes time, but it is the best way to get your feelings out of you. If you don't have someone you can share you feeling with, then write about them. Holding all your feelings inside causes a lot of tension, and I believe that's where and how Fibromyalgia starts. Once I started writing, and crying, releasing some of my pain and withheld emotions, I really started feeling better.
I wish you all the best of luck. You are living with a difficult chronic condition. Take good care of yourself. That's always the best place to start.
Take care.
Kathy
Jan
17
i have both, and i almost would rather have the ms…because the FMS NEVER goes away. the pain is RELENTLESS. 24 / 7!! the MS at least backs off……
however, it is terminal, and FMS isnt…..:( although in a way, FMS is a LIFE sentence, not only to us but to our loved ones.
I AM : :
THE THIEF OF MANY LIVES!!!!
by Kathleen Houghton
I'm constantly on the prowl in search of new victims. I do not
discriminate—health care workers, teachers, students, airline personnel,
teens, moms, dads, and innocent children are my prey.
If you are dynamic and have a lust for life, I will find you.
Just when you are at the peak of your endeavours, climbing that career
ladder
or building your family and home, I will find you.
There is nothing that you have in your life today that I am not
capable of destroying tomorrow, your career, your education, your gaols,
your dreams, your family and your life. I will have it all. I will strip you
of your ability to function at any level
above minimal, and from this day on you will refer to that as a "good day".
I have the ability to create an invalid out of you overnight, and I will. It
will take a marathon effect for you just to get out of bed. At a cellular
level your immune system will be in a constant war battling itself and
unnamed viruses, which will painfully be replicating in your brain. I
promise you, I will bring you despair along with pain, isolation and losses
far beyond what you can ever image.
Your mind will be in a constant "fogged" state, your expression will be
unable to express, and your eyes will have a noticeable "glazed over/drugged
out" look. You will find it most difficult to pay attention, concentrate,
or even process the simplest of thoughts. Making change from a dollar may
well be beyond your ability now. Your mouth may feel like it is full of
marbles when you when try to speak, as your tongue twists and nothing you
try to say comes out right. Who would believe your level of education when
you can't even string enough words together to make a complete sentence.or
one that makes any sense for that matter.
I promise, I will bring you at any unsuspecting time, severe abdominal pain,
nausea, vomiting and diarrhoea along with a host of gastrointestinal
disorders. I will make you weak and lifeless as one could be without being
confirmed dead. You will be housebound or in bed for several years if not
the rest of your life. As part of incapacitating you, I will make your heart
race and your head pound; your throat will constantly be sore and your lymph glands will swell. That will all seem trivial after I inflame and spasm
muscles throughout your body. Crushing a grape between your fingers may take too much energy or be too painful now.
On those nights that I allow you to sleep, you will awaken drenched with
sweat or throbbing with pain. Perhaps I might even throw in a little seizure
activity. On those nights that I do not allow sleep to occur; I will torture
you with thoughts of death…Not suicide, but death. Simply because you have
not come to realize that this is your new life, and that you are not living.
You will need to re-create your being every day, as every day I will bring
you unpredicted symptoms and suffering.
I have also done a few things that you may not be aware of yet. I placed
some lesions on your brain (have you noticed how you have difficulty with balance and memory yet?) and I permanently altered your immune system. I have shorted out your nervous system so that you have intermittent numbness and tingling, which might resemble an electrical current zapping you from time. This is called neuropathy.
Nope, it's not curable either!!
Now I have you. I have taken over your body and mind. I have stolen your
life but left you alive, not very functional, but by clinical definition you are
still alive.
Your family will not be able to give all the constant care that you need on
a daily basis. As for your friends, well, they're still on that ladder
climbing up.
Rest assured, I am looking for them too. By now, chances are good that most of family and friends have abandoned you, so you must have learned the definition of isolation. This newfound isolation will save you from having to explain how sick you really are to others, they won't understand anyway. Isolation will save you all that energy.
Your health insurance has already been or will shortly be discontinued as
you lost your job from not being able to "keep up".
Perhaps you got caught dozing off or called in sick one too many times. Now that you are no longer employable or insurable, when you seek medial care, any medical professional that figures me out will diagnose you and say that what you have is presently not curable.
Now it is time for you to seek out medial care, nation if not worldwide.
However, most "so called" medial professionals will not even have the ability to recognize me when they see me, as they have not learned about me in medical school. So, chances are good that you will be misdiagnosed. You will give more blood samples and have more examinations then you ever imagined existed. Then you can take the results to dozens of doctors in search of a diagnosis. One that is valid as well as socially and medically acceptable. One that does not label you as depressed or say
that "it's all in your head!!!"
Most doctors will suggest a vacation, weight loss or weight gain diet, new or increased love life, help with the children, or change of scenery as the "cure", mainly because you may look like the PICTURE OF HEALTH. This is my mask of deception.
You will pray for a positive word from current research. Research, which you
will soon learn, is quite limited due to lack of funding and government support.
You will learn new vocabulary which contains words like: T-Cells, Cytokines, Nuclear Antigens,
Natural Killer Cells, Immunoglobulins, Cytomegalovirus, Serotonin, Cerebral
lesions,
and Immune Dysfunction are among a few. However the most important words that you will need to know and fight for are Social Security Disability and Medicare.
At one point I may give you a false sense of recovery or remission. Let me assured you,
I will be back, as you are my prisoner and that makes me your keeper. I have placed the lives of millions of people nationwide in limbo, I continue to do the same world wide.
I would consider this epidemic, wouldn't you?
Eventually I will bring the government, health care workers, and society to
their knees in search of unravelling my complexities, which are crippling humanity. I leave it up you,
my victims, and your caretakers, to educate the public and let them know
that I am very real and that you are very very sick. Unfortunately, I have been given a totally ridiculous name, which will make your job even more difficult. Until that name is changed,
I am :
FIBROMYALGIA (FMS)
Jan
17
I have just beed diagnosed with fibromyalgia and i would like to know what to expect and how it could or will affect my every day life i am 32 female.
i was diagnosed with this horrid,painful illness Friday,after 2 years of investigations and tests,have had it since was 32,am now 34. the disease is in the muscles,and the pain can be made worse by stress,and is common in people who suffer with depression. mine is out of control at the minute,so i have had to be put on morphine,bit i have a lot of other medical conditions that don't help with the condition. i currently suffer with muscle spasms and ache all over. kind of like the flu pain,without the cold. i suffer mostly in my legs and my back and neck.i will be attending pain management after i have had my my hysterectomy in February. i have been told a Tenn's machine may help with the pain,and also massage can be a good treatment for this disease. i really feel for you,because i know how bad it can get. i have good days and bad days. really hope you find a treatment that works for you. take good care. warm regards xxx
Jan
13
Did you know that what you eat plays a very big role in your fibromyalgia treatment? Your doctor might recommend diet changes as part of your treatment plan. Even if your doctor doesn’t order this, you might decide to partake in certain diet changes on your own because you see that they can help you live a more comfortable life.
Studies have shown that eliminating one or more foods from your diet can help reduce your symptoms and pain from fibromyalgia.
Foods To Eat
What are some good foods that can help you with your fibromyalgia? Below is a list of some great foods to eat. Remember that fresh is always better than frozen or canned foods that have a lot of preservatives.
Meat, Poultry, Fish -
• Lean beef
• Lean pork
• Chicken
• Turkey
• Shrimp
• Scallops
• Clams
• Nitrite free bacon
Dairy (small amounts)
• Cheese
• Sour Cream
• Butter
Eggs
Nuts
• Pistachios
• Macadamia nuts
• Walnuts
• Cashews
• Almonds
• Peanuts
• Sunflower seeds
• Nut Butters
• Brazil nuts
Beans
• Lentils
• Kidney beans
• Pinto beans
• Refried beans made with lard seems to be especially good
• Garbanzo beans
• Black beans
Fruit
• Grapefruit
• Pineapple
• Tangerines
• Oranges
• Cooked Tomatoes
• Unsweetened applesauce
• Coconut and coconut milk
• Avocado
Grains
• Al dente pasta - made from refined wheat, spelt, or rice and not fortified
• Unfortified white rice
• Tortillas - corm and wheat
Vegetables
• Artichokes
• Asparagus
• Broccoli
• Chard
• Dandelion greens
• Celery
• Eggplant
• Green Beans
• Kale
• Peppers - red, green, yellow and orange
• Radicchio
• Spinach
• Squash
• Zucchini
Making The Change
Changing your diet isn’t always easy. In fact, most people find it difficult once they have grown accustomed to certain types of foods and formed eating habits. You might want to start slowing weeding out the bad stuff and in with the good stuff or you might try the “cold-turkey” approach and just give up all the bad foods and start fresh with a new and improved diet so that you can start seeing an improvement in your symptoms of fibromyalgia.
Jan
10
It is increasingly evident that fibromyalgia is a common accompaniment of lupus.
Lupus patients often have a concurrent fibromyalgia syndrome. Wallace reported a 22% prevalence in 464 lupus patients, Middleton reported a 22% prevalence of fibromyalgia, and Morand reported a 25% prevalence of fibromyalgia in a cohort of 87 lupus patients.
Jan
10
I am looking for info on the degrading of the muscles and surrounding tissues associated with fibromyalgia. Muscle weakness, tremors, and muscular pain. As well as any good information on a good course of treatment. What can I expect to see happen as it progresses?
Fibromyalgia is a neurological disorder of hypersensitivity, not a muscular disorder.
FMS isn't, technically, considered to be a degenerative disease at all. It does not directly cause any degradation of muscles or tissues, but can lead to decreased activity, which would of course lead to a decline in muscle tone.
If FMS isn't treated properly, though, the hypersensitivity can get worse, leading to a greater degree of disability.
Also, FMS can make any other condition the patient has more difficult to deal with, because it amplifies any associated pain.
For instance, I have arthritis, which is a degenerative disease, as well as FMS for which I didn't get proper treatment for over a decade after diagnosis. In my case, FMS has been degenerative, and as a result, I am disabled.
My daughter, on the other hand, was treated as soon as she was diagnosed when she was 9. At 16, she is NOT disabled, nor is she likely to be. She's very active, and she knows that she has to stay aware of the fact that she has FMS but she doesn't have to live in fear because of it.
Your prognosis and course of treatment really depend on your current health and background. The things I suggest most strongly to everyone are to educate yourself, get a good healthcare team of doctors who "believe in" fibromyalgia, and to surround yourself with family and friends who are supportive of you.
Stress will make fibromyalgia worse, so reducing the stress you can control in your life will improve your ability to deal with FMS and to deal with the stressors you can't control. If there are negative people around you, remove them. They're poison.
The same goes for environmental stressors. Drink plenty of clean water - put a filter on your kitchen tap or use a filtered pitcher in your fridge. Reduce the amount of everything else you drink - soda, coffee, alcohol, whatever. Watch what you eat, especially packaged stuff with preservatives and artificial coloring and so on. Put a HEPA air filter in your bedroom and change the air filter on your furnace/air conditioner every month. Keep your living environment as uncluttered as possible, and use non-toxic cleaning products - the Method line that Target carries is pleasant, effective, and reasonably priced. If you smoke, STOP - and don't hang out around people who do smoke.
Move every day, somehow. Stretch, especially - carefully 
Many people who have fibromyalgia have hypermobile joints (or, more accurately, many people who have hypermobile joints develop fibromyalgia). If you have access to a pool, swim. Non-weight-bearing exercise is great for allowing you to keep moving without increasing your pain levels.
And keep your spirits up! Play, treat yourself, have fun. Give yourself a daily "whine budget" and then STOP and move on to focusing on what you can do.
Good luck!
Jan
6
Before you can understand the treatments used for fibromyalgia you must have an understanding of the disease. Fibromyalgia is a disease that is not well-known throughout the medical profession. It is linked to arthritis but the symptoms are different. Unlike arthritis which affects the body’s joints this disease affects the muscles. Parts of the body can become tender and sore to the touch due to the muscles in these areas not receiving enough oxygen.
The symptoms are different for each individual and can seem to disappear completely only to return at a later date. Many times the symptoms will be worse at certain times of the day like in the mornings and during the late afternoon. The weather conditions can also increase your symptoms; damp rainy weather or extreme cold can increase the pain a person feels. The amount of stress that you deal with contributes to the symptoms along with the amount of physical activity you encounter.
Fibromyalgia Symptoms
There are a lot of symptoms that are associated with fibromyalgia which is the main reason it so difficult to diagnose. Below is a list of a few of these symptoms.
• Muscle pain, spasms or leg cramps
• Insomnia or waking up still feeling tired
• Always feeling tired and having little energy
• Being sensitive to one or more of the following, light, sound, noise, odors, foods, cold and medicines
• Dizziness
• Headaches
• Upset stomach
• A feeling of anxiety or depression
Treatments
Finding a treatment that works for a person suffering with fibromyalgia may be rather difficult. Everyone is affected differently and what works for one person may not benefit another at all. In looking for a treatment you want to find something that will help to reduce the pain making it easier to function. You also need a treatment that will help to decrease the feeling of fatigue and one that will help increase your sleep. Some of the treatments used are listed below.
• Medications
• Exercise
• Diet
• Rehabilitation
If you suffer from fibro the best way to treat this condition is by setting up a program that allows you to get enough rest, avoid as much stress as possible and eat right. Understanding your condition and having a set program as part of your fibromyalgia treatment will help you deal with this disease easier.
Jan
3
Fibromyalgia (FM or FMS) is a debilitating chronic syndrome (constellation of signs and symptoms) characterized by diffuse or specific muscle, joint, or bone pain, fatigue, and a wide range of other symptoms.
-Which Are-
A history of widespread pain lasting more than three months — widespread as in all four quadrants of the body, i.e., both sides, and above and below the waist.
Tender points — there are 18 designated possible tender points (although a person with the syndrome may feel pain in other areas as well). During diagnosis, four kilograms-force (40 Newtons) of force[3] is exerted at each of the 18 points; the patient must feel pain at 11 or more of these points for fibromyalgia to be considered. Four kilograms of force is about the amount of pressure required to turn fingernails white or to feel pain sensations on the forehead. This technique was developed by the American College of Rheumatology as a means of confirming the diagnosis for clinical studies. It is also used in the United Kingdom. Pressure on nearby areas rarely elicits any reaction. Fibromyalgia patients also have elevated levels of Substance P in the body, which increases the levels of pain and intensity.
It is not contagious, and recent studies suggest that people with fibromyalgia may be genetically predisposed[1]. It affects more females than males, with a ratio of 9:1 by ACR (American College of Rheumatology) criteria[2]. Fibromyalgia is seen in 3% to 6% of the general population, and is most commonly diagnosed in individuals between the ages of 20 and 50. The nature of fibromyalgia is not well understood, with many frustrated physicians driven to accusing their patients of feigning illness. There are few, if any, treatments available[3], and there is no cure, but the disease is not life-threatening.
In neuroscience, Substance P is a neuropeptide: a short-chain polypeptide that functions as a neurotransmitter and as a neuromodulator. It belongs to the tachykinin neuropeptide family.
Substance P is an 11-amino acid polypeptide with the sequence: Arg Pro Lys Pro Gln Gln Phe Phe Gly Leu Met NH2. In central nervous system substance P has been associated in the regulation of mood disorders, anxiety, stress, reinforcement, neurogenesis, respiratory rhythm, neurotoxicity, nausea / emesis and pain.
It also has effects as a potent vasodilator. This is caused by the release of nitric oxide from the endothelium. Its release can cause hypotension.
The endogenous receptor for Substance P is neurokinin 1 receptor (NK1-receptor, NK1R). It belongs to the tachykinin receptor sub-family of GPCRs.
The vomiting center in the brainstem contains high concentrations of substance P and its receptor, in addition to other neurotransmitters such as choline, histamine, dopamine, serotonin, and opioids. Their activation stimulates the vomiting reflex. Different emetic pathways exist, and substance P/NK1R appears to be within the final common pathway to regulate vomiting. [1]
Substance P is involved in the transmission of pain impulses from peripheral receptors to the central nervous system. It has been theorised that it plays a part in fibromyalgia. Capsaicin has been shown to reduce the levels of Substance P probably by reducing the number of C-fibre nerves or causing these nerves to be more tolerant.
Substance P antagonist (SPA) aprepitant is available in the market in the treatment of chemotherapy-induced nausea / emesis.