A comprehensive look at Fibromyalgia pain, its symptoms, triggers, and effective strategies to manage and alleviate discomfort.
Talk about “coming out”. Lady Gaga announced she had to enter a hospital and cancel a number of future engagements due to severe body pain and fatigue that has been diagnosed as Fibromyalgia. She was very positive but she had no time schedule as to when she might be able to return to a regular schedule of work. If you have Fibromyalgia or know of someone who has this disease you know that this debilitating…
Obviously, I cannot answer for all of the people of the countries in the world, however, those people that I interviewed for the most part either never heard of fibromyalgia or had very little knowledge of this condition. In my opinion, the people that I interviewed were well educated. Some had heard the term fibromyalgia but had little knowledge of this condition except for some similarity to flu-like symptoms. Any of the other many symptoms…
It has recently come to my attention that there is another condition that is commonly found in a number of fibromyalgia patients. The condition is called “postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome,” P.O.T.S., also known as postural tachycardia syndrome. The condition is caused by a change from the supine (face down) position to an upright position causing an abnormal increase in heart rate. The increase can range from 30 beats per minute for adults to an increase…
“We don’t see things as they are, we see them as we are”, Anaïs Nin One of the common sayings in Mindfulness Meditation is that thoughts are not facts. In chronic pain clinics, we are told that hurt does not necessarily mean harm. B.K.S Iyengar, a yoga master, says to think light and feel light. But what are we to do when we are in a state of high arousal, waiting for disaster to fall, whether…
“For the sense of smell, almost more than any other, has the power to recall memories and it is a pity that we use it so little”, Rachel Carson Many of us with fibromyalgia are extremely sensitive to environmental stimulation such as loud noises, dogs barking, loud music, bright lights, frightening images, strong tastes, and even certain smells which can be very provocative. While some smells are deliciously pleasant to many the same ones may not be ones…
“When anxious people anticipate something bad about to happen- such as being confronted with creepy pictures of snakes or spiders- their right frontal insulas go into overdrive”, Blakeslee and Blakeslee Many of us with fibromyalgia can remember childhood as the beginning of a lifetime of fear, and anxiety. Since there might have been a significant childhood episode that triggered this dis-ease called fibromyalgia, it stayed with us while other troublesome events in our lives piled…
” When things get really bad, just raise your glass and stamp your feet and do a little jig”, Leonard Cohen As I have been limping along these past few months following hip surgery I began to have foot pain, a condition I had never had before. I was speculating about the cause. Too little walking of late? Plantar fasciitis? Shifting from soft sponge shoes (GoWalk) to sneakers that are heavier? Shuffling after the surgery? The…
“I base most of my fashion sense on what doesn’t itch”, Gilda Radner There isn’t anything more comforting to me than cloth that is soft and soothing. Mostly, it is cotton that gives me a feeling of being in a cocoon. Since the most popular blog on this busy website is about itching it has brought to mind the ways in which we can reduce the itching and scratching (the “Itchy & Scratchy Show” from…
“What’s in a name?”, Shakespeare The nomenclature of Fibromyalgia can be known as: “Central Sensitization”, “Post Traumatic Stress Disorder”, “Cycles of Over-Exertion-Relapse”, and “Chronic Fatigue Disorder”, and now a new term: “Systemic Exertion Intolerance Disorder”- all with the same characteristics. What’s to be done so that we can explain ourselves to others while so many labels of these invisible syndromes abound? In fact, do all these terms mean the same thing? Are they bio–psycho–social in…
” Early in life, I was visited by the bluebird of anxiety”, Woody Allen Anxiety is the root cause of fibromyalgia, particularly at an early age, or even in the womb. So, how is one to overcome the early stages of this deep-seated emotional characteristic that those of us with fibromyalgia struggle with on a day-to-day basis? Even more significant: how do we explain to others that the challenges of life-long anxiety cannot be overcome by…