Efficacy of LLLT in Fibromyalgia Patients

Abstract

Aim: To investigate the efficacy of low level laser therapy (LLLT) in fibromyalgia patients.

 Materials and Methods: Thirty-four fibromyalgia patients were randomly assigned to LLLT (n=16) and placebo laser groups (n=16). Outcome measures included number of tender points (NTP), Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire (FIQ), morning stiffness, global improvement as reported on a verbal scale (VSGI), and total myalgia score. Clinical evaluations were performed before, immediately after, and six months after the treatment.

 Results: In the LLLT group, significant improvement was observed in clinical parameters at the end of the treatment (p<0.01). On the other hand, significant improvements were observed only in the number of tender points and morning stiffness in the placebo group (p<0.05). In comparing the groups, significant improvements were detected in scores of FIQ, VSGI, and total myalgia in the active laser group (p<0.05). The clinical evaluations performed after six months demonstrated improvements in the clinical parameters only in the LLLT group (p<0.05). When the groups were compared with each other, significant improvements were found in the LLLT group (p<0.05).

 Conclusion: Our results suggest that LLLT has both short- and long-term effectiveness in the treatment of fibromyalgia.

Keywords Fibromyalgia, low level laser therapy, and placebo

 

[Via http://pltcsb.wordpress.com]

Managing Fibromyalgia

Exercise and therapy

“There is a way” to find some Relief for some of your symptoms.

The principles of treating fibromyalgia for you is to do exercises and to stretch and mobilize tight, sore muscles.

You may not want to exercise if you are already in pain and feel tired. Low-impact aerobic exercises such as brisk walking, biking, and swimming or water aerobics are excellent for you. Exercising on a regular basis, such as every other day, and gradually increase to reach a better level of comfort. Some people can greatly reduce their symptoms with exercise.

Gently stretch your muscles and move your joints through a range of motion daily and before and after aerobic exercise. Physical therapy may be helpful and could include a checklist such as: heat, ice, massage, whirlpool, ultrasound, and electrical stimulation to help control pain. Physical therapists may design a specific exercise program to improve posture, flexibility, and fitness.

Hope this Fibromyalgia Checklist will help you.

Remember with Fibromyalgia everyone’s body is different and may have different symptoms. So what might be right for one may not be right for someone else. Some people have over come Fibromyalgia.

My site has 3 places where “there is a way” to get relief for Fibromyalgia. The first one is our favorite. One of these may be just what you need to get relief from some of your Problems. Please check out these different options. Your Body will Thank you!

http://www.thereisaway.ws/Fibromyalgia

[Via http://dlbauman.wordpress.com]

Have You Touched Your Toes Lately?

During your Egoscue session the therapist may ask…

Question: Can you touch your toes?

My Answer was Always: No. It seemed I was 6 inches away and there was no hope.

My Original Reasons Why This Answer was a “NO”: Hamstrings are too tight

This week we added a new sequence to my menu. Thank you Pete for creating this new sequence of e-cises. During the e-cise I felt lots of different muscles working, especially in my right hip flexors and even SI joint. I was not completely comfortable but not in any pain.

Then the question was asked again after the new sequence… Can you touch your toes? I was just about to say “No” and then my hands were on my toes.

I think fireworks when off!! Or at least in my head. Now I have created my NEW theory on the “Real” reason for me to have not touched my toes before. My answer now is not that my hamstrings are too tight, because the e-cises didn’t even have me engage or do any resistance to my hamstrings. Granted the hamstrings might be tight but thats not the source of the problem. So I know my hamstrings are the same as they were when I started. BUT my hips were not capable of rotating forward to allow the position. The light went off in my head…its all about my hips.

My self discover is the one thing that keeps me coming back for more Egoscue. The therapist just asked the right questions and I feel like I truly came up with my own diagnosis!!

[Via http://palmbeachegoscue.wordpress.com]

Hoisting the plague flag

I’ve finally succumbed to the flu. And I’d been doing so well–I’ve had lots of nasty colds and sinus infections over the past few years, but I haven’t had anything this severe since about 2006. That was when a mysterious lung infection triggered the onset of Graves’ Disease and rendered me pretty incapable for the best part of a year. Fortunately, I’m in better shape now–I don’t smoke, I’m not underweight any more–so I’m hoping I won’t run the risk of any complications this time around.

Although my asthma hasn’t been a major problem for years, it does tend to flare up when I get sick like this. I always worry when my chest gets involved–I had bronchitis multiple times at university, and every time I find myself coughing I remember the time I had whooping cough in my late childhood and how it went on FOREVER. I’m keeping my inhaler close to the bed just in case.

My poor partner has it too–she came down with it the day after I did, although she doesn’t seem to have been knocked about quite so badly (thankfully). She is a bit more robust than I am, lucky thing. I’ve been comparing my symptoms with hers so I can work out whether the headache and the stiff neck muscles are a result of the flu, or part of my usual fibromyalgia woes. It’s hard to tell–I’ve been having daily headaches and neck pain for a while–but my partner says that this is also part of the flu.

We’ve both spent the weekend sitting in bed, armed with Strepsils, Sudafed, a metric fuckton of codeine, audiobooks (for when the light gets too much) and our laptops. I don’t think either of us will be going in to work tomorrow.

This is daft, but I’m a bit insulted by the cheek of the flu, bothering me at a time like this. I’ve got fibromyalgia, an autoimmune thyroid disease, asthma, and I’m mental. To make matters worse, I currently have my period. Isn’t that enough? Where’s my exemption on medical grounds? Help! Help! I’m being oppressed!

If this post makes no sense, please blame the fever. It’s not as bad as it was on Friday, but it’s still pretty annoying.

Anyway, I really should go and have a shower (my hair, omg it is foul), but it’s a bit daunting. The thought of the water hitting me makes me wince, and even with a shower chair, I’m not sure I have the spoons right now…

[Via http://jeneli.wordpress.com]

Day 4 after 1st half of mercury removal

Hey folks,

Hope everyone is having a good day!  The right half of my mouth is almost back to where it was before having 5 “amalgam” fillings (which  all contain mercury) removed.  I think that’s pretty good recovery time considering all of my health issues– TMJ, fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue to naame a few.

Once again would like to thank Dr. Devening and his staff for making me as comfortable as possible.  I found out his e-mail address. It’s  www.downeydevening.com

Check it out, I learned how to do a link!  All you have to do is click on it & it will take you to the web site — neat!

My ceramic crock pot arrived.  It’s much bigger than my last one.  I got a 6 quart because I didn’t know what size the last one was — it must have been a 4 quart!  Oh well, I guess I can cook more at one time & have more servings to put in the freezer (refer back to my older post about how to feed your family when you have FMS/CFS/TMJ).

I don’t know if I can blog every day — life has flown by since my entry on March 11.  I won a game of pool against my son & my roommate, cooked supper and now I’m wiped out.  Wonder if the dishes would magically wash themselves tonight?

Much Love & Many Blessings!

Karla Setchel

www.KarlaSetchel.com

[Via http://karlasetchel.wordpress.com]

Another Type of Suicide

Which came first; the chicken or the egg? Why do people want to put the cart before the horse? Hi. My name is Steven and I am a morbidly obese forty year old man who suffers from Fibromyalgia. As I am writing this I am finishing a 350 calorie bag of Cheez-its and I can’t seem to stop myself. I am 6’4” tall, weigh 368 pounds and can’t seem to do a single thing to stop the path I am heading down, like trying to fall up the downward spiral.

How does the chicken/egg and cart/horse analogies have to do with morbid obesity, unhealthy eating habits and “suicide” of any type? It will make sense if you read on.

All of my doctors agree on only one thing, I need to lose weight. The best way to this is to exercise and have a healthy diet. Duh, right? Well let’s look at me and who I am to understand something about me. First and foremost, if you tell me I have to do something or that I can’t do something and I will go to all efforts to prove you wrong. One of the reasons I am morbidly obese is because I wanted to prove to everyone that I could eat as much as I wanted, what I wanted and when I wanted. I took this to the point that I have been my current weight for the last ten years, give or take 10 lbs.

 I am the way I am because I spent much of my childhood being bullied, not just in school, but also in the realm of family as well. I was bullied by my step-alcoholic (father-figure) and all seven of his brothers and sisters, save one. His nieces and nephews also bullied me. I had a very strong willed woman as a mother. I was also bullied in school. After I graduated high school I really took on my own identity, which included a fuck-em all attitude. I wasn’t going to take it any longer. Admittedly, this really wasn’t the best attitude to have, especially since I joined the Navy a month after graduation. I got into some legal trouble as a result of my rebellious attitude, but seemed to never get in enough trouble to be serious.

While I was in the Navy, I gained a few pounds, 30 to be exact. I was 6’4” tall and 230 lbs and the Navy labeled me morbidly obese then. I shed enough weight to get through my four years, with an honorable discharge (don’t ask me how, because I don’t know) and I made the biggest mistake of my life, I moved back to my hometown. I could have moved anywhere in the world, but I moved back to the blue collar shithole I was raised in. I do not have any type of issue with blue collar workers, non-what-so-ever. I am blue collar at heart, but I do have an issue with the blue collar shithole I grew up in.

My life went downhill from there, two marriages, two divorces and two bankruptcies. All the time my family is telling me what I have to do, when I have to do it and why. So what did I do? The complete opposite is what I have done. At this point in my life, it isn’t a choice any more. I can’t choose to do the opposite of the opposite. Sometimes I feel like the driver a Toyota, accelerating out of control, it is no longer my choice and I am just along for the ride regardless of how hard I try.

So I have my doctors telling me I have to lose weight. Can you guess what is happening? Yup… I am packing pounds on. I have my family telling me I have to get outside more. Can you guess what is happening? Yup… I am becoming more and more of a shut in. I have programmed myself well haven’t I. To the point that I no longer have control over my own motivations.

So I tell my doctors that I would love to get out and exercise, but the pain is too much, and that is the truth and not an exaggeration. My doctors won’t give me anything for the pain other than a mild muscle relaxant.  So I don’t get out and exercise and to top that off my diet consists of a lot of sugars, carbohydrates and starch, therefore I am not losing weight. Whenever I try to cut any one of those things out of my diet it is like quitting chewing tobacco. I know because I also chew. I know, disgusting… but at least I am not exposing others to cigarette smoke. I keep my carcinogens to myself. After taking some time to think about this, I believe that I have subconsciously programmed myself to commit suicide, a different kind of suicide. So with the constant pain and inability to exercise why should have decent diet? Why should quit chewing? What’s the point? That is what my brain asks me when I try to eat right. If I can’t fix it all, why fix any of it?

I have withdrawn from society, family, career and life in general. I do run a local photography club, but outside of that I don’t have friends that I go do things with, and even if I did I would probably withdraw from them over time. My family is for the most part estranged from me, to the point that my mom is probably going to move away, since I was the only reason she was hanging around.

I have lost all of my friends, outside of a one or two, and I have all but lost my relationships with all of my family. This, along with the Fibromyalgia, abuses in the past and constant failures in business, marriage and career has greatly added to my deep depression. I have suicidal thoughts all the time, I have since I was in high school. While most people and doctors do not believe that this is normal thought behavior, my only response when that say this is, “This is and has been my normal for as long as I can remember.”

I may chew, over eat and maintain a lethargic lifestyle because deep down inside I am ready to die and I am doing everything possible to make it happen as soon as possible outside of grabbing a gun, rope or a bottle of pills. But how long before that happens? I don’t know. Right now the only thing preventing me from going that route is my fear of hell. See I truly believe that the 10 commandments spell out what can and will send a person to hell. If I were to kill myself, I would not be able to ask for forgiveness of the killing, because you can’t ask for and receive forgiveness for a sin before it is committed and therefore would go to hell. I know the logic might seem a little, or a lot, off, but it the way my logic works.

I do want to get healthier. I want to be a better husband, father, employee, photographer, etc. I want to be able to do more with my photography. I want to be able do more outside of my home. I have asked for help from my doctors in helping with pain management so I could exercise more, but alas they won’t help with pain management. They want me to lose the weight and that will help with the pain. And I argue that I need to get pain controlled to be able to exercise because the pain to too much. So there we have it, they want to put the cart before the horse and I want the chicken before the egg and I want it now; instant gratification. Either way I am in a downward spiral that probably isn’t going to end well for me, my wife or my children.

So where does one go from here? For me it is doing everything wrong, because everyone is telling what I have to do. It is a different kind of suicide.

[Via http://amanwithfibro.wordpress.com]

Mercury fillings removal has begun/began?

Hi folks,

Writing with mixed emotions today.  I’m leaving in an hour for a 45 minute ride to Lexington to have half of the mercury fillings  in my teeth removed and replaced by composite — which I’ve already been tested for to make sure that I’m not allergic to. I’m glad to finally be getting the mercury out, but who likes getting dental work done?!  My roommate is driving me because I still can’t comfortably drive more than about 10 minutes at a time YET (my “positive” word).  I go back in 3 weeks to have the other half removed because I had 9 fillings in all & that is too many to do at one time.

When I get better at this blogging thing (and have less fibro-fog), I will be able to put the little “widgets” in that make it possible for you to click on a word & learn more info about it.  Like DAMS, which is an association that helps people be aware of the medical dangers of mercury fillings — the silver looking ones.

If you have “silver” fillings in your teeth, you have mercury in your mouth & every time you eat, drink or grind your teeth, you’re releasing a little mercury vapor into your body.  According to my Dr., no amount of mercury is safe, so I’m having it removed.  You have to go to a dentits who specializes in “safe mercury removal”.  They have special machines & procedures.  You can find a listing in your area if you google DAMS (the association — I feel like I’m cursing every time I type or say that LOL ).

I’ve already missed over 11 years of my life due to fibromyalgia & chronic fatigue, more than that if you count the number of days I was bed ridden from TMJ caused migraines.  I’m ready to get healthy & enjoy life!

If you can’t find something that I’ve referred to, make a comment & I will get back to you as soon as possible.  I promise I will get more proficient at this in the next few weeks (or months!).

Much Love & Many Blessings!

Karla Setchel

www.KarlaSetchel.com

[Via http://karlasetchel.wordpress.com]

Fireworks going off in my head

Sorry Everyone,

I had intended on getting at least one good post out of myself, but I have accepted that it just won’t happen today .  Maybe tomorrow I will write my Pulitzer winning post? (I am SOOOO kidding y’all!  If you can’t laugh at yourself, WHO can you laugh at?)

This migraine is kicking my butt… and it has really taken hold of my jaw and neck… I am going to have to pay my chiropractor a visit tomorrow morning and ask him for some help…. Each time I move my right shoulder, I get fireworks going off in my head and neck… it is just going from bad to worse, and it’s time to stop fighting and just sit with it until I can get some help from my AMAZING chiro!  You know you are in bad shape when you would GLADLY have your chiropractor manually stretch and release trigger points INSIDE your mouth than be given a trip to the spa… that is where I am at right now…. OUCH!!! I will exchange a really GOOD hurt over this hurt any day!

I am still holding up okay, but this is 4 days straight now, and I am starting to lose steam….. There is only so much we can do on our own before we have to reach outside ourselves.. I have tried everything.. stretching, heat, ice, baths, showers, dietary changes, yoga, deep breathing, doing the hokey pokey… I put my right foot in and I did shake it all about, it didn’t work.  I swear, is there something I am missing?

Do you find that once a certain part of your body acts up, it sets off a chain reaction? This all started with a sore back and shoulder, then my back pain went away, and it was ALL in my shoulder…. then it moved quickly into my neck… and now I honestly can’t say where one starts and another ends… everything is SOOO tight and twisted… blah…  And on top of my nerve pain, and “normal” pain, I think I might go loony tunes soon!!  (I promise, if I go anywhere, I will invite y’all along with me!)

Sorry to all who was expecting some sort of togetherness today on my part   but it ain’t gonna happen.  I feel badly because the past few days I have not been blogging the way I normally do… I just need to get myself in order, and then I will be back to my fun-loving sore self – instead of my crankypants desperate self

So I am off to lay down AGAIN with another ice pack, heating pad, book, and a prayer….  I need for this migraine to GO AWAY!!!!!  There, I told it!!  Do you think it will listen?!?

Hugs and my love to all of you… thanks for letting my rant a little… sometimes it is good medicine.

**If you are reading this anywhere other than www.gracefulagony.wordpress.com it is because this post has been stolen.  Please click on the link provided to return to the site of origin

[Via http://gracefulagony.wordpress.com]

Erik Dalton and Bodywork and Neck Pain

Erik Dalton, Ph.D., the owner of the Freedom from Pain Institute® which is devoted to the research and treatment of chronic pain conditions.

Researchers tell us that for every inch that the head shifts forward of the shoulders, weight is increased by 10 pounds. Consequently, a 12 pound head held forward 3 inches forces the cervical extensors (semispinalis, splenii, longissimus, upper traps, etc.) to isometrically restrain 42 pounds against the unrelenting force of gravity. And we can’t imagine why so many clients/patients present with degenerative disc disease, head pain and TMJ.

Forward Head Postures resulting from improper sleeping positions, driving stress, computer neck, whiplash, and improper breathing habits leads to muscle strain, disc herniations, arthritis, pinched nerves and instability. Decreasing health can result from stretching of the spinal cord. According to Erik Dalton, major cause of head, neck, jaw and shoulder pain is due to poor posture including fibromyalgia, myofascial pain syndrome, temporomandibular joint dysfunction and chronic fatigue syndromes.

The extra pressure imposed on the neck from altered posture flattens the normal curve of the cervical spine resulting in abnormal strain of muscles, ligaments, fascia and bones. According to the respected Spine Journal, 2006; 6:591-694, forward head carriage produces accelerated degeneration of intervertebral joints resulting in degenerative joint disease (cervical osteoarthritis) and osteoporosis.

The consequence of poor posture goes far beyond just looking awkward. In fact, according to the January 1994 issue of the American Journal of Pain Management, posture and function are related in that poor posture is apparent in clients/patients with chronic pain-related conditions including low back pain, neck related headaches, and stress-related illnesses.

Posture influences, and moderates every function from breathing to hormonal production. Spinal pain, headache, mood, blood pressure, pulse and lung capacity are among the functions most easily impacted by poor posture. According to the Mayo Clinic Health Letter Vol. 18, #3, March 2000, the effects of long term forward neck posture leads to “long term muscle strain, disc herniations and pinched nerves.”

When spinal tissues are made to endure prolonged compression, they deform and undergo a remodeling that can become permanent. Correcting poor neck posture is key to stopping and reversing decay and degenerative disc disease and pain from headaches, rib dysfunction and Dowager’s Humps…but it takes time and a ongoing effort using modalities such as Myoskeletal Alignment(R)  to correct the damage caused by faulty neck posture.

[Via http://erikdaltonarticles.wordpress.com]

Fibromyalgia Fight Like A Girl T-Shirts, Gifts, And Merchandise

Fight Like A Girl 6.3 Fibromyalgia by awarenessgifts Fibromyalgia warriors, claim your empowerment over it and promote fibromyalgia awareness with Fight Like A Girl t-shirts and gifts featuring a simple layout and purple graffiti-style fibromyalgia awareness ribbon.  This popular design is brought to you exclusively by Awareness Gift Boutique At Zazzle.

[Via http://fightlikeagirlshirts.wordpress.com]

A belated meme

Invisible Illness Week was over a long time ago, and I totally missed it due to not being aware of it at all.

But that’s no reason to miss out on an exciting MEME.

1. The illness I live with is: I have fibromyalgia, along with a rather severe case of Graves’ Disease which has not gone into remission despite medication. I also have a mental illness which has not yet been formally diagnosed by my current psychiatrist, although my record notes major depression with bipolar symptoms, and an adjustment disorder on top of that. Also psoriasis–although this might actually be dyshidrotic eczema, I can’t be bothered to see yet another specialist to confirm this.

2. I was diagnosed with it in the year: 2007 for the psoriasis, although that was done by a GP. 2008 for the Graves’ Disease, 2009 for the fibromyalgia, and I really have no idea about the mental illness as this is the first time I’ve sought out and stuck with treatment for it.

3. But I had symptoms since: 2000 or thereabouts for the mental stuff, and 2006 for the Graves’ Disease. Reading back over journal entries from that time is a bizarre experience because all the symptoms are so clear. The dizzy spells, the inability to walk more than a few metres without dizziness and needing to sit down, the swollen legs and knee problems, the heat intolerance, the total apathy about everything (including my civil partnership, which horrifies me now).

That was also when the unpleasant skin condition kicked in and covered both my hands and feet with tiny weeping vesicles and red, flaky skin. I wore socks all the time to hide my feet, and hid my hands under long sleeves. It did a number on my fingernails, as well. I don’t want to go into the impact that had on my self-confidence and personal life, but let’s just say some things never really recovered.

And February 2009 was when the fibromyalgia first flared up, although at the time I was paranoid about lupus.

4. The biggest adjustment I’ve had to make is: coming to terms with what ‘incurable’ and ‘chronic’ actually mean. I haven’t managed that yet. I’m not ok with having to work part-time. I’m also not okay with the thought of being on medication for life. But I will be okay with this in time. Acceptance is a work-in-progress, I guess.

5. Most people assume: That I’m perfectly healthy. I looked sick back in 2006–the photos from that time are horrific. I’ve put on a lot of weight since then so don’t look quite so much like a bug-eyed corpse.

6. The hardest part about mornings are: Getting out of bed and getting to work. The fibromyalgia causes bad morning stiffness, especially in my hands and ankles, and it takes about 2 hours to ease into my body for the day. Sometimes the train journey to work triggers muscle spasms, headaches, and sensory overload, so by the time I actually limp into work I just want to turn around and go back to bed.

7. My favorite medical TV show is: I don’t actually watch any. I was never particularly hooked on House, and I’ve never seen Grey’s Anatomy. I did used to watch Casualty with my mum, though.

8. A gadget I couldn’t live without is: the wheat-filled heat bags that Raph made for me. The collapsible walking stick that fits in my watermelon bag when I don’t need to use it. Bandages to take the pressure off my joints from time to time.

9. The hardest part about nights are: Getting to sleep. I have a big pink body-length pillow that I curl around, which helps with my knee, ankle and hip problems. My anxiety can be pretty bad in the night as well.

10. Each day I take __ pills & vitamins. (No comments, please) It varies, but I don’t actually take that many pills any more. When I was first diagnosed with GD, I was on nine pills a day (100mg of PTU 3 times a day, and 3 beta-blockers to bring my blood pressure down). Now I’m on 50mg of PTU 3 times a day, and don’t need the beta-blockers any more. I do take 50mg of Pristiq in the mornings (it used to be amitriptyline, but that really isn’t safe for me). I also take Valium and sometimes Seroquel as needed. The Valium is rubbish for anxiety, but it helps with my jaw and facial pain because it’s a mild muscle relaxant. I also take OTC and prescription painkillers as needed, but I save the prescription painkillers for breakthrough pain. Sometimes even 60mg of codeine isn’t quite enough, though. Oh well.

11. Regarding alternative treatments I: should really make an appointment for my hydrotherapy instead of being a lazy cow. I’m not actually on anything for fibro other than painkillers at the moment due to psychiatric difficulties, and I have high hopes for hydrotherapy. However, I don’t really hold with alternative treatments when it comes to certain kinds of mental illnesses. Yoga isn’t going to cure cancer, and I don’t think it can cure non-situational depression, either.

12. If I had to choose between an invisible illness or visible I would choose: something that wasn’t painful, and I would cut off my own foot before I chose a mental illness. That being said, I kind of have issues with the concepts of ‘invisible’ and ‘visible’ illnesses — who’s doing the looking, here? And what are they looking for?

13. Regarding working and career: Things could be better. Mental illness kind of ruined my plans back when I was a teenager, anyway. I was supposed to aim for Cambridge, but I kind of dropped out of everything instead. When I finally got to university, I only scraped through because of the Disability Support Unit–and I kick myself now for not asking for more accommodations. Things would have been very different had I known how to manage my illness back then, but I really, really didn’t have a clue.

14. People would be surprised to know: that I used to think fibromyalgia was just what lazy sods on the internet had. And now I’ve got it and can confirm IT’S TRUE! that I am deeply ashamed of my previous assumptions and am aware that karma is a bitch. Also, when I’m not actively depressed, I am quite a cheerful person. Really. This surprises me as well.

15. The hardest thing to accept about my new reality has been: That I will need medication for the rest of my life and could die if I don’t take it. Not to sound melodramatic or anything, but if you don’t treat Graves’ Disease you run the risk of dying from thyroid storm, or a stroke, or from heart failure. My blood pressure was so high for so long I sometimes worry I’ve done permanent damage to my heart. Also, the whole ‘chronic pain’ thing for fibromyalgia, and the ‘mentally unstable’ thing can be a bit overwhelming. I’ve been reading a lot of disability-related websites and activist blogs, though, and they’ve been incredibly helpful and enlightening. It’s a bit odd, coming to terms with the realisation that you are actually a bit disabled, but in a way it’s almost empowering to accept that identity. Hard, but empowering. I can’t really explain it very well.

16. Something I never thought I could do with my illness that I did was: I have no idea. I have no particular desire to climb Mount Everest, or run a marathon or anything like that. I suppose I have surprised myself by taking a call-centre job. I have phases of severe anxiety about the telephone. And then phases of being the most confident, talkative person in the world ever.

17. The commercials about my illness: I don’t own a TV and I’ve never seen a commercial about illness in any case. I know they have drug commercials in America, though. The thought of someone advertising fibromyalgia seems quite funny. Muscle spasms! Joint aches! Get it whilst it’s painful! Comes with the bonus ability to predict changes in the weather!

18. Something I really miss doing since I was diagnosed is: Pretentious walks with my camera, and gardening. I just haven’t felt well enough (mentally or physically) to do anything for the past few months.

19. It was really hard to have to give up: I gave up smoking in 2007, just before my diagnoses started rolling in, but I did it (in part) because I knew I was sick and had done irreparable damage to my body.

20. A new hobby I have taken up since my diagnosis is: I’m actually getting some audiobooks so I don’t have to hurt my hands holding a book, or hurt my eyes AND hands using the computer to read e-books. I haven’t had anyone read me a story since I broke my forearm as a child, so it should be an interesting experience.

21. If I could have one day of feeling normal again I would: Sort out the garden. Clean the entire house from top to bottom. Have some ~quality time~ with my partner that doesn’t involve painkillers, wincing or having my limbs bandaged (and not in a kinky mummification way, you perverts).

22. My illness has taught me: That the priority seats on trains are actually there for people like me, as I can’t stand up on a rattling train for half an hour without really hurting myself. Also, FWD is a very useful website, and Amanda Palmer is really fucking annoying.

23. Want to know a secret? One thing people say that gets under my skin is: “Oh, I have depression too! But I don’t want to take anti-depressants, so I just snap out of it when I’m sad by thinking positive thoughts/getting regular exercise/doing yoga!”

This pisses me off for two reasons.

The first: fuck you very much for the implication that I’m weaker than you for having to take medication. Thanks for trivialising what I go through. It’s not like I feel like a useless malingering twat who just needs to pull herself together every single day, or anything.

The second: way too many people call themselves depressed when in fact they’re just reacting to unpleasant life events. Sorry, it’s NORMAL to feel dreadful from time to time, especially when faced with life stress like bereavement, job loss, etc. And the fact that you can just ’snap out of it’ like that makes me think that maybe, just MAYBE, your depression is not particularly severe. Your experiences with situational depression are not the same as my experiences with major depression, derealisation, and occasional hallucinations.

I actually get situational depression as well, but that’s a different story.

24. But I love it when people: perform startling acts of niceness. Like the guy in the Post Office who helped me pick up all my parcels, then helped me to my feet & opened the door for me when I was struggling with my stick and general shakiness. Was nice of him not to mug me and kick me in the head.

25. My favorite motto, scripture, quote that gets me through tough times is: “Men must endure their going hence, even as their coming hither / Ripeness is all” – Oh, King Lear. Awesome play of miserable grimness. I LOVE IT. In a Stoic, gritted-teeth kind of way.

26. When someone is diagnosed I’d like to tell them: Incurable doesn’t mean untreatable. Educate yourself. Get a second opinion if you aren’t happy with your doctors. Also, REASONABLE ACCOMMODATIONS. Get HR on your side. Get the Disability Support Services onside if you are at university. Do not fuck things up the way I did.

27. Something that has surprised me about living with an illness is: How amazingly supportive my partner is, and how crucial that kind of support is for anyone ill. I mean, I didn’t expect R to ditch me or anything. But there are a lot of horror stories out there and I’m glad I lucked out in the relationship stakes.

28. The nicest thing someone did for me when I wasn’t feeling well was: My old manager erased several of my sickdays from the register. Completely. So I didn’t lose any sick time, and didn’t lose any pay. She was lovely. One of my other managers drove me home when my back started to spasm so badly I couldn’t walk. That was nice too. I miss that job.

29. I’m involved with Invisible Illness Week because: I just wanted to do a meme, sorry. Invisible Illness week happened in September, so I’m kind of behind the times here. But, MEME.

30. The fact that you read this list makes me feel: doubtful anyone actually got this far, to be honest.

And that took forever to write. I am off to have tea & toast and catch up on Burn Notice and Survivors now.

posted by jeneli.

[Via http://jeneli.wordpress.com]

San Diego Personal Training Business and State of the Economy update

Its been a while since I have blogged, and all for a good reason. Business has picked up for Somagenesis.com Not so much in the sense of pure physical fitness training, but specifically for special populations clientelle with orthopedic, neuromuscular or rehabilitative needs. Afterall this is our niche’ in the San Diego fitness industry. My strong medical background and knowledge of orthopedic and neuromuscular anomalies, enables me to competently help individuals improve their quality of life  through pain amelioration, muscular re-education and gait improvement.   Since January 1 2010 we have acquired 9 new clients to our exisiting portfolio of 36 dedicated clients. I am working with conditions such as Prenatal conditioning, Fibromyalgia, spinal arachnoiditis, Epstein Barr, relapsing remitting Multiple Sclerosis, Post ankle arthroplasty, Post Hip resurfacing, Post total knee replacement, and Post lumbar discectomy.

Moreover, I have noticed that  a select group of San Diego personal trainers are seeing  less clients than there were  two years ago. I have been told than many have dramatically reduced their rates to either keep or acquire clients. Also, I have discussed this situation with several personal training directors working at San Diego’s big box gyms. Memberships are down by 40% and personal training revenues also following suit.  This is unusual for this time of the year!  But given a 10% unemployment figure here in San Diego, this is probably par.

My recommendation for  fellow fitness trainers is to ramp up your marketing, take advantage of your down town and study other facets within the fitness industry and create a niche for yourself.  I believe like the large blue chip companies here in San Diego, only the strong will survive.   Like Qualcomm, who is constantly re creating the wheel, with reserve dollars, you need to do the same!

[Via http://rivak61.wordpress.com]

I Begin.......

Today is an “ok” kind of day. I got the kids off to school, wrote my “Dear John” letter, and chatted on the phone. Sounds fun so far?

I’m hoping my positivity don’t change into negativity. I hope to help someone and hope that someone will help me namely the Rheumatologist. The doctor is good, but my rheumatoid arthritis sucks! Yes, I said it! It sucks! The pain in my wrists, fingers, joints, knees, and ankles hurt like someone is hitting me with a sledgehammer. On top of that I have Fibromyalgia. Yeah, me! All over body pain. Medicine and exercise isn’t working, but I comply anyways. If I don’t move around I will end up paralyzed. I don’t think so. I’m in my early 40’s and have no time for the pain. I wish I could burn it in the fire pit were I burned a few pieces of clothes from an ex-friend. Til’ later I’ll suffer and try not to be so blah, blah, blah.

[Via http://annemyblog.wordpress.com]

Support

Yesterday, I went to my first ever Fibromyalgia Support Group. I had been looking for a group for years and although there were a couple of hospital based groups that sounded okay and I did find 1 support friend through another half-hearted attempt at a group, it is only now that I’ve found a group that has a plethora of active members.

The Upsides:

Everyone in the group knew exactly what I was going through. They understood the sleep issues, the pain issues and finding a doctor issues. It was so much fun being able to talk about medicines, treatment plans and symptoms without someone going “What is that?” or “I have no idea how you feel,” or “Why would you try that medications?”

I noticed that almost half the group relied on walking sticks and about 75% of the group was overweight thanks to their fibromyalgia symptoms OR because of their various medications. Us fat girls all agreed on one thing – we didn’t start out this fat!!! One woman who was diagnosed was an avid cyclist, cycling up to 14 miles per day!

Every women was very accomplished in her own right. Many were working mothers with families to support, or retired working moms. One woman was an ER nurse (formerly), one woman worked in Real Estate (formerly) one in finances (formerly).

Once our conversation really got going, we did a great deal of chatting about remedies, the ridiculous side-effects of Lyrica, why we aren’t always crazy (although we are sometimes depressed).

In general, it felt great to be part of a we.

The Downsides:

Almost everyone was older than me. Although fibromyalgia does affect older women more often (or older women are diagnosed) I know there are young gals like myself out there (under 40 crowd) that also suffer from fibromyalgia. However, there is a benefit to this too, which is that each woman had a number of experiences that I could learn from. But, along with fibromyalgia came other issues that sometimes come with age that I couldn’t quite understand. But what an insight! I realized that it is okay to say yes to walking sticks if I need it and not to be so darned embarrassed. And not to be embarrassed by using those little motorized cars in the grocery stores and even (as one woman recounted) at places like Disneyland. Where I had viewed this for so long as being a weakness – the women using these tools assured me that it makes for a much more enjoyable holiday with family and for a more upbeat shopper than the morose person I usually am in grocery stores.

But because the women were a bit older, I felt hesitant to ask them to exchange phone numbers for those days when I really needed someone to come over to help me out. I have read stories and blogs online of girlfriends with fibro that will care for one anothers kids or household while the other is stuck in bed. I don’t have these crazy days as much anymore thanks to a lot of reframing my state of mind, pain pills (thank you Lord!…and my doctor), and other pain management techniques and medicines, but about once a month I am pretty close to a nervous break down because of my intense pain.

Those are usually the days I call my husband in desperation to come home from work, or just tell him that I really can’t get out of bed.

And, as many of these gals are past the child that needs you at home stage – the meetings are during the day and are often at locations that are not the kid friendliest. So, I’ve got to get on finding that occasional daytime babysitter, bring him with me occasionally, or just have my husband resign to come home for a two-hour lunch (which will eat his vacation time) so I can go for a lunch with these gals once per month.

I imagine that once I get to know them, I will be able to get over my timid nature and ask for a few numbers for those emergency days when I just need a helping hand or an ear to listen.

I encourage anyone with fibromyalgia to seek out a support group – and for us young gals to start talking to our more mature and experienced counterparts. Believe me, it has helped me more than I ever realized! I feel energized, excited and just plain relieved to find people like myself in person. This may just end up replacing my talk therapy.

[Via http://fibrowise.wordpress.com]

Chronic Pain, The Huffington Post, and Comments Elsewhere

gracefulagony posted two interesting links: a HuffingtonPost article written by a doctor experiencing chronic pain for the first time. The doctor used a mix of traditional and non-traditional therapies to deal with his cancer-caused pain. His hypothesis that people in chronic pain are “situational narcissists” caused a stir when posted to a fibromyalgia community live journal site.  I’m curious about the:

I have also used an interesting technology for pain and anxiety management called The New Reality, Personal Achievement Device wich [sic] uses a combination of audio and visual stimulus to relive pain and control anxiety.

mentioned in Dr. Lipsenthal’s article. What exactly is this device? What does it do? 

Any thoughts, reactions, or comments?

[Via http://phylor.wordpress.com]

Child abuse linked to adult pain related disorders

According to the researchers, their study and others have found stress caused by abuse can alter children’s brains, making them more likely to develop chronic pain from such conditions as irritable bowel syndrome, chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia, interstitial cystitis and arthritis.

“Stressful events in childhood, such as abuse, can alter the body’s stress response permanently and predispose to a wide variety of medical and psychiatric conditions in adulthood,” said the study’s lead researcher, Dr. Gretchen E. Tietjen, professor and chairwoman of neurology and director of the Headache Treatment and Research Program at the University of Toledo Medical Center in Ohio.

It is not uncommon, she said, for people who’ve been abused to have a variety of debilitating conditions, including migraine.

“The linking of these comorbidities may be through abuse-mediated brain changes occurring early in life,” Tietjen said. “Understanding the physiology of abuse’s effects on the brain over the life span may lead to prevention or more effective treatment of migraine and associated conditions.”

She was quick to note, however, that not all abused children develop migraines and not everyone who suffers from migraines or any other chronic painful condition was abused.

But those with a history of abuse “are more likely to have the worst cases of migraine,” she said. “They are the ones most likely to have a lot of the other pain conditions.”

The findings are reported in the January 2010 issue of Headache: The Journal of Head and Face Pain.

For the study, Tietjen’s group collected data on 1,348 people with migraines who were seen at 11 outpatient headache centers. About 58% reported being physically, sexually or emotionally abused or physically or emotionally neglected during childhood. Also, 61% reported having at least one painful condition other than migraine.

Those who had been abused or neglected as children were significantly more likely to suffer from other chronic pain conditions than were people who had not been abused as children, the researchers found.

“Childhood abuse, especially emotional abuse and neglect, is very common in the population of persons seeking help for headache,” Tietjen said. “Childhood abuse is linked to high frequency of headache in adults, and to headache-related disability. Persons with migraine who have been abused are more likely to suffer from depression, anxiety and from chronic stress-related pain conditions.”

The researchers noted that different types of abuse appeared to result in different conditions. For example, physical abuse was linked with arthritis, whereas emotional abuse was associated with irritable bowel syndrome, chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia and arthritis, Tietjen said.

Physical neglect was linked to an increased likelihood of irritable bowel syndrome, chronic fatigue syndrome, interstitial cystitis and arthritis.

Women who suffered physical abuse or neglect as children were also more likely to have endometriosis and uterine fibroids. Emotional abuse was linked to both conditions as well, but emotional neglect was associated with uterine fibroids alone, the study found.

Dr. Walter Lambert, an associate professor and medical director of the child protection team at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, said that “adverse childhood events have significant long-term health risks in adulthood.”

“It does not surprise me that people who reported emotional abuses would have more chronic headaches and migraines,” he added.

Lambert also agreed that stress in childhood can change pathways in the brain, with neglect being the worst. Children can take only so much stress before it begins to affect their growing brain, he explained.

“As human beings,” Lambert said, “we need nurturing — both physical nurturing and emotional nurturing — to flourish.” Society needs to find ways to promote nurturing and stable environments for children to prevent maltreatment, he added.

[Via http://weareallsurvivors.wordpress.com]

Hard to keep going foreward when I'm not getting anywhere

No answers at the doctor today. Just sincere apologies that there isn’t anything he can really do because my insurance doesn’t cover anything and fibromyalgia is still being researched. I explained how I feel this is ruining my life, the headaches, the fatigue, the anxiety the depression. That I’m having trouble working swing shift because I get tired so easily. Plus…switching from AM schedule taking care of Claire..to weekend schedule on swing shift has not bee easy for me lately. I want to quit because I’m so tired and haven’t been getting ANY homework done. Yet, I know we need the money and I have just giving up. I’ve found some other jobs to apply for, but I’m worried that I won’t be able to handle the long hours or a demanding job. What job isn’t demanding?  I feel rather lost and alone, I expected to be better after this last surgery and I was doing ok for a while. Why all of a sudden does this come on? I’ve likely had it for years, but was it the stress I went through living in Eugene? I don’t know what to think and I don’t know what to do.

I beleive I’ve tried it before and it gave me side effects, but I’m going to try and take a low dose of some seizure medication (Nerotin?) that is supposed to work neurologically. I went to a pain specialist about 7 years ago in LA and they put me on it (or at least I think that’s what they gave me)…it gave me severe insomnia. Yet for lack of any better options I will give it a try again. Nothing else is going to be approved and if they can’t find any other conditions then I’m pretty much screwed and left with fibromyalgia.

At first I thought I was ok with another diagnosis, but now I’m not so sure I am. I’m angry. I don’t want to live this way. I want to do the things I want to do, I don’t want “taken care of” and I don’t want to be weak, tired, have headaches and constant pain. Am I getting an option in this matter…no. I’m not a hypochondriac, it’s not a mental disease, I’m not crazy, these things are real and my doctor believes me. Yet, there is nothing to be done.

I’m anxious about how people will view me with another chronic illness that will never go away. I in fact don’t even want to tell anyone. Yes, I’m sort of announcing it to the world on my blog, but hey…no one reads this.

It’s really hard to keep going right now.

[Via http://moderatelyinconclusive.wordpress.com]

Blood test results

My ESR is high and my platelets are elevated. So there’s definitely some inflammation present, even though my rheumatoid factor was normal. My CRP is also within normal range (although higher than it was last time, not sure if that means anything though). I’m surprised at the amount of relief I feel–it’s sort of validating, in a way. It means that this isn’t all in my head.

The doctor agrees that the swelling in my fingers, knuckles, ankles and lower back is most likely synovitis. Although my fingers feel all sausagey, my ankle joints are the worst–it’s not just a fluid build up there, the soft tissue is also inflamed and boggy. She was quite surprised when I told her that the rheumatologist had never actually explained what was going on with the swelling. The joint pain with the associated swelling was the primary reason I ended up at the rheumatologist’s last year, only to come away with a fibromyalgia diagnosis when all my blood tests came back normal.

Now I wonder whether he wrote me off too quickly–I mean, I DO believe I have fibro, but the symptoms specifically associated with FMS were never my primary concern. I don’t just have the ‘vague aches and pains’ the rheumatologist seems to think are my main concern–the FMS problems are on top of everything else, if that makes sense. My pain is very joint-specific, and I never really got a definite answer as to why that was the case. So I’m taking my partner with me when I go back to the rheumatologist’s next week. She’s better at describing my symptoms than I am because I’m very forgetful and tend to minimise things when I’m actually dealing with doctors.

Aaand in other news, my GP has set up my Team Care Arrangement, so I just need to make an appointment for hydrotherapy now. Lovely warm water, and nice helpful physiotherapists who are used to dealing with chronic illnesses.

posted by jeneli.

[Via http://jeneli.wordpress.com]

Hot and Cold Therapy for Fibromyalgia Pain

Good day!  Is it just me or does anybody else with fibromyalgia ever feel like you are on a rollercoaster?  I have learned quite a few pain management strategies over the years as an Occupational Therapist and have had many opportunities to put them into practice in managing my fibromyalgia for the past 10 yrs.  I can go for a period of time managing my fibromyalgia symptoms quite well and then “bam” I feel like a mack truck hit me.  For instance like this past weekend I know I have been working many hours recently in a new chaotic environment, eating more sugary junk and then add some extra family stressors.  I was feeling more painful all over with increasing daily headaches but was caught off guard with a screaming headache that escalated and increased the domino body pain effect during the middle of the night on my weekend with guests sleeping over.  After using cold gel wraps, taking aspirin and biding my time, the pain began to ease to a manageable level.  My body was sending me a wake up call that I had once again been using to much adrenaline for everyday living.  I took the time to listen and took an extra nap and went to do the elliptical machine at the gym while watching a motivating and life giving program. I took time to pray and give it all back to the Lord.  In the end I felt much better with increased energy.  Now if I could just consistently remember to practice Isaiah 40: 31 “They that hope in the Lord will renew their strength, they will soar as with eagles’ wings; they will run and not grow weary, walk and not grow faint,” (NAB).  I would truly feel better and have more energy.  As I get older I realize there is so much wisdom in God’s word.  My prayer for you today is that, you would stop to smell the roses, wait upon the Lord and be renewed in strength and energy and know His peace for that is where real pain and stress management takes place.

 Please take the opportunity to visit our website at LivingLifeUnlimitedLLC.com to check out the awesome Elasto-gel packs that can be used for hot and/or cold therapy.  These are not your typical hot and cold packs. They are soothing and great for pain relief.  They provide pain relief for tight aching muscles, painful joints and headaches.  Take caution if you have sensation impairments. As always it is recommended you first check with your doctor before starting a new treatment.  Ease your fibromyalgia pain today with a soothing Elasto-gel product.

 Have a blessed week.

 Chris Antolin

[Via http://llullc.wordpress.com]

Reviving My Wild Streak

With all the crazy things that have happened in my life over the past two and a half years, my life has been a whirlwind of problems and emotional baggage I’ve still been trying to sort out.  I usually don’t notice this between Calculus problems and washing dishes, but some days I have the rare moments when everything becomes clear and I can see how much I’ve changed, usually the for the worse; today I had one of those moments.

My boyfriend, after being laid off from Midway Games, and then a 6-month stint at a financial company (which made him miserable), he is finally back to doing what he loves: working in the video game industry.  At Midway, he was in a group that kept relatively normal hours, so his current job was my first exposure to the insane hours that most people in video games work.  I was pretty lonely already, being home with the cats all day, my friends still in school, but these hours have brought me to a new level of misery and loneliness than before.  I’ve been going crazy, making demands of him that he be home on time at least one night out of the week, and being mad at him when he ends up having to stay late.  And then today, when I was venting to my mother on the phone, it occurred to me “where did all this come from?”

I could just say that it’s my trust issues or abandonment issues causing internal turmoil, but that doesn’t quite sit with me over this issue.  My boyfriend is the only man in my life I’ve never had to worry about losing (except death) and I know he’s not trying to deceive me, but is optimistic about when he’ll get out of work. So what is causing all the pain I feel?

I’ve realized that during all the horrible luck and illnesses I’ve had that I’ve become too attached to him.  I used to be such an independent, care-free person, and now after years of needing his compassion and care for survival, I’ve forgotten how to live without it.  I’ve decided to break away a bit from him, start doing some of my own things again, being more of my own person.

I feel in some way, this will bring us back to where we should be.  When we first started dating and I had my plans of being a writer (now on hold while I sort out brain fog), in that time before my life had been tossed around, I remember thinking we had the perfect relationship because we could both be separate and together.  It was the perfect relationship for both of our careers and it was the perfect relationship for the wild-independent me that needed both distance and intimacy.

Starting tomorrow I’m going to try to go out and explore the world, try new things, meet new people, and hopefully recover that small part of me that got left behind.  This is going to be difficult since fibromyalgia does it’s fair share of keeping me feeling sick and indoors, but there is also the small hope of diminishing the spell fibro has cast over my life by slowly reclaiming the pieces of my myself it stole.

[Via http://sententiaviridae.wordpress.com]

Super Size Post...by Lisa Harmon

“I have ARRIVED…” Kenai, 2 yrs old

Kenai is a habitually stoic sort of fellow. Recognizing what he wants or feels is more often than not a subtle affair. Slight changes in ear position, the pitch of a whine, the length of a sigh is about all the explanation you get. You have to be paying attention and you have to know him. Well. However, there are times… In this pic here he had been trotting around playing in the other room, then suddenly the unmistakable thunder of Kenai on a mission was heard (from afar) and he vaulted into that position. “I am HERE and I want OUT to play!” It would seem indoors was not satisfactory. He’s had his playtimes early in the morning while the ground is still frozen, in an attempt to avoid the melt-mud. By dark yesterday the snow was about half gone, and now we have a butt buster skating rink that once was a driveway! Slippery! “Brown” doesn’t have to pay much mind to such things as terrain, endowed with immense snowshoes for paws, complete with claws to dig in if needed. His more narrow footed, clawless, and balance challenged human is another story… I skirted the garage to the “potty patch” this morning–snow pack is easier walking than sheet ice. Hence, we did not have our play time right away in the morning. I was hoping for a little softening of the slush. Only problem: the living room toy box simply would not do anymore.  My subtle, quiet natured brown bear was in an overt mood. Being amazingly slow to become insistant, when Kenai does get in a mood about something, I usually give him what he’s after. So long as he’s not ill-tempered about it, anyway.  Wonky Kenai is the fault of me and the fibro/fatigue: I’ve neglected the exercise and interaction too long. Usually 2-3 days is all the laying about he can take. He has a remarkably patient disposition, so when he’s gotten in a mood, it’s been a long time building. out we went.  He wanted some seriously intense exercise. Nothing was supposed to interfere with our games I discovered, including the camera. When I pulled it out of the pocket he gave me a look. “Are you at it with that camera again! Give it a rest and play with me!” I was hoping to get maybe one really fabulous pic of him, but he refused to co-operate. Anytime the camera went into position, he flashed me the look, complete with donkey ears. Still hoping for a snappy shot, I had the bright idea of picking up something he could chase. That usually brings out the boy wrinkles and expectant bright eyes. Donkey ears is what I got. “QUIT with the camera already!” He was plenty happy to chase the magnolia seed pod, but he was not interested in posing, not in the least.  If you’ve ever wondered what manly annoyance looks like in a self-possessed Great Dane, well here you go: Guess that’s the closest I’ll get to Kenai’s Picture of the Week today; the sight of an indignant snort. I put the camera away and started to play. But his snorty attitude got a little snotty, and he started swatting at me instead of running around. Hum. We had a flashback to adolescence for a moment, when he thunked me with his chest and walloped my sorest leg with a good hard swat. He knew it was too hard, too, and gave me a look of “what ya gonna do about that”. You can tell when they do it on purpose. Just for that, I left him in the kennel. I walked away, all the way into the house, yippee yip apologies unresponded too. Oh I was coming in to get BB for a romp, but Kenai didn’t know that. I always tell him I’m going to bring BB out, and he waits patiently without yipping. All he knew was he got rangey and I left him all alone for it. He hates to be alone, btw, so that “punishment” counted big time. I asked Mom to let her boy out when she got the chance, and went back to find an ever so happy to see you boy. Beebs was out the door shortly, and the Brothers Grin had themselves great gobs of run-with-me, circling the kennel. I’ll go in and out of the kennel, moving back and forth according to who’s not playing hard enough to wear themselves out. We three had a good time, and their happy meters were all pegged when it was time to go inside. *** You can see Beebs is looking better than a couple months ago, but he’s lost a bit of weight the past couple weeks. Both boys have me pinned between a rock and a hard place about their diet. The rock: they need enormous amounts of food to gain and hold weight, roughly 8-10 cups of calorically dense Eagle Pack a day. The large amount has a tendency to put enough undigested carbs in their guts to be a breeding ground for “bad” bacteria and yeast. Intractable diarrhea follows. The hard place: they may not be digesting some nutrients well enough, but they over absorb minerals like giants are prone to do. If I give them enough food to gain muscle, it makes their bones and joints hurt, putting them at risk for skeletal problems. If you are a veterinary nutritionist or work for a dog food company, would you explain our plight at work, and tell the boss I’m not above begging for help? This is not an uncommon situation with giant breeds who have malabsorption issues. These two just seem to be extra difficult. We’ve been struggling with the malabsorption for almost 2 years, and confounded every vet we’ve seen. I would love to have a dog food company develop a high calorie, low carb, low macro mineral kibble! That would solve the problem, wouldn’t it? Something with an absurdly low calcium/phosphorus content, with nearly no grains/startches, so they could have 10 cups without bacterial overgrowths or risks to their bones and joints. We need someone both brilliant and pugnacious to come up with a food for the Brothers. Know anyone? *** Before I forget again (who me?), I wanted to paste in a comment by Jenny from the Wobbler’s page: I just wanted to let you know that I am starting a facebook group as an offshoot

from the yahoo NeuroDogs group. Please join us to discuss wobblers treatments

and recoveries and to share your stories. So much for so many to learn from! Now

we can be found under the Neurodogs name on both yahoo and facebook. Those sites would be a great thing to check out if you’ve got a dog with Wobblers or other neurological issues. Wobbler’s is a disabling, and potentially life threatening disease, caused by deformities in the cervical spine. Big time hard to treat for many dogs. I thank God my experience with it was limited to a mild case in my late brother’s dog. It can be a devastating diagnosis, as response to treatment varies from dramatic improvement to even worsening symptoms. My heart goes out to anyone whose beloved pup is afflicted with Wobblers. So as not to end on a sad note, here is 24/7 BB in all his glory: (who else can be relied on at all times for a good chuckle?) If you can’t laugh at that, there’s something profoundly wrong with you!! He and I have a new game: thunk a chunk. I was walking along with him the other day, and my boot inadvertantly hit a patch of snow from underneath. Some of it sprayed, having been a very dry sort of snow. But one chunk held together and went rolling. Ka-Swat!! BB squished it, then started watching my feet for another chunk to thunk. If I’m standing still kicking at snow, thunk a chunk is a variation of whack-a-mole. But if I’m moving around, it’s an even better chance for chase. Ever the opportunist, he’s become a downright pest anytime my foot gets near the white stuff! If I’m not kicking it, he’s licking it and eating the stationary chunks. I have created a monster! Oh but it’s so much fun…   

[Via http://greatdaneservicedog.wordpress.com]

long time no weird

Well Hi!

I haven’t popped in to write for such a long time…

After Christmas I was too busy having the best holiday ever!  And unfortunately didn’t get a chance to write about how great I was feeling. I had my bestest, longest run of good health I can remember for a long time with just a bit of fatigue now and then. It really helped to have Trusty about and we spent a wonderful week together with all three princesses. I miss them, especially cooking meals with trusty at night and tucking all the girlies in to bed with hugs n kisses before flomping in front of a movie together with a glass of wine:) just like a real life family.

Now I’m emerging from the shittiest week of shitty health that I can remember for a long time. I have been so exhausted and hurty all over. I hate feeling like this and watching the days drift by me, not being able to do the things i want or need to do.  I have had the deepest foggiest spootiest brain fog and spend the days sleeping, crying, feeling all alonesome and wishing this crap would end. I think I am starting to come out the other end today (eww, sounds like my disease just digested me and shat me out, feels like it too) I can think and write a bit, did a little bit of cleaning in between naps though my body is still hurting and aching like I have flu or something. I have snotted a lot and put loved ones through the wringer once again, the people who stick by me deserve medals, i tell ya!

Hope to write more soon when I’m back to ‘normal’

m:)

[Via http://littleweirdy.wordpress.com]

The Placebo Effect: Do We Care Why it Works, as Long as it Does?

Placebo (definition) – any dummy medical treatment; originally, a medicinal preparation having no specific pharmacological activity against the patient’s illness or complaint given solely for the psychophysiological effects of the treatment; more recently, a dummy treatment administered to the control group in a controlled clinical trial in order that the specific and nonspecific effects of the experimental treatment can be distinguished.

Placebo Effect – any effect that seems to be a consequence of taking a placebo, the change is usually beneficial and is assumed to result from the person’s faith in the treatment or preconceptions about what the substance was supposed to do.

I have a question for you. If you have migraines 3 times a week and start taking feverfew capsules to prevent them, do you REALLY care whether the reduction is caused by the feverfew or the placebo effect if you start only having one a month? If it works, does it matter WHY it works?

Isn’t feeling better, having less pain, a good thing no matter what the cause is? I’ve been thinking about this a lot lately, and doing a lot of research on different types of “Alternative Medicine.” Since I don’t have access to prescription medications any more, I’ve been looking for other ways to treat my fibromyalgia symptoms; trying things like herbs, aromatherapy, stress reduction, etc.; and I’ve found some things that help me.

So here I am, going along my merry way; drinking catnip tea to help me sleep, and ginger tea to reduce my pain and inflammation, adding nutmeg to my food to reduce my depression; and someone says, “You know, that stuff only helps because you BELIEVE it does, not because there’s anything in it that does any good. It’s all the PLACEBO EFFECT.”  Hmmm, that made me stop and think.

I’ve done my reading, checked on possible side effects and interactions between the things I put into and on my body, checked the research when I could find some, and tried tiny amounts to see how my body would react before I added something new. (By the way, if herbs don’t have any therapeutic effects or active ingredients, why is there so much information available on possible side effects and interactions? Even the National Institute on Health has a section for herbs now.) I’ve experimented, and these things make me feel better. Do I really care whether they make me feel better because they’re providing an active ingredient that biochemically reacts with my body or because I THINK they’ll make me feel better?  No, I don’t think I do, but the question brought up some other interesting questions.

(NOTE: This is just an example. I am not suggesting that you replace your blood pressure medication with celery.)

If I eat celery to reduce my blood pressure, and my blood pressure drops by 10 points, does that 10 point reduction have less of an effect on my health if it’s caused by the placebo effect rather than by a biochemical reaction? Does a 10 point reduction that’s caused by taking a prescription medication reduce the stress on my heart more than a 10 point reduction caused because I THINK the celery will reduce my blood pressure?

If I drink a cup of catnip tea before bed because I think it will help me rest better and wake up with more energy, does it matter whether it works because of a biochemical interaction with my body or the placebo effect when I DO wake up feeling more rested and energetic?

I don’t think it does. I think that the effect is much more important than the reason behind the effect, and if drinking catnip tea makes me feel more rested and energetic; or eating celery reduces my blood pressure, I don’t really care WHY it does it. (Besides, I’ve never woken up with a medication hangover from drinking tea, or gotten woozy from eating a vegetable, and I surely have from taking medications.)

So what do you think? Does it make a difference why you feel better, as long as you do?

(None of the information/opinion provided in this post is intended as medical advice. If you are interested in trying alternative therapies, you should consult a qualified practitioner.)

[Via http://wendyburnett.wordpress.com]

Soaring With God

“Those who wait on the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not faint” (Isaiah 40:31).

In the past few years, I have developed an interest in birds. God used birds to help me through my own “empty nest,” and I have found that bird watching is something I can do despite my physical limitations.

One of the things I appreciate most about birds is their ability to soar and glide so effortlessly. At times they seem to fly simply for the pleasure of it, and they are beautiful and entertaining to watch.

With my new interest in birds, this verse has become even more meaningful to me now than in the past. I have struggled with depression for many years – sometimes for legitimate reasons and other times for no known reason at all. On my most intense days of depression, the heaviness is overwhelming and all I can do is to trust God, knowing that these feelings will pass and are not based on the truths of His Word.

In those moments, I need to remind myself that God can lift me up out of the heaviness and into the heights, soaring just like my birds. That may be difficult to believe when the depression or pain is so intense, yet every word of God proves true. The same power that raised Christ from the dead lives in me (Ephesians 1:19-20). That power can bring me out of the depths of despair and into the heights of renewed energy and hope.

My body may not be swift, agile, and graceful like the birds, but my spirit can be lifted as God renews my strength. When I see birds flying in the sky, I take heart and remember that I too can soar, for I have a God who performs miracles (Psalm 77:14).

Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank you that your Spirit lives within me, raising me to new heights of endurance and perseverance, and bringing joy and peace in the process. Carry me on your wings today. Amen.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Bronlynn Spindler is a wife and mother of three grown daughters and lives in Fredericksburg, VA. God’s grace and strength give her the ability to deal with chronic back pain, depression, headaches, and fibromyalgia. You may view her blog of devotionals at www.aplaceofsprings57.blogspot.com and

contact her at spindler@….

[Via http://chronicillnesspaindevotionals.wordpress.com]

The fibro strikes back

I’m currently a physical wreck, brought on by the recent period of hypomania I just went through. It only lasted four-five days before I managed to knock it on the head with dear old Seroquel, but it was more of a severe episode than usual and kind of noticeable to people around me.

For a couple of days I completely forgot to take my medication–all of it. Even the thyroid pills and the birth control which I take to suppress my INCREDIBLY PAINFUL AND LENGTHY PERIODS. Needless to say, this worries me a bit because my thyroid is still swollen so it really wouldn’t take much to set it off again. Also, annoyingly, I’m on the rag and it HURTS.

An even more annoying development was the awful crawly feeling I had over my entire body that lasted several days and had me convinced that I was infested with fleas. That was deeply unpleasant, to say the least.

The lack of sleep and total loss of appetite, whilst completely unnoticed by me at the time, did bad things to my body. By about 11pm on New Year’s Eve rolled round, I had really bad chest pains, my heart was racing, and I felt as though I could barely breathe. I remember looking at myself in the mirror and thinking ‘If I don’t sleep tonight, I’m going to die.’

Cue the Seroquel, and close to fifteen hours of completely unrefreshing drug-induced sleep. That’s the downside of Seroquel, for me. It knocks me out, but it doesn’t seem to take me into healing!mode when I sleep and consequently I’m in a pretty shitty fibro flare and have been since I woke up yesterday.

Back is spasmy, knees are killing, tendons in my hands and ankles are Not Happy Jan, nerve pain everywhere, but particularly in the tender points at my elbows and knees–they’re always the worst. My right shoulder feels like it’s been pierced by a spear, and as for the rest of me, well, I feel like I’ve been hit by a truck. However, I no longer feel like I’m about to drop dead from a heart attack, so I suppose that’s something.

I spent yesterday in bed reading, as I was too sore and too sedated to do anything else. I am contemplating a trip into the city today to buy another book, but I will be taking my awesome collapsible cherry cane with me because it’s more than likely that my back and hips will start to protest if I do too much walking. They’re protesting now, alas.

Apart from all that, though, I’m in a good mood, which is nice. But it’s more than likely that my mood is going to start to go UP & UP & UP again. I can feel it starting to lift right now, and I can tell that despite the aches & pains & the painkiller fog I’ll have trouble sleeping tonight, so I think I’ll be knocking myself out at about 9pm tonight to see if I can nip it in the bud.

I hurt too damn much to risk a repeat of the past couple of days.

[Via http://jeneli.wordpress.com]