Fibromyalgia Myths and Truths

Fibromyalgia Myths and Truths.
© By Lena Sanchez

When, after 15 years of excruciating pain and hospitalizations
without an answer to the pain suffered daily, I was finally
diagnosed with Fibromyositis, now known by it's common
name Fibromyalgia (FMS), I was given a lot of prescriptions
and told that I would more than likely end up in a wheel
chair.

That is a very true if I had continued to take those
prescriptions and listen to those doctors who haven't a
clue as to what is going on in FMS patients, yes being
wheel chair bound, a side effect of the prescriptions
they are prescribing for FMS, would have been my fate.

It took years of trial and error and a lot of years on
prescriptions before I was able to break away from the
traditional wheel-chair bounding medications.

Most usual prescriptions given are NSAIDS (ibuprofen,
Motrin, etc.) or prednisone containing medication and the
truth of it is, those medications will eat away at your bones
and tendons and put you in a wheel chair along with eating
the lining of your stomach creating IBS, horrific bowel
problems. IBS is listed as a symptom of FMS, when in
actuality it is most usually a side effect of the treatment.

The next prescription given will be something to help you
relax and sleep, as FMS people have a hard time
staying asleep and end up with severe pain because of the
sleep deprivation. When I kicked the prescription habit I
was taking 150 mg of Amitriptline at bedtime. That was
a nightmare in itself. Sure, I got the sleep but it took
most of the day for me to be alert enough to feel good
and the pains would still be there.

Morning meant -getting slowly out of bed then into the
hottest shower I could stand enabling me to be awake
enough to get to work, but most of all to help weaken
the pain enough for me to contend with it all day. That
was not a fun time.

Some days it would be so bad I could not get out of bed
without screaming in pain. Some days I couldn't get out
of bed pain because the pain was more than I could stand.
Every movement created tears.

Those years sent me researching for something to stop the
pain but keep me out of a wheel chair!

FMS MYTHS that I found are:
Prescriptions are the only answer for FMS pain. Traditional
medical world is the only ones who can help you with FMS.
You will end up in a wheel chair. You are a mental case. You
will most likely develop Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS). FMS
will get worse with age. Doctor says that's all that can be
done for your pain!

All those are myths but may come to be reality if you follow
the traditional prescription route of treatments and spouted
by doctors in our world of pain but really have no clue
what to do for us… Frustrating for the doctor who recognizes
that he/she is limited in their knowledge and frustrating for
those of us who have to live with it.

TRUTHS I found are;
FMS is painful and debilitating. It occurs more in women
than men. With it comes depression, loss of self worth,
pain beyond comprehension and in places you cannot
describe literally from the top of your head to the bottoms
of your feet. Disability comes to the person who follows the
traditional path of treatment. Pain varies from one person
to the next as to the severity and the areas on the body.
Sleep deprivation and chronic fatigue are constant
companions when FMS is out of control. Alternative
Natural medicine is the only route to go to keep from
becoming a wheel chair bound invalid also regain your
self worth and avoid chronic fatigue and IBS. Heart disease
comes from the stress of it all so you have to be extra
careful to keep antioxidants in your system, 5 to 10 times
the RDA's. Sugary foods exacerbate FMS. Eating empty
caloried foods (chips, sodas, cookies, etc.) set up an
exacerbation of FMS. Most of these I experienced for
myself in the past.

In 1995 I took charge of my life and found herbs and minerals
that control my FMS, as long as I stay away from sugary foods
and drinks. I no longer take a prescription of any kind and have
no intentions of ever taking another one. I am pain free 99%
of the time. Yes, FMS is still with me but I get my sleep by
taking a formula of several herbs at bedtime Also a necessity
is having sufficient probiotics of equal natural flora to balance
out the intestinal system so the bowels can stay healthy.
Equally important is a strong balance of minerals, antioxidants
and meganutrients. If stress is a problem I temporarily add a
natural stress reducing formula of herbs to counteract that.

Most doctors in 2003 still do not consider FMS a legitimate
illness, but will try to appease a patient while knowing nothing
about how to help them.

I discovered there were certain things that I eat that
exacerbates FMS, so I steer clear of them and take my herbs,
minerals, meganutrient vitamins, antioxidants and probiotics
daily.

Occasionally I wake up with "Ouch, where did those pains
come from?" Of course it only takes a moment for me to
remember that I did it to myself. I had to have that Hershey's
with almonds or a fun size snickers with almonds, or maybe
it was a cherry soda or hot fudge banana nut sundae. Anyway,
I did it to myself!

My 30+ years with FMS has taught me a few things about
myself that I'm not particularly happy with but it's there. It
took me years to figure out that almost all exacerbation
of my FMS days are caused from what I did or did not put
into my mouth. I now know those times that I indulge is
going to make me suffer with pain and I have to decide
if it's worth it and should others around me suffer for my
indulgence? Those days have now become few and far
between. And I'm beginning to enjoy the ability to take
charge! My doctor thinks I'm nuts but he lets me go do
my natural treatment and seems puzzled at how I stay
healthy after 30 years with FMS.

Hoping you make a smart decision to take charge of
your health!
Lena