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Has FM ever been cured ???

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Posted 2/11/2012 4:54 PM (GMT 0)
I feel extremely blessed, to have reduced my negative FM symptoms by 90+%

But I have just enough weird, unexplainable aches and pains, to know that I still do have FM. Which is pretty scary.

So again, has anybody here, or for that matter, anywhere in literature, ever totally beat FM ? Of course if somebody did, it could easily be argued that they were not suffering from FM in the first place. So hard to tell with such a mysterious disease as FM, huh ? :(

Peace,

Fish

Posted 2/11/2012 9:08 PM (GMT 0)
I don't have a pain issue that needs to be medicated. A lot of my symptoms have improved or disappeared, too. Yet, I know I still have the root problem.

I read an interesting article, which mentioned that the blood pressure test might just be the simplest and most accurate test for fibromyalgia yet.

It is excruciatingly painful for me when the blood pressure cuff is put on and tightened when I'm having my blood pressure taken. In fact, that seems to have gotten worse over the years. Within the past couple years, I've also noted how much it hurts to have the rubber band put on an arm when getting a blood draw.

Some people online have claimed they cured themselves with hormone therapies and such, and there's a woman on the lyme forum who referred 2 of her friends who had fibromyalgia to a well-known lyme doctor. They were on antibiotics for several years and got completely well, she says.

I think there must be subsets of fibromyalgia. I also think those with primary fibromyalgia have the most pain issues and those with secondary fibromyalgia have a lot of other issues but pain isn't primary. Just my current thinking on it.
Posted 2/11/2012 9:24 PM (GMT 0)
There is no cure because they don't know the cause of this illness.  The person that was cured by the Lyme doctor obviously had Lyme disease and not fibro.  We had a member several years ago diagnosed with fibro and it turned out she really had Lyme disease and has gotten help and has gotten better...not totally...but better. 

 

Lyme and fibro have many of the same symptoms.  Fibro has many of the same symptoms as other illnesses.  That's why I put the link in Fibro 101 called What Else Could It Be.  Actually, this link was created by the member who was misdiagnosed!  These need to be ruled out first before a diagnosis of fibro is usually given.

 

People with fibro have varying degrees of pain.  You are one of the more fortunate ones on this forum.  I've had fibro for almost 25 years and haven't been pain-free a single day.  I always have to take pain relieving medications to keep moving with this illness.  I exercise, use moist heat, use supplements, use positive thinking, and I still have pain.  But, I'm thankful for each day and for days that I don't have as much pain as the day before.  I don't dwell on this illness either because that's not healthy either.  I just live my life and work around this illness.  When they do have a cure, I'll be first in line.

 

Sherrine

 

Sherrine

Posted 2/11/2012 9:35 PM (GMT 0)
I am working on it. Only 3 weeks in. I have never been a nutritionally healthy person or my idea weight. So I hope getting to there will alleviate a lot of my symptoms.

I also would like to get tested for Lyme Disease but I do not have the $1000 for the proper testing. I remember getting really sick one summer with the flu (out of the ordinary in July) so I am not convinced I even have Fibro vs. Lyme... Then I am worried I would get a clinical diagnosis and it would not be correct and I would take antibiotics and all this treatment out of pocket and then found out naaah it was fibro all along... So crazy what people with lyme need to go through to get a proper diagnosis. Then no test to confirm fibro... sigh... Its so crazy all around
Posted 2/11/2012 11:08 PM (GMT 0)
This is a good thread, thanks for starting it.

Sherrine, have you been tested for lymes? I'd be interested in knowing if anyone with fibro was tested and didn't have lymes?

Thanks!
Posted 2/12/2012 12:46 AM (GMT 0)
Learning to manage, yes. Cure, no. People can live healthier, exercise, avoid stress, eat properly, and this makes their quality of life better. Or they can eat badly, live on the couch and in bed, have high tension or busy lives, and this will make their fibro worse.

Some of it is under our control, some is not. If I eat better and get quality sleep, I function better at work. If I go to the pool at least three times a week, I have less pain.

When work goes badly, my body definitely reacts. When things are going more smoothly, I get through the week better. But this is normal, no? Not much to do about it, except not work, or not have a family, or not do things. But even that is a less-than-exact science. I get bored when I have too much free time, and then I hurt more.

I look to medicine for help managing, not to cure. But, that is just me.
Posted 2/12/2012 2:23 AM (GMT 0)
Much thanks guys.

I think I must be exceedingly lucky to have had the huge improvements with FM, that I have.... But I don't try to kid myself that it could never come back !

Also, I totally believe it when Sherrine says, "what has worked for me, might not work for the next person.... or might even exasperate one's condition relating to FM".

.....which is really a shame, as I'd be SO tempted to say, just eat like a health food freak, and workout like a mad man, and you will be cured ! Of course I know better.

Fish

 

Posted 2/12/2012 3:58 AM (GMT 0)
The juice lady who writes books on juicing was intervewed and she

said she had fibro and was cured by juicing. I wonder if that is true.
Posted 2/12/2012 7:15 AM (GMT 0)
Hey sawa, you do have to wonder. With the nature of FM being so whacked out (following no set patterns) in the first place, I could just as easily see juicing to be that ladies FM savior, as a complete turnaround in health and fitness has been for me.

BTW, I did use a juicing machine for about 8 months, and it really did give me energy, and helped me feel full..... but I was actually already knee deep into a complete lifetime dietary change anyway....

Fish

 

Posted 2/12/2012 4:44 PM (GMT 0)
I'm hoping I will do better once I get through menopause, but I'm not letting myself get overly confident that it will, because that would be a big let-down.

If juicing cured Fibroyalgia, juicing machines would be a million dollars each! It's more likely that the juice replaced something else -- like soft drinks -- in the diet. She could have been reacting previously to aspertame in diet drinks or having inflammation from sugar and sodium.
Posted 2/12/2012 4:47 PM (GMT 0)
Yep, yep. Change in lifestyle does not equate cure.
Posted 2/12/2012 5:39 PM (GMT 0)
Hey Myself >  "Change in lifestyle does not equate cure"

....while I mostly agree, changing my lifestyle completely around, has improved my condition / symptoms, by 90+%.

This might do nothing for the next person with FM..... or even make things worse ! I can only tell you what a major lifestyle change has done for me.

Fish

Posted 2/12/2012 5:56 PM (GMT 0)
Change in lifestyle=improvement. But it's a mighty big jump from improvement to cured.
Posted 2/12/2012 6:21 PM (GMT 0)
I had Lyme and took antibiotics for a few years, plus I took some herbs and supplements and made lifestyle changes. When I stopped improving, the docs (unofficially) called the left over symptoms fibro. I've done a lot of research and I believe the Lyme disease caused permanent damage so I am stuck with these symptoms.

I've been stable for over 15 years, nothing has helped me get any better but nothing has made me worse either. I've learned how to pace myself and ride out a flare. I have some other medical issues that cause more problems than the fibro symptoms. It's hard to say how much of my pain/fatigue/fog is from fibro and how much is from endometriosis.

"I also think those with primary fibromyalgia have the most pain issues and those with secondary fibromyalgia have a lot of other issues but pain isn't primary." This is an interesting point! I would call my fibro secondary and pain is not my worst symptom, fibrofog is. (Marrit, you should do a separate thread on your theory and see what others think)

FYI: I was tested for Lyme Disease in regular labs (Quest, plus others) and tested positive every time. Those results plus my symptoms resulted in diagnosis and treatment. Nothing fancy, nothing too expensive, all covered by my HMO. If you can't afford the specialized testing, it might be worth trying a regular lab.
Posted 2/12/2012 6:48 PM (GMT 0)
Dagger I agree with you. I had lymes (positive bulls eye rash) but all blood work normal back in the mid 90's. I still to this day have negative blood work and I don't have enough money to get tested from Igenex or something like that. I too wonder if my symptoms are left over from lyme.

Also I had human parvo virus in the mid 90's too, which is fifth disease. You would not believe the arthritic pain with that!! I don't know if they have really studied the human parvo and I wonder if that has caused these problems too. It is hard to for me to imagine that fibro is not caused by some kind of bacteria or virus, I kinda think it stems from it. You know alot of people get bit by ticks and never know it, and never think about it even when their blood test came back from MD negative...so how does one know if they were not bit as a child and have been carrying the virus all their life? and it's in the form of fibro? If you watch Under your skin, it will scare you and at the same time make you mad at how doctors and mostly insurance companies put a halt on treatment stating there is no long term effects from lymes. Well let me get off of my soap box, insurance companies make me sick...
I mean seriously you get chicken pox as a kid and when your well in your 60's and 70's you can get shingles from that virus that's been hiding in your body for years. So what makes lymes, and other diseases any different? Ok..enough lol.
Posted 2/12/2012 11:49 PM (GMT 0)
Someone tried to tell me just yesterday that if i eliminated stress it would cure my Fibro.

Yeah, and your unicorn delivers your mail, right? Of course stress is a big issue with Fibro but that was a rather silly blanket statement. I also feel it's impossible to eliminate ALL stress from our lives. Reduce it, sure, every chance i get.

I found a product/supplement that works for me. I have fewer symptoms and more energy and i sleep better. I used to take Ginko Biloba and a pile of natural supplements with only minimal results, but what i'm doing now works for me. The only meds i take are Nexium and pain meds (aleve, Midrin).
Posted 2/13/2012 1:26 AM (GMT 0)
Hello, ancient Briton queen. Nice handle.

We all are designed to handle different things. One person's stress is another's daily life. Those who have kids here are among my idols. I couldn't deal with that in a million years.

But life is stress, sometimes. You can't eliminate it, because to do that would be impossible. But you can address it.

We each make the best choices for our illness and needs. Sometimes, people figure out they need to make a big change, and really benefit from it. Some people take prescription Meds, others do not. Some go to the gym regularly, others walk, others do not. Food choices are very personal, and say a lot about your environment, your social grouping, as well as reflect your life choices. There is a wide variety of healthy and appropriate options. For some, organic is good, others chose real foods (less processing), and others still go a diet-specific route, either by choice or need.

The point about FM as a primary or secondary condition is important, I
think, as is how it developed, under what circumstances, and what you can do or are willing to do to accommodate it.

In my case, my sibs are older and were diagnosed before me, so I had an inkling of what I was dealing with when I saw it. I eat real foods, though am a huge carb addict, and do deep water aerobics and walk
(as well as bike in season). I take a ton of supplements. I take various and sundry prescriptions Meds- anti-anxiety, birth control, colitis medicines, and only a small daily dose of tramadol for pain. I used to take more, but it made me too antsy at night. I also routinely take generic ambien.
Quality sleep is key for me. I have a full-time teaching position, and if I don't sleep, I can't function. Pain I can deal with, but low energy kills me. My kids talk about how energetic and upbeat I can be in class, and this totally cracks me up. If only they knew.....

So, back to stress. It can be healthy, because it teaches your body how
to fight, and keeps your mind on target. Too much, or not handling it well is what leads to problems. Kind of like everything else.

Going back to grading papers.... Seem to be in teacher-mode tonight. My apologies! Happy sleeping and pleasant waking.
Posted 2/13/2012 10:59 PM (GMT 0)

Myself 09 said...
Hello, ancient Briton queen. Nice handle.

:) Thanks. I wondered if anyone else knew who Boudicca was! Of course it was a fellow teacher, lol. I raise English Springer Spaniels and my current breeding female is Boudicca's Bumper Harvest (Bumper was her grandmother). I'm researching good Welsh names for my next pup, as the sire comes from Shropshire near Wales. Also my father's side of the family comes from ancient Welsh stock.

I agree, stress can be healthy. Just like everything it needs to be in moderation. "Moderation" is my operative word for almost everything. I exercise in moderation. I plan my day with moderation in mind. If i'm going to do X, i can't do YZ as well. If I want to go to a school basketball game I must have time to sleep in the next day to recover. It's all about planning. :)
Posted 2/14/2012 1:04 AM (GMT 0)
llewellynn is always good. Gwynedd. Davydd.

I am a history-geek.
Posted 2/14/2012 3:27 AM (GMT 0)
I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia/polyarthralgia at age 28. I am now 60. I would have a flare up every six months or so back then. It would last for a month or so and then I would return to feeling normal.

As the years passed, the flare-ups came closer together and lasted a little longer each time.

Today over the past ten years, it has got to be so bad that I am in pain every day to some degree or another. The pain is mostly in my legs and feet, but also resides in my arms and shoulders at times. I also feel lower back pain every day. I take oxycodone 15mgs every four hours, Lyrica 200mgs twice a day, Lidoderm 5% patches, and flexeril 10mgs as needed.

I now use a wheelchair when I go out, as I cannot ambulate well on my own. I have seen a real decline in the last ten years.

So in conclusion, fibromyalgia HAS been progressive and HAS gotten worse over the years for me.

May God bless all the chronic pain sufferers out there. Thank you for reading my post.

Linda
Posted 2/16/2012 1:02 AM (GMT 0)

Myself 09 said...
llewellynn is always good. Gwynedd. Davydd.

I am a history-geek.

Ooh. We will have to discuss this in depth in private messages (instead of here). I need little girl names that will be easy to say and will sound regal. ;)
Posted 4/4/2014 5:50 PM (GMT 0)
I happened upon this thread Google searching, "Cured Fibromyalgia forum". I searched this, because having to frequently field well-intended cures sent to me by loved ones, usually of articles claiming they know both the cause and cure. I found it interesting I've never read a cure from someone who actually has/had the illness. (And it seems, if folks truly were experiencing healing from all these miracle-working doctors out there, patients would be lighting up the web with their testimonies.

I'm a newbie here and a newbie to the illness. I also have colitis, so the two illnesses together can be interesting to say the least. lol. I went the whole, "Cure yourself" route for two years with my colitis (which is said to have an autoimmune cause), obsessively sticking to one plan before moving to the next. Nothing worked. (In fact, many made me worse.) So, now that I have this new diagnosis, I'm a bit less enthused about chasing after new solutions.

So now I'm learning to adapt, to relax, to choose joy and gratitude regardless of how the day stinks, and to make the most of every moment of relative wellness that comes my way. :)

As an aside, many will say poor nutrition, etc., is the cause for many health issues, but I got sick while training for a triathlete. I was never much of a fast food/processed food eater but rather ate nuts, fruits, veggies, and lean meats, had been training consistently for years, and was in great shape. Never got sick, rarely went to the doctor, rarely felt tired. Then, a month or so after my last triathlon, an insane fatigue I couldn't push through hit me, and vertigo became a frequent visitor. The colitis hit not long after. Initially the doctors thought maybe I had MS but my MRI was clean. I was referred to a rhuematologist, and he diagnosed fibro fairly quickly.

Although... I've never been tested for lyme...
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