New Cause For Fibro

I do a lot of medical research in my work and I have become convinced that fibro is actually fascia pain syndrome. The fascia covers every muscle and is in one continuous sheet from the head to toes. It is loaded with mechano and pain receptors and has a memory for how much you have tightened them in the past. This in conjunction with the nervous system having a set point memory for muscle and fascia tension it can consider tension, pain and stiffness the proper normal.

I have been really busy with a major move this past few months and hope to talk to the doctor/researcher who is the world expert on fascial pain.

What I do know is that if we had reason to tighten our bodies in childhood the receptors were extremely plastic and prone to learning this pattern and through a process called allostatic load our bodies can reach a point where they are unable to return to relaxation and full tension release

Mystic, this isn't really new. Many doctors think that fibro and myofacial pain syndrome are the same...also including chronic fatigue in that list. A good massage therapist helps with this...one who has learned how to massage people with these problems. Mine helps me a lot.

By the way, I had an exceptionally happy childhood with really no stress to speak of so that reason doesn't work for me and I've had fibro for decades.

Wackers, you can do deep breathing exercises, relaxation exercises, etc. to help you. Plus you might need a muscle relaxer. I did. A good relaxation exercise is to lie on your bed and relax your feet. Then move to your legs, then your hands, then your arms, then your chest and abdomen, etc. You will be surprised how tense you are! Also, take one day at a time. That's all that's promised us anyway! Worrying about the future causes more stress which causes us to tense up and cause more pain. We all tend to look ahead but it's best to live day by day. It does help.

Sherrine

I had my first child natural childbirth, in six hours. During the birth I broke my tailbone. Several years later, I began to get sick. Finally It was ruled "low blood sugar". During my second pregnancy, I got sick again. I began to experience chronic debilitating fatigue. I of course, ruled it my blood sugar but no one could ever find blood sugar issues.

During my third pregnancy, my doctor suggested Lupus "or something similar". I continued to have "episodes". I was finally diagnosed with this disease two years ago at 45. It took me 19 years.

I am sticking with the OBGYN that diagnosed me. I went back to see her after being in another state for 11 years. She was not surprised by my diagnosis.

I believe my crazy childhood, labor with no support but my scared to death boyfriend, and two head injuries finally did it.

We may never know the answer, all that's important that we get the treatment and recognition we deserve.

Wackers, I think you are smart to stay away from the benzos. They can cause a lot of problems for a long time.

Robaxin is a low level muscle relaxer. Have you tried that? It's generic name is methocarbomol. Boy, it works for me. But as we always say, what works for one doesn't necessarily work for another. I do hope you can find something that helps.

Sherrine

also - does it help you sleep? I wonder why my doctor has never suggested this

I just wanted to preface this by saying that some sites say it is habit forming over long periods of time and other sites say it isn't. I hadn't seen the sites that said it was habit forming until now. I haven't found it to be habit forming and I've been taking it nearly two years now. I do take the smaller dose (500 mg) and I only take half or less than half of what is the "normal" dose. I edited my other post because I didn't want to mislead anyone.

Wackers, I am so much better since I started Robaxin. I don't like to take a lot of medication since they seem to affect me negatively but, back in the early 1980's I was suffering from bad low back pain and was given this medication to help with the spasms. It worked great. The first dose did make me sleepy so I waited until I was ready for bed and took the first dose. After that, it never affected me at all...wasn't sleepy, dizzy, I could drive with no problems, etc.

A year ago I was getting increasingly more pain...to the point I was in tears much of the time. That's when I found out I had ankylosing spondylitis along with fibro. I got thinking and asked my rheumy if they would prescribe Robaxin for me to see if that would help me. They agreed and the rest is history.

They prescribed two tablets four times a day. I felt I wanted to take less so I took one tablet four times a day. I didn't even get sleepy this time because back in the 1980's I was taking the two tablets. Anyway, as time has progressed, my muscle pain is so much better. I have been able to cut my ibuprofen in half and I don't take Tylenol unless I'm having a not so good day.

As far as sleeping...I sleep so much better now. I used to be awakened at least 5 times a night because of pain and I would get up, walk around, stretch, so I had a small chance of falling back to sleep. Now I only wake up once a night to use the bathroom. The extra rest has helped my fibro so much. I also used to take ibuprofen and Tylenol in the middle of the night but now I only take one Robaxin and that settles down back pain that is creeping back in.

I probably will be taking this the rest of my life and I'm kicking myself for not suggesting this sooner to my doctor. I thought about it numerous times but never wrote it down so I would forget to ask when I had an appointment. But last year I was in such misery that there was no way I was going to forget.

As with everything, what works for one doesn't necessarily work for another with fibro. Some people like this medication and others don't. I think the key for me was taking half the amount and being patient as it did the muscle relaxing. As I said above over time I have gotten better and better to the point that I could cut out the ibuprofen and Tylenol some. When I started Robaxin, I continued to take those meds but then I started forgetting to take them and that was a good sign for me to cut the number of dosages.

I hope this answers your questions.

Sherrine