No COINCIDENCE

As some of you know I am a medical journalist and also was a medical/psychological professional...and I once recovered from fibro for 15 years and now have it back much worse....and guys I am a man with fibro.

What some people don’t realize is that it can take years for medical research and findings to reach clinical treatment. Every single current research on fibro in the several hundred documents I reviewed has concluded it is a dysfunction of the central nervous system stuck in the sympathetic mode...or more commonly known as the fight or flight mode.

If you look at all the various conditions associated with fibro they are 100% mediated from the central nervous system....and all common in sympathetic arousal.

MUSCLE PAIN: we tense when threatened or frightened. Chronic tension causes the build up of muscle tension metabolites causing pain. If held long enough tension causes micro tears in the fascia which causes more pain.

FIBRO FOG: When under sympathetic arousal the brain shifts out of cortical processing and into the primitive limbic system – it is more interested in reactive methods to protect you than it is in remembering that word or name. Also when under stress the hippocampus shrinks – this is the memory center of the brain. Finally when the nervous is under arousal it is too busy to lay down new memories.

IBS: Colin and bladder motility increases (diarrhea)– it wants you do dump all unnecessary weigh so you can fight or run. This will alternate with smooth muscle clinching that causes constipation.

ANXIETY: Basic CNS 101 when the CNS is aroused

DEPRESSION: Depletion of neurotransmitters when the arousal system is stuck on

DIZZINESS LIGHT HEAD: Muscle tension clamping down on muscle proprioceptors and stress causing changes in the inner ear – alterations in the brains processing of data used to control balance

INSOMNIA: When the arousal system is stuck on the brain will not go into the deep stages of sleep as it thinks it needs to be vigilant. Fibro sleep studies show that it does not stay in restorative sleep for the required minutes but surfaces to being awake or near awake hundreds of times a night

FATIGUE: From disrupted sleep patterns and constant tension that exhausts the body – lack of HGH production

101 OTHER SYMPTOMS: When the body is stuck in arousal the accelerator is stuck to the floor. You do not produce correct amounts of growth hormone necessary for all body repairs and regeneration. The entire rest and repair system is shut down – the immune system is compromised – the digestive system fails to absorb nutrients properly – the body is flooded with the rocket fuel of cortisol, adrenalin, dopamine and glutamates.

The whole system is over stretching a cracked rubber band and depending on you genetics you enter into a diathesis stress breakdown.

Recent research has shown that drugs commonly used to control fibro symptoms anesthetize the CNS so it can not return to homeostasis – it is literally too drunk to know what normal looks like.

So what to do – well all the researcher tend to agree that the sympathetic nervous system is in dominance and it needs to be switched to parasympathetic dominance.....but how?

Most agree that through the process of neuroplasticity the CNS needs to be retained back to shut off the sympathetic dominance – there are many techniques and I am using some of them with some success – problem is I don’t like doing meditation three or four times a day and I don’t much like the other techniques. When we are aroused getting quiet can be painful and if you have psychological problems getting quiet can be really painful.

So many people with all these conditions came from stressful families that there is lots painful psychological baggage on hand to come out when we let down. In fact muscle bracing is what children learn when they are frightened or angry. Once you lay down this neurological bracing pathway the brain will return to it as a coping method with little provocation....and if it is used too often is gets stuck in the “On” position.

Plus when you hurt getting quiet really brings you in touch with the pain. So now we have the root cause of fibro but not really a comprehensive way to turn the CNS rheostat down...or at least such poor patient compliance that we don’t know what recovery is possible as most of us don’t want to do this work

I think you might be simplifying this a little. You said you recovered from fibro but now have it again and worse. I know you have come on and asked for help and I hope some of our suggestions have helped you.

I'm pretty sure that you would be one of the compliant patients...especially since you"recovered" from fibro once so why do you have this illness again and even have it worse?

I think this is a very complex illness and has kept doctors stymied for years. I'm sure they read the same journals you do and actually some of these doctors have written these journals. I totally agree with you though that we need to make the effort to assist in our feeling better. I don't like taking pills but do take things that have helped me but I also take a more active part by doing stretches, gentle exercises, trigger point therapy, massages, etc. and anything else I think will help me feel better. Many of us do this and yet we still can get flares and more pain.

But the great news is that they are actively trying to find what is causing all of these symptoms. Once that is accomplished. I am very hopeful that we will not only get more help but also a cure.

Sherrine

that's wonderful! I have no more pain in my shoulder and it's a terrific feeling.

Sherrine

I know what started my fibro again - I was misdiagnosed with a life threatening condition that was not true - still I lived with the stress of the diagnosis for over 6 months.

I was preparing to die and was under extreme stress

Things like massage are temporary feel goods and don't really get to the core issues

There is a fibro clinic in Germany that has people meditating 4 times a day for 20 minutes, doing aerobic exercise, Tai Chi and Chi Gong for 30 minutes a day - stretching and Yoga for 30 minutes a day - careful diet - stress reduction - psychological counseling - visualization - biofeedback and other CNS retraining programs.

I spoke with four people who were severe - one a doctor who was bed ridden - all claim to be 100% after a year on the program.

I have not been willing to devote that much to my recovery - so guess what - when I chose not to do the work I get to keep the pain

I was diagnosed with fibro 20 years ago, totally recovered and just got sick about 7 months ago and now I'm also much worse. Just diagnosed with fibro again and Lyme, maybe have mold issues too.

A lot changes over 20 years, more toxins, more stress, getting older. Who knows. I really don't know all the answers except that I feel pretty crappy. I try to detox, take some supplements, do some mild housework and gentle exercise if I can for now. I'm working with a chiropractor, seeking Lyme treatment and will start fibro treatment and doing the best I can.

Over the years I think some fibro signs were there even though I was 100%. And my most current state came out from a car accident, stress at work, my husband was in a huge stress position at work and there were a bunch of deaths that I had to deal with all in the same period and BAM there I was sick again.

My doctor has many fibro theories. He told me that, at least for me, he thought the CNS and PNS in fact go haywire, if you believe his theory. They then start sending chronic pain signals, even though there is nothing there creating pain and get stuck in a continuous loop...(im sure its only a small part of the story, its just too complex for it to be just this)

So if you in fact believe this, there are many programs out there to help. CBT, Neurofeedback, biofeedback, neural retraining, limbic retraining, Tai-Chi. There are plenty of things to explore, basic stress therapy.

My doctor also told me there was no cure, but yet again. I don't believe everything I hear. If you want to get well, you can find a way! But you have to want it for it to happen

Sherrine,

This is my right shoulder, the left was frozen. I have mobility completely back in that shoulder, but it hurts still. I think my right shoulder is from vacuuming. But I get the trigger point book out and find my spot. I am glad your shoulder is good.

Hugs, Karen...

Most of us cannot meditate and yoga etc for a year..even if it did work...so we are all suppose to fly to germany and live a year..sounds pricey..

I know our medical system is ill-equipped to deal with this disease and many other diseases..in the mean time .. We do the best we can

NextAdventure, when you say this:

"Things like massage are temporary feel goods and don't really get to the core issues

There is a fibro clinic in Germany that has people meditating 4 times a day for 20 minutes, doing aerobic exercise, Tai Chi and Chi Gong for 30 minutes a day - stretching and Yoga for 30 minutes a day - careful diet - stress reduction - psychological counseling - visualization - biofeedback and other CNS retraining programs.

I spoke with four people who were severe - one a doctor who was bed ridden - all claim to be 100% after a year on the program.

I have not been willing to devote that much to my recovery - so guess what - when I chose not to do the work I get to keep the pain"

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You are really just saying the same thing. Massage therapy helps fibro. All the things you learned from Germany help fibro. However, they are not getting to the CORE issue of fibro and curing it, because, when you stop doing them, the fibro returns. SAME THING. Can't you see that?