Fibromyalgia

[LBH]

Hi! A few months back I was diagnosed with Fibromyalgia. When I looked up the symptoms I just knew for sure it was Fibromyalgia because I had all the classical signs. Sometimes the meds would work while others would not. Only problem was me getting severely disabled with it. I finally went to see a Neurologist and they did an EMG Nerve Conduction test on me and found Motor/ Sensory Nerve Damage including the muscles being damaged. It was not Fibromyalgia at all! If you get a diagnoses of Fibromyalgia please get checked out by a Neurologist first and request an EMG Nerve Conduction test of the legs and arms. Chronic Polyneuropathy can mimic Fibromyalgia and could be another problem besides Fibro. Here I was complaining to my doctor and he would tell me fibro when after I got checked by a Neurologist that found me to have Body Myositis! Which can mimic Fibro in it's early stages!

[scrumpryjack]

Your message is good but you don't explain much about the Chronic Polneuropathy or the Body Myositis. How determined, treatments, and your sucess so far.

I have found that there are so many things that can cause the same feeings of Fibromyalgia that I have come to the conclusion that Doctors know litte as to "how to propery dianose the situations!" and try everything at the expense of your health.

I have been to Mayo had all kinds of tests over a year ago and they only said that I did not have Dibetes, that I had Ideopathic Pereferral Neuropathy. (source unknown ) There is also Diabetic Neuropathy, nerve Neuropathy (usually caused by surgery, to legs, O.H.surgery and spinal senosis L4/L5 S1 discs or others. I am not diabetic. Have had O.H. in 1975! and am only slightly overweight (6'2' ..256 ) and muscular. I have had some problems with my back but had one (1) shot Ependural, like women have at child birth, that seemed to help a lot, 3 shots are recommended. I am at a loss as to what to do as I also have the same symptoms as others. Tingly feet and toes, sore achy legs, sleep problems, blurry eyes, I use Smothie XP works good. I am leary of taking Lyrica and Gapentine (neurotin) as I read nothing good about them. One has to watch out for the things that they can cause..liver and kidney problems which will kill you faster! and all I have met have had more problems by taking them. Excerise, weight loss and whirlpools are great in relaxing the problem, swiming is also a great medication as one loses weight as well, if possible to do. I have taken Relafen for 5 yrs, Sleep Medications casuse more problems than they are worth. All prescriped Medications are addictive? So where does one go from here. Just keep plugging alone. Have back surgery on disc's, if one has Arthritis,bad knees that can add to the problem....and it's usually called growing old.
jack

[scrumpryjack]

"People with fibromyalgia tend to have very disturbed sleep," says Doris Cope, MD, director of Pain Management at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. "Even if they sleep 10 hours a night, they still feel fatigued, don't feel rested."

Research shows that with fibromyalgia, there is an automatic arousal in the brain during sleep. Frequent disruptions prevent the important restorative processes from occurring. Growth hormone is mostly produced during sleep. Without restorative sleep and the surge of growth hormone, muscles don’t heal and neurotransmitters (like the mood chemical serotonin) are not replenished. The lack of a good night’s sleep makes people with fibromyalgia wake up feeling tired and fatigued.

The result: The body can't recuperate from the day's stresses -- all of which overwhelms the system, creating a great sensitivity to pain. Widespread pain, sleep problems, anxiety, depression, fatigue, and memory difficulties are all symptoms of fibromyalgia.

Insomnia takes many forms -- trouble falling asleep, waking up often during the night, having trouble going back to sleep, and waking up too early in the morning. Smoothing out those sleep problems -- and helping people get the deep sleep their bodies need -- helps fibromyalgia pain improve significantly, research shows.

Medications can help enhance sleep and relieve pain. But doctors also advocate lifestyle changes to help sleep come naturally.
Tips to Get Better Sleep With Fibromyalgia

Creating a comfort zone at home is key to better sleep, whether you have fibromyalgia or not. It's all about easing into bedtime feeling relaxed -- and staying relaxed so you sleep through the night.

These 10 tips can help people sleep better:

* Enjoy a soothing (warm) bath in the evening.
* Brush your body with a loofah or long-handled brush in the bath.
* Ease painful tender points with a self-massage device (like a tennis ball).
* Do yoga and stretching exercises to relax.
* Listen to calming music.
* Meditate to tame intrusive thoughts and tension.
* Sleep in a darkened room. Try an eye mask if necessary.
* Keep the room as quiet as possible (or use a white-noise machine).
* Make sure the room temperature is comfortable.
* Avoid foods that contain caffeine, including teas, colas, and chocolate.

Therapies to Treat Insomnia When You Have Fibromyalgia

If you're still having sleep problems, several therapies can help, including biofeedback, relaxation training, stress reduction, and cognitive therapy. A psychologist who specializes in sleep disorders can discuss these therapies with you.

The therapies help people handle stress better, which helps control fibromyalgia episodes, Cope says. "Fibromyalgia comes and goes," she tells WebMD. "When you're stressed out, that's when it's worse." That's when you're most likely to have insomnia, too.

Medications can also help ease fibromyalgia pain at night, or directly treat insomnia. Medications to ease fibromyalgia at night include antidepressants, anticonvulsants, prescription pain relievers, and sleep aids.

No one therapy will control fibromyalgia pain 100%, Cope adds.

"Medications help some. Exercise helps some. Stress reduction helps some. Cognitive behavior therapy helps some... If you can get restful sleep, you're going to function better when you're awake."