Fibromyalgia Myths and Truths. © By Lena SanchezWhen, after 15 years of excruciating pain and hospitalizations without an answer to
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 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 traditional wheel-chair bounding medications.
Most usual prescriptions given are NSAIDS (ibuprofen, Motrin, etc.) or prednisone containing medication and truth of it is, those medications will eat away at your bones and tendons and put you in a wheel chair along with eating 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 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 sleep deprivation. When I kicked prescription habit I was taking 150 mg of Amitriptline at bedtime. That was a nightmare in itself. Sure, I got sleep but it took most of day for me to be alert enough to feel good and pains would still be there.
Morning meant -getting slowly out of bed then into hottest shower I could stand enabling me to be awake enough to get to work, but most of all to help weaken 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 pain was more than I could stand. Every movement created tears.
Those years sent me researching for something to stop pain but keep me out of a wheel chair!
FMS MYTHS that I found are: Prescriptions are only answer for FMS pain. Traditional medical world is 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 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 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 top of your head to bottoms of your feet. Disability comes to person who follows traditional path of treatment. Pain varies from one person to next as to severity and areas on body. Sleep deprivation and chronic fatigue are constant companions when FMS is out of control. Alternative Natural medicine is 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 stress of it all so you have to be extra careful to keep antioxidants in your system, 5 to 10 times 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 past.
