Aa
What do you think was the trigger for your FM or CFS dx ?
So what do you believe was the trigger that set-off your fibromyalgia or CFS diagnosis ?
As I look back, I really believe that my FMS started when I was 17. I had horrible dizzy spells that put me in bed for days. Over the years they got worse and no doctor could find any reason for the spells. So I suffered dearly for all of those years. Back problems became a big issue and then again it was a disc problem. Also I suffer with depression daily. I look back thru the years and can see when the pain would be someplace else in my body. The real walk-up call came when I had a minor car accident in '07 and things went rapidly down hill. Today I don't work and I have finally been diagnosed with FMS by my family doctor and a rhuematologist. Now it's just a matter of filling for disability and getting it. It just seems to be something different every day.
i have suffered pain and fatigue that came and went since i was about 13 years old, it was around that time that my parents went thru a devastating divorce. i'm 24 now. about two years ago the pain became so bad that i could no longer hold my job, and i was forced to move back in with my mother. i was to a point that the pain had ruined a lot of things i had going in my life. it was the complete helplessness, and the needs for a cure, or at least some answers, that led to my diagnosis just recently.
I think mine started @ 13. I was tested for Ulcers and nothing was found, but the pain went unexplained. Until 1996. My Mother died in 92. We were super close. It was unexpected. She had a massive heart attack. I grew up with a Father that was a mean
drunk, and hit my Mother and Grandmother all the time. To the point of hospital visits.
I was a stressed child. And, little to be known by me, was diagnosed Asperger's Syndrome (very mild) just a year and 1/2 ago. I'm 52 now. I had other traumas, also, several molestation attempts, and raped and beaten at 26. I think that constitutes Trauma.
drunk, and hit my Mother and Grandmother all the time. To the point of hospital visits.
I was a stressed child. And, little to be known by me, was diagnosed Asperger's Syndrome (very mild) just a year and 1/2 ago. I'm 52 now. I had other traumas, also, several molestation attempts, and raped and beaten at 26. I think that constitutes Trauma.
Wow! What interesting posts. I voted emotional trauma because my nine-year-old daughter was killed in 1988 and I went through a very messy divorce in 1990. I was diagnosed with both RA and FM near the end of 1990. Oh, and I had just started menopause then too. OY!
I at first said I had no idea how this fibro got started. I do remember always being sick as a child colds and such. I was a preemie at birth but after reading an article about the impact thought to be on women in the 60's (when I was born) who lived in old buildings in urban areas where they sprayed large amount of pesticides which are now banned. They believe it is the reason why so many women and their daughters have or at risk for breast cancer. I have always had really bad headaches and pains in my back. I always needed more sleep than others. I guess it slowly keeps coming on until you are in so much pain and everything starts going wrong in your body. Like I've said before I was at work and my whole body started hurting and aching. I also felt extremely fatigue to the point I couldn't move another step. I thought I was going to drop on the spot. I have had alot of the overall smys but not all at the same time like now. I think I was in denial that anything this chronic could be happening to me.
I believe mine started after a traumatic surgery, 9 years of pain from IBS, depression and stress. Last Sept my body just said I've had enough and that was that. Had to quit my job, was diagnosed with CPOS and tendinitis and now I'm headed for a fibro diagnoses. I'm going have to start using duct tape to keep myself together! lol
"The swine flu vaccinations given back in the early 70's resulted in deaths and many cases of GBS (Guillain Barre Syndrome). "
You know, I had forgotten all about that horrible time in my life when trying to figure out what was or had caused the fibro monster to raise its nasty ead. My hubby and I were talking last night about that " Badboy" flu going around right now, and he said something about he remembered how sick I got after getting the vaccination for the Swine Flu back in the 70s.
I could not believe how I could have forgotten that. I was in the hospital for 10 days after that vaccination. Oh Lolrd I was so ill, and to forget about the whole thing, well all I can say is it's really sad that I could forget that time in my life. I remember aving such horrible muscle cramps and my joints hurt so bad. It finally let up and I was able to go on with my life. I realize tho, it never ever completely stopped. Geez, what a time to remember.
gentle hugs to all
Angel
You know, I had forgotten all about that horrible time in my life when trying to figure out what was or had caused the fibro monster to raise its nasty ead. My hubby and I were talking last night about that " Badboy" flu going around right now, and he said something about he remembered how sick I got after getting the vaccination for the Swine Flu back in the 70s.
I could not believe how I could have forgotten that. I was in the hospital for 10 days after that vaccination. Oh Lolrd I was so ill, and to forget about the whole thing, well all I can say is it's really sad that I could forget that time in my life. I remember aving such horrible muscle cramps and my joints hurt so bad. It finally let up and I was able to go on with my life. I realize tho, it never ever completely stopped. Geez, what a time to remember.
gentle hugs to all
Angel
I was diagnosed with Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis at age 7. I had been coping fine until I had a severe car accident which almost ripped my right foot off of my leg. Soon after, I began having pain and mind-numbness that no doctor could or would diagnose. I thought I was going crazy, or that it may just be a result of getting older... however, I did NOT consider 35 to be "older" so I kept going to doctors until I finally found one that said "You're not crazy, the doctors who missed this are!" It was a sigh of relief! When he showed me pamphlets and diagrams it all made sense.
I had read an article yesterday about the polio vaccinations back in the 50's-60's. They had 20 states that received the vaccinations which were tainted with the SV40 virus (which has been connected to certain cancers). Even after they knew the vaccinations were bad, they continued to use them. It's felt that the virus is dormant for years until something sets it off. It is not know if it can be passed to a fetus.
The swine flu vaccinations given back in the early 70's resulted in deaths and many cases of GBS (Guillain Barre Syndrome).
The article went on to state that these, and other situations like them, may be why there are so many illnesses among 'baby boomers' today. If the viruses lay dormant and genetics play a role, maybe it is being passed on to our children by this route. It certainly seems that the 80's-90's has seen a surge in these types of illness (FMS/CFS etc.)
The swine flu vaccinations given back in the early 70's resulted in deaths and many cases of GBS (Guillain Barre Syndrome).
The article went on to state that these, and other situations like them, may be why there are so many illnesses among 'baby boomers' today. If the viruses lay dormant and genetics play a role, maybe it is being passed on to our children by this route. It certainly seems that the 80's-90's has seen a surge in these types of illness (FMS/CFS etc.)
I became very ill with Parrot Fever that went undiagnosed for quite a while. The treatment was simple, 30 days of doxy. When the treatment was finished, I called the infectious disease doc and told him that I needed another course of doxy because I still had pain all over my body and was still extremely fatigued. He had me come back in for an exam and diagnosed me with fibro (from the parrot fever) he also took blood and confirmed that I had chronic epstein barr (CFS). For those of you looking for a good supplement, I would highly suggest a product called OPC. It's a powder that you mix with a little bit of water and it is a super antioxident that also contains pycnoginal (sp), bioflavanoids and lots of good stuff. I have also found that a high potency b complex is also a necessity, but the OPC saved me in the early days. I also think these syndromes had a part in the 3 miscarriages that I had in the early years of my illness. That was back in the early 1990's. Since then in addition to the fibro and the cfs, my spine began to degenerate and I have terrible problems with chronic pain and neuropathy in all 4 extremities, sjogren's syndrome, and will be tested for other scary things just as soon as the steroids from my epidural injections clear my system. The docs say these are seperate issues, but one has to seriously wonder!
There are more and more people who I am meeting online who have had health issues after childbirth. There is at least one theory that I am aware of as to why this happens... a little complicated for me to try to explain. Anyhow, I wish researchers would do more research as to why these autoimmune diseases and syndromes are affecting more women than men.
I have been suffering FMS for over 20 years now, trust me they didnt know anything back then, I was always being told I was depressed, I have become my own doctor now and I think mine goes back to when I was younger and had the small pox vaccination for cold sores( yep the doctors were useless then too) and I relapse even more after my second child (17 yrs ago) and around a full moon, which I consider my cycle cos I had a partial hysterectomy.
How some of you cope with the pain and the muscle fatigue I would love to know
How some of you cope with the pain and the muscle fatigue I would love to know
My CFS came on, I believe, after contracting the EBV. I had no idea of course, but in tracing back when I started getting all these symptoms, it went back 4 years to a horrible infection/virus I had? I had gone through a divorce the year before and 3 hurricanes in 6 weeks, so my stress level was also high.
My sister has fibro and that came on after she had a car accident, major injury was to her shoulder area.
My sister has fibro and that came on after she had a car accident, major injury was to her shoulder area.
I'm thinking that I should have started two separate polls... one for (primary) fibro and one for (primary) CFS. I think that most CFS patients get ill after a viral infection, vaccination or chemical exposure.
I feel much better reading you guys stories. I just had another baby and ever since my flares have been coming on a regular basis. I had another child for my dh since we only had one and my health for the last 13 years have been so off and on I would even consider it. I only gave in because of my age, i'll be 39 this year but this whole experience is why i waited so long. I was pg in 2007 but lost that lil bean after trying for 5 yrs. but I finally was able to give him his second child last april, but i noticed it took a long time to get back to normal with my hormones and they still are a little wacky but now I have heart issues. It started with palpations and now they say i have an enlarged heart and today I have to go for a stress test that takes 4 to six hours and I have to get an IV for this at 1pm. I am freaking out b/c they say there may be constricted blood flow. but i'm wondering with all the meds that i'm been put on if any could be the cause of this or was it PG which ofcourse is a strain since you usually have double the blood in your body to take care of the baby. Idk it just seems like the bad news never ends ~d
I was in a car accident with a transport truck in 2005 shortly after having a C-section which triggered fibro/CFS symptoms. I am going to have doctor check hormones after watching the Dr. Phil show I think it is good to rule out all other possibilities. I would give anything to be normal again, so I can enjoy more of my daughters life.
My fibro symptoms started while in the hospital after an IV med I can't tell you what it was called. BUT that was triggered by migraines, triggered by my second sexual assault as a teen. I am fairly sure it was more aggressive and then dxd because of the stalking, depression, and anxiety that followed that trauma. I missed my last year of high school due to the fibro, and I think a lot had to do with being at school with the guy who had done that to me and lsoing a lot of friends who did not believe me about the incident and stalking after. I know the symptoms (in addition to my other health issues) are greatly exaggerated with emotional stress that lasts more than a couple days.
I went from working Cardiac Care/ Open heart to working in the ER. All the new "bugs" I was exposed to overwhelmed my immune system. After multiple infections, I ended up with CFS/Fibro.
Why don't you start a thread anyway? Not everyone reads all the responses, I think it is worthwhile mentioning something like this. I don't think it's the cause of fibro, but misdiagnosis could be the culprit for some people. Of course the McGraws can afford the best of care. Finding a doctor to diagnose and then a pharmacist to do the compound is probably not easy. I really did not know a whole lot about these bio-identical hormones although I wish I had a few years ago. I was on HRT for a number of years (patch) and discontinued about a year ago. I was unable to take the oral meds due to side effects.
One thing we have to keep in mind is that FMS can help to cause hormone imbalances so this probably won't affect a lot of people. However, if I had been one of the ones to be rescued with the hormone therapy, I'd have been forever grateful!
One thing we have to keep in mind is that FMS can help to cause hormone imbalances so this probably won't affect a lot of people. However, if I had been one of the ones to be rescued with the hormone therapy, I'd have been forever grateful!
= ))))) I was just getting ready to start a thread on this. I watched the same program !
I was on HRT, but then had to stop because it was contraindicated because of the pathogen killing treatment that I was on. Of course I switched treatments, so now I'm reconsidering getting back on it. I will NOT, however, be on the synthetic hormones. I totally agree with Robin... bio-identical hormones are the way to go. For one reason, I think it is safer than taking synthetic hormones.
"A new study strengthens the link between hormone replacement therapy and a higher risk of heart attacks and breast cancer in women."
link to entire article:
http://www.findingdulcinea.com/news/health/2008/December/Link-Between-Postmenopausal-Hormones-Cancer-Risk-Strengthened.html
Ladies, I just watched a very interesting segment of the Dr. Phil Show today. It had to do with menopause and some of the effects. An imbalance of hormones and lack of sleep (we all know what that's like) can produce similar symptoms as in FMS. Now, I always knew that if a healthy person was deprived of sleep for a substantial time period, they would end up with similar symptoms. What they said was many people are misdiagnosed with things like fibro. They said these imbalances can happen pre-peri-menopausal (like in your twenties!) I just wonder if in some cases, this could be a factor. I'm not saying it is, but what I'm wondering is why no one even looks? I have often heard of links to hormones/fibro but I guess I never understood the possible connection. Anyway, they can treat this and improvement is dramatic. Take it for what it's worth, it's just a show, but for some that can't link and event maybe it's worth a discussion with your doctor or an endincrinologist.
"i'm still not sure if the hormonal imbalance thing is a factor. Does anyone else have flares around this time?"
After having mono, I have always had severe headaches before my cycle. My energy is also down at that time. Yes... this, IMO, a very important aspect of our condition and I know physicians are questioning why more women, than men, are getting autoimmune diseases and these "syndromes".
After having mono, I have always had severe headaches before my cycle. My energy is also down at that time. Yes... this, IMO, a very important aspect of our condition and I know physicians are questioning why more women, than men, are getting autoimmune diseases and these "syndromes".
I was told that it could have come from pregnancy or the car accident i had shortly after giving birth in 1995. I was told it could be brought on by a hormonal imbalace or trauma. Initially i was told MS and was told to terminate a pg, b/c i was so sick and had had all this testing done and had no knowledge of the PG (got PG again 8 months after having my son) 6 months after that diagnosis I was told Lupus and put on predisone after a year on that and not getting better I was sent to a lupus specialist at Johns Hopkins who diagnosed me with Fibro. I have noticed that I do have flares around a week before my cycle is due although i'm still not sure if the hormonal imbalance thing is a factor. Does anyone else have flares around this time? TIA ~d
Have an Answer?
You are reading content posted in the Fibromyalgia Community
A list of national and international resources and hotlines to help connect you to needed health and medical services.
Herpes sores blister, then burst, scab and heal.
Herpes spreads by oral, vaginal and anal sex.
STIs are the most common cause of genital sores.
Condoms are the most effective way to prevent HIV and STDs.
PrEP is used by people with high risk to prevent HIV infection.
