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Topic: RE: Three Supplements that seem to help my FM
To each their own I guess. I'm not trying to push these on anyone. It took me a few years to realize what worked and what didn't and I'm just sharing because many people aren't comfortable with all the drugs they try to put us on.
I do know this for a fact: FM wasn't caused by a chemical pharmaceutical deficiency. I don't want to be filling my body with chemicals when the best case scenario is that they might hide symptoms and the worst case could be very bad but either way they're probably going to cause more symptoms that require more drugs.
I was in a pain mgmt group at the hospital here that was teaching FM sufferers how to manage pain without meds. At least half the women in the group were in the process of getting off the drugs. The sleep meds were a nightmare. These women were walking zombies and their stories were just horrible. Our group lasted six weeks and several of the women were still having problems after all that time. That is beyond scary.
In reality, modern day 'Healthcare' is actually 'Diseasecare'. They don't try to cure you (which supplements and diet can do), they just try to ease your symptoms. Sad but true. I guess if they cured you they wouldn't be in business very long....
I do know this for a fact: FM wasn't caused by a chemical pharmaceutical deficiency. I don't want to be filling my body with chemicals when the best case scenario is that they might hide symptoms and the worst case could be very bad but either way they're probably going to cause more symptoms that require more drugs.
I was in a pain mgmt group at the hospital here that was teaching FM sufferers how to manage pain without meds. At least half the women in the group were in the process of getting off the drugs. The sleep meds were a nightmare. These women were walking zombies and their stories were just horrible. Our group lasted six weeks and several of the women were still having problems after all that time. That is beyond scary.
In reality, modern day 'Healthcare' is actually 'Diseasecare'. They don't try to cure you (which supplements and diet can do), they just try to ease your symptoms. Sad but true. I guess if they cured you they wouldn't be in business very long....
Topic: RE: Three Supplements that seem to help my FM
Well I'm not bashing you at all but I'm just the opposite, I don't trust or believe in the naturopathic treatments, I prefer standard medical treatments that have had to prove their value and effectiveness before being put on the market. I've tried several "cure alls" for fibro and they haven't helped a bit. So for myself I'll pass because I eat very healthy anyway most of us who haver had WLS have to do that anyway so if we are following our docs diets we SHOULD be eating healthy foods anyway and so nothing there to change.
I do have to put a big WARNING here for others that may want to follow your suggestions, please check with your doctor or pharmacist before taking any herbal or naturopathic treatments as many of them MUST NOT be taken with our standard fibro meds. It can be lethal to mix them without checking for interactions first. So try these things if you are interested but do it carefully!
Please don't take this as a slam, it is not meant that way it's just that there are so many desperate folks with fibro that they often try things without checking them out first. As far as I'm concerned different strokes for different folks and if it'll help anyone well go for it!
I do have to put a big WARNING here for others that may want to follow your suggestions, please check with your doctor or pharmacist before taking any herbal or naturopathic treatments as many of them MUST NOT be taken with our standard fibro meds. It can be lethal to mix them without checking for interactions first. So try these things if you are interested but do it carefully!
Please don't take this as a slam, it is not meant that way it's just that there are so many desperate folks with fibro that they often try things without checking them out first. As far as I'm concerned different strokes for different folks and if it'll help anyone well go for it!
Topic: Three Supplements that seem to help my FM
Doctors have helped me very little and I don't want the meds so I became my own best health advocate (by necessity) and took two years of classes with a highly respected naturopath / nutritionist and did a ton of research online. The online support groups I found were not very helpful at all because if you even suggested that FM could be diet / toxin related they would throw a fit. It was disturbing that they wouldn't even entertain the thought that they may be able to help themselves by changing their diet and supplementation. Instead, they took it as me saying they brought it on themselves and it was their fault. I wasn't suggesting that AT ALL! I was trying to be helpful and share information. It was a bad experience for me! lol I didn't stick around and I learned nothing of value from them...
I was taking a ton of supplements through 2009 and stopped because I had two surgeries this year (sinus tumor and fibroid tumor). I'm having a really hard time getting back into taking them (not sure why) but I've felt so bad in past months and I know it's not just because the surgeries / recoveries.
Here are the three supplements that I truly believe helped me the most:
1. Magnesium. Apparently most people have a deficiency and as soon as I started taking it my headaches went from daily to just getting the PMS migraines. (I have major hormonal imbalances). The transformation was undeniable. Since I've stopped I get the occasional stress headache but they're nothing like they used to be....
2. This is the wonder drug and noooo I don't sell it or promote it any way.... It's a systematic enzyme that you take on an empty stomach and it just helps the body do what it's supposed to do in a more efficient way. It's called Vitalzyme and it's not cheap (I usually buy from World Nutrition - I get sale emails once in a while) but it's amazing! When I first started taking it I had to take like 8-10 a day but they came out with a more concentrated gel cap and now it's only 2-3 tiny little pills. I can sure tell the difference when I stop taking it! I stopped for a surgery I just had 8/10 and haven't started back because it's sort of a pain in the butt - you can't take it with any food in your belly so hours before eating and hours after. I feel like total crap now! Once I start taking them again (promising myself it will be tomorrow morning) it will probably take 3-4 days before I notice an improvement. They're awesome and they're supposed to benefit over all health and are especially helpful for scar tissue. Supposedly it eats away scar tissue from past surgeries - especially those related to the reproductive system.
3. I was too paranoid to take sleep meds (prescription addictions seem to run in my family). I searched for natural stuff and nothing worked or there would be something bad in it. I finally found a supplement and thought I would give it a try because it seemed to contain all of the things I read about that are supposed to help sleep and there wasn't really anything bad in it. It's made by Irwin Naturals and called Power to Sleep PM. Great stuff!! I don't take it every day but if I'm having trouble falling asleep I take two and I'm out like a light in about 20-30 minutes and I don't feel anything out of 'norm' in the morning. It has Valerian extract, Hops extract, Passion flower, GABA, Melatonin and more! I've seen it in health food stores for about $30 for 60 but I buy it online for about $16. I just click shopping link on Google website to find the best prices.
I hope this can help some of you. It's such a frustrating condition and 'normal' people just don't understand. Since I took these classes I feel empowered instead of helpless. I don't put up with crappy doctors. I either don't need them or I find new ones. I have an nice collection of helpful books and can share some titles if you're interested. I'm determined to be as good as I can be and I believe (God, I hope) that the WLS will help me with that. I hope I don't get worse because I believe I'm not nearly as bad as most people right now. I don't know if it's the supplements or the fact that I've made a lot of progress in detoxifying my home and my life or if I've just become such an expert at ignoring symptoms since I've had them most of my life....(?) I just discovered this group today and I was very disappointed to read that the surgery might make me worse :( :( :(
I was taking a ton of supplements through 2009 and stopped because I had two surgeries this year (sinus tumor and fibroid tumor). I'm having a really hard time getting back into taking them (not sure why) but I've felt so bad in past months and I know it's not just because the surgeries / recoveries.
Here are the three supplements that I truly believe helped me the most:
1. Magnesium. Apparently most people have a deficiency and as soon as I started taking it my headaches went from daily to just getting the PMS migraines. (I have major hormonal imbalances). The transformation was undeniable. Since I've stopped I get the occasional stress headache but they're nothing like they used to be....
2. This is the wonder drug and noooo I don't sell it or promote it any way.... It's a systematic enzyme that you take on an empty stomach and it just helps the body do what it's supposed to do in a more efficient way. It's called Vitalzyme and it's not cheap (I usually buy from World Nutrition - I get sale emails once in a while) but it's amazing! When I first started taking it I had to take like 8-10 a day but they came out with a more concentrated gel cap and now it's only 2-3 tiny little pills. I can sure tell the difference when I stop taking it! I stopped for a surgery I just had 8/10 and haven't started back because it's sort of a pain in the butt - you can't take it with any food in your belly so hours before eating and hours after. I feel like total crap now! Once I start taking them again (promising myself it will be tomorrow morning) it will probably take 3-4 days before I notice an improvement. They're awesome and they're supposed to benefit over all health and are especially helpful for scar tissue. Supposedly it eats away scar tissue from past surgeries - especially those related to the reproductive system.
3. I was too paranoid to take sleep meds (prescription addictions seem to run in my family). I searched for natural stuff and nothing worked or there would be something bad in it. I finally found a supplement and thought I would give it a try because it seemed to contain all of the things I read about that are supposed to help sleep and there wasn't really anything bad in it. It's made by Irwin Naturals and called Power to Sleep PM. Great stuff!! I don't take it every day but if I'm having trouble falling asleep I take two and I'm out like a light in about 20-30 minutes and I don't feel anything out of 'norm' in the morning. It has Valerian extract, Hops extract, Passion flower, GABA, Melatonin and more! I've seen it in health food stores for about $30 for 60 but I buy it online for about $16. I just click shopping link on Google website to find the best prices.
I hope this can help some of you. It's such a frustrating condition and 'normal' people just don't understand. Since I took these classes I feel empowered instead of helpless. I don't put up with crappy doctors. I either don't need them or I find new ones. I have an nice collection of helpful books and can share some titles if you're interested. I'm determined to be as good as I can be and I believe (God, I hope) that the WLS will help me with that. I hope I don't get worse because I believe I'm not nearly as bad as most people right now. I don't know if it's the supplements or the fact that I've made a lot of progress in detoxifying my home and my life or if I've just become such an expert at ignoring symptoms since I've had them most of my life....(?) I just discovered this group today and I was very disappointed to read that the surgery might make me worse :( :( :(
Topic: RE: Fibromyalgia& WLS linked???
I was diagnosed in 2008 after years of doctors telling me nothing was wrong. I suspect I've had it for most of my life but it got really bad after several things happened in a five year period. Horrible/painful divorce, first surgery ever, and was unknowingly living in a toxic dump because the condo above mine had bathroom leaks that went undiscovered for a long time and the inside of my bathroom walls and ceiling were covered in the most dangerous black toxic mold - Stachybotrys.
Anyway, I don't do well with meds and I don't want to add side effects to my list of troubles. I got really lucky in 2008 while visiting the rheumatologist who diagnosed me. He was a big jerk because I didn't want to take meds and he acted like I was retarded or something. I just happened to notice a flyer taped on the door about a foot from his head that talked about a pain mgmt group at the hospital that would teach you how to deal with FM without meds. Ummmm..... HELLO?!? He never even mentioned it! I asked him about it and he just say 'yeah, I'll write a prescription for it' but he never did.... I had to call him and bug him for over a month.
Anyway, I finally got in there and found out that it was the only group of it's kind in the country. It was headed up by a student doctor and a physical therapist with a supervising doctor that rarely showed his face. This program was amazing and I'm so thankful that I got to be a part of it.
1. It was the first time that I've ever been around other FM patients and it was such an eye opener to listen to their stories and symptoms and realize I had many of them that I didn't even recognize! It was in this group that I recognized that I had sleep issues and had a sleep study and found out I had sleep apnea. The CPAP has helped a little but not as much as I hoped. A sleep specialist later told me that many FM patients so not improve with CPAP for some reason.
2. I learned some valuable tools to help me deal with stress and they did something truly amazing - helped me learn how to RELAX!! The used bio feedback computers and made us do it every wee****il we finally got our para sympathetic / sympathetic nervous system in tune. I learned deep breathing and how to meditate. I learned how to take care of myself better and not push through the flare ups like I always did (I refused to accept them).
3. They introduced me to some gentle exercise so that I had no excuse not to get up and move. A few DVDs that I loved and ended up buying are Rainbow Sun Qigong, 4 Minute Fitness with Dr. Keith Jeffery, and Mattress Yoga. All very gentle and very effective.
4. They taught me to recognize triggers and introduced me to Healing Touch and Reiki and things of that sort. (Yes, this is a hospital!! Amazing, huh?)
I didn't learn about supplements with them, I actually started taking classes with a well known naturopath / nutritionist and I learned a ton about diet and nutrition. Although I'm positive that the multi vitamin was a huge benefit and helped a lot - there are 3 supplements that I believe changed my life.
1. Magnesium. Apparently most people have a deficiency and as soon as I started taking it my headaches went from daily to just getting the PMS migraines. (I have major hormonal imbalances).
2. This is the wonder drug.... It's a systematic enzyme that you take on an empty stomach and it just helps they body do what it's suppose to do in a more efficient way. It's called Vitalzyme and it's not cheap but it's amazing! When I first started taking it I had to take like 8-10 a day but they came out with a more concentrated gel cap and now it's only 2-3. I can sure tell the difference when I stop taking it! I stopped for a surgery I just had 8/10 and haven't got back into taking all my supplements yet and I feel like total crap! Once I start taking them again it will take 3-4 days before I notice an improvement. They're awesome and they're supposed to benefit over all health.
3. I was too paranoid to take sleep meds (prescription addictions seem to run in my family). I searched for natural stuff and nothing worked or there would be something bad in it. I finally found a supplement and thought I would give it a try because it seemed to contain all of the things I read about that are supposed to help sleep and there wasn't really anything bad in it. It's made by Irwin Naturals and called Power to Sleep PM. Great stuff!! I don't take it every day but if I'm having trouble falling asleep I take two and I'm out like a light in about 20-30 minutes and I don't feel any different in the morning. It has Valerian extract, Hops extract, Passion flower, GABA, Melatonin and more! I've seen it in health food stores for about $30 for 60 but I buy it online for about $16. I just click shopping link on Google website to find the best prices.
Anyway, I don't do well with meds and I don't want to add side effects to my list of troubles. I got really lucky in 2008 while visiting the rheumatologist who diagnosed me. He was a big jerk because I didn't want to take meds and he acted like I was retarded or something. I just happened to notice a flyer taped on the door about a foot from his head that talked about a pain mgmt group at the hospital that would teach you how to deal with FM without meds. Ummmm..... HELLO?!? He never even mentioned it! I asked him about it and he just say 'yeah, I'll write a prescription for it' but he never did.... I had to call him and bug him for over a month.
Anyway, I finally got in there and found out that it was the only group of it's kind in the country. It was headed up by a student doctor and a physical therapist with a supervising doctor that rarely showed his face. This program was amazing and I'm so thankful that I got to be a part of it.
1. It was the first time that I've ever been around other FM patients and it was such an eye opener to listen to their stories and symptoms and realize I had many of them that I didn't even recognize! It was in this group that I recognized that I had sleep issues and had a sleep study and found out I had sleep apnea. The CPAP has helped a little but not as much as I hoped. A sleep specialist later told me that many FM patients so not improve with CPAP for some reason.
2. I learned some valuable tools to help me deal with stress and they did something truly amazing - helped me learn how to RELAX!! The used bio feedback computers and made us do it every wee****il we finally got our para sympathetic / sympathetic nervous system in tune. I learned deep breathing and how to meditate. I learned how to take care of myself better and not push through the flare ups like I always did (I refused to accept them).
3. They introduced me to some gentle exercise so that I had no excuse not to get up and move. A few DVDs that I loved and ended up buying are Rainbow Sun Qigong, 4 Minute Fitness with Dr. Keith Jeffery, and Mattress Yoga. All very gentle and very effective.
4. They taught me to recognize triggers and introduced me to Healing Touch and Reiki and things of that sort. (Yes, this is a hospital!! Amazing, huh?)
I didn't learn about supplements with them, I actually started taking classes with a well known naturopath / nutritionist and I learned a ton about diet and nutrition. Although I'm positive that the multi vitamin was a huge benefit and helped a lot - there are 3 supplements that I believe changed my life.
1. Magnesium. Apparently most people have a deficiency and as soon as I started taking it my headaches went from daily to just getting the PMS migraines. (I have major hormonal imbalances).
2. This is the wonder drug.... It's a systematic enzyme that you take on an empty stomach and it just helps they body do what it's suppose to do in a more efficient way. It's called Vitalzyme and it's not cheap but it's amazing! When I first started taking it I had to take like 8-10 a day but they came out with a more concentrated gel cap and now it's only 2-3. I can sure tell the difference when I stop taking it! I stopped for a surgery I just had 8/10 and haven't got back into taking all my supplements yet and I feel like total crap! Once I start taking them again it will take 3-4 days before I notice an improvement. They're awesome and they're supposed to benefit over all health.
3. I was too paranoid to take sleep meds (prescription addictions seem to run in my family). I searched for natural stuff and nothing worked or there would be something bad in it. I finally found a supplement and thought I would give it a try because it seemed to contain all of the things I read about that are supposed to help sleep and there wasn't really anything bad in it. It's made by Irwin Naturals and called Power to Sleep PM. Great stuff!! I don't take it every day but if I'm having trouble falling asleep I take two and I'm out like a light in about 20-30 minutes and I don't feel any different in the morning. It has Valerian extract, Hops extract, Passion flower, GABA, Melatonin and more! I've seen it in health food stores for about $30 for 60 but I buy it online for about $16. I just click shopping link on Google website to find the best prices.
Topic: RE: Fibromyalgia& WLS linked???
I'm pretty sure that the vitamin D in milk is D2 and that is not very well absorbed by the body. D3 is what we need. Carlson makes one that is 10,000 IU. By the way, the prescription Vitamin D is also D2. I was put on the prescription and after 3 months my level went from 19 to 11. My doctor swears that most of her patients' levels go up with the prescription but I'm convinced it's garbage.
Topic: RE: does wls help any at all?
Pre surgery and I posted under a different topic asking about FM patients and if the exercise ever gets easier but never got any replies.... I didn't think weight loss would help much but my FM has seemed to get much worse since a big weight gain. I was so hoping for better news :(
It's refreshing to read how some of you don't take the meds. I don't either.... I seem to have bad reactions to everything and I definitely don't want to add medication side effects to the mix and then not know what is causing what.... If I listened to any of the doctors I've seen I'd be on at least 4-5 different meds including sleep meds, antidepressants and pain meds. No way. I don't take any meds for anything and that's one of the reasons I'm getting this surgery now - before they try to put me on blood pressure pills and cholesterol pills and who knows what else! I'm sure I'm heading that way if I don't do something and I know the harm those pills can / will cause so there is no way.
Topic: RE: Hi, seeking a fibro friendly dr in Rhode Island.
Can't point you to anyone in your area but I can suggest looking for a rheumatologist or a pain specialist. There are several meds just for fibro such as lyrica, cymbalta and savelle so there are options now. Unfortunately losing weight won't help your fibro and may even make it worse for awhile just because the act of losing weight causes a certain amount of stress on the body which can cause flares. I wish you the best of luck in your search don't settle till you find someone who will truely help you.
Topic: RE: interstitial cystitis?
Hello. I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia several years ago. I am under going a battery of test now to determine if I have interstitial cystitis. IC can be treated with a course of medication and changes in diet and lifestyle. I had not heard before that one could be linked to the other.
Topic: Hi, seeking a fibro friendly dr in Rhode Island.
Hello all. I have a Lap band, and my fibromyalgia has flared up since losing a good amount of weight.
I am 34 years old, and was diagnosed with fibromyalgia and CFIDS when I was 20 years old. There was no help or treatment for me back then, and just to get that diagnosis required multiple different physicians and seeing doctors out of state, as most of the doctors said I just needed to "stop being lazy." A helpful rheumatologist in Massachusetts diagnosed me, but said he could not help me further. I saw a primary care doctor for a few years, but she had nothing helpful to offer me. She gave me prescriptions for Flexeril and Skelaxin, neither of which really did much to help me. After a few years, my symptoms lessened enough that I could function "well enough", just not back to my normal self.
I gained a lot of weight during that period and after many attempts at diet and painful attempts at exercise, I decided to have the lap band. I have had good results thus far, losing 40 pounds in 3 1/2 months so far. The problem is that my fibromyalgia seems to be back with a vengeance. I had a short period of feeling more energy and just generally feeling great... but now I am wracked with the same pains, the same exhaustion. It sucks.
Since fibromyalgia is now recognized by physicians, I am figuring that it is time for me to get back to seeing someone for it. I have a lot of problems taking pills due to my band (as in, I can't take them, they all make me horribly sick to my stomach), and I don't want to just have someone that just sticks me on NSAIDS or a muscle relaxant and calls it a day. I need to exercise, but I need to not suffer so that I CAN exercise. I have a toddler, and I can't keep up. My husband really wants me to feel better, and feels helpless.
Can anyone point me in the direction of a physician in Rhode Island, or even Massachusetts.
Thank you so very much :)
I am 34 years old, and was diagnosed with fibromyalgia and CFIDS when I was 20 years old. There was no help or treatment for me back then, and just to get that diagnosis required multiple different physicians and seeing doctors out of state, as most of the doctors said I just needed to "stop being lazy." A helpful rheumatologist in Massachusetts diagnosed me, but said he could not help me further. I saw a primary care doctor for a few years, but she had nothing helpful to offer me. She gave me prescriptions for Flexeril and Skelaxin, neither of which really did much to help me. After a few years, my symptoms lessened enough that I could function "well enough", just not back to my normal self.
I gained a lot of weight during that period and after many attempts at diet and painful attempts at exercise, I decided to have the lap band. I have had good results thus far, losing 40 pounds in 3 1/2 months so far. The problem is that my fibromyalgia seems to be back with a vengeance. I had a short period of feeling more energy and just generally feeling great... but now I am wracked with the same pains, the same exhaustion. It sucks.
Since fibromyalgia is now recognized by physicians, I am figuring that it is time for me to get back to seeing someone for it. I have a lot of problems taking pills due to my band (as in, I can't take them, they all make me horribly sick to my stomach), and I don't want to just have someone that just sticks me on NSAIDS or a muscle relaxant and calls it a day. I need to exercise, but I need to not suffer so that I CAN exercise. I have a toddler, and I can't keep up. My husband really wants me to feel better, and feels helpless.
Can anyone point me in the direction of a physician in Rhode Island, or even Massachusetts.
Thank you so very much :)
Topic: RE: Feet hurt so bad.......
it is so hard to know where the pain is comming from. When I have an asthsma flare my muscles in my ribs hurt so they put on the telemary pack and do the blood work for cardiac even though I protest and tell them just needtoradol to settle it. I would see a foot specialist as it could be your arches even as well as the rest !
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