A good friend of mine used to laugh about fibromyalgia, explaining that it’s a fake disease. Now that I’ve read about it, I am not only convinced that it’s fake, but that I have a severe case of it myself!
While the pharmaceutical companies have finally started advertising a drug to treat it, one of the doctors who first identified the ‘disease,’ Dr. Frederick Wolfe, now doubts its existence. He and other doctors point out that the condition actually worsens once a patient has been given the diagnosis, which causes them to “obsess over aches that other people simply tolerate.”
The FDA has approved the use of Pfizer’s “Lyrica” for fibromyalgia, and its side effects are severe weight gain and dizziness. This seems like a good plan. The fibromyalgia patient can then seek treatment for the new ailments, ad infinitum.
The fact that fibromyalgia sufferers tend to also be afflicted with other nebulous diseases like irritable bowel syndrome and chronic fatigue, makes it very inviting. Basically, its victims feel achy all over, with pains that don’t respond to advil or even vicodin. There’s no way to prove you have fibromyalgia, or that you don’t. But if it’s recognized as a disease, you can go around complaining all the time! I love it!
Many years ago, the term neurasthenia would have covered not only fibromyalgia but Epstein Barr syndrome, chronic depression, and a host of other ailments as well. The first time I saw the word in the dictionary, I thought Bingo! I’ve got it! And to a greater or lesser degree, so do many of the people I know.
We’re tired, achy, bloated, depressed, congested, irritable, listless, itchy, anxious and short of breath. We hate to work or walk up stairs. When it’s not our stomach, it’s our head. “Lyrica!” It’s like a song to our brains from the loving musicians at Pfizer. And they’ll love us even more when we’re fat and dizzy!
Nurseyart – Could you at least spell “you’re” correctly if you’re going to call me an idiot?
I love the ping-pong game this post has developed.
I found this through a google search after being told by someone that Fibromyalgia is a hypochondriac’s wet dream. The person told me this in reference to my roommate, who not only “has” fibromyalgia, but is also transgendered and a victim of childhood sexual abuse.
I’m trans myself, as is my mate, but this poor chap transitioned in a quick few months after “deciding” he must be a man after his years of lesbianism weren’t “pioneer” enough for him (his words).
This person is always complaining and constantly saying “that triggers me”. While I understand that it is not my position to say what another’s experience is, I must say this: there has to be a point where a person draws the line between reality and illusion.
While I will admit there’s a good chance that fibromyalgia is a true illness, I liken it to Bipolar, which I was diagnosed with. These are not illnesses that are “lifelong” as people (and doctors) will claim. They are illnesses instigated by traumatic or unstable situations. Without some kind of MENTAL & EMOTIONAL help, they will never go away and will likely become worse. Listening to doctor’s on these matters can be a risk if that doctor is being peddled drugs by big pharma.
In the case of my roommate, the reason I mention that he’s trans is because there is a point inherent in his illnesses. As a survivor of sexual abuse from an early age, it is no wonder, to me, why he has two illnesses related to physicality. His trauma has probably caused him a great deal of emotional pain that manifests as these difficulties.
But when I consider the health and sanity of another person, I can’t help but want say something to him about it. He stopped going to therapy after getting the drugs he wanted. He doesn’t see a psychiatrist for anything but the prescription and yet still reminds everyone of his every trigger and his suffering from fibromyalgia. He reacted to somebody telling him that he “doesn’t handle emotions well” by kicking a box of rice milk across the floor and slamming the door to his room so loud it sounded like a gun went off.
So in the debate of whether Fibromyalgia is a true illness or not, I must empathize with the folks who roll their eyes at the complaints of sufferers. I apologize to those who are suffering, no matter what the cause, yet when the only person I know who has it is a complete emotional wreck, a spoiled rotten teenager and someone who won’t tolerate listening to anyone’s problems but his own, I can’t invest much faith in his side of the debate.
If you’re suffering from fibromyalgia, don’t take my words to mean that I don’t believe you aren’t suffering or that I think you’ve “made it all up”. When I was in the throws of my depressive and manic swings as bipolar, it most certainly was not made up. However, after I received the help I needed, I was able to discover what it took to control my swings. And I believe those suffering from Fibromyalgia are needing the same sort of help; help to sort out the psychosomatic causes.
Oh and sad thing is I came across this on accident too. Looking up something medical at work. Lol
Wow, this thread is amazing, years of strong opinions. Heres mine. First what I notice is how ignorant and cruel some people are. Im not posting because I feel I have to defend myself or anyone ~ because thats not the kind of person I am. Im posting because I have a few minutes and got so pissed reading some of this I thought I would share my crankyness.
I was diagnosed over a year and a 1/2 ago with this odd disorder or whatever one calls it. I didnt buy it because I struggled with them not being able to “prove it” I have dealt with many years of extreme neck and back pain on and off, getting worse over the years and these “trigger points” (a name that ticked me off) became worse. I knew a few people who had fibromyalgia and thought not me because alls they did was complain about it, and say how it kept them from everything including work, and then the state would pay to take care of them. 6 months ago I went back to the docotors due to complete exhaution, aches and pain, and plain old tired of the aches. My doctor asked if I took the meds or followed up with exerciese treatment. I said no. She said its time I try the treatment rather than say its all crap. I was very concerned about the label I would be wearing. She said there are two kinds of people with fibromyalgia those that buy into how awful it is and focus on that, and those that rise above it and work with it. (get off their butts and try and feel better). I am the feel better person so I agreed to try. I try not and talk about it much to people, exercise, take mild meds (not lyrica) I take meds to help me sleep only when Im exhaused, Im getting ready to start physical therapy to help me strengthen my body. I love my life, the people around me, and refuse to allow a lable to stop me. Call it Fibromyalgia, call it body aches, call it what ever you want ~ but its something and I hit a point of being so sick and tired of not knowing what the heck was wrong with me. I am not lazy, Im an active middle aged (yikes did I admit that) person not looking for drugs, pity, money or such from anyone. Looking for some relief so I can move forward in my life, because barriers suck. And just because some folks use this lable to get things doesnt mean we all are! Those looking for handouts, and excuses to be lazy and get everything for free have been around a lot longer the Fibromyalgia diagnosis! Dang I see people on disability or call out of work because they are constipated! If you want an excuse you will find it, if you want a solution will find that! Thats all…I dont care if anyone even reads this, I feel better just having been able to give my rant and rave!
PS, Im not miserable…Never was, never will be. I would never allow something or someone bring me down. And never had depression ~ I laughed when they kept asking me that…Only time I get sad for no reason is a day before dooms day…and those around me better watch out then…or is pms fake too?
I have had FM for 4 years now. I work a fulltime job, and go to college fulltime as well. I do not get social security nor ever applied.. I hurt each day of my life but power through it at work not saying a word as I am in severe pain. I am not asking for a handout, or any sympathy. I just wish people would face the fact that Fibro is real and quit bashing people for speaking out and letting others know that it does exist. I can not stand these close minded know it alls who claim its fake and its just some lazy woman’s way to a paycheck.
I work in healthcare-RN Practitioner-40-yrs. I see fibromyalgia all the time. It is typically overweight white women who are aged 35-55. 90% of the time they don’t work and are on, or in the process of trying to get on disability. 90% have also had “fake” suicide attempts in the past years as a tool to try and speed up the disability claim.
Mental disease is almost a sure bet for prospective disability seekers. You can’t prove or disprove disability for mental conditions- fake or not. True mental disease does exist and is real, but I can smell the fakes when I see them.
15 years ago the going “fad” to get on disability was debilitating back pain. As medical science advanced, doctors and pain specialist were able to prove the fakeness of some claims- or fix the real chronic back pain patients with fusion surgeries and other therapies, or even pain meds.
It will be interesting to see how all this plays out and what the next trend will be to get on disability. ADHD, PTSD, BiPolar, anxiety, CFS, Fibromyalgia, are all the hottest tickets to disability right now.
It is sad because many people who really have the conditions above, can’t seem to get the help/benefits that would allow them to manage the condition and live a better life.
its a true thing.. I usually feel okay… like 2 weeks out of the month.. it usually comes on with hormones.. Sometimes I cant such bad muscle spasms that my hands, feet, legs get contorted.. like a double charlie horse.. In like January.. my neck had a horrible muscle spasm..and it got locked up, couldn’t move it and it waS insainly painful.. cause it was the feeling of a charlie horse.. but it lasted for dayz.. sucked.. But Fibromyalgia is a true thing, they are thinking it stems from the MOno virus, which also carries the ebstein bar virus.. wish i tested possitive for, But mulitple scerosis.. they are thinking comes from the same virus.. so they want to do a cat scan on my brain to see if i have any leisuions or not.. it goes deeper than ya think.. this blog pisses me off.. cause its not like achey waawaaa pain.. its debilitating pain.. that somedays i can’t walk up the stairs.. and my hands legs feet.. are on fire.. and hurt really bad.. I don’t complain about it too bad.. Im usually up and about.. until in knocks me down.. then i take a few dayz off, and i get back to my trooper self.. this shit isn’t going to take me, and plant me.. and Im not going to take anymore medication.. I am going to deal with this.. the healthy way.. there are alot of triggers i;’ve been reading.. food and diet is huge with this.. Like today for instance. its raining out.. total trigger.. and I am extremely hurting all over.. and its a differant pain than arthritis.. i have that in my knees.. its more of a burning twitching muscle pain.
One thing i do have though, is a good attitude about it.. lately.. at first i didn’t know what was going on with me.. but now i understand it more.. and am dealing with everything much better..
I’ll start by saying that I am sure there are people out there who experience pain and that perhaps Fibromyalgia is an existing condition causing this pain or a broad term used when no other explanation for the pain is forthcoming.
Of the several people I know with Fibromyalgia I don’t believe any of them actually suffer from “it” – however you would choose to describe “it”. Aside from the remarkable similarities in terms of social context and gender for these “afflicted” (all upper middle class women) they all share similar traits:
– have reported ongoing bouts of depression for years
– have reported a multitude of other pain causing issues like arthritis
– love telling everyone else about their problems
– take a lot of time off work for pain
– brag about how much time off work they get
– spend those days doing anything except work, seeing a doctor, or taking it easy and resting (golf and shopping seems like popular choices instead)
– are underachievers at actual work but great at socializing
– pain strikes mostly when they are required to do things they don’t like
– parties and trips to Mexico cure all their symptoms
Then you wonder why there are skeptics?
I know people who have gone through intense bouts of pain due to debilitating diseases and accidents – several friends to cancer, friend shot in the throat while serving overseas, aunt dying of MS, brother breaking hips and legs in a fall, and more. You could tell when they were in pain. They were either completely wiped out by the pain or it was a visible physical struggle to cope.
Then on the other hand – this year in fact – I see these two women with Fibromylagia who are in “intense” pain on the Wednesday and Thursday prior to the long weekend so they need to stay home and rest. Well….wasn’t I just amazed at their recovery when I ran into them that Saturday playing golf on a local course with a bunch of their friends. Just one of many, many examples of those I know with Fibromyalgia.
Let’s see. Who’s more credible on the “intense and debilitating” scale? My brother who i watched pull himself up during recovery with his skin turning pale and grey, profuse sweating, shaking, grunting, etc… Or these two women in such intense pain just before a long weekend merrily golfing during said long weekend after they reported such severe pain they felt like they were dying.
So here it is. I think that maybe there exists a real condition out there that is Fibromyalgia. Or maybe that it’s a term used for real pain when the Docs are unable to explain the pain. But I know for sure that it’s also an excuse used by many lazy fraudsters to escape work and sucker sympathy from those around them. Until doctors come up with a near surefire way of diagnosing Fibromyalgia I take any claim with a grain of salt. All I’ve seen is a bunch of whiny middle aged sloths taking advantage of the system.
I see the constant rantings of a sappy neer’ do well classmate of mine claiming to be lost in the throes of this “disease”… also a major pothead from 15 and “new age” I’ll believe anything mumbo jumbo guy as long as I have known him.
I think that there may be some underlying condition(s) which will attract other conditions like a magnet so are always found together- like insomnia and pain- then depression sneaks in because you aren’t sleeping. BUT I don’t believe this is incurable for one second, I suffered through ALL the symptoms of this for years and found out I had a bad vertebrae that needed removal (!) and back to normal. Of course by the time you are 6 months into this Fibromyalgia “disease” you are probably knee deep in drugs which is a pretty firm anchor.
My advice to anyone with this SYNDROME (not disease) is to stay off the drugs (the pain isn’t going to kill you, like I said I walked around with a 10 pain for years and had some depression but it isn’t going to kill you I promise), stop whining every second of the day, and for at least 6 months commit to diet/exercise/counseling/group therapy/ and a healthy new hobby.
I’m shocked how many alleged doctors and nurses claim to work the ER and judge the veracity of FMS accordingly. Every once in awhile when I have to work on rotating triage shifts, it’s difficult not to hate evrybody. People come in complaining about nausea and severe stomach pain, then you watch them eat Vending out of Cheetos the four hours they wait to see a doctor. People go to the ER for the most ridiculous reasons: migraines, tongue pain, weird bumps. It’s all attention seeking. I get migraines too, my temperature goes up, I vomit, I consider trepannation. I take 200mg of CoQ10 and divided dosages of ibuprofen and wait it out in a cold room like the basement or bathroom. Why would I go to the ER so American physicians would ignore me in my 70’s vinyl seat for car accidents and heart attacks? Patients like that are sad and bored. Of course the ones who come in for fibromyalgia are whiners, like most of the others who brought themselves there. Patients exaggerate. They drive themselves in then refuse to walk through the lobby until someone gets them a wheelchair. If they think they’re waiting too long, they cry and throw themselves onto the floor. Is fibromyalgia real? The comparison waaaay back to ADD is probably the most appropriate, though I would’ve gone with Asperger’s. Some people are mildly inconvenienced by their inability to read facial and body clues, lack of understanding sarcasm and word play due to literal interpretation, and inappropriate behaviors in social situations. Others are desperate to excuse their bad personalities and difficulty making friends. Combined with the oft mentioned placating family physicians and drug-happy culture, any disease or syndrome with a psychological component is at least 60% bullshit.
i c SO many trolls
LOL @ the so-called “educated” folks going on about “clinical markers.” You know what those markers are, folks?
For the uninitiated, the ONLY test for fibromyalgia is a “trigger point” test. The doctor squeezes, pokes or prods 18 points on the human body. If you say 11 of them hurt, guess what? You have fibromyalgia!
That’s it. That’s how easy it is to get a fibro diagnosis. No WAY anyone could easily fake that “disease,” right?!
I know several people who claim to have general malaise style diseases. CFS, MS, and Fibromyalgia. I believe all of these diseases actually do exist. I also think that lack of proper nutrition and exercise contribute HUGELY to their symptoms. NONE of the people I have ever met, who have these diseases make a consistent effort to eat right and exercise, avoid caffeine, or naturally control their sleep quality. What I always want to ask them is, why? Why don’t you at least TRY doing the natural feel-good things (eat clean, natural, organic, unproccessed foods, get good sleep, stay off all meds, refined sugars, caffeine). If that is just too much hassle of trouble for you to try, then you deserve all the heckling of the unbelievers of your maladies.
“Go to medical school then you have initials behind your name and people might listen to you. Ok, so you don’t want to believe fibro is real. Who cares don’t. But I tell you it’s something”
… says the person ignoring all of the other people in the thread that did go to medical school and have “MD” and “PhD” after their names. Good job!
Wow! What a sh*t storm. It seems like we have people who generally hate people with illnesses or women. At some points in this tread I expected to see opinions about the welfare system and women’s debilitating emotional issues. Are you people for real? Men get FM, depression is a component but some do have per-existing mental health concerns, children get it and it’s not about doing things (like working) but how much and how long. I do two-three hours light housework (clean a toilet, swifter a floor, couple loads of laundry that i can’t lift, a load of dishes in the dishwasher) and i need two days to recover. A light touch on the shoulder is intense pain (an 8) for 20-30 minutes. Yes, it is autoimmune. Yes, it’s your brain being hypersensitive. Doctors act like jerks when they don’t want to cross speciality areas and collaborate with other specialist and when they don’t want to look deeper. Oh, and for all those who say we are whiners- I have never once used it as an excuse to get out of something and am very reluctant to talk about because I am ashamed I can’t meet all the commitments I used to be able to meet. FM sucks. People who lie about having it are pathetic. But people lie about mental health – There are always those people though.
**the emoticon with the shades was a miss type. It should say ‘that last’.
On last thought, whether the pain is physical or mental does not matter, we need to be healthy- period. I deserve to not live my life in pain. I do not need to just suck it up “like everyone else”. As a matter of fact, because FM doesn’t cause damage, but is chronic we live the rest of our lives, after diagnosis in a hell with no end in sight (even if meds help some). That being said, my brother-in-law had FM for 2or3 years (after rx’d). He was made a hermit by the pain. A year ago, he began to express his desperation at being in pain day in and day out. Hell on Earth if you ask me. One year ago, he stuck a handgun in his mouth and pulled the trigger. RIP Michael. Your pain has ended. I do not condone what he did, but I get it. For all you doubters, haters and ignorant & conceited persons I have one question: Do you get it yet?!? Your talking about real people and their lives. We ALL deserve to live a good and fulfilling life- not just you.
I nearly had fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome, like my sister in law, who gets worse everytime there’s something to be done. Then I decided they were far too common ailments for a special person like me so I now suffer from Croesus-Midas syndrome, which just means I want the tax payer to fund a luxury life style without my having to work.
In the pursuit of finding unexplained answers to those with Fibromyalgia (FM) DISORDER, which my wife has been told she has, I am finding this blog fascinating as it covers a broad spectrum of opinions which proves the “grey area” around this DISORDER.
Since FM is rooted to mental health issues, I don’t feel some of the negative comments here are really warranted to help individuals who are truly struggling in life which maybe no fault of their own. At the same time, those who think they have FM or have been told they have FM from a Doctor – should really look deeper as was already suggested by a Doctor here within, since such research supports mental issues, rather than it being a disease like MS that can be diagnosed with medical tests, unlike FM.
Some Research: Abstract attached: This research points at mood changes and disorders associated to fibromyalgia. Note that 74.8% have anxiety and mood disorders. Summary – treatment should focus on physical and emotional dysfunction. http://www.psychosomaticmedicine.org/content/66/6/837.full
Genetic Factors:
“Depression in fibromyalgia may be caused by specific genetic factors. It has been found that a large number of people with both depression and fibromyalgia also have a family history of depression. Therefore, many experts suspect a familial predisposition to developing depression in these individuals.”
http://www.fibromyalgia-symptoms.org/fibromyalgia_depression.html
Treatment: The first link states there are 3 drugs to treat Fibromyalgia. It is stated that antidepressants are the most USEFUL medications for fibromyalgia, because it raises the levels of serotonin and norepinephrine in the brain to manage depression, pain and fatigue.
http://www.niams.nih.gov/Health_Info/Fibromyalgia/default.asp http://www.savella.com/ http://www.cymbalta.com/Pages/index.aspx http://www.lyrica.com/Default.aspx
Certainly there are some people using FM to benefit and abuse the system, such as with auto injury claims and work compensations – those people will always exist. They are pure opportunists that need to be dealt with accordingly.
For those people with true symptoms of pain, fatigue and depression – if you are self-medicating using only organic vitamins and NOT properly medicating using antidepressants in proper dosages to control the serotonin and norepinephrine levels, then you are NOT managing the problem at all.
There seems to be this trend by FM sufferers to ignore the use of ANTIDEPRESSANTS as the basic treatment since they do not like the stigma attached to having a mental health issue. For those people, that is like putting a Band-Aid on a deep wound that requires stitches and expecting it to heal, only to find out that the doesn’t heal and festers into something worse to last longer.
If any good is to come from Mental Illness Awareness Week (Oct. 7-13, 2012) to genuinely help another group of people – doesn’t anyone here think that associating FM to the mental health research already done makes sense ? This might be the bold step needed to make a “grey” disorder more “black & white” and really help those that need and want the help.
While some people may “fake” fibromyalgia, not everyone does. And certainly, not every person who has a chronic pain disorder is lazy and sits around doing nothing. I am a very healthy, very active 21 year old female with a chronic pain disorder that some doctors have speculated is fibromyalgia. It developed when I was a junior in high school and for quite a long time I honestly thought the daily head and neck aches and pain in my legs were “normal” aches and pains. I was miserable all the time. It wasn’t until about a year later that I realized purely by chance the one way to alleviate my pain, which is running daily for half an hour (about three miles). So this is what I do every day. If I don’t, I can expect a headache caused by the pain in the left side of my neck along with the inability to sit for any period of time because of the dull, aching pain in my thighs.
Because of my condition that may or may not be fibromyalgia, I lead a very active lifestyle and I hate nothing more than being inactive. It is extremely presumptuous to claim that everyone with this disorder is faking it to justify their desire to be lazy. And, if you are characterizing people with fibromyalgia as fat, lazy people who despise working and activity, one look at me and you would know you are wrong. I am a thin, physically fit and very “healthy looking” person. There is nothing about me that would lead anyone to believe I have any type of health problem. I deal with my condition through a healthy lifestyle and exercise alone. I have never taken any sort of medicine to alleviate my symptoms, even though it has been prescribed to me. So, again, not every person is just looking for an excuse to abuse drugs due to this disorder.
Basically, to claim that fibromyalgia is a fabricated disorder is quite repulsive to those of us who legitimately suffer from chronic pain. While I am usually positive about my condition and grateful that I at least know of a way to make my pain temporarily go away, there are days when I feel very unhappy that as a 21 year old girl who does everything “right” for her body, I am in this much pain. I urge anyone who disrespects people with chronic pain disorders by accusing them of lying will think about that. And to anyone who suffers from fibromyalgia or any other chronic pain disorder, I really suggest you give exercise a try because it may be the one thing to make you feel better, too!
That was supposed to say “to think about that”
Maiko, you bring up some very important points, being Regular Exercise, a Healthy Lifestyle and whether or not you may have Fibromyalgia.
Since pain medication is not your choice for pain relief, as you have found your solution through exercise, is a good point to raise for others. Regular exercise is definitely recommended for many pain suffers to include arthritis, such as for myself, where I find much relief regularly exercising. In fact, it is safe to say that regular exercise and eating healthy, is generally good for the body, mind and particularly the heart.
Your own words of whether you “may or may not have Fibromyalgia” is a great statement and good words of wisdom, for those using a labelled disorder to their advantage for personal gain, when genuine people like yourself, do suffer from pain. Not to say that Fibromyalgia suffers don’t – it’s just to question what they really suffer from and if other deep rooted problems exist for them. There is no doubt that chronic pain suffers do exist and some early signs of arthritic or similar pain suffers can experience this early in their life, without knowing exactly what they have and whether it is temporary or permanent.
Fibromyalgia has associated mental health issues as mentioned in research studies with antidepressants being the most USEFUL form of treatment for this disorder. Interestingly enough, past generations of women between the ages of 40-59 were prescribed antidepressants to solve their emotional and physical pains, which did not last all their life in the end, according to my mother now aged 89. So if my mother had what is now, Fibromyalgia, she did not know it – she just lived through the typical female life cycle. Thus, the question – is Fibromyalgia really something new for this age category in women or is it something more? I guess since Fibromyalgia can’t be diagnosed by a true medical test like a blood test it can get misused by anyone wanting to label themselves or with the help of reluctant Doctor’s.
So sifting through all those making positive and negative comments here – do they really know what Fibromyalgia is and do they have it or something else. Process of elimination would be to take antidepressants for Fibromyalgia as suggested by studies, while keeping a regular exercise routine and eating healthy. For those with a history of family depression, then Fibromyalgia may be the label for them in this day and age. For those women in the menopausal state – recognise this and pull yourself and those around you out of the darkness.
Depending on age and the many other factors, anyone can see how “grey” the Fibromyalgia term really is and why so much controversy. It’s a mixed bag !
I know for a fact that fibromyalgia is usually faked in order to not have to work and to try and get on disability faster.
I know because that was me.
Fibromyalgia is totally fake and it is usually those women who are overweight and ages from 35-55 who have very sad lives.
Most all women who have fibromyalgia also have depression, anxiety disorder, bopolar, CFS, unexplaned headaches, chronic back pain-even with a good CT and MRI showing no injury to the back or neck, very overweight, little to no work time spent working over the years, PTSD- with no stressful life event that may have caused the PTSD- and it goes on and on, and most all have had fake suicide attempts to try and get on disability faster.
These women will talk for hours about every pain they have and how many pill they are on.
They paint the image that they are knocking on deaths door and the doctors say that they could die anytime.
I have had several friends of mine that I am talking about above “Snap out of Fibromyalgia”, get a job, loose the weight, get divorced and start dating better men, go back to college, and become productive citizens again. Each one has told me they are 100% so thankful that I was so hard on them and now they wouldn’t trade back for that fibro/depression life for the world.
All you have to do is just get off of the bed and away from the T.V. and off the internet for 10-hours per day and start walking, eating better, get off all the meds and you too can have your life back.
Please just give it a try- give yourself 1-year and if you don’t feel better, then go back.
I promise you will love youself again.
While I have not had the time to read all the comments to this post, I do very much hope you get your wish and develop fibromyalgia. Only the best will do for you!
Criminy. I did just read a few of these “comments.” What a hate-fest! God bless all of you who have no clue. And even more so, God bless all of you who do have a clue and then some! I was one of those people who didn’t “believe in” a lot of illnesses and I received my “reward.” Fibromyalgia may not be “real” but then, please, figure out what causes all these symptoms so it can be treated more appropriately. Whatever this is — I can assure you it is not fake. Have a blessed day!
Brenda – please at least read the links to my comments for the most USEFUL medications to treat Fibromyalgia. There are also research articles and genetic factor links that you can read which are associated and “real” to what is known for the FM disorder. If FM could be medically tested with a definitive blood test or similar, negative comments would not be written here within. I hope this helps you to realize what may cause your pain & suffering and to dig deeper within you to see where this all lies.
Wow, Some of these posts are appalling. I have constant pain. I am not a DR. I am just a person who spent countless hours going to countless DRs trying to get help. I don’t care what it’s called, I just want to feel better.
For people to say that I am lazy and just want to sit around and feel sorry for myself, when they don’t even know me is crazy.
How can you blame the patient for the Drs lack of answers. Maybe we need better Drs. Maybe Drs need to do their job and help these people. I didn’t diagnose myself. My Drs diagnosed me. Is it fair that I am now subjected to ridicule because the rest of the world can not agree on what “this” is. Call it what you want. I just want to feel better.
Also i am depressed. Who wouldn’t be. this sucks. I see comments about how “these people” are sick one day then go to parties the next. Well your damn right. I spend almost every minute of my life feeling like crap. If i get a day when I feel better, you can bet your ass I’m going to spend it doing something that makes me happy.
I find it interesting how the only responses towards those who express doubt are hostile, ignorant, and abusive. If you have this “disease” then you should support your arguments with better data…criticizing their opinion especially with low ball remarks about penis size, only shows a level of desperation to take the focus off the actual issue, which lends credence to the arguments against. It is no different than the individual who refers to people as being racist or ignorant when they have no real, solid, or intelligent response.
If you want to make your point, stop with the individual case studies, the nasty distractions, and provide solid data. If you do that, nobody can dispute your statements. Make ignorant and unnecessary statements and you lose every bit of credibility.
@Notbuyingit
I agree. Penis size has no bearing.lol.
I would just like to say, I can not give any solid Data.
I am the patient. I think its not really fair to say something doesn’t exist on the basis that people fake it. There will always people who fake it. However there are People who really have something wrong. I did not diagnose myself. My Dr diagnosed me. I don’t want People to think I am Lazy, bored,blah,blah,blah. I think that people saying that anybody diagnosed with Fibro is faking , can cause some real problems. What if there is something causing this and Drs stop looking because “its fake”. Not fair. There are a lot of aches and pains that can be faked. Everybody perceives pain differently. I dont know what the answer is. I just know that I have a lot of weird symptoms that I can not explain. It sucks. I feel like i got hit by a truck. I have no idea why. I just dont know. what I do know is that my Dr giving me a diagnoses at the very least was a relief in the sense that i felt like someone finally listened to me. This pain is real. I dont know where it comes from. I wish somebody did. But i dont want to be called a faker and lazy. Its hurtful. Its just not right. Also it is really scarey to know that our healthcare workers treat patients with less respect because they are diagnosed with fibro. That is shameful. People need to realize we did not diagnose ourselves.
Taking care of yourself and listening to your body is most important, regardless what you may have. Not realizing the state of one’s mental health also needs to be considered so the chemicals within the brain are being produced like other normal operating organs within the body. Getting other Doctor’s opinions is your option and if you really want to know what is going on with yourself means doing just that. If you were told by one Dr that you needed a major operation, wouldn’t you seek out other opinions before you made a decision to operate ? Many areas of the brain are involved in the experience of pain. When we stub our toe, it hurts – but only because our brain says so. Damage-detecting sensory neurons flash a message to the spinal cord, spinal cord neurons relay the message to the brain, and the brain decides (a) damage has occurred, (b) it has been inflicted on the toe, and (c) something needs to be done (we start hobbling, raise the foot, utter an expletive). It may feel as if our toe is throbbing, but the experience is all contained within a mental projection of the condition of our toe within our brain. Therefore, managing chemicals within the brain should be your focus to manage your pain (see my comments above and helpful links). One main study finds that people with a family history of depression are likely to be asscociated with FM. So is depression a product of your pain or vise versa ? Finding this answer might be the starting point to relieve your pain since antidepressants are the prescribed medication for this reason. Remember, pain is felt in the brain but for some people who don’t want to recognise mental health to be associated with FM then it is the “dog chasing it’s tail” to deal directly with the issue. Maybe the deep pain some people experience is the onset of arthritis and not FM but you have to find this out over time. Faking FM or faking anything else is another topic centered around people who are fakers – this is where the anger is directed within this topic and responses of this page. FM has spawned fakers just like whiplash in every car accident.
Show me one real medical test that proves it is real and I will accept it.
I want to see a blood test, DNA test, etc. something that is real.
Anyone can go to a doctor and say they hurt in the fibromyalgia points of pain when he touches you.
Anyone can look fibromyalgia up on the web and say they have it.
I am a doctor and I work off of facts, labs, test results, not just words.
I need to see something real and I will change my mind.
Thanks
Please tell me what test I can order, if any exist, that I can use.
Mai – for someone claiming to be a Doctor, sensitivity doesn’t seem to be part of your vocabulary. There are people suffering from PAIN, regardless of the NAME it is given. I’m an engineer and assume little but rely on facts, formulas and statistics. Very similar to what Doctors rely on. Why don’t doctors try to either support or eliminate FM for what it has been defined as, since it was a Doctor who published it as a disorder ? Doctor’s and PHD’s in general, like to publish papers and see their names associated with brilliant discoveries so they can get more fund money, etc – medical politics. Why can’t doctor’s unite for the good of a cause and make things black & white and clear this up for everyone sake ? Doctor’s coined the FM phrase, so fix it and elimate the controversy and what YOU are complaining about ! And by the way, cure cancer since it has been too long for that cause as well. Think about this Mai Dr God as you prepare for work in the mirror each morning.
My husband works 10-18 hours a day with Fibro. He is not lazy at all he
Is the hardest working man I know. He works in a factory and has for13 years. He does not take meds because of side effects. The doc told him he was taking so much Ibprohen that his liver and stomach wil not take much more. His responce was I have to work some how, I have a family to feed.
To all of you laughing at this I hope and pray you dont have to go through this you couldn’t handle it.
To all the people who have Fibromyalgia it is very simple.
You need to give your life to God.
Fibromyalgia is the devil. The devil want you to hurt and suffer. He wants you all to get on the internet and spew out hate at each other- both sides belivers of fibromyalgia and the non-believers.
We must come toghether and truly give ourselfs to God and he will heal us. We must show him that we so need his blessing by the way that we call out to him and ask him to pull the devil out of us in pain and suffering.
I fell out of the flock and started smoking and drinking coke. I started laying out at night with men. The devil came into my life and gave me lots of pain and suffering.
I got back to the Lord and he took the fibromyaliga away. I got my kids and husband back and lost the weight and got my old job back.
Please get yourself right with God if you are suffering under fibromyalgia and as God to cast out the devil/fibromyalgia.
Have the Chruch lay hand on you and they will heal and you will speak in new toungs.
You shall even take up serpents and they shall not harm you. You shall drink deadly things and it shall not kill you.
Fibromyalgia can be beat, you just have to get right with God.
Maybe Dr T can help – he has been on Dr Oz, Ricki Lake, Oprah etc and once had CFS as he states. He seems to have some solutions to CFS/FM, see the link about him attached – http://www.endfatigue.com/about-dr-t/index.html
lol@Beula………………….
Dr.Mia, My comment to you is…. I have lab tests that say something is going on. I will not share those here. However, my Dr. is the person who calls it FM. I just go to him to seek help. So, I have to agree with Concerned. It’s not the patient who is wrong here. Find an answer. You are the Dr. We as patients come to you for help. I really do not care what it is called. i just want to feel better. Just sayin.
reconcile this:
fibro is real
what we think is what we become
fibro can become our story
our story is real
we can decide to change our story
there are more or less benefits that we derive from different stories
our story changes as our other needs and resources and benefits change in time
we can create our own reality (unlike ‘lowe’r animals)’
our pre-fibro life holds many clues to our ‘fibro’ lives
seek and you shall find
become more whole and risk stepping outside of your comfort zone
you are a good person and no one can ever take this away from you
seek out others socially, go for brief walks in nature, bubble in your life’s accomplishments…. and try to do this daily…. and wake with a smile and sleep with a smile…daily
and take one day at a time
and you shall become triumphant in this one life with which you have been blessed! All the best!
women. cant live with em….
there is no syndrome, unless you call it estrogen predominance.
you think that complaining women could sit around and have people “tend” to her whining in any other era? what about the frontiersmen, she’d be left to die. middle ages…sorry charlie.
this is an obama condition. we feel sorry for you, we’ll take care of you, we’ll pay for you. you poor thing, you just lay back and collect from the doers in this world.
want to know what works alot better than lyrica? get off your lazy fat a__, get on a treadmill and sweat! stop laying around feeding that trap of yours and work, work, work. when youre so tired from putting in the first day of your life where you actually had to work hard, then you’ll sleep well. now, get up and do it again. 5 days a week, just like that husband you’ve been living off of.
hard labor. do it for a year, and you wont have time to complain about your “fibromyalgia” do it for 3 years and you’ll start to learn something new…its called self respect. not living off someone else.
want to get better? stop waiting for someone to empathsize with your misery, and work off some of that lard you’ve accumulated by your indolent lifestyle, you lazy pigs.
Hey “TruthHurts” – you are an ignorant and uneducated a$$hole. I know it is hard for stupid people like yourself to understand some of the real world medical issues like “pain” whether it is temporary or long term but I feel sorry that you live in some backwoods cabin and listen to banjo music for your world news to understand how the world turns. When you get off humping your boyfriend, try educating yourself about the subject and understand that maybe some people use a medical disorder for their own personal gain, while others have some cronic pain that they are dealing with. Next you are going to say that “Blacks” medically defined fibromyalgia (FM) and it is derived from slavery – get your act together $hithead. FM was medically defined in Europe and little is known at this stage about the disorder. Cancer hasn’t been cured 100% either but it can be diagnosed with lab tests. The difference between cancer and FM is that lab tests can determine cancer and not FM. I know this topic is far above your comprehension, but understand that people fake all kinds of things everyday just like yourself trying to project yourself like someone who is well respected in life – you just let everyone know that you are a transparent idiot, so that must be hard for you to hide in real life. See the difference yet – faking or being transparent ?
@truthhurts,
Wow. You are mean. Lol. It’s almost kind of funny. Well I guess it must be nice to have all the answers. What a joke. You talk as if you know every person in the world with FM. I know a few people who have it and work everyday. So, looks like you maybe don’t know everybody who has it. Hmmm, Could it be that you may be wrong? I still have yet to have someone who thinks it is fake to explain to me why they feel the patient is in the wrong here. WE ARE DIAGNOSED BY DOCTORS! If you are a Dr. then help somebody. If you are not then shut up. K Thanks.
Also, If you know so many people that are faking, maybe you need a better class of people to hang with.
If you have fibromyalgia please at least try to give yourself a chance to rid yourself of it.
#1 Go on a diet- loose the weight
#2 Get out of the house and get a job
#3 Get off all the drugs that are keeping you gorked out
#4 Build up your “selfvalue” and get some real respect for yourself
I had CFS, CHF, Fibromyaliga, PTSD, BiPolar, social phobia, severe shortness of breath, depression, suicide thoughts/attempts, was diabetic, and weighed 400 pounds. I really didn’t care if I woke up the next morning or not. I had no drive to even live.
I hadn’t worked in 8-years, I only came out of the house like once a month. I had let my car and driver’s license go. I felt worthless. I was even on SSI disability and trying to live on $700 a month, which I gave half to my mom to help pay utilities and property taxes, insurance, and upkeep of the house.
My mom died and my dad had been dead for over 20-years. I had to sell the house and and was forced to get out. I miss my mom with all my heart, but her death is what got me into a new life. I was forced to grow up and carry my own weight.
I lost the weight, got off all the meds, got a job, moved into a small duplex and got married at the age of 38 and I am so happy now. I have 2-kids and an amazing life and husband that really loves me.
I cut myself off the disablity check and got a job making over $2400 a month.
Please help yourself and you will have a new life.
It is all in your head. I promise you can feel good again.
At least try to get you life back once, if it doesn’t help once you loose the weight and so on, then your fibromyalgia is real and you can’t be helped.
Good luck
Also find a good support group.
wow@Karon
You are very presumptuous. How do you do that. Just assume that every person diagnosed is obese? I do not understand this crap. The patient is not responsible for explaining or proving an illness. This makes me sick. People are mean and nasty.
Kimberly – people can be mean and nasty. Karon is being upfront and blunt about her experience which everyone is entitled to. FM is a grey area on it’s own. One day a lab test and further treatment will bring this subject more clarity that it needs. In the meantime, all one can do is get onto a better lifestyle which keeps one mentally and physically healthy. This I believe is Karon’s point she is making through her experience, however she comes across.
Well that may be true, however assuming that everybody with FM does not have a healthy lifestyle is insulting on it’s own. I am not obese, I do get out of the house, I am not “gorked out” on drugs, and I do have self value and respect. That is why i am responding. I think it is great to share successes, but I am tired of the insults. That’s all.
If I hear one more person compare FM to cancer I think my head might explode. What a desperate attempt to legitimize your dependency! I’m not saying you don’t have pain, but that’s like trying to compare a headache to a brain tumor. STOP STOP STOP!!! YOU are NOT in the same class as someone with a flipping DEATH SENTENCE!!!!
I was on the fence before about this, but not anymore. How utterly disgusting. The OP is right: Sign me up.
So because apparently somebody is being dramatic, which I guess I missed, you are now off the fence? Well if you want it I hope you get it. Good luck. Plus I guess if you don’t have a fatal illness whatever you have doesn’t count. oh ok. I didn’t know it was a who’s life sucks more contest.
Maybe if people would stop telling us that we are faking, fat, lazy and depressed….. when you do not even know me…. people with FM might not feel the need to prove that they are in pain.
The great thing is, It really doesn’t natter what a bunch of judgmental people that I don’t know says. They have no say. If I decide to get disability, too bad huh. I guess they will just have to live with it… lol…..LOVE IT!
I would rather of had cancer that this horrible fibromyalgia that will torture me for the rest of my life.
I am 44 years old and might live for another 40 years just to suffer with my severe fibromyalgia pain day in and day out.
You lucky people with cancer, I do feel sorry for you, but you all will get a quick ticket out and have no more pain and suffering in just a matter of no more than a year or two until you die, or a cancer free. You life will go on and get back to normal. I will never have that.
I will have to keep suffering and suffering and suffering.
I am so sick of people discounting fibromyalgia.
Yes I may be overweight, I may be “gorked out” on pain meds, depressed, but that is my business.
Yes I may be on disability, but I paid taxes in for years and years, so it is also none of your business.
To all you who think fibromyaliga is fake, i’d say that you better pray that you never get it.
I’d much rather have terminal cancer.
I do not mean to sound bitter, but cancer gets all the research money, all the public relations such as Susan Kolmen, etc.
What does Fibro get- nothing, just stupid Lyrica commericals. That is it.
At least the Governement will give you disability for Fibromyalgia and not cancer. I know people who had cancer and died and never got one disability check. At least the Government understands that Fibromyalgia is a much more severe and life limiting illness vs cancer which you either die really fast or get over it and are cancer free with a happy life again.
Fibro is for the rest of your life. 20- 30- 40 more years of pure hell.
I am so sick of fibromyalgia not getting attention. I am so sick of all the cancer research and no one setting up an organization to look for cures for fibro.
Shame on all of you. Shame on you.
Please don’t take me the wrong way. I am not mad at anyone with cancer, but I am mad at the system. Please don’t be mad at me. I am sorry if I sound too insensitive. I am just speaking from a broken and frustruated heart that is hardened with years and years of pain.
Thanks for reading. I had to vent. I am sorry. Please don’t be mad at me.
A ‘disease’ with no objective symptoms, no test, no cause or vector of transmission.
Just a lot of self obsessed, narcissistic hypochondriacs convincing themselves that they are ill.
I call fake.
Since FM has been studied to have it’s history with depression (and anxieties) calling it “fake” to those with such a family history rooted in psychiatric disorders is not fake to them.
True, there are no medical tests to diagnosis FM, like a “disease” which is why it is a “disorder” and falls into the realm of psychiatry. If the focus could remain on psychiatry, rather than always deviate towards physical illness then this topic wouldn’t be so confusing and debated.
Neurotic Disorders and Somatisation associated with depression and anxieties is where the focus should be on FM.
FM is all in the head after all, where all pain is felt and managed.