Tuesday, February 26, 2013

Horrible Day....

today has been one of the worst since all the bs with work began. Actually I think it has been the worst one. I am in so much pain....I just want to cry. Besides my normal pain from the fibro, dizziness from fibro and neurocariogenic syncope I did something to my low back and right hip. I can barely walk. I have used two types of pain med, bendryl to counter the itcing caused from pain meds, my mu...scle relaxers, plus my reg. meds, oh and ice and I still can barely walk. I am hurting so much all I can so is sleep and only sitting up...I cannot sleep laying down. I cannot even tell how bad my headache is because of the pain in my back/hip. It feels as though the pain has been turned up 500 %. I woke up this morning deciding that laying in bed was not going to work, so I got up and sat on the couch with pillows tucked in behind my back. I must have fallen asleep because when I woke up at 2 min to five... had to ask Ken if I had really been asleep all day..and Yes was his response. And yet I am still feeling exhausted....So, all I can say is, Thank you God for providing for us and while you are providing please add to that what ever I need to get rid of this pain. Love to all...

Thursday, February 21, 2013

Important Evidence Supporting Fibromyalgia As A Spectrum



Read this article I found and tell us what you think....

Important Evidence Supporting Fibromyalgia As A Spectrum Disorder

20 Feb 2013  

Researchers have determined that fibromyalgia prevalence is 2.1% of the general population in Germany. Results appearing in Arthritis Care & Research, a journal published by Wiley on behalf of the American College of Rheumatology (ACR), suggest that fibromyalgia is a spectrum disorder rather than a categorical illness. Additionally, a number of fibromyalgia cases in the general population satisfy proposed criteria for physical symptom disorder - the presence of one or more physical symptoms that impair function, which cannot be explained by another clinical or psychiatric illness.

Fibromyalgia is a chronic, musculoskeletal syndrome characterized by chronic widespread pain together with fatigue, sleep disturbances, cognitive problems, and multiple somatic symptoms. In 2010 the ACR released modified diagnostic criteria for fibromyalgia, eliminating the tender point count assessment that was part of the 1990 criteria. Shortly after the modified criteria was published it was decided that the widespread pain index and symptom severity score could be combined to form a new measurement of pain and symptom severity termed the polysymptomatic distress scale (PSD).

The lead author of the current study, Dr. Frederick Wolfe with the National Data Bank for Rheumatic Diseases and University of Kansas School of Medicine in Wichita, reported on 2,445 subjects who were randomly selected from the general German population in 2012. The team used the 2010 modified ACR preliminary diagnostic criteria for fibromyalgia to identify patients with the disease.

Findings show fibromyalgia prevalence at 2.1% with occurrence in women and men at 2.4% and 1.8% - a difference that was not statistically significant according to researchers. Furthermore, the team found evidence supporting the hypothesis that fibromyalgia is a spectrum disorder and not a distinct disease. Nearly 40% of fibromyalgia patients met the proposed criteria for a physical symptom disorder.

The authors suggest that fibromyalgia should be considered a spectrum or dimensional disorder by giving the range of polysymptomatic distress experienced by patients. A patient with a widespread pain index of 7 or more out of 19 pain sites and symptom severity score of 5 or more out of 12 will have a PSD scale score of at least 12, a cut point below which fibromyalgia criteria will not be met.

"Given the continuum of symptoms in patients, our study provides important evidence supporting fibromyalgia as a spectrum disorder," concludes Dr. Wolfe. "Our findings have important implications for epidemiologic and neurobiologic studies, clinical diagnosis and disease management, along with determining disability in those with fibromyalgia."


References:
Full citation: "Fibromyalgia Prevalence, Somatic Symptom Reporting, and the Dimensionality of Polysymptomatic Distress: Results From a Survey of the General Population." Frederick Wolfe, Elmar Brahler, Andreas Hinz and Winfried Hauser. Arthritis Care and Research; Published Online: February 19, 2013 (DOI: 10.1002/acr.21931).
Wiley



Citations:
Please use one of the following formats to cite this article in your essay, paper or report:

MLA

Wiley. "Important Evidence Supporting Fibromyalgia As A Spectrum Disorder." Medical News Today. MediLexicon, Intl., 20 Feb. 2013. Web.
21 Feb. 2013.
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Wiley. (2013, February 20). "Important Evidence Supporting Fibromyalgia As A Spectrum Disorder." Medical News Today. Retrieved from
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/256538.php.

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Important Evidence Supporting Fibromyalgia As A Spectrum Disorder http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/256538.php

Chronic Pain Conditions

Women With Vulvodynia At Much Higher Risk For Other Chronic Pain Conditions http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/248612.php

The Stages Fibomyalia Suffer's Go Through


The Stages Fibromyalgia Suffers Go Through
by Darla Beamon
February 21, 2013
Lately I have seen a number of people who have just been diagnosed with fibromyalgia. Any time that those of us whom have been living with the disease can share the less frightening it will be.  Having said that I want to discuss the stages I believe we go through. It is important to interpret the stages loosely, and expect much individual variation. There is no neat progression from one stage to the next. In reality, there is a lot of taking two steps forward and then a step back or stages can come all at once, or occur out of order. So why bother with stage models at all? The reason is that they are a good general guide of what to expect. Those outside of fibromyalgia aren’t going to understand this.  They tell us a number of things that we would do if we could. The problem is that what they tell you, i.e. “you need to lose weight, you need to exercise, you need to just get over it and my favorite, and it’s all in your head.”  What they don’t understand is that fibromyalgia robs us of the life we once knew, planned, and participated in. After all we still look the same to them and most of us put on our “game” face. The truth is that sadness is a normal response to a normal occurrence. After all, we can’t do some things that we were able to do with ease. So we do what we can, we modify what we do. I used to be able to go shopping all day long. Now I am lucky if I can go for an hour. It is very important that we face this head on and not use other things to make us feel better. Wondering what we did to get this disease is futile; the medical field has just begun to understand it.  They have much more to do before we have a clearer understanding ourselves. I believe giving it up to God helps to get through the stages easier.  Giving yourself to God (or what you might call your higher power) doesn’t mean you won’t go through the stages, but it will give you some comfort and senses of peace as you do.  The second phase is pain and guilt.  In this case we already have the pain and most have had it years before being diagnosed. However the pain gets more intense. Let yourself feel it…give yourself permission to lie down and rest. As we try to understand this disease, we feel guilty. If I had only eaten better, exercised more, etc. thoughts come into our mind. We blame ourselves for getting sick.   We become frustrated and that eventually turns to anger. We want to know why, why me, or we try bargaining. I’ll do this God if you just make it all go away.  This is the stage some stuff their emotions. It is important that you allow yourself to feel whatever you need to help get oneself where we are able to have an enjoyable life.   Once we get over the anger our emotions turn to depression, loneliness and a time of reflection. Depression and loneliness come from isolating oneself.  After all it is easier than to face the naysayers.  Depression can also set in when one reflects on the things you can no longer do.  You are still trying to accept the illness. This is a time when we need to be careful as we can feel despair and emptiness…leading into a deeper depression.  Just when we think we cannot take it anymore we become to some terms of acceptance. You feel calmer about having to change things in your life. We tend to be less depressed. We haven’t reached a point of happiness yet, but we can begin to see the light.  Next is the movement forward, we can think a bit clearer and start tackling life. We decide how we will change your lifestyle, including finances.  Finally we go to the stage of acceptance. That does not mean we are all of a sudden the happy little camper…Due to the symptoms we have experienced we cannot go back to before. Some people confuse "acceptance" with "giving up," but acceptance actually is a way of looking at our life and allows us to set reachable goals. So, yes, we will find a way to move forward and create a happy life for our self. When we can say, "I'm not where I need to be, but thank God I'm not where I used to be. I'm OK, and I'm on my way!" by Joyce Meyer then we know we have begun to accept this disease and adjust accordingly.
Resources:

2.       How Acceptance Can Help With Managing Your Illness

By Adrienne Dellwo, About.com Guide

Updated March 16, 2011

Rereblogged from Fibromoden's Page by The Purple Law Lady

I read this blog post from The Invisible F and was really impressed by the way the information was presented. I just HAD to re-blog:

Six Common Fibromyalgia Myths (original title)

 
 

Friend or Foe; Do you think Artificial Sweeeners play a role in Fibromyalgia and other Invisible Illnesses? Lets Weigh in on the Topic.


Do you consume artificial sweeteners of any kind either by drinking diet soda or in the foods we eat? The Aspartame also known as Nutra Sweet, Equal, and Spoonful, in the diet soda may be hurting you.  In a recent article that I read suggested that if you see sugar free on the label, to leave it alone, don’t drink or eat anything because Aspartame is very dangerous.  It explained that the reason it is so dangerous is that when the temperature of the sweetener, exceeds 86 degrees a chemical change takes place, the wood alcohol in ASPARTAME converts to formaldehyde and then to formic acid, which in turn causes metabolic acidosis. Formic acid is the poison found in the sting of fire ants.

“The methanol toxicity mimics, among other conditions, multiple sclerosis and systemic lupus. Many people were being diagnosed in error. Although multiple sclerosis is not a death sentence, Methanol toxicity is! Systemic lupus has become almost as rampant as multiple sclerosis, especially with Diet Coke and Diet Pepsi drinkers. The victim usually does not know that the Aspartame is the culprit. He or she continues its use; irritating the lupus to such a degree that it may become a life-threatening condition. We have seen patients with systemic lupus become asymptotic, once taken off diet sodas.
In cases of those diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis, most of the symptoms disappear. We've seen many cases where vision loss returned and hearing loss improved markedly.
This also applies to cases of tinnitus and fibromyalgia. During a lecture, I said, 'If you are using ASPARTAME (Nutra Sweet, Equal, Spoonful, etc) and you suffer from fibromyalgia symptoms, spasms, shooting, pains, numbness in your legs,
Cramps, Vertigo, Dizziness, Headaches, Tinnitus, and Joint pain. Unexplainable depression, anxiety attacks, slurred speech, blurred vision, or memory loss you probably have ASPARTAME poisoning!' People were jumping up during the lecture saying,' it. I have some of these symptoms. Is it reversible?”

There is a seemingly endless list of side effects from aspartame ingestion. Since it was discovered, scientists have found adverse effects through experimentation including brain tumors, headaches, vision loss, and many other neurological problems. They have also reached conclusions about the causes of these adverse affects. In 1994, a report was released that listed 92 symptoms associated with aspartame ingestion and said that aspartame accounted for 75 percent of all adverse reactions reported to the Adverse Reaction Monitoring System.

In another article,  Possible Side Effects of NutraSweet,  I found the following: Some of the 92 long-term and immediate adverse effects of aspartame ingestion are:

  • Abdominal Pain
  • Anxiety attacks
  • Arthritis
  • Asthma
  • Asthmatic Reactions
  • Bloating, Edema (Fluid Retention)
  • Blood Sugar Control Problems (Hypoglycemia or Hyperglycemia)
  • Brain Cancer (Pre-approval studies in animals)
  • Breathing difficulties
  • Burning eyes or throat
  • Burning Urination
  • Can't think straight
  • Chest Pains
  • Chronic cough
  • Chronic Fatigue
  • Confusion
  • Death
  • Depression
  • Diarrhea
  • Dizziness
  • Excessive Thirst or Hunger
  • Fatigue
  • Feel unreal
  • Flushing of face
  • Hair Loss (Baldness) or Thinning of Hair
  • Headaches/Migraines dizziness
  • Hearing Loss
  • Heart palpitations
  • Hives (Urticaria)
  • Hypertension (High Blood Pressure)
  • Hysterical pregnancy
  • Impotency and Sexual Problems
  • Inability to concentrate
  • Infection Susceptibility
  • Insomnia
  • Irritability
  • Itching
  • Joint Pains
  • Laryngitis
  • "Like thinking in a fog"
  • Marked Personality Changes
  • Memory loss
  • Menstrual Problems or Changes
  • Migraines and Severe Headaches (Trigger or Cause From Chronic Intake)
  • Muscle spasms
  • Nausea or Vomiting
  • Numbness or Tingling of Extremities
  • Other Allergic-Like Reactions
  • Panic Attacks
  • Phobias
  • Poor memory
  • Rapid Heart Beat
  • Rashes
  • Seizures and Convulsions
  • Slurring of Speech
  • Swallowing Pain
  • Tachycardia
  • Tremors
  • Tinnitus
  • Vertigo
  • Vision Loss
  • Weight gain

In addition, aspartame can mimic symptoms or worsen the following diseases:


  • Fibromyalgia
  • Arthritis
  • Multiple Sclerosis (MS)
  • Parkinson's Disease
  • Lupus
  • Multiple Chemical Sensitivities (MCS)
  • Diabetes and Diabetic Complications
  • Epilepsy
  • Alzheimer's Disease
  • Birth Defects
  • Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
  • Lymphoma
  • Lyme Disease
  • Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD)
  • Panic Disorder
  • Depression and other Psychological Disorders
So what causes these problems? Scientist believe that when aspartame is ingested it breaks down into 3 potentially harmful products:

1.      Phenylalanine

2.      Aspartic Acid

3.      Methanol

  • There is also concern over aspartame forming diketopiperazine in liquids when stored for a long time.

Having read this I started a search on the internet looking for other articles on this point.  I found a few that countered the above statement; however there were many more that confirmed the above.  The original article I read went further stating,

“Diet soda is NOT a diet product! It is a chemically altered, multiple SODIUM (salt) and ASPARTAME containing product that actually makes you crave carbohydrates. It is far more likely to make you GAIN weight! These products also contain formaldehyde, which stores in the fat cells, particularly in the hips and thighs. Formaldehyde is an absolute toxin and is used primarily to preserve 'tissue specimens.' Many products we use every day contain this chemical but we SHOULD NOT store it IN our body! The study further stated that children should never drink or eat anything with aspartame in it. There have been many cases where the child suffered neurological disturbances. 

‘The study has found that some physicians, who believed that they had a patient with retinopathy, in fact, had symptoms caused by Aspartame. The Aspartame drives the blood sugar out of control. Thus diabetics may suffer acute memory loss due to the fact that aspartic acid and phenylalanine are NEUROTOXIC when taken without the other amino acids necessary for a good balance.
Especially with diabetics, the Aspartame passes the blood/brain barrier and it then deteriorates the neurons of the brain; causing various levels of brain damage, Seizures, Depression, Manic depression, Panic attacks, uncontrollable anger and rage. Consumption of Aspartame causes these same symptoms in non-diabetics as well. Documentation and observation also reveal that thousands of children diagnosed with ADD and ADHD have had complete turnarounds in their behavior when these chemicals have been removed from their diet.’

As I thought about the claims in the article I wondered why is this still on the market. Why hasn’t the FDA recalled it. Then I read more and in the ending of the article it stated that the problem was:

“There were Congressional Hearings when Aspartame was included in 100 different products and strong objection was made concerning its use. Since this initial hearing, there have been two subsequent hearings, and still nothing has been done. The drug and chemical lobbies have very deep pockets. Unfortunately, MONSANTO'S patent on Aspartame has EXPIRED! There are now over 5,000 products on the market that contain this deadly chemical and there will be thousands more introduced. Everybody wants a 'piece of the Aspartame pie. The bill would also institute independent studies on the known dangers and the problems existing in the general population regarding seizures, changes in brain chemistry, neurological changes and behavioral symptoms. The bill was killed. It is known that the powerful drug and chemical lobbies are responsible for this, letting loose the hounds of disease and death on an unsuspecting and uninformed public. Well, you're informed now!"

The other articles I read basically said the same thing.  I could only find one article that stated a counter argument.  According to this article, it says: “Evidence does not support links between aspartame and cancer, hair loss, depression, dementia, behavioral disturbances, or any of the other conditions appearing in websites. Agencies such as the Food Standards Agency, European Food Standards Authority, and the Food and Drug Administration have a duty to monitor relations between foodstuffs and health and to commission research when reasonable doubt emerges. Aspartame's safety was convincing to the European Scientific Committee on Food in 1988 but proving negatives is difficult, and it is even harder to persuade vocal sectors of the public whose opinions are fuelled more by anecdote than by evidence. The Food Standards Agency takes public concerns very seriously and thus pressed the European Scientific Committee on Food to conduct a further review, encompassing over 500 reports, in 2002. It concluded from biochemical, clinical, and behavioral research that the acceptable daily intake of 40 mg/kg/day of aspartame remained entirely safe—except for people with phenylketonuria.”

So as I understand the second article is telling me that the first article is misleading and a scare tactic. Well as long as I don’t consume more that 40 mg/kg a day.  That is unless of course if you have phenylketonuria, then any amount is unsafe. Hmmmmm…it really makes me wonder whether the 40 mg/kg is safe for those of us that have invisible illnesses.  And I wonder what it means that aspartame causes weight gain, thus is part of a cause for obesity.  Both articles state that the aspartame makes one hungrier therefore added weight gain. That for those that cannot exercise much or at all are certainly going to add weight, just as though some of our medications also have the side effect of weight gain. 

My next thought was how the 40 mg/kg looks in an actual product. I couldn’t tell you how much aspartame is in sodas or other foods so I googled the question and the first article came up as the following which I found on the Nutra Sweet web page.


How much aspartame is contained in various products?

Below is the approximate aspartame content in several product categories. For specific information regarding individual products, the manufacturer should be contacted, as exact formulations differ with each manufacturer.


Product Category

Serving Size

Approximate
Aspartame Content

Carbonated Soft Drinks

12 ounces

180 mg

Gelatin Dessert

4 ounces

95 mg

Powdered Soft Drink

8 ounces

120 mg

Hot Chocolate

6 ounces

50 mg

Pudding

4 ounces

25 mg

Frozen Novelty

2 - 3 ounces

50 mg

Fruit Drink (10% juice)

6 ounces

70 mg


1 mint

1.5 mg


1 vitamin

4 mg

Ice Cream

4 ounces

50 mg

Yogurt

8 ounces

124 mg

Gum

1 stick

6-8 mg
 

I think there is enough of a variety in the above to get a clear picture on the amount one can consume if they are not paying attention to the amount of aspartame in the products we buy.  And how easily one could consume more that the 40 mg/kg daily as suggest in the article.

 

In addition, I found the following article during my search titledl  Killer or Sweet Poison Message - Internet/Facebook Rumor. I am only including an excerpt. Use the resource listed below to find the entire article

 


"Aspartame is currently FDA approved. The FDA, after extensive studies, has concluded that Aspartame is not dangerous and is not responsible for the reactions outlined in the rumors. However many have continued to attack both the FDA and those who produce or endorse the sweetener, even going as far as asserting that the initial FDA approval process of Aspartame was "tainted" and their results inaccurate.
This was further fueled by a chain email that circulated virally accredited to someone by the name of Nancy Markel (of which the message above is largely based upon) that asserts that Aspartame is potentially lethal and should not be consumed, as well as making many of the assertions we mentioned in the paragraphs above. However this email is generally considered an anonymous hoax - no one by the name Nancy Markel has ever come forward to confirm the authenticity of the letter, instead it is understood that the email was an altered version of messages left on Internet forums. Additionally many food experts have
debunked the claims made in the letter as both "misleading" and "baseless".
It should also be pointed out that the story in the message above, about the author’s sister’s illness and how she began to feel better after avoiding Diet Soda, is almost certainly false. No matter what stance one takes on the Aspartame controversy, the assertion in the story that the ailed wheelchair-bound sister was able to walk only 32 hours after she stopped drinking Diet Soda is wholly unrealistic. In
Ultimately, however, the FDA, after many further studies, still insist that the sweetener is safe, stating in a
press release ...To date, however, the agency has not been presented with scientific information that would support a change in our conclusions about the safety of aspartame.


Also note the FDA is by far not the only body that have approved Aspartame....

Of course every person has the choice to consume - or indeed to avoid - any food that they like. However messages like the one above are baseless and certainly contain many falsities and thus should not be circulated.

P.S. Yes some people may be sensitive to Aspartame. Some may get headaches or migraines or feel sluggish if they consume it. Same as with sugar, salt, caffeine or any one of thousands of different additives that are added to food and drink every day. Stopping such consumption can thus stop these symptoms from occurring. Aspartame causing detrimental symptoms in a minority of people is not the subject of this article.



 

What does this say/mean to us, those that fight invisible illnesses? I will let you decide, but please leave a comment. Everyone would love to know what you think.

 

References:

 

 

1.          BMJ. 2004 October 2; 329(7469): 755–756. doi: 10.1136/bmj.329.7469.755
 
    2.    Aspartame and its effects on health    Copyright© 2004, BMJ Publishing Group Ltd.
 

3.      Sweet Killer article on Facebook
 

4.      Article No: 1672  http://www.thatsnonsense.com/view.php?id=1672
 

5.      The NutraSweet Company;  
                                                                                              
 

6..We.      Possible Side Effects of NutraSweet:

 

 

Fibromyalgia Awareness Day May 12, 2013

Fibromyalgia Awareness Day May 12, 2013
Let us all be VISIBLE! May 12, 2013

Akemi Collection by Darla