Monday, March 28, 2011
Clumsy and Clueless
The brain fog has been TERRIBLE lately! I can think normally and be absolutely fine and then everything is gone... just... what was I saying again? :p And working at a coffee shop I would love to have some amount of control over my body.... I've scalded myself at least seven times this week. Only good thing about fibromyalgia is sometimes not being able to feel pain or not as much as I should. So when I dumped a coffee all over myself earlier I just yelped and then said "awwwwww shit!" like a million times instead of screaming like a ... well like a girl. Does anyone else have more issues with brain fog and and being clumsy when they push themselves during a flare up? I know someone has to read this blog I keep getting the notifications :p
Friday, March 11, 2011
http://www.back-fibromyalgia-pain.com/fibromyalgia-relief-from-depression/
Self Help
Fibromyalgia Relief from Depression, Self Help Techniques
Practicing self help techniques for Fibromyalgia can provide Relief from Depression. You can regain control of your life again, you can learn how to effectively self-manage fibromyalgia for relief from depression. Fibromyalgia patients suffering from depression feel hopeless, yet there are a number of self help techniques that are extremely helpful and supportive.
Fibromyalgia Relief from Depression, Self Help Techniques
1. Follow a diet low in refined sugars and carbohydrates, and high in fresh vegetables and protein. Sugars, starches, and caffeine make the patient feel worse when the rebound crash sets in.
2. Exercise daily. Exercise releases endorphins that make the patient feel good. It is known to boost moods, which improves the symptoms, an effective fibromyalgia relief from depression.
3. Supplement the diet with fish oil, flaxseed oil, and other food sources high in essential fatty acids.
4. Reduce or eliminate the use of alcohol and drugs. Alcohol and drugs cause a deeper depression.
5. Get at least 15 minutes of sunshine daily.
6. Get at least 8 hours of sleep a night and go to sleep at a consistent hour. Ideally sleep shortly after sunset, rising at sunrise.
7. Practice coping techniques like breathing practices, spiritual pursuits, laughing and forgiving. See Breathing, Yoga, Meditation and Tai Chi for relief from fibromyalgia depression.
7. Practice coping techniques like breathing practices, spiritual pursuits, laughing and forgiving. See Breathing, Yoga, Meditation and Tai Chi for relief from fibromyalgia depression.
8. Don’t hide, go out, talk, seek emotional support from professionals, friends and family.
9. Join a depression support group, if this is difficult there are many online communities and forums available. Contact http://www.depression-forums.com to find support and relief from fibromyalgia depression.
10. Eliminate or reduce unnecessary tasks from the daily schedule.
11. Avoid making long-term commitments or important decisions.
12. Focus on the positive aspects of life. Studies have shown that negative thinkers are more depressed, stay in a state of depression longer, and are more likely to develop depression again.
13. Do not feel guilty, only assume responsibility for your actions.
14. Practice forgiveness – of yourself and others.
15. Get out of bed in the morning and do something, do not linger and think. Get out, go for a walk, get some fresh air and sunshine. Meet with a friend. Break the normal routine, it works wonders for depression. Studies consistently show that activity decreases fibromyalgia depression.
16. Volunteer or do something for somebody else, something that is fulfilling. This gives purpose to life and provides incredible relief from fibromyalgia depression.
Take responsibility for your recovery, only YOU can have the power to recover. It is your decision to follow the self help techniques for the relief from fibromyalgia depression. See a physician if necessary, make the necessary fearless lifestyle changes, exercise and move on.
You can do it! Give your self a boost with the Fibromyalgia Depression help products which help stabilize the mind moods.
Friday, February 25, 2011
Sunny Shit
Seriously people, what's with the need for everyone around you to be sunny and spouting off about rainbows and butterflies. SHUT UP! No, I don't look happy. Yes, I'm probably raining on your parade but saying something other than "oh i'm good" in response to your "hey how you doing?". No, I don't look well at all, probably look like I haven't slept well... haven't in years, your point being? Yes, I tend to be rather testy at times. I'm in chronic pain. Keep hassling me, telling me that you need me to be sunny and cheery all the time? And you're going to be in some chronic pain yourself, at least until the casts can come off.
Monday, February 7, 2011
Hating Hurting
I try to work though it and do what's best for my body, but it kills me. Getting up every morning when I feel terrible. Driving to work even though it hurts. Smiling and being nice to everyone even though my brain feels foggy and the pain makes me want to start screaming. It's killing me. The thought of another 50 years of this? It's terrifying. I'm not looking forward to the future... and for a girl who had such big dreams... it hurts more than the fibromyalgia
Monday, September 27, 2010
Fibro Q & A
http://www.mefmaction.net/MECFSFM/FMSQA/tabid/108/Default.aspx
Another great link with lots of info that even a seasoned researcher like me was shocked by. Everyone really should check it out.
Another great link with lots of info that even a seasoned researcher like me was shocked by. Everyone really should check it out.
Thursday, September 23, 2010
Present Pain Pays Off
ScienceDaily (June 7, 2002) — ANN ARBOR, MI –
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2002/06/020607073056.htm
A new brain-scan study confirms scientifically what fibromyalgia patients have been telling a skeptical medical community for years: They’re really in pain.
In fact, the study finds, people with fibromyalgia say they feel severe pain, and have measurable pain signals in their brains, from a gentle finger squeeze that barely feels unpleasant to people without the disease. The squeeze’s force must be doubled to cause healthy people to feel the same level of pain — and their pain signals show up in different brain areas.
To correlate subjective pain sensation with objective views of brain signals, the researchers used a super-fast form of MRI brain imaging, called functional MRI or fMRI, on 16 fibromyalgia patients and 16 people without the disease. As a result, they say, the study offers the first objective method for corroborating what fibromyalgia patients report they feel, and what’s going on in their brains at the precise moment they feel it. And, it gives researchers a road map of the areas of the brain that are most — and least — active when patients feel pain. "The fMRI technology gave us a unique opportunity to look at the neurobiology underlying tenderness, which is a hallmark of fibromyalgia," says Clauw. "These results, combined with other work done by our group and others, have convinced us that some pathologic process is making these patients more sensitive. For some reason, still unknown, there’s a neurobiological amplification of their pain signals."
Further results from the study were presented last year at the ACR annual meeting. The project will continue later this year at UMHS, joining other fMRI fibromyalgia research now under way.
For decades, patients and physicians have built a case that fibromyalgia is a specific, diagnosable chronic disease, characterized by tenderness and stiffness all over the body as well as fatigue, headaches, gastrointestinal problems and depression. Many patients with the disease find it interferes with their work, family and personal life. Statistics show that far more women than men are affected, and that it occurs mostly during the childbearing years.
The ACR released classification criteria for fibromyalgia in 1990, to help doctors diagnose it and rule out other chronic pain conditions. Clauw and Crofford’s editorial looks at the current state of research, and calls for rheumatologists to take the lead in fibromyalgia care and science.
But many skeptics have debated the very existence of fibromyalgia as a clearly distinct disorder, saying it seemed to be rooted more in psychological and social factors than in physical, biological causes. Their argument has been bolstered by the failure of research to find a clear cause, an effective treatment, or a non-subjective way of assessing patients.
While the debate has raged, neuroscientists have begun to use brain scan technology to identify the areas of the normal human brain that become most active during pain. A few studies have even assessed the blood flow in those areas in fibromyalgia patients during baseline brain scans. The new study is the first to use both high-speed scanning and a painful stimulus.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2002/06/020607073056.htm
A new brain-scan study confirms scientifically what fibromyalgia patients have been telling a skeptical medical community for years: They’re really in pain.
In fact, the study finds, people with fibromyalgia say they feel severe pain, and have measurable pain signals in their brains, from a gentle finger squeeze that barely feels unpleasant to people without the disease. The squeeze’s force must be doubled to cause healthy people to feel the same level of pain — and their pain signals show up in different brain areas.
To correlate subjective pain sensation with objective views of brain signals, the researchers used a super-fast form of MRI brain imaging, called functional MRI or fMRI, on 16 fibromyalgia patients and 16 people without the disease. As a result, they say, the study offers the first objective method for corroborating what fibromyalgia patients report they feel, and what’s going on in their brains at the precise moment they feel it. And, it gives researchers a road map of the areas of the brain that are most — and least — active when patients feel pain. "The fMRI technology gave us a unique opportunity to look at the neurobiology underlying tenderness, which is a hallmark of fibromyalgia," says Clauw. "These results, combined with other work done by our group and others, have convinced us that some pathologic process is making these patients more sensitive. For some reason, still unknown, there’s a neurobiological amplification of their pain signals."
Further results from the study were presented last year at the ACR annual meeting. The project will continue later this year at UMHS, joining other fMRI fibromyalgia research now under way.
For decades, patients and physicians have built a case that fibromyalgia is a specific, diagnosable chronic disease, characterized by tenderness and stiffness all over the body as well as fatigue, headaches, gastrointestinal problems and depression. Many patients with the disease find it interferes with their work, family and personal life. Statistics show that far more women than men are affected, and that it occurs mostly during the childbearing years.
The ACR released classification criteria for fibromyalgia in 1990, to help doctors diagnose it and rule out other chronic pain conditions. Clauw and Crofford’s editorial looks at the current state of research, and calls for rheumatologists to take the lead in fibromyalgia care and science.
But many skeptics have debated the very existence of fibromyalgia as a clearly distinct disorder, saying it seemed to be rooted more in psychological and social factors than in physical, biological causes. Their argument has been bolstered by the failure of research to find a clear cause, an effective treatment, or a non-subjective way of assessing patients.
While the debate has raged, neuroscientists have begun to use brain scan technology to identify the areas of the normal human brain that become most active during pain. A few studies have even assessed the blood flow in those areas in fibromyalgia patients during baseline brain scans. The new study is the first to use both high-speed scanning and a painful stimulus.
Brain Blues
ScienceDaily (2009-06-18) --
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090616190258.htm
Previous studies have shown that fibromyalgia is associated with reductions in gray matter in parts of the brain, but the exact cause is not known. Using sophisticated brain imaging techniques, researchers have found that alterations in levels of the neurotransmitter dopamine might be responsible for gray matter reductions.
For the study, magnetic imaging resonance data from 30 female fibromyalgia patients were compared with 20 healthy women of the same age. The primary objective of the study was to confirm original findings about reduced gray matter density in a larger sample of fibromyalgia patients. They explored whether there is a correlation between dopamine metabolic activity and variations in the density of gray matter in specific brain regions.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090616190258.htm
Previous studies have shown that fibromyalgia is associated with reductions in gray matter in parts of the brain, but the exact cause is not known. Using sophisticated brain imaging techniques, researchers have found that alterations in levels of the neurotransmitter dopamine might be responsible for gray matter reductions.
For the study, magnetic imaging resonance data from 30 female fibromyalgia patients were compared with 20 healthy women of the same age. The primary objective of the study was to confirm original findings about reduced gray matter density in a larger sample of fibromyalgia patients. They explored whether there is a correlation between dopamine metabolic activity and variations in the density of gray matter in specific brain regions.
Results showed there were significant gray matter reductions in the fibromyalgia patients, which supports previous research. In addition, the fibromyalgia patients showed a strong correlation of dopamine metabolism levels and gray matter density in parts of the brain in which dopamine controls neurological activity.
The authors concluded that the connection between dopamine levels and gray matter density provide novel insights to a possible mechanism that explains some of the abnormal brain morphology associated with fibromyalgia.
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