Fibromyalgia & PTSD

Status
Not open for further replies.

staystrong

Member
Joined
Feb 6, 2015
Messages
21
Reason
DX FIBRO
Diagnosis
01/2015
Country
US
State
RI
Hello! I have read in a few articles where fibromyalgia can be associated with post traumatic stress. I know of an event that may have triggered my fibro and was wondering if anyone else had as well.

Looking forward to your input.

Hope you are all having a good day! :)
 
The way I understand it is that ANY type of physical or emotional traumatic event can trigger the fibro. My personal traumatic event was the treatment for Hep C...It screwed me up and did nothing for the hep C. No Dr will admit that this was the reason for my fibro. Irregardless that Ive been complaining about the body/bone pain ever since I stopped the Hep C treatment and never had this issue prior to the poison they gave me..Just my two cents..
 
That sounds awful! I am very sorry for your experience!

Thank you for your response.
 
my 2 wooden nickles on this.

FM is in short nerve damage. like a light cord when it is frayed. you can yell at the cord all day and it will be fine(emotional). bend it all day and it will fray and spark (physical). thats why we get burning and sharp knife and tingling pains. twitching is due to the muscles being overworked sending messages to send pain.

emotional traumatic event: as your doctors says not the cause of damaging your nerve.

physical traumatic event: yes it can cause the cord to fray or damage the nerve.

treatment for the Hep C: did not damage your nerve. the hep C itself as it got worse is sending messages through the nervous system and has damaged the nerves and muscles, to include the ones that hold the joints together.

a full understanding of how the nervous system works, will make our understanding of FM and the triggers to avoid.

stay well and many good days ahead.
 
cmetrye: sorry to contest your medical view point. The research done in Albany sounds close to what your point is but indicates overactive nerve signals. Not frayed ones..Unless your definition of damaged=overactive.

Research from the Fibromyalgia Research Foundation reveals deficient thyroid hormone regulation (DTHR) as an underlying cause of Fibromyalgia (FM). Poor diet, poor physical fitness and metabolism slowing drugs are primary contributors to symptoms as do additional hormonal imbalances of cortisol, estrogen and progesterone.
or
Another study, by Dr. John Lowe, Diplomat of the American Academy of Pain Management and Director of Research at the Fibromyalgia Research Foundation in the UK claims “indisputable proof” that the primary cause of fibromyalgia (FM) are with the pituitary gland or the hypothalamus.
or
A team led by Dr. Frank Rice, a neuroscientist and president of Intidyn, as well as pain specialist Dr. Charles Argoff, a neurologist at Albany Medical Center in New York, found an enormous increase in the number of sensory nerve fibers within the blood vessels of the skin on the palms of fibromyalgia patients' hands.

The Doctors do not know....The Hep C treatment DID give me fibro. I know it, after I got over the misdiagnosis of Lyme disease and finally received the fibro verdict. My extensive research is motivated by my complete lack of confidence in doctors.
 
Oh my yes my event was very personal. It had to do with choices.
 
onward and upward.

Thanks for sharing the information you have learned.

i am passing on what i have learned from my specialist doctors the way they have explained it to me. in simple terms.
i am glad you posted it in medical terms for folks to see.

overactive signals=overworked sending messages.
damaged=frayed or broken.

Poor diet, poor physical fitness and metabolism slowing drugs are PRIMARY CONTRIBUTORS to SYMPTOMS as do additional hormonal imbalances of cortisol, estrogen and progesterone.

hypothalamus: definition
a region of the forebrain below the thalamus that coordinates both the autonomic NERVOUS SYSTEM and the activity of the pituitary, controlling body temperature, thirst, hunger, and other homeostatic systems, and involved in sleep and emotional activity.

When we are given meds like Gabby, they are nerve blockers to the brain. this is the part of the brain it is blocking the signals to.

Neurologist at Albany Medical Center in New York, found an enormous increase in the number of sensory nerve fibers within the blood vessels of the skin on the palms of fibromyalgia patients' hands.

There are large fiber nerves and small fiber nerves in our hands. I have what is called Small Fiber Neruopathy (SFN) they have no idea what causes this.

As to they are finding nerve fibers in the blood vessels, that means that the nerves have frayed or broken and the fibers from the nerves are being absorbed into the blood vessels. nerves fibers should not be in the blood vessels. they obstruct the blood flow through the vessels and cause tingling, numbness and pain.

Example: a blood blister is caused by a blood vessel bursting and the blood collecting under the skin. after this heals you do not lose feeling in that area like you would if the nerve had broken.

your thinking that the HepC drugs have caused your nerves to fray or break. or are you saying they are contributing to the symptoms?
if the meds have caused them to fray or break then the meds would be taken off the market by the FDA. also that would be a cause for fibro.
as they cant find a cause for fibro, thats why the doctors dont know.

I have had the nervous system explained to me by two doctors in the same way i pass the information on to others here.

sometimes i make it even simpler by saying the nerves are like train tracks running all over our body. the muscles are the trains(signals) running on that track to all the stations within the nervous system. the brain or the part of the brain (hypothalamus) is the control station. when the track is loose or a spike(fiber) comes out ,the track is damaged. so when the train crosses that spot it begins to shake and spark.(burning under the skin). the more times the train(signals) go over that spot, the more it gets damaged and the more pain we get. we dont know why that track or spike got loose. nor do we have trainman to go fix it. i just prefer to use the lamp cord instead.

the HepC can some how affect the nervous system maybe im not sure as i dont research HepC.

I too dont believe in the doctors either. thats why i ask questions and have them explain in simple terms. i have them tell me why they think i have something. i have learned that they are guessing and i have been told at times im guessing and all we can do is try.

i look at it, if they can guess, then i want to do research and make informed decisions before i guess.

i did not mean to offend you or your way of thinking.

please let us know what you can do to fix this problem the HepC drugs caused you. so we can all pass it on in the future.
if it cant be fixed then lets work together to give you a better quality of life.

we are here to help and support you. thanks again for sharing that important information with us.
 
cmetryme
There is no fix after you put toxic drugs into your system except possibly and only if your lucky, detox, clean diet (no crap food), life, attitude and some type of physical activity daily. Did I mention to keep your calorie intake at minimum so you dont pack on the pounds. The western medical establishment will not acknowledge the harm of the drugs they prescribe to people. After the patriot act was passed all generic drugs that are prescribed are not liable in a court of law for a lawsuit. Only if you buy the non generic. Look it up. That truly is disgusting.

I do not agree with the nerve ending frayed theory in the least. Just wanted to show others on this forum there might be other possible theories regarding what exactly causes fibro. Your faith in the FDA is impressive. I do not have the same faith. Just a suggestion that you watch John Oliver video regarding the pharmaceutical industry in the United States...youtube it.

Traditional Chinese medicine & Ayurvedic (Traditional Indian medicine)have different theory's based on the individual's condition. They look at the individual and the contributing factors at work. Unlike "modern" western medicine that lumps everyone into the same boat & treat everyone the same.
These methods do work for some.

My case is unique & so is everyone else on this forum. I choose to only take the pain meds for two reasons. 1/ It works when needed 2/ The withdrawal from it is manageable.

People I know are strung out on steroids and cant get off of them because the withdrawals are bad and the body does not know how to manage its own inflammation, partially because few and far between understand what needs to be done to keep the inflammation at bay holistically/naturally. I can go into nutritional philosophy here but dont have the time today and honestly just by viewing most of the posts on this forum, people aren't interested to keep that thread alive on most alternative methods.

Im truly happy for the people that Lyrica/Neurontin works for, I wont touch the stuff for many reasons. Below is just one of them.

Neurontin and its newer more potent version, Lyrica, are widely used for off-label indications that are an outright flagrant danger to the public. These blockbuster drugs were approved for use even though the FDA had no idea what they actually did in the brain. A shocking new study shows that they block the formation of new brain synapses. The western thought is- Hey they are adults who are taking this and they dont need any new synapses (irregardless that the scientific understanding of the brain is marginal at best)

Many options & opinions regarding fibro. Want to put out there the variety of viewpoints & not just one.

The old Hep C treatment was like chemo...toxic to the body, chock full of glorious side effects and ineffective. After that, lost all faith in doctors. Got the run around and went through many specialists. So do me a favor and don't tell me it was the Hep that gave me fibro until you go through it. Its kinda rude. No offense, just stating my viewpoint.
 
thats what this forum is about "view points". like i said not looking to offend or be rude. no offense taken. i do agree that it might not be the HepC itself. like i said i dont research Hep nor its treatment. i do research fibro. did you ever break a limb in the past? have a physical trauma? these can damage the nervous system. have a pinched nerve in your spine? im just saying its more likely these caused your pain in your nerves. i cant walk in your shoes. but my best friend of 30 yrs has it and tryed to have it treated many yrs ago. at this point he does not have firbro. nor has he ever broken anything.he still has Hep C. the research you posted proved that fibro is nervous system related and thats fibers have frayed and traveled into the blood vessels. the meds we take are designed for seizures. says it right in the med guide. there really is no meds for fibro.

we have no choice but to believe the FDA. as i was a partner in a manufacturer of natural skin care and heath products like st johns wort. the FDA came down on us and our website. they took our products and tested them. had us remove things from the products and the website. the things they had us remove were all natural ingredients. they made us re-test the products and post the outcome on our website. its called an independent study. costs us thousands of dollars to do one test. FDA put us out of business. but its not the FDA's fault we didnt have the $$$ to keep testing. they are the only watch dog we have.

The things i dont believe is the news channels and youtube. No one is checking on them. they can say anything and put anything up there on youtube with no fines or demands to test/prove what they say.(Brian Williams). sure the Pharisaical and tobacco companies run our country. they buy and sell businesses that cost in the 100s of Billions of dollars. they have the money.

Toxic drugs are out there and if you read the med guide that is required by law. It has this statement in it. You doctor prescribed this med knowing that the benefit out weighs the risks. there is still no proof out there by anyone that i have researched, that toxic drugs affect the nervous system. now the kidneys and liver and other organs yes there has been research. thats why the med guide has been a law.

i smoked for 44 years, im not sure that didnt cause my lupus or fibro. no one is doing research on that. i cant get research done on the metal reaction cause i seem to be the only one that has this. do i believe that its nerve damage and part of fibro sure! but it seems after 600 views here and 25 soon 26 doctors, no one is saying it Fibro. would be real easy to say it too. id love to say the smokes cause my fibro and sue them. i just have no proof for the FDA or anyone. if i were to tell them look at youtube they would laugh me off and probably turn around and sue me!

holistically/natural: when we gave up on western medicine. we found one of the best holistic doctors in Dallas. she reviewd all my medical records did an exam of me. she took many hours out of her time to do this. she had me and my wife come to see her again. she told us.i know u think the western medical folks have failed you and your looking to me and holistic for answers. she also diagnosed me with severe fibro. advised me that my stage is severe and will only get worse to the point that i wont even be able to wear clothes as it will hurt my skin severely. what i can do for you is #1 return your money. #2 give you a referral to a doctor that uses MORPHINE for your pain as i as a holistic doctor can't prescribe this. i have tried 100s of natrual products to treat this and none worked. some like echenasia not spelled correctly,was a treatment. as i have lupus and this natural product will alter my immune system i couldn't take it all. but its so good for you.

We all have to believe what we believe to make us better. it's good to have another view point put out here. as i have been saying" Make informed decisions" I wish more folks like us that care and have time to do research,would put it out there like you are. they need to know their options and we are giving it to them. thanks for helping.

i hope you can find some relief soon. im glad you are passing on what you have learned.
 
cmetryme
"we have no choice but to believe the FDA. " Yes, we do have a choice. Understand that the FDA executives are mostly/all from the top Pharmaceutical companies. Just like most of the our officials in the treasury department are from Wall street in the United States. It is a blatant conflict of interest. My you tube references are only 2. The John Oliver video has verifiable facts and the best part comedy (unlike the **theory** that fibro is caused by frayed nerves) Second is mindfulness meditation for chronic pain & if you would like clarification as to whom they are then their websight is painbc.ca, it is a Canadian organization that is specific for chronic pain. Regarding lack of proof that fibro isnt caused by toxic drugs. Your point is interesting, because the sad fact that the American medical establishment has tested on human subjects without their knowledge is fact. Whomever has the most money wins. Now I believe that it is not a far stretch of the imagination that big Pharma is more than willing to pay off whomever the need to to keep their company free from litigation. If they ever do make it to court/panels regarding a profitable drug, they again will throw massive amounts of money at it. So once again, I will debate these points with you. Its only my viewpoint.
Lupus is tough, have a few friends living with it also, compromised immune systems is an interesting ball of wax of ailments. I dont have the time for all this research yet Im so ticked off it burns a fire in me. Dont have TV cable, never have,never believed in TV and been preaching that gospel for over 20yrs.

To many in my life are going through tough stuff physically. Many have died sadly. Im just amazed at how few know their options or a given nudges in the direction for self empowerment. That the individual is the key component in their health care. Mind, body, spirit...the whole cha cha. Slightly radical still in this day & age. Hoping it will catch on.

Peace to you!
 
The rheumologist I see has "assessed" PTSD along with the Fibromyalgia diagnosis. He believes, through experience with what he said were 'hundreds' of patients he has seen that present with both. He made it clear that he's not someone that diagnoses PTSD but he often treats patients that have prior diagnoses of PTSD that develop chronic pain issues such as fibromyalgia. It sounded more like an idea that he has been kicking around, and he seems like a very receptive, knowledgeable person, (I'm saying this despite the fact that I generally don't trust doctors.) I did not have a prior diagnosis, but have suspected PTSD for years now, I can't bring myself back to the VA after the way I've been treated.
 
Please see my new post in " I need help with my metal problem "
Go back and do what you have to do to get the help you need.
Work with them,educate them, and try to put up with them.
 
My first reaction to reading this thread was to shake my head. As is shown, even here, there are many studies and theories on what causes FMS. We, ourselves, do not even understand why we have this.

To the original poster, I have heard that trauma can be the trigger for FMS. I have had a lot of physical trauma in my life. I have PTSD and I know when my PTSD is set off, my fibro flares. Why? I am not sure nor is any doctor. They have theories and guesses but no actual medical studies with definitive proof as to why. So, I try to avoid triggers for my PTSD. I have learned a lot in therapy as to how to "short circuit" a PTSD episode. I am not always successful but I do try my best. This is my personal experience.

Welcome to the forums and I hope you find help.
 
israfelnelson- My deepest sympathy/empathy for your incompetent care from our VA system. It is a crime that our vet's who served our country are being treated so poorly

This is from medline plus websight

With PTSD, the body's response to a stressful event is changed. Normally, after the event, the body recovers. The stress hormones and chemicals the body releases due to the stress go back to normal levels. For some reason in a person with PTSD, the body keeps releasing the stress hormones and chemicals.

I have been diagnosed with PTSD ( Thats a long story in itself) Taken years of research on my part to do my best to stop as much as the stress hormone response as possible. Im a born & raised NY city gal and let me tell you, we thrive on stress. Felt like like an idiot when I discovered the chemicals raging thru the body from stress/PTSD was one of the contributing factors for my fibro flares, exhaustion, sleep depervation, on & on & on...

More will be revealed I guess.
 
Hi everyone,

I have recently also been diagnosed with PTSD. I am still in denial about it as I feel that the diagnoses seems to be thrown around a lot. I haven't read all the posts yet, but I am looking forward to it and educating myself in the area. I am very interested to know if this is the root and link to my chronic pain and problems.

Thoughts and prayers with everyone tonight. Anxious about bedtime.

Lynds
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top