Re: My new member information

[Guest guest]

Wow!!!! Reading this e-mail from a new member (like myself) basically is

like looking at myself (except for the doctors & meds) but the other stuff

is me to a T. I'm beginning to wonder if (from reading all the e-mails)

that doctors in the US treat differently than doctors in Canada (where I am

from). I do not have a rheumatologist (except for 2 visits to diagnose fm)

but visit my GP every 6 weeks or so. I do not have a neurogist or any

other specialest. Are there more people in here from Canada?

-- My new member information

Age range: I like that you ask for a range but I'm not proud--

I'll be 42 in a few weeks.

Male/female: Female

What are the symptoms?

Oh gosh, the list of what AREN'T the symptoms would be shorter,

wouldn't it?

Everything on the list: Anxiety. Blurred vision - trouble reading

small to medium print (although I didn't know this was an FM symptom

until I joined this group). Bowel problems. Chronic headaches (the

neurologist has identified that I suffer from 5 distinct headaches

types). Chronic sinus pain (I've had two sinus operations).

Difficulty with fine motor skills/writing. Dry eyes. Increased

muscle pain subsequent to light exercising (and subject to NO

exercising). Involuntary muscle spasms. Stiffness and Joint pain

with no inflammation -- especially severe in the hips, knees, and

ankles resulting in my not being able to walk very far or normally --

as well as shoulders, neck, fingers and wrists. Muscle weakness --

I'm not sure if this is why or not but I fall. A lot. Nausea.

Occasional dizziness - actually mine is not very occasional as it

happens daily and often more than once and I figure it could have a

lot to do with my falling so much (again I didn't know this was an FM

symptom until I came to this group) About six months before I was

diagnosed I had such severe dizziness that I had to hold onto walls

and furniture just to get from one part of the room to the other.

VERY Poor short-term memory. Reduced cognitive ability. Ringing in

ears -- for me this is only occasion. Severe widespread muscle pain -

- oh yeah, bigtime. Sleep problems -- both getting to sleep and

staying asleep. Sore throat - mine's more a problem with swallowing

and feeling that there's a lump in the throat. Stiffness and pain in

muscles upon waking in the morning, and the rest of the day for that

matter -- for me it's also bad any time I stay in one position for

more than about 10 minutes. When I go to stand up I can't walk for a

few minutes due to stiffness and pain in the hips-thigh region and in

the ankles and knees. There are a few symptom I always credited to

FM that I didn't see on the list: Changes in visual acuity,

Overwhelming fatigue and Depression/Suicidal Ideation, but maybe

they're considered by-products of a chronic disease and not symptoms

themselves.

Has your illness been diagnosed? Yes . . . and no. I was diagnosed

with fibromyalgia by a rheumatologist at UT Southwest Medical Center

back in October of 1994 or 1995 and they had a wonderful nurse

practioner supervising weekly follow-up visits and a support group

for the FM patients. When I got a different boss he would no longer

let me leave work early to attend weekly FM appointments/support

group meetings so I stopped being treated. However, I continue to

hear a litany of " you know most doctors don't even believe

fibromyalgia is a real disease " from almost every doctor and

specialist I come into contact with -- and there's a bunch of 'em,

most notably my opthamologist to my gynecologist. I'm not sure if my

general practioner believes in FM or not. He's never said anything

specific against it but neither is he willing to treat it.

How long did you suffer before you got help? Over 2 years.

Is there a time that you can remember when it started? A period of

time, yes, but no clear " triggering " illness or event. I have

considered that it MIGHT be related to my being diagnosed with

diabetes in 1990 or the debatable diagnosis of psuedotumor cerebri in

1991 or when I lost over 80 pounds in 1992/93 and then regained it

(and more) after the doctor I was seeing dropped her Medi-Fast

program because it wasn't bringing in as much money as she'd hoped

for and I then got mad and stopped working out and started overeating

again.

Some of us have found that from lack of exercise we are overweight.

Have you found this to be a problem also? Well, I am over 100 pounds

overweight, there's no doubt about that, so of course my entire body

suffers for it.

Are you on disability? No, but I lost my job in November 2001 and

haven't worked since. Unemployment ran out 2 months ago. Any help

on this topic would be appreciated.

What have you found that helps ease the pain, warm baths, medications

etc.? Hot baths with epsom salts help sometimes as do ice packs.

Out of desperation I've started taking chrondrotin (spelling) but

can't say if it's helping or not.

I'm a walking pharmacy. I take over 20 different medications daily

but not one of them is specific to FM as I'm not under a doctor's

supervision for it at this time. However, certain medications that I

take which are prescribed by other doctors have been prescribed by a

rheumatologist in the past including Vicodan for pain relief,

Skelaxin (a muscle relaxant) and Vioxx -- one of the new anti-

inflammatories that isn't covered by insurance and costs me $90 for a

bottle of thirty that I then have to carefully ration out. Because

of stomach problems and the side effect of diarrhea I can only take

the Vioxx about once a week. I take meds for diabetes, TMJ, severe

stomach pain, high blood pressure, urination problems, gynecological

problems, headache prevention, dizziness, and migraines.

Do you have sleep problems? How do you deal with it?

MAJOR sleep problems. Not only getting to sleep but also staying

asleep. I simply cannot get to sleep without being severely drugged

up. I've had 2 sleep studies in 4 years. They reveal that I have

mild apnea and Restless Legs Syndrome. My general doc says the apnea

will resolve when I lose weight so he won't prescribe anything else.

For the RLS and insomnia I used to take Klonopin until my teenage son

tried to overdose with it last summer so now I don't want to have the

stuff in the house. Unfortunately nothing works as well as the

Klonopin. About 3-4 hours before I want to sleep I take 800 mgs of

Skelaxin (muscle relaxant prescribed by the TMJ doctor) and 1200 mgs

of Neurontin prescribed by my neurologist and even if I'm really

hurting I try to delay taking Vicodan until close bedtime to hasten

the sleepiness and help keep me asleep.

Do you have family that understands your illness? Heck no. In fact

my husband not wanting me to be on anti-depressants (for depression

or for FM) and my inability to keep house are a large part of what

caused my marriage to break up last year. Not that I was up for a

Good Housekeeping Award before I developed FM, I freely admit that I

wasn't and that he always did more than his fair share of the

housework. But at least before FM I could do basic household chores

without my back and hips and legs hurting so bad that I couldn't walk

anymore or having energy depletion so bad that I was laid up for 2

days.

Some have found certain foods causes problems with CFS or Fibro, have

you? No, but I haven't really looked at this issue. I welcome any

and all advice on the subject.

What type of Doctor have you found that has helped you the most? My

neurologist, bless his heart. Unfortunately he doesn't feel

comfortable managing my FM or I'd probably be under " real " treatment

for it now instead of just getting relief through meds for other

medical problems. I haven't found a rheumatologist who listens or

offers anything helpful or who is willing to do more than say " lose

weight " and I don't have the time or money to keep searching for one.

Well, that's me in a walnut-shell I guess. I look forward to meeting

the rest of you and benefitting from your experience and wisdom.

Dana B

[Guest guest]

Wow!!!! Reading this e-mail from a new member (like myself) basically is

like looking at myself (except for the doctors & meds) but the other stuff

is me to a T. I'm beginning to wonder if (from reading all the e-mails)

that doctors in the US treat differently than doctors in Canada (where I am

from). I do not have a rheumatologist (except for 2 visits to diagnose fm)

but visit my GP every 6 weeks or so. I do not have a neurogist or any

other specialest. Are there more people in here from Canada?

-- My new member information

Age range: I like that you ask for a range but I'm not proud--

I'll be 42 in a few weeks.

Male/female: Female

What are the symptoms?

Oh gosh, the list of what AREN'T the symptoms would be shorter,

wouldn't it?

Everything on the list: Anxiety. Blurred vision - trouble reading

small to medium print (although I didn't know this was an FM symptom

until I joined this group). Bowel problems. Chronic headaches (the

neurologist has identified that I suffer from 5 distinct headaches

types). Chronic sinus pain (I've had two sinus operations).

Difficulty with fine motor skills/writing. Dry eyes. Increased

muscle pain subsequent to light exercising (and subject to NO

exercising). Involuntary muscle spasms. Stiffness and Joint pain

with no inflammation -- especially severe in the hips, knees, and

ankles resulting in my not being able to walk very far or normally --

as well as shoulders, neck, fingers and wrists. Muscle weakness --

I'm not sure if this is why or not but I fall. A lot. Nausea.

Occasional dizziness - actually mine is not very occasional as it

happens daily and often more than once and I figure it could have a

lot to do with my falling so much (again I didn't know this was an FM

symptom until I came to this group) About six months before I was

diagnosed I had such severe dizziness that I had to hold onto walls

and furniture just to get from one part of the room to the other.

VERY Poor short-term memory. Reduced cognitive ability. Ringing in

ears -- for me this is only occasion. Severe widespread muscle pain -

- oh yeah, bigtime. Sleep problems -- both getting to sleep and

staying asleep. Sore throat - mine's more a problem with swallowing

and feeling that there's a lump in the throat. Stiffness and pain in

muscles upon waking in the morning, and the rest of the day for that

matter -- for me it's also bad any time I stay in one position for

more than about 10 minutes. When I go to stand up I can't walk for a

few minutes due to stiffness and pain in the hips-thigh region and in

the ankles and knees. There are a few symptom I always credited to

FM that I didn't see on the list: Changes in visual acuity,

Overwhelming fatigue and Depression/Suicidal Ideation, but maybe

they're considered by-products of a chronic disease and not symptoms

themselves.

Has your illness been diagnosed? Yes . . . and no. I was diagnosed

with fibromyalgia by a rheumatologist at UT Southwest Medical Center

back in October of 1994 or 1995 and they had a wonderful nurse

practioner supervising weekly follow-up visits and a support group

for the FM patients. When I got a different boss he would no longer

let me leave work early to attend weekly FM appointments/support

group meetings so I stopped being treated. However, I continue to

hear a litany of " you know most doctors don't even believe

fibromyalgia is a real disease " from almost every doctor and

specialist I come into contact with -- and there's a bunch of 'em,

most notably my opthamologist to my gynecologist. I'm not sure if my

general practioner believes in FM or not. He's never said anything

specific against it but neither is he willing to treat it.

How long did you suffer before you got help? Over 2 years.

Is there a time that you can remember when it started? A period of

time, yes, but no clear " triggering " illness or event. I have

considered that it MIGHT be related to my being diagnosed with

diabetes in 1990 or the debatable diagnosis of psuedotumor cerebri in

1991 or when I lost over 80 pounds in 1992/93 and then regained it

(and more) after the doctor I was seeing dropped her Medi-Fast

program because it wasn't bringing in as much money as she'd hoped

for and I then got mad and stopped working out and started overeating

again.

Some of us have found that from lack of exercise we are overweight.

Have you found this to be a problem also? Well, I am over 100 pounds

overweight, there's no doubt about that, so of course my entire body

suffers for it.

Are you on disability? No, but I lost my job in November 2001 and

haven't worked since. Unemployment ran out 2 months ago. Any help

on this topic would be appreciated.

What have you found that helps ease the pain, warm baths, medications

etc.? Hot baths with epsom salts help sometimes as do ice packs.

Out of desperation I've started taking chrondrotin (spelling) but

can't say if it's helping or not.

I'm a walking pharmacy. I take over 20 different medications daily

but not one of them is specific to FM as I'm not under a doctor's

supervision for it at this time. However, certain medications that I

take which are prescribed by other doctors have been prescribed by a

rheumatologist in the past including Vicodan for pain relief,

Skelaxin (a muscle relaxant) and Vioxx -- one of the new anti-

inflammatories that isn't covered by insurance and costs me $90 for a

bottle of thirty that I then have to carefully ration out. Because

of stomach problems and the side effect of diarrhea I can only take

the Vioxx about once a week. I take meds for diabetes, TMJ, severe

stomach pain, high blood pressure, urination problems, gynecological

problems, headache prevention, dizziness, and migraines.

Do you have sleep problems? How do you deal with it?

MAJOR sleep problems. Not only getting to sleep but also staying

asleep. I simply cannot get to sleep without being severely drugged

up. I've had 2 sleep studies in 4 years. They reveal that I have

mild apnea and Restless Legs Syndrome. My general doc says the apnea

will resolve when I lose weight so he won't prescribe anything else.

For the RLS and insomnia I used to take Klonopin until my teenage son

tried to overdose with it last summer so now I don't want to have the

stuff in the house. Unfortunately nothing works as well as the

Klonopin. About 3-4 hours before I want to sleep I take 800 mgs of

Skelaxin (muscle relaxant prescribed by the TMJ doctor) and 1200 mgs

of Neurontin prescribed by my neurologist and even if I'm really

hurting I try to delay taking Vicodan until close bedtime to hasten

the sleepiness and help keep me asleep.

Do you have family that understands your illness? Heck no. In fact

my husband not wanting me to be on anti-depressants (for depression

or for FM) and my inability to keep house are a large part of what

caused my marriage to break up last year. Not that I was up for a

Good Housekeeping Award before I developed FM, I freely admit that I

wasn't and that he always did more than his fair share of the

housework. But at least before FM I could do basic household chores

without my back and hips and legs hurting so bad that I couldn't walk

anymore or having energy depletion so bad that I was laid up for 2

days.

Some have found certain foods causes problems with CFS or Fibro, have

you? No, but I haven't really looked at this issue. I welcome any

and all advice on the subject.

What type of Doctor have you found that has helped you the most? My

neurologist, bless his heart. Unfortunately he doesn't feel

comfortable managing my FM or I'd probably be under " real " treatment

for it now instead of just getting relief through meds for other

medical problems. I haven't found a rheumatologist who listens or

offers anything helpful or who is willing to do more than say " lose

weight " and I don't have the time or money to keep searching for one.

Well, that's me in a walnut-shell I guess. I look forward to meeting

the rest of you and benefitting from your experience and wisdom.

Dana B

[Guest guest]

Wow!!!! Reading this e-mail from a new member (like myself) basically is

like looking at myself (except for the doctors & meds) but the other stuff

is me to a T. I'm beginning to wonder if (from reading all the e-mails)

that doctors in the US treat differently than doctors in Canada (where I am

from). I do not have a rheumatologist (except for 2 visits to diagnose fm)

but visit my GP every 6 weeks or so. I do not have a neurogist or any

other specialest. Are there more people in here from Canada?

-- My new member information

Age range: I like that you ask for a range but I'm not proud--

I'll be 42 in a few weeks.

Male/female: Female

What are the symptoms?

Oh gosh, the list of what AREN'T the symptoms would be shorter,

wouldn't it?

Everything on the list: Anxiety. Blurred vision - trouble reading

small to medium print (although I didn't know this was an FM symptom

until I joined this group). Bowel problems. Chronic headaches (the

neurologist has identified that I suffer from 5 distinct headaches

types). Chronic sinus pain (I've had two sinus operations).

Difficulty with fine motor skills/writing. Dry eyes. Increased

muscle pain subsequent to light exercising (and subject to NO

exercising). Involuntary muscle spasms. Stiffness and Joint pain

with no inflammation -- especially severe in the hips, knees, and

ankles resulting in my not being able to walk very far or normally --

as well as shoulders, neck, fingers and wrists. Muscle weakness --

I'm not sure if this is why or not but I fall. A lot. Nausea.

Occasional dizziness - actually mine is not very occasional as it

happens daily and often more than once and I figure it could have a

lot to do with my falling so much (again I didn't know this was an FM

symptom until I came to this group) About six months before I was

diagnosed I had such severe dizziness that I had to hold onto walls

and furniture just to get from one part of the room to the other.

VERY Poor short-term memory. Reduced cognitive ability. Ringing in

ears -- for me this is only occasion. Severe widespread muscle pain -

- oh yeah, bigtime. Sleep problems -- both getting to sleep and

staying asleep. Sore throat - mine's more a problem with swallowing

and feeling that there's a lump in the throat. Stiffness and pain in

muscles upon waking in the morning, and the rest of the day for that

matter -- for me it's also bad any time I stay in one position for

more than about 10 minutes. When I go to stand up I can't walk for a

few minutes due to stiffness and pain in the hips-thigh region and in

the ankles and knees. There are a few symptom I always credited to

FM that I didn't see on the list: Changes in visual acuity,

Overwhelming fatigue and Depression/Suicidal Ideation, but maybe

they're considered by-products of a chronic disease and not symptoms

themselves.

Has your illness been diagnosed? Yes . . . and no. I was diagnosed

with fibromyalgia by a rheumatologist at UT Southwest Medical Center

back in October of 1994 or 1995 and they had a wonderful nurse

practioner supervising weekly follow-up visits and a support group

for the FM patients. When I got a different boss he would no longer

let me leave work early to attend weekly FM appointments/support

group meetings so I stopped being treated. However, I continue to

hear a litany of " you know most doctors don't even believe

fibromyalgia is a real disease " from almost every doctor and

specialist I come into contact with -- and there's a bunch of 'em,

most notably my opthamologist to my gynecologist. I'm not sure if my

general practioner believes in FM or not. He's never said anything

specific against it but neither is he willing to treat it.

How long did you suffer before you got help? Over 2 years.

Is there a time that you can remember when it started? A period of

time, yes, but no clear " triggering " illness or event. I have

considered that it MIGHT be related to my being diagnosed with

diabetes in 1990 or the debatable diagnosis of psuedotumor cerebri in

1991 or when I lost over 80 pounds in 1992/93 and then regained it

(and more) after the doctor I was seeing dropped her Medi-Fast

program because it wasn't bringing in as much money as she'd hoped

for and I then got mad and stopped working out and started overeating

again.

Some of us have found that from lack of exercise we are overweight.

Have you found this to be a problem also? Well, I am over 100 pounds

overweight, there's no doubt about that, so of course my entire body

suffers for it.

Are you on disability? No, but I lost my job in November 2001 and

haven't worked since. Unemployment ran out 2 months ago. Any help

on this topic would be appreciated.

What have you found that helps ease the pain, warm baths, medications

etc.? Hot baths with epsom salts help sometimes as do ice packs.

Out of desperation I've started taking chrondrotin (spelling) but

can't say if it's helping or not.

I'm a walking pharmacy. I take over 20 different medications daily

but not one of them is specific to FM as I'm not under a doctor's

supervision for it at this time. However, certain medications that I

take which are prescribed by other doctors have been prescribed by a

rheumatologist in the past including Vicodan for pain relief,

Skelaxin (a muscle relaxant) and Vioxx -- one of the new anti-

inflammatories that isn't covered by insurance and costs me $90 for a

bottle of thirty that I then have to carefully ration out. Because

of stomach problems and the side effect of diarrhea I can only take

the Vioxx about once a week. I take meds for diabetes, TMJ, severe

stomach pain, high blood pressure, urination problems, gynecological

problems, headache prevention, dizziness, and migraines.

Do you have sleep problems? How do you deal with it?

MAJOR sleep problems. Not only getting to sleep but also staying

asleep. I simply cannot get to sleep without being severely drugged

up. I've had 2 sleep studies in 4 years. They reveal that I have

mild apnea and Restless Legs Syndrome. My general doc says the apnea

will resolve when I lose weight so he won't prescribe anything else.

For the RLS and insomnia I used to take Klonopin until my teenage son

tried to overdose with it last summer so now I don't want to have the

stuff in the house. Unfortunately nothing works as well as the

Klonopin. About 3-4 hours before I want to sleep I take 800 mgs of

Skelaxin (muscle relaxant prescribed by the TMJ doctor) and 1200 mgs

of Neurontin prescribed by my neurologist and even if I'm really

hurting I try to delay taking Vicodan until close bedtime to hasten

the sleepiness and help keep me asleep.

Do you have family that understands your illness? Heck no. In fact

my husband not wanting me to be on anti-depressants (for depression

or for FM) and my inability to keep house are a large part of what

caused my marriage to break up last year. Not that I was up for a

Good Housekeeping Award before I developed FM, I freely admit that I

wasn't and that he always did more than his fair share of the

housework. But at least before FM I could do basic household chores

without my back and hips and legs hurting so bad that I couldn't walk

anymore or having energy depletion so bad that I was laid up for 2

days.

Some have found certain foods causes problems with CFS or Fibro, have

you? No, but I haven't really looked at this issue. I welcome any

and all advice on the subject.

What type of Doctor have you found that has helped you the most? My

neurologist, bless his heart. Unfortunately he doesn't feel

comfortable managing my FM or I'd probably be under " real " treatment

for it now instead of just getting relief through meds for other

medical problems. I haven't found a rheumatologist who listens or

offers anything helpful or who is willing to do more than say " lose

weight " and I don't have the time or money to keep searching for one.

Well, that's me in a walnut-shell I guess. I look forward to meeting

the rest of you and benefitting from your experience and wisdom.

Dana B

[Guest guest]

ionlyget5 wrote:

> Are you on disability? No, but I lost my job in November 2001 and

> haven't worked since. Unemployment ran out 2 months ago. Any help

> on this topic would be appreciated.

I'm not on disability, there are others on this list who probably can

give better advice than what I can. You can also join the yahoogroups

of disability, they're all experts over there. The short advice I've

seen is make sure your doctor will back you, document, document,

document, don't just give symptoms or diseases, say " can not lift more

than 10 lbs " or " can not stand more than 10 minutes " or whatever your

particulars are. Most people get denied the first couple of times,

after that get a lawyer who specializes in disability.

Darcy

[Guest guest]

Darcy:

Thanks for the helpful advice -- I'll check into that group as well.

Have you been a member here for long, yourself?

Dana B

> > Are you on disability? No, but I lost my job in November 2001 and

> > haven't worked since. Unemployment ran out 2 months ago. Any

help

> > on this topic would be appreciated.

>

> I'm not on disability, there are others on this list who probably

can

> give better advice than what I can. You can also join the

yahoogroups

> of disability, they're all experts over there. The short advice

I've

> seen is make sure your doctor will back you, document, document,

> document, don't just give symptoms or diseases, say " can not lift

more

> than 10 lbs " or " can not stand more than 10 minutes " or whatever

your

> particulars are. Most people get denied the first couple of times,

> after that get a lawyer who specializes in disability.

> Darcy

[Guest guest]

Darcy:

Thanks for the helpful advice -- I'll check into that group as well.

Have you been a member here for long, yourself?

Dana B

> > Are you on disability? No, but I lost my job in November 2001 and

> > haven't worked since. Unemployment ran out 2 months ago. Any

help

> > on this topic would be appreciated.

>

> I'm not on disability, there are others on this list who probably

can

> give better advice than what I can. You can also join the

yahoogroups

> of disability, they're all experts over there. The short advice

I've

> seen is make sure your doctor will back you, document, document,

> document, don't just give symptoms or diseases, say " can not lift

more

> than 10 lbs " or " can not stand more than 10 minutes " or whatever

your

> particulars are. Most people get denied the first couple of times,

> after that get a lawyer who specializes in disability.

> Darcy

[Guest guest]

Darcy:

Thanks for the helpful advice -- I'll check into that group as well.

Have you been a member here for long, yourself?

Dana B

> > Are you on disability? No, but I lost my job in November 2001 and

> > haven't worked since. Unemployment ran out 2 months ago. Any

help

> > on this topic would be appreciated.

>

> I'm not on disability, there are others on this list who probably

can

> give better advice than what I can. You can also join the

yahoogroups

> of disability, they're all experts over there. The short advice

I've

> seen is make sure your doctor will back you, document, document,

> document, don't just give symptoms or diseases, say " can not lift

more

> than 10 lbs " or " can not stand more than 10 minutes " or whatever

your

> particulars are. Most people get denied the first couple of times,

> after that get a lawyer who specializes in disability.

> Darcy

[Guest guest]

> Wow!!!! Reading this e-mail from a new member (like myself)

basically is like looking at myself (except for the doctors & meds)

but the other stuff is me to a T. I'm beginning to wonder if (from

reading all the e-mails) that doctors in the US treat differently

than doctors in Canada (where I am from).

:

My General Practioner (GP) is originally from Canada and from some of

the stories he tells, yes, doctors in the US do treat differently.

For example, he told me that in certain cases he used to prescribe

placebo pills and that the pharmacy would then fill them with sugar

pills -- something you can't do here in the U.S. I've heard a few

negative stories from some young Candian women who told about having

gynecological exams with little to no privacy but I am not sure

whether to take what they said at face value or not. I certainly

wouldn't think their experiences were representative of an entire

country's medical health system, that's for sure.

Dana Beth

[Guest guest]

> Wow!!!! Reading this e-mail from a new member (like myself)

basically is like looking at myself (except for the doctors & meds)

but the other stuff is me to a T. I'm beginning to wonder if (from

reading all the e-mails) that doctors in the US treat differently

than doctors in Canada (where I am from).

:

My General Practioner (GP) is originally from Canada and from some of

the stories he tells, yes, doctors in the US do treat differently.

For example, he told me that in certain cases he used to prescribe

placebo pills and that the pharmacy would then fill them with sugar

pills -- something you can't do here in the U.S. I've heard a few

negative stories from some young Candian women who told about having

gynecological exams with little to no privacy but I am not sure

whether to take what they said at face value or not. I certainly

wouldn't think their experiences were representative of an entire

country's medical health system, that's for sure.

Dana Beth

[Guest guest]

> Wow!!!! Reading this e-mail from a new member (like myself)

basically is like looking at myself (except for the doctors & meds)

but the other stuff is me to a T. I'm beginning to wonder if (from

reading all the e-mails) that doctors in the US treat differently

than doctors in Canada (where I am from).

:

My General Practioner (GP) is originally from Canada and from some of

the stories he tells, yes, doctors in the US do treat differently.

For example, he told me that in certain cases he used to prescribe

placebo pills and that the pharmacy would then fill them with sugar

pills -- something you can't do here in the U.S. I've heard a few

negative stories from some young Candian women who told about having

gynecological exams with little to no privacy but I am not sure

whether to take what they said at face value or not. I certainly

wouldn't think their experiences were representative of an entire

country's medical health system, that's for sure.

Dana Beth

[Guest guest]

Hi Dana,

I just read your post and felt compelled to respond. I lived in Toronto for a

year, and I have to say aside from the medical equipment being somewhat behind

the US (several doctors there told me this), I had some pretty good experiences

up there. I went to a gynecologist, and it was very private. (Eek. Would have

walked straight out if it hadn't been.) I also went to the Blue Jays'

maxiofacial surgeon for my jaw pain (closed my eyes and pointed to a name in the

phone book; first time I had good luck with that!), had frequent appointments

for my depression at a local health clinic and visited the University of

Toronto's medical facilities. One thing I found that was much better up in

Toronto as opposed to here in the States was the manner of the doctors. My

doctors really listened to me. When I walked into one of my doctor appointments,

underweight from depression, he immediately started asking me questions and gave

me vitamin supplements. When I called the doctor with concerns, he called back

within the hour. I haven't had that kind of concern from doctors here. When I

asked my doctor to fill out a form, so I could have a handicap permit for days

when it was too painful to walk far, he asked me, " is it really that painful? "

He was very skeptical about my fibro pain, and he's one of the few doctors who

believes in FM!

My myotherapist mentioned something interesting during our first consultation. I

told her I had broken my elbow when I was 7, and I had been bedridden for three

weeks in the hospital. She told me that could very well have precipitated my

fibro. Has anyone else been told anything like that? I've never been very

healthy, suffering from pneumonia and bronchitis several times a year growing

up. I always assumed, as one doctor told me, the fibro was probably a result of

my wisdom teeth removal and the mistake the doctor made stitching me up.

(Stiched me crooked, so I chewed sideways for two years which resulted in TMJ.)

Does anyone know if something like chronic bronchitis might lead to fibro?

Anyway, sorry for babbling! And thanks for listening!

Take care,

Beth

My General Practioner (GP) is originally from Canada and from some of

the stories he tells, yes, doctors in the US do treat differently.

For example, he told me that in certain cases he used to prescribe

placebo pills and that the pharmacy would then fill them with sugar

pills -- something you can't do here in the U.S. I've heard a few

negative stories from some young Candian women who told about having

gynecological exams with little to no privacy but I am not sure

whether to take what they said at face value or not. I certainly

wouldn't think their experiences were representative of an entire

country's medical health system, that's for sure.

Dana Beth

[Guest guest]

Hi Dana,

I just read your post and felt compelled to respond. I lived in Toronto for a

year, and I have to say aside from the medical equipment being somewhat behind

the US (several doctors there told me this), I had some pretty good experiences

up there. I went to a gynecologist, and it was very private. (Eek. Would have

walked straight out if it hadn't been.) I also went to the Blue Jays'

maxiofacial surgeon for my jaw pain (closed my eyes and pointed to a name in the

phone book; first time I had good luck with that!), had frequent appointments

for my depression at a local health clinic and visited the University of

Toronto's medical facilities. One thing I found that was much better up in

Toronto as opposed to here in the States was the manner of the doctors. My

doctors really listened to me. When I walked into one of my doctor appointments,

underweight from depression, he immediately started asking me questions and gave

me vitamin supplements. When I called the doctor with concerns, he called back

within the hour. I haven't had that kind of concern from doctors here. When I

asked my doctor to fill out a form, so I could have a handicap permit for days

when it was too painful to walk far, he asked me, " is it really that painful? "

He was very skeptical about my fibro pain, and he's one of the few doctors who

believes in FM!

My myotherapist mentioned something interesting during our first consultation. I

told her I had broken my elbow when I was 7, and I had been bedridden for three

weeks in the hospital. She told me that could very well have precipitated my

fibro. Has anyone else been told anything like that? I've never been very

healthy, suffering from pneumonia and bronchitis several times a year growing

up. I always assumed, as one doctor told me, the fibro was probably a result of

my wisdom teeth removal and the mistake the doctor made stitching me up.

(Stiched me crooked, so I chewed sideways for two years which resulted in TMJ.)

Does anyone know if something like chronic bronchitis might lead to fibro?

Anyway, sorry for babbling! And thanks for listening!

Take care,

Beth

My General Practioner (GP) is originally from Canada and from some of

the stories he tells, yes, doctors in the US do treat differently.

For example, he told me that in certain cases he used to prescribe

placebo pills and that the pharmacy would then fill them with sugar

pills -- something you can't do here in the U.S. I've heard a few

negative stories from some young Candian women who told about having

gynecological exams with little to no privacy but I am not sure

whether to take what they said at face value or not. I certainly

wouldn't think their experiences were representative of an entire

country's medical health system, that's for sure.

Dana Beth

[Guest guest]

Beth,

When I was first diagnosed I was part of a support group and the

doctor told us that respiratory illness was sometimes a triggering

factor. Now as to the broken bone, that I've never heard of.

Although I'm sorry you're going through it, I'm glad I'm not the only

one battling both TMJ and FM. I would like to share your tips and

tricks for handling TMJ as well.

Dana Beth

[Guest guest]

Beth,

When I was first diagnosed I was part of a support group and the

doctor told us that respiratory illness was sometimes a triggering

factor. Now as to the broken bone, that I've never heard of.

Although I'm sorry you're going through it, I'm glad I'm not the only

one battling both TMJ and FM. I would like to share your tips and

tricks for handling TMJ as well.

Dana Beth

[Guest guest]

ionlyget5 wrote:

>

> Darcy:

>

> Thanks for the helpful advice -- I'll check into that group as well.

> Have you been a member here for long, yourself?

I've been here on this group for a couple of years. I find support

groups to be a wonderful source of information and weird symptoms that

don't come up in books or with doctors.

Darcy

[Guest guest]

ionlyget5 wrote:

>

> Darcy:

>

> Thanks for the helpful advice -- I'll check into that group as well.

> Have you been a member here for long, yourself?

I've been here on this group for a couple of years. I find support

groups to be a wonderful source of information and weird symptoms that

don't come up in books or with doctors.

Darcy

[Guest guest]

Hi Dana,

Thanks for the info. I think I'm going to call my doctor and see if he, too,

thinks my chronic bronchitis could have had a factor in this. I don't know why,

but I have this need to know where this FM stems from, you know?

How do you handle the TMJ and FM? Before FM, I used to have such bad jaw pain. I

wore a brace to bed at night (suprisingly, though, I quit after it wore out and

I got a new one that didn't fit right. Now, I feel much better in the morning

than after waking up with that brace in my mouth. Haven't worn it in over a

year, and the pain has actually decreased.). I've also had monthly injections in

my jaw for quite awhile then I got tens done on my face and neck on a monthly

basis. Or every few weeks if the pain came back quicker. Have you ever had tens?

They work pretty well; I was going to buy a machine, but whoa! Three grand is a

bit steep. I also took different drugs like Flexeril and Vicodin, but they only

helped for a short time. I try to do it without drugs, just because trying to

get me to take medicine is like trying to get me when I was a little girl to get

green beans. I don't like it.

Have you heard of myotherapy? Interestingly enough, since the onset of FM, my

TMJ hasn't been quite as bad. I still get massive headaches from the pain and it

hurts like anything on rainy or humid days, but the daily pain of TMJ is

overshadowed by the FM. Anyway, this week I've had horrible jaw pain, so when I

went to my myotherapist she worked on my jaw. She does deep tissue work on the

trigger points. So when my arm goes numb, I've learned it's because of a

pressure in my shoulders and back. It really did help. I haven't had as bad jaw

pain after she worked on me. I've only had two sessions so far, but I'm hopeful!

Still, now that I think about it, I wonder how much of my pain is from TMJ and

how much is from FM. When the FM came, I kind of forgot I had TMJ. Know what I

mean?

I also do jaw exercises: open my mouth slowly as wide as I can (which isn't very

wide at all) and then move my jaw side to side. I've also found that using a hot

towel (I either heat it up in the microwave, or more often, I just use a hot

washcloth) on my joints really helps for a short period. The problem is I get

really bad ringing and pain right below my ears...have you had that? As I write

that, I realize I get that really often. If you've had it, do you have a way to

relieve it?

I hope you're feeling well! Take care and I look forward to your thoughts :-)

Beth

---------------------------------

[Guest guest]

Hi Dana,

Thanks for the info. I think I'm going to call my doctor and see if he, too,

thinks my chronic bronchitis could have had a factor in this. I don't know why,

but I have this need to know where this FM stems from, you know?

How do you handle the TMJ and FM? Before FM, I used to have such bad jaw pain. I

wore a brace to bed at night (suprisingly, though, I quit after it wore out and

I got a new one that didn't fit right. Now, I feel much better in the morning

than after waking up with that brace in my mouth. Haven't worn it in over a

year, and the pain has actually decreased.). I've also had monthly injections in

my jaw for quite awhile then I got tens done on my face and neck on a monthly

basis. Or every few weeks if the pain came back quicker. Have you ever had tens?

They work pretty well; I was going to buy a machine, but whoa! Three grand is a

bit steep. I also took different drugs like Flexeril and Vicodin, but they only

helped for a short time. I try to do it without drugs, just because trying to

get me to take medicine is like trying to get me when I was a little girl to get

green beans. I don't like it.

Have you heard of myotherapy? Interestingly enough, since the onset of FM, my

TMJ hasn't been quite as bad. I still get massive headaches from the pain and it

hurts like anything on rainy or humid days, but the daily pain of TMJ is

overshadowed by the FM. Anyway, this week I've had horrible jaw pain, so when I

went to my myotherapist she worked on my jaw. She does deep tissue work on the

trigger points. So when my arm goes numb, I've learned it's because of a

pressure in my shoulders and back. It really did help. I haven't had as bad jaw

pain after she worked on me. I've only had two sessions so far, but I'm hopeful!

Still, now that I think about it, I wonder how much of my pain is from TMJ and

how much is from FM. When the FM came, I kind of forgot I had TMJ. Know what I

mean?

I also do jaw exercises: open my mouth slowly as wide as I can (which isn't very

wide at all) and then move my jaw side to side. I've also found that using a hot

towel (I either heat it up in the microwave, or more often, I just use a hot

washcloth) on my joints really helps for a short period. The problem is I get

really bad ringing and pain right below my ears...have you had that? As I write

that, I realize I get that really often. If you've had it, do you have a way to

relieve it?

I hope you're feeling well! Take care and I look forward to your thoughts :-)

Beth

---------------------------------