Wellness

[Madisson]

On 7/25/2014 Slainte said:

On 7/25/2014 Northcoast said:

Now that you know my history, I do have a question-------Has anyone else become extremely sensitive to noises since your fibromyalgia began? I can't sleep with the windows open because nighttime noises sound like explosions to me. That's just one example. I do wear earplugs and they really help me sleep through the night. Just wondering.................

I've become much more sensitive to noise. I can't go to movie theaters anymore or concerts because I feel almost physically pummeled by the noise. Because of my husband's work, I have to go to lots of receptions/cocktail parties/parties and sometimes I find myself backed up against a wall somewhere about to scream for the noise of lots of people talking at once, like a swarm of bees surrounding me. I don't mind regular household noises so much, but do keep fans going for the air flow, but also for white noise.

I have read, can't remember where, that fibro sufferers can be more sensitive to noise. I certainly am. Sorry you are, too.

Northcoast and Slainte, there is a syndrome called "Exploding Head Syndrome" (not as bad as it sounds!), I wonder if this could be what you are experiencing??

http://www.sleepassociation.org/?p=explodingheadsyndrome

[Ltdow]

sneef....I was on Savella for a short time, it was horrible! Not only the profuse sweating, but I got looser "stools" the longer I stayed on it. So my rheuamatologist took me off ~ I had to stay in for 3 of the 5 days it still caused looser and looser ones ;0) after I quit! Not a great experience, so I feel for you.

My sincere appreciation also, Madisson, for starting this blog for us to share our experiences with Fibro.

[Ltdow]

northcoast and slainte.....I have increased sensitivity to noise also......didn't realize why until your posts, thank you so much.

I am also having headaches, most all the time now....neurologist calls them migraines (but they don't seem that bad to me) and that Fibro causes them. Anyone else have these? Getting Very sensitive to light also. Sometimes I think doctors are blaming Fibro for everything they can't figure out.

So enjoy reading all your posts and learning from everyone. Wish you all days without pain and greater understanding from your family and friends.

[LilacTree]

On 7/25/2014 Mama Mia said:

On 7/25/2014 Ford1224 said:

On 7/25/2014 addiegal said: Madisson I, too, know people with polymalgia rheumatica and yes it is treated with steroids. It is more ,as the name implies, rheumatic in nature, an autoimmune illness. But it sounds much like the pain of fibro. I take metformin due to insulin resistance and a tremendous amount of diabetes in my family. You are right it is not to be ignored...my mom was on insulin and later metformin was added in hope it would help her use her insulin more efficiently. Hope everyone is having a good day...it is sunny here and that always makes me feel better! Mind thing, I know.

Fibromyalgia, like Chronic Fatigue Syndrome is an autoimmune disease. So is a form of hypothyroidism called "Hashimoto's Disease." When I was first diagnosed with hypothyroidism, I had no idea it was going to lead me to many other autoimmune diseases the worst of which are Type I and II diabetes, multiple sclerosis, and rheumatoid arthritis. So far I do not have diabetes nor MS, thankfully.

All in all, once you get one autoimmune disease, you are more likely to get others as you go through life. Mayo Clinic does not describe polymyalgia rheumatica as an autoimmune disease, and I wonder why.

I don't know why either, it is described as an inflammatory disease, in muscles and joints, achey all the time. I took Prednisone, low dose for quite awhile until my internist had me wean off it. He put me on the gabapentin, but it also says the PMR doesn't last a long time, that is why I guess I should go to a rheumatologist. The thing was, my DH had a rare cancer a couple years ago, etc., more surgeries, then I had colon cancer and chemo, last year, just all at once.

Ford, I am glad you don't have MS or diabetes. Of the two, I would choose the diabetes, as I think it is more treatable than MS.

mm

I agree. MS is the worst of these three. I do have other conditions and I already listed them somewhere within this thread, so I won't go through them again. Suffice it to say my life is pretty much uncomfortable at the least, most of the time.

I went to my GP yesterday and she is suggesting a pain specialist and that would include needle injections into my back. I will have to think on that one. Sometimes they do more harm than good (as with everything else).

[okiebug]

On 7/25/2014 Ford1224 said:

On 7/25/2014 Mama Mia said:

On 7/25/2014 Ford1224 said:

On 7/25/2014 addiegal said: Madisson I, too, know people with polymalgia rheumatica and yes it is treated with steroids. It is more ,as the name implies, rheumatic in nature, an autoimmune illness. But it sounds much like the pain of fibro. I take metformin due to insulin resistance and a tremendous amount of diabetes in my family. You are right it is not to be ignored...my mom was on insulin and later metformin was added in hope it would help her use her insulin more efficiently. Hope everyone is having a good day...it is sunny here and that always makes me feel better! Mind thing, I know.

Fibromyalgia, like Chronic Fatigue Syndrome is an autoimmune disease. So is a form of hypothyroidism called "Hashimoto's Disease." When I was first diagnosed with hypothyroidism, I had no idea it was going to lead me to many other autoimmune diseases the worst of which are Type I and II diabetes, multiple sclerosis, and rheumatoid arthritis. So far I do not have diabetes nor MS, thankfully.

All in all, once you get one autoimmune disease, you are more likely to get others as you go through life. Mayo Clinic does not describe polymyalgia rheumatica as an autoimmune disease, and I wonder why.

I don't know why either, it is described as an inflammatory disease, in muscles and joints, achey all the time. I took Prednisone, low dose for quite awhile until my internist had me wean off it. He put me on the gabapentin, but it also says the PMR doesn't last a long time, that is why I guess I should go to a rheumatologist. The thing was, my DH had a rare cancer a couple years ago, etc., more surgeries, then I had colon cancer and chemo, last year, just all at once.

Ford, I am glad you don't have MS or diabetes. Of the two, I would choose the diabetes, as I think it is more treatable than MS.

mm

I agree. MS is the worst of these three. I do have other conditions and I already listed them somewhere within this thread, so I won't go through them again. Suffice it to say my life is pretty much uncomfortable at the least, most of the time.

I went to my GP yesterday and she is suggesting a pain specialist and that would include needle injections into my back. I will have to think on that one. Sometimes they do more harm than good (as with everything else).

Ford, are these trigger point injections? I had those many years ago and they helped tremendously. Mine were novacaine injections, it was many years, but I think they did about 20-25 injections across my shoulders and down the sides of my spine. they numbed the areas where the nerves were firing and allowed them to calm down and stopped the muscle spasms and pain. I really believe the injections were what put me into remission for several years. I had no side effects, other than the stinging at the injection point during the shot.

[Slainte]

On 7/25/2014 Madisson said:

On 7/25/2014 Slainte said:

On 7/25/2014 Northcoast said:

Now that you know my history, I do have a question-------Has anyone else become extremely sensitive to noises since your fibromyalgia began? I can't sleep with the windows open because nighttime noises sound like explosions to me. That's just one example. I do wear earplugs and they really help me sleep through the night. Just wondering.................

I've become much more sensitive to noise. I can't go to movie theaters anymore or concerts because I feel almost physically pummeled by the noise. Because of my husband's work, I have to go to lots of receptions/cocktail parties/parties and sometimes I find myself backed up against a wall somewhere about to scream for the noise of lots of people talking at once, like a swarm of bees surrounding me. I don't mind regular household noises so much, but do keep fans going for the air flow, but also for white noise.

I have read, can't remember where, that fibro sufferers can be more sensitive to noise. I certainly am. Sorry you are, too.

Northcoast and Slainte, there is a syndrome called "Exploding Head Syndrome" (not as bad as it sounds!), I wonder if this could be what you are experiencing??

http://www.sleepassociation.org/?p=explodingheadsyndrome

Madisson, thanks for the link, but after reading the article, I don't think it applies to me, but I'm very sorry for anyone who might be experiencing "exploding head syndrome."

Here's a link about fibro and noise and light sensitivity:

http://chronicfatigue.about.com/od/symptoms/p/light-noise-sensitivity-in-fibromyalgia-chronic-fatigu...

Do take a look at the comment section below this article, 53 entries. It is loaded with entries from other people who also have light and noise sensitivities. There are many others who are experiencing this problem.

I was at a restaurant, in an outdoor courtyard, last night where someone was playing a guitar with amps. It seemed so loud and certain notes were just piercing my ears. It's a bit of a problem since I want to leave, DH isn't bothered by the noise and wants to stay.

Edited to add info about comment section.

[Slainte]

Ltdow, sorry you are having migraines. I hope learning more about what triggers the headaches can help you avoid them.

[Madisson]

Good Morning, Everyone...How is everyone doing today? So far, so good here. I've had a lot of pain the last few weeks due to my broken rib and fibro flare, but everything is finally settling down. Still have a lot of work to do in the house preparing for company. Had to put the nix on DH's playing golf today to help me out. I can only do so much a day because of my fibro. I'm sure you all know how it is.

Slainte, thanks for posting the link about light and noise sensitivity. I feel for those of you suffering from that. I do have the "exploding head syndrome" occasionally...maybe 4 or 5 times a year. It's no big problem. It just wakes you up out of your sleep. I don't know who thought up that awful name!

Okiebug, I'm happy to hear that the trigger point injections were so helpful for you. That is how they are supposed to turn out. I had the Lidocaine injections several years ago too, and they actually made me worse. I had very severe pain at every injection site. I could not even let my back touch the back of a chair for a week or so. They actually had to put me on narcotic pain meds to calm down my response. It is interesting how everyone's body reacts so differently to the same procedure!

Ford, I don't think the trigger point injections actually do any "harm," but people certainly can have a bad reaction to them like I did. My response was atypical though. I think most people have a good response from them. Wishing you the best of luck if you decide to have them.

Ltdow, I used to get bad migraines (up until menopause), and I had light and noise sensitivity from those back then. I feel for you if you're getting migraines, as they can be very miserable. I had chronic migraines (several times a week), so finding the right medication was always the goal...but never really happened. I used to take fiorinal with codeine for the pain. Even that only put a dent in the pain. The neurologist just told me to learn to relax! Grrrrrr! I actually wrote him a letter when my migraines went away at menopause.

Mama Mia, I think you are on the right road choosing to see a rheumatologist. Trying to get a diagnosis for fibromyalgia is a lot to go through. Then once you have the diagnosis, some of the doctors look at you like, "Is that all you've got." If they only knew what we go through! Once you find a doctor who believes in fibromyalgia, stick with him.

[Madisson]

Mishelle, klonopin and diazepam are very similar. Both are schedule 4 controlled substances and are benzodiazepines. Diazepam has a longer half life than klonopin, but other than that they are pretty similar as far as I know. I think it just depends on what the doctor likes to put people on. I have tried klonopin, but the diazepam worked better for me. I did not like ativan either. It made me feel agitated. Xanax has a very short half life and has higher addiction potential than diazepam. My doctor is pretty easy going and let's me choose which one I prefer. The fact that I was an RN probably helps. You are so lucky that your husband and children understand about your fibro. My DH should understand as he is a health professional too, but I'm normally not under the pressure that I am right now to get the house ready for guests, do a lot more grocery shopping than usual, etc. He is usually very understanding about my fibro, but I don't think he understands why women want the house looking perfect for guests!

Addiegal, I agree that I have seen conflicting information about whether or not fibromyalgia and CFS are autoimmune disorders. This article says fibro is not an autoimmune disease:

http://umm.edu/health/medical/reports/articles/fibromyalgia

This article says fibro is an autoimmune disorder:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15082086

I have read other articles that say fibro is common in people with other autoimmune disorders. I do believe my "fibro" or whatever I have was due to an autoimmune reaction. I went to work one day feeling great. I came home that night in atrocious pain and severely exhausted. It never went away. That sounds like an immune reaction to me! My rheumatologist says fibromyalgia does not come on that way. It usually comes on over a period of time. However, since he cannot find any other reason for my pain, he called it fibromyalgia.

[sneef]

On 7/25/2014 Ltdow said:

northcoast and slainte.....I have increased sensitivity to noise also......didn't realize why until your posts, thank you so much.

I am also having headaches, most all the time now....neurologist calls them migraines (but they don't seem that bad to me) and that Fibro causes them. Anyone else have these? Getting Very sensitive to light also. Sometimes I think doctors are blaming Fibro for everything they can't figure out.

So enjoy reading all your posts and learning from everyone. Wish you all days without pain and greater understanding from your family and friends.

I definitely experience sensitivity to noise and light. When I come home from work I need around 30 minutes of quiet time and nothing stimulating me. There are times I get noise overload and then my anxiety kicks in. I suffered with headaches almost daily for years, just learned to live with it until about 6 months a go I had a full migraine attack. I was so bad that I laid myself on the kitchen floor and wedged my head under my kitchen cabinets as it felt like my head was going to blow off and I had taken 6 migraine meds with no relief, yes I know it was more then the recommended dose, but there was no way I was going to call the ambulance, so I waited until my husband came home and took me to the clinic, where they placed an IV and pumped me full of medications after 6 hours finally the migraine subsided, now I instantly take a migraine med when the following symptoms start, numbing on my lips, like sunrays in my eyes, numbness on the side of my left hand. The big aura.