Pain Management in Fibromyalgia

[Mdaisy]

Pain management in fibromyalgia

(2016)

Robert M Bennett

Please see link below to access article:

bit.ly/2aFaAWB

Hope you find it interesting and I look forward to reading your views

Emma

[nedd]

One may do ones best to follow all advice, but within the ever present pain mode it rather does for one moving forward, despite ones best efforts. Coming to the realisation that there is no cure is a help along the acceptance trail. So limited energy can be used to getting the best from life, but in this here body it's one foot forward while at the same time dragging pain behind. Which automatically keeps one stationary unable to drop the pain to obtain the slightest bit of relieve. We are like vases that have been shattered and stuck back together again. Still whole but different. And we should be treated as individuals and if listened to, tailored treatments and life belts would follow. Wouldn't cure. Wouldn't take the pain away. Would encourage small steps along life's path. Nice that's it's been acknowledged though. Just need to get the word out there. Thanks for sharring.

[Shadows-walker]

Thanks Emma lot of use full information, only scanned it quickly but have saved it for further use ,,

Nice to see you posting two days in a row ,

Gentle hugs

Chris xx

[Furry]

Hi, thanks for sharing this, as we know it's not a one size fits all illness, patience, understanding and research are needed from the medical world but fibromyalgia seems to be so complex and with multiple symptoms to treat no wonder they don't seem to be beating down the door to help us, they must wonder where to start. America are better than us at this. nedd mentioned acceptance and that was the point for me when I started to try to help myself and I realised I wouldn't get any further otherwise. Trial and error have followed. It's hard to explain to others just how hard it is to cope with chronic pain and fatigue when you know it is not going to go away. Sometimes I want to be really childish and demand a huge badge and banner and placard saying " I am trying my hardest and deserve lots of bloody cake at least"

[rosewine]

I can't remember how I came across it but read this thread the other day and found it of great interest. Of course this is what should happen in an ideal world but with GPs only having a consultation time of approx. 10 minutes and one symptom per visit if they were ro look at us as a "whole" and treat everything individually they probably wouldn't have time for any other patients😉

I do think that we can often wear ourselves out looking for a cure which doesn't appear to be about to happen my time soon rather than accepting what we have and trying to work with it. As my new GP said last week there is no magic sure it is just managing symptoms day to day andtimg your own strategies that work for you.

Theemphasiseemed to be on cog itive behaviour therapy and drug intervention but little mention of alternatives like acupuncture, hydrotherapy etc which I feel has a white significant part to play.

I do feel he has got to grips with the other underlying fact that fibro rarely comes I isolation but there are often other illnesses either preceding it or making life more complex and often some sort of traumatic event has happened in earlier life that makes people more likely to succumb to the illness.

The link with poor sleep and fibro is interesting as I have always been a member of the insomniacs club which if course has got even worse with fibeo and the night time pain involved and it seems many here are the same. I think our bodies just do not mend themselves if we have no rest and this Vickie circle ensues. Certainly interesting so that is it posting.x

[phlebo123]

Thanks Emma, this article really sums up how difficult fibromyalgia is to understand, live with and treat.

The value of becoming an "expert patient" and learning how to handle this condition is immense and the importance of support from your family, friends and medical profession is huge.

The biggest problem for me to overcome was the "guilt" I felt inside, I find it so hard to stop "beating myself up" because I can't manage to do all the things I used to do.

The Motivational Enhancement Therapy looked very interesting.

Does anyone know anything about this? Is this available in Britain?

As Furry says it is so difficult for outsiders to know how much effort and determination we need to put in just to maintain some sort of "normal" lifestyle and it would be lovely to be appreciated for everything we achieve.... for most people an everyday activity is like climbing a "mole hill", for us a simple activity can feel like "climbing a mountain"!

[Mdaisy in reply to phlebo123]

Hi phlebo123 ,

Here's a passage about it that I've found taken from an NHS site:

Motivational Enhancement Therapy (MET)

Motivational Enhancement Therapy (MET) helps an individual explore their motivation and readiness to change the patterns associated to their eating disorder. A mixture of psycho-education material about the consequences of eating disorders and exercises weighing up the pros and cons of your eating disorder are covered to help enhance your motivation and readiness to change. This approach is often used as an addition to other therapies, but usually features strongly at the beginning of your treatment to establish whether you are ready to embark on active treatment. (NHS April 2016)

Had a quick look for Motivational Enhancement Therapy , seems it's in the UK for use in Addiction in some places.

If I hear anymore or come across anything else I will keep you posted

Emma

[nedd in reply to phlebo123]

I agree phlebo with the added weight guilt puts on our bodies. I feel judged. And if I try to explain a whimp and moaner. Yet why I feel i have to justify myself heaven knows. Perhaps I should stop trying to climb my mole hill. And stay underground!

[fenbadger in reply to nedd]

This strategy is not for everyone, I am pretty self sufficient and don't let folk affect me too much. That's not to say I'm insensitive. Back to "I have few friends but value those greatly."

Very interesting and useful article. I wonder if its actually too complicated for a lot of folk who would benefit from reading it.

[nedd in reply to fenbadger]

I do wonder with some articles if they wouldn't benifit from ruthless editing. But then I suppose you have got to justify your funding, lots of things have become too wordy. You should have seen our Christain values at school! When you think about it God only gave us one commandment.

"Be Nice" that covers it all really. Not a bad way forward for humanity.

Re self sufficiency. I am a work in progress. There is hope yet.

[fenbadger in reply to nedd]

Editing but still leaving in enough to be relevant.

We're all different

[TheAuthor]

Thanks Emma

That was a very interesting article and I thought expressed the problems with understanding Fibro. I have to admit that I have not heard of ''glutamate'' before? It is something that I will have to read up on?

All my hopes and dreams for you

Ken x

[Mdaisy in reply to TheAuthor]

An article of interest which says this about Glutamate might be of interest Ken

"Additionally, levels of glutamate and other excitatory amino acids have been shown to be elevated in both the CSF and brain in individuals with fibromyalgia. Glutamate acts on N-methyl-d-aspartate receptors to produce increased pain “wind up,” a phenomenon of progressively increased central pain amplification after repeated painful stimulation, resulting in greater hyperalgesia and allodynia" (The Science of Fibromyalgia

Daniel J. Clauw, MD, Lesley M. Arnold, MD, and Bill H. McCarberg, MD 2011)

Link below;

ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articl...

[TheAuthor in reply to Mdaisy]

Thank you, I shall have a read of this later on. Much appreciated my friend x