People with fibromyalgia experience this day after day. Options are being reduced, waiting times get longer, health professionals dismiss them, or deny access to care and treatments are stopped without alternatives. But people continue to suffer. In pain.
Des
Neuroplasticity
What is Pain Reprocessing Therapy?
Pain Reprocessing Therapy (PRT) is a new diagnosis and treatment paradigm that helps patients unlearn chronic pain by retraining their brains. A primary method is to work directly with the fear of pain, which is often a primary driver of symptoms.
Studies have shown that about 85% of people with chronic back pain do not have structural damage that explains their pain. And many other symptoms like migraines, digestive disorders, abdominal pain, and fibromyalgia are also not characterized by structural or tissue damage. PRT helps people retrain their nervous systems to unlearn neuroplastic pain pathways that are creating severe, debilitating, and treatment-resistant pain syndromes
Yeah, call me a little bit skeptical but when you're throwing up green bile every 15 minutes with migraine lasting approx 10 hours minimum & off sick for 2 days to recover!
They'd need to be very brave or very stupid to try taking my medication away 😕
but when your not throwing up and the medication is the only think that gets you out of bed, gets you to work, keeps you active and have a life then you would be crazy to choose options that would make you worse.
Everyone is different and reacts differently.
Absolutely agree! Don't think there's any way I'd still be working without medication. I remember how difficult it was trying to get that balance at the very beginning, the personal med 'cocktail' that gets you through the day. It's still hard but looking back there's no chance I'd willingly go back there again.
Wow, Wish I had read this from you 10 yrs ago!
It has taken me years to understand this, as I said in a recent post, my GP said it is in your head. Now you need to understand that this is not going to be everyone's case on here, but I do know from individuals on here that they are experiencing similar symptoms, triggers, so for them this may help. Don't forget with fibro it is common to be experiencing another disorder and the same time. Takes a bit of working out but I know some of you by reading your posts that you are feeling this already.
I Started this week with RTT therapy, (similar to PRT) the results are staggering, - here the professionals are 100% right FOR ME and whilst I am carrying this banner of fibromyalgia for me, if they are telling me I have fibro - fibro is my mental health, this may not be the same for you as we know fibro is a syndrome it carries many symptoms, this is for Des, I now know factually with clinical evidence about what is going on, that is I have a chronic anxiety disorder.
Yes, with the RTT under hypnosis I discovered things I never understood was effecting me, and yes, my professional therapist took me back to situation in my life (which I call Trauma period) I identified with their help why my anxiety was protecting me, the exact reason, Ok there is no magic wand but I feel major relief, now understanding why my body carried created the anxiety(fear) what my feelings we and why I now react, this is the key, as you say above.
Now this medical help was paid for privately, not NHS.
I have had two private consultations in the last two weeks from different professionals first one 3 hours of in depth investigation from birth the second hypnotherapy and regression therapy and guess what they arrive at the same conclusions.
They both advised me that a majority of my pain, IBS, anxiety, restless legs, fatigue, burning feet, etc will reduce considerably and dependant on my commitment to continue with the tools I have may even disappear, wait for Des, These are professional, this is medical evidence and FACT relating to ME. and have a diagnosis of Fibro by a professional rheumatologist. Yet, as we know the medical profession do not know what the Fibro is?
So, my feeling now are - do I have fibromyalgia as the majority and the professionals and believe me it has cost to find out, they believe my symptoms, the pattern of events, the reoccurring behaviour and lifestyle traits are clear to me.
In the defence of the Pros I was possibly either not being honest with myself or my GP about my symptoms as I had hidden the route cause of MH = Pain for so many years, or leant what they say coping mechanisms to get on with my life.
Good Luck Warriors.
Good luck with and above all commitment to the RTT, you Warrior too...
Hi I would be grateful for any information you can give me regarding where you got help.as I'm desperate to get my life back .. imno longer able go work as manager wouldn't allow me to work with patients on my pain medications. Thank you x
At least there are surveys and studies being done - it’s encouraging to know that things are building a bit of momentum. 🤞💙
Some of you may already be using it, but the Curable app offers a gateway to pain reprocessing therapy, with specific brain retraining exercises, as well as meditations etc. There is also a great FB group called Tell Me About Your Pain.
I'll probably watch it but I have grave reservations of anything from the Brussels Broadcasting Cronies.
I don't think doctors really understand the illness enough and don't know what to do with us
Hi Elaine - it's true that no one understands fibromyalgia well, same as chronic pain, as stated in the article. The human body is still full of many mysteries to us.
Good doctors know that there are many treatment types. But essentially we ourselves need to become our own experts for our body, our symptoms and triggers, learn that there are >100 treatment types to try, and find a doctor who will serve us well by prescribing the physio etc. we think might help us.
Hi JayCeon, since joining this forum I have been inspired to try different ways to help me manage my illnesses. I've found a female massage therapist near me who specialises in treating people with fibromyalgia and chronic pain. As well as the massage she advises on exercise and diet for these conditions and this is her passion, to try and reduce pain.
My doctor referred me to physio but he just said what can I do for you and did nothing. He did say he would see me again.
I've bought some epsom salts today and will have a bath with them at night as a couple of people mentioned it helps them. I've sent for the phyto-v and am going to start swimming again.
It's not easy because I love swimming and it helps my overall condition, but when I used to swim before lock down I used to often spend the following 2 days in bed. It helps me with my depression as being in the water really lifts my mood.
I go to T'ai chi every week, when I can and this really helps. But I haven't practiced in between classes.
After all that I think I'm trying to say that I agree with you JayCeon 😂
Hehe - I though as much 
Sounds like you've got really good plans up ahead.
My ideas on them are basically all about dosage. Most of the things you've mentioned I'd (have to) keep to under 20 mins., and breaks in between. Tai Chi under 5 minutes, lying down .... Some things 20 seconds at a time. But regularly. Increasing bit by bit if possible. But always watching for and avoiding late effects the next day.
I'm wondering about the physio. Was he perhaps listening closely as it was the first session? My answer would be to ask which techniques he has to offer, to ask if he could try various manual therapy techniques on me, but to keep them very gentle. Then give him a chance to develop something that fits, with clear detailed feedback. I was lucky that the chief of the physio office I went to only had time for one or two sessions, which were too painful, then I was changed to an osteopath at the end of his training, who was gentle and tried out a lot of techniques on me. But then it was my acupressurist who became more effective.
I did a bit of tidying and rummaging yesterday. Seemed OK, only slightly too "over the top", from cortisol / adrenaline. Today I couldn't explain the amount of fatigue and Ache. Thinking back it was quite some dust load, which I'm now thinking triggered MCAS-fatigue, rather than fibro-fatigue. I did think it was too long, but I have a better sense for fibro-overdoing it than for MCAS-overdoing it, as this is newer...
Good advice JayCeon 😊. Do you mind if I ask what MCAS means?
As it seems only to apply to me here, I usually keep it abbreviated. Glad to explain tho! :-). MCAS is "Mast Cell Activation Syndrome". Means the 'mast cells' of the immune system are overreacting, with histamine and more, complicated. Some major proponents believe it may be very common ("17%"), things like fibro, ME/CFS and Long-Covid may be various forms of it. After my CoV-jabs I suddenly got 25 new or changed symptoms (allergy type) which got better when I decreased my histamine (diet, supps, antihistamine), so the concept has helped me, except with the new added fatigue. I can't see many with these types of symptoms here, and I can distinguish them fairly clearly, I think it's very premature to assume fibro has that much to do with MCAS.
What strikes me most is the bit about Lorraine's pain diary not helping. If worded correctly, I wonder if it was due to the opiates or due to a wrong focus in the diary.
My daily symptom/trigger/treatment (b)log since Jan20 has been essential. Especially for assessing treatment side effects.
Under the 5th pic about Lorraine weaning off of opioids: "Lorraine kept a pain diary in 2017 which she hoped would help but just reminds her of how difficult her life was."
Chronic pain
chronic pelvic pain
AC Arthritis-Widespread Chronic Pain Syndrome 
