# What is FM? So confused!!!



## digilio (May 19, 2000)

Hey all! Just about two years ago, I was diagnosed with IBS and GERD. I had the tummy pain and cramping and nausea...but seldom had C or D. The tests showed everything inside, except my esphogus, looked normal. So, IBS, they said. I was also having trouble with near fainting spells and sudden bouts of weakness and "brain fog". Soon, I was diagnosed with Panic Disorder as well. I was disheartened to say the least. I was also having trouble getting a good night's sleep. Sleep testing revealed sleep apnea. I fell into depression... How could I have so many problems at once..well, I attacked the IBS and Panic with changes to my diet, excercise and regimented CBT plan. I still get the occasional tummy pain, bloating and cramping...but not as often. I have also not had any near-fainting spells in a long time (panic?). I also had a tonsilectomy that seemed to cure the apnea. So all was going well.However, the brain fog problem became worse. The trouble sleeping returned combined with leg and back pain in my sleep. I also began having periods during my day in which I felt fatigued..almost lethargic and bouts of sudden weakness or pain in my legs and arms. Now my doctor is saying "fibromyalgia"! What in the heck is going on??????I am 30 years old and I feel like I am falling apart. Sometimes I think I just going to lose my mind over all of this....Can ANYONE enlighten me....please...------------------John DiGilio galooboi###msn.com


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## weener (Aug 15, 2000)

Hi John:I also started having symptoms of fm when I was almost 30 years of age. I know how you are feeling. I couldn't understand how an active and fairly healthy person can all of a sudden become so ill. I went through the gamut of tests and doctors and still they found nothing wrong with me. In l992 I finally went to a specialist (rheumatologist who made the official diagnoses). I know that it can get very frustrating when you don't have someone to talk to or support. I found this to be the most frustrating part. You are not losing your mind and don't let anyone tell you so. You know your body best and you have to learn to change your lifestyle, pacing yourself and taking rests periods. I benefit from massage therapy and yoga. Others have benefitted from supplements and vitamins. What I'm saying is that you have to experiment with different things to find out what works best for you. I hope that you have a good & understanding doctor who will help you through this. Please know that you are not alone and although we might be a little slow at getting back you, especially in the summer months), we will. Good Luck and keep in touch.


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## Nina M (Feb 10, 2001)

Hi Digilio,Yes it can all be so confusing. Hey what's happened! When did I go from being fit & healthy with no probs to this one thing after another bit! IBS, fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome can be & often are inter-related. You can get IBS & not the others. But very often if you have CFS/FMS (or they newer name for CFS 'myalgic encephalitis')you also get gut problems. Recent research would seem to verify that it is usually due to a 'toxic' insult to the body. That usually means a viral infection of some kind. Gastrointestinal system, vascular system & endocrine system are generally thought to be malfunctioning in some way. This is showing up on spec scans, particularly in the temporal lobe region. But these sometimes need the right people familiar with what is being looked for to verify them. Your sudden near fainting fits & panic attacks could be linked to low or sudden drop in blood pressure and/or tachycardia. You might want to check it out. There are very few real answers yet, some folks improve & even get better, some don't. One of the theories in good standing is the toxins coming from the gut theory and affecting the neuromuscular system. One of the best things you can do with no real guarantees it will work for you is good healthy food, fresh veggies, fruit, good protien source, attend to microflora in gut with quality probiotics. Quality mineral supplements like magnesium, pottasium, calcium etc. Seems most of us are low in these, body excreting them when really we need to retain them. You might also like to check out 'The Cheney Protocol', he's big on undenatured whey and it generally gets a good rap as a nutritious supplement for gut, muscle, cells, etc. Cheney is generally recognised as a significent researcher in the area, there are others of course. Just enter Dr.Cheney, or Cheney Protocol into search engine & it should bring up heap of info.[This message has been edited by Nina M (edited 07-22-2001).][This message has been edited by Nina M (edited 07-22-2001).]


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## Nina M (Feb 10, 2001)

Site you might want to look at re; low blood pressure, tachycardia and all related conditions re CFS/FMS etc., etc. www.clipper.net/~calder/POTSWEB.html


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## moldie (Sep 25, 1999)

Fascinating stuff Nina. Thanks for the info. For some of us who wonder - "Why do I get this...." it may be helpful in understanding. I always want to know why, even though there may be nothing that I can safely do about it now. At least I know that they are researching it, and that gives me comfort. It also means that maybe I am not as "crazy" as some might think. There is an explanation for my "dizziness" - feeling that I might black out when I arise from a squatting position and feeling of tachycardia when I am in the heat too long. I have often thought that it had something to do with blood pooling in my abdomen and some dysregulation factor in my body temperature. I also had the feeling that my vessels seem to be in the dilation mode for too long. This seems to have happened to since I became pregnant with my first child 23 yrs ago and persists to this day.


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## Nina M (Feb 10, 2001)

Yes I get a variant of the tachycardia Moldie and of the blood "pooling" in the digestive system after eating. The variant is that my BP isn't low, it's a bit on the high side to begin with.What puzzles me though is A) as these would seem to be generally recognized medical factsand







the researchers are picking up the abnormalities in spec scans, why the hell is it that when one goes to either ones general medico or a particular specialist they don't seem to know these same facts. Mention that the blood flows to the digestive system when one eats usually elicits a blank stare & no comment. I would fall asleep or generally 'pass out' after the evening meal for years, yet not one doctor followed up on it or seemed to understand the relevence of it. And if the researchers are turning up the abnormalities in spec scans then why the hell aren't we all being sent for spec scans. I just don't understand the medical profession, it seems to be a case of the right hand not knowing what the left hand's doing.[This message has been edited by Nina M (edited 07-23-2001).]


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