Try to make this short because sitting here hurts.
Had fibro for some years now. Main problems have been with back, then hips and sides joined in the fun.
On Dec l, 2006 I was a passenger in a head on collision. Kid doing 60 hit us. Immediately for coming around (think I might have passed out) I had severe burning in upper body (chest, shoulders and upper back). The air bag and seat belt really did a number on me, but they and GOD let me walk away from it alive. Went to ER, had xrays, nothing broken. For the next few weeks had really bad upper back and chest pains, left rib cage was even swollen for weeks. Saw the doc and he put me on the normal pain, anti-inflammatory meds (seen him four times now). Got some better. Rib cage only sore on bad days now. But I have a spot right in the middle of my chest (breast bone, sternim(sp?) that hurts like ___ when I sneeze, cough or put any pressure on it. My right shoulder, right arm and arm pit down a little also hurt all the time no matter what kind of meds they try. I don't understand why I will not heal. Like many others I worry about they missed something, like broken bone or cancer, etc. You know how fibro plays with your mind.
Do you guys think that I might not be healing because of the fibro? I just don't know what else to think, where to go, change doctor, etc. Please give your advise.
Thanks so much.
God bless,
Kaye

Hi Kaye,

Your accident was about 7 weeks ago. It is quite possible that your healing process is not yet fully complete. Some soft tissue injuries, esp. those to tendons & ligaments, can take many months to heal.

It's possible that fibro is complicating the healing. Have you received any physical therapy for your arm & shoulder? If not, you should be entitled to -- but please make sure you request referral to a PT who is skilled in working with fibro. And use your own common sense in what they ask you to do.

I'm wondering what your doc has to say about the continuing sore spot on your sternum? IMO it's quite important that you point this out to him, detail when your pain there occurs, and characterize the type & intensity of pain quite carefully. Do not let your pain be dismissed or brushed over.

You can even send a registered letter to your doctor, to arrive in advance of your appointment. Be sure to date it, sign it, and address by name to your doctor. Include your name in type & date of birth. Describe, in detail, your sternum pain, the circumstances under which it occurs, the characteristics of the pain (e.g. is it burning or stabbing or aching or whatever), as well as the intensity. Express your desire for further consultation & medical assistance from the doctor on this matter. Such a letter creates a legal trail, and makes it very hard for your doc to lightly dismiss your complaints. It is not uncommon for doctors to refer the patient to another specialist when this step is taken.

Most fibro sufferers benefit from excellent nutrition plus supplementation of certain vitamins & minerals. In times of injury, the body requires additional nutrients to complete the healing process. If you are not doing this & feel like you would like some guidance, I recommend the books by Jacob Teitelbaum, M.D., Pain Free 1-2-3, and From Fatigued to Fantastic, as excellent resources.

The other consideration in healing is hormonal adequacy. Many fibro patients suffer from marginal, or greater, hormonal imbalances in thyroid, adrenal, and sex hormones. There is a synergistic healing effect when hormone balance is optimal. For example, if free levels of thyroid hormone are low, repair process is slowed. If testosterone level in a female is inadequate, the repair of muscles, esp. is hindered. These are things that need to be checked by a physician, however those with more of a holistic bent, or naturopaths, may be more familiar with the concept than a run of the mill GP.

Best wishes.

Hi Kaye:

I have wiring problems in my heart. I found out about this problem when my heart actually stopped beating. Thank God I was in the ER room at the time as my chest was killing me. The only reason I'm telling you this is the doctor had to revive me, and what he did was smash my chest with his fist several times (I now have a pacemaker to keep me ticking!). Ack! I was miserable for several months. The CPR he performed combined with the fibro pain and costochondritis pain that I had at the time combined to make a truly remarkable new level of agony. Nothing but time relieved the pain I was experiencing. So give yourself time to heal from this. You took a pretty bad beating in this accident.

Blessings,
Kirstee

hello kaye,
i also have fibro, and was in 2 auto accidents in a 3 year period, nothing major except a compression fracture in one of my discs and during childbirth with my 6 month old son i herniated a disc. i have since been off of my pain meds and am in severe pain all the time, cannot sleep, eat, function etc. due to the pain, if you find out what you can do to help please let me know, im also looking for help.

need a complet colonics colon cleansing, then an at home colon cleanse that lasts for 8 days... Taking herbs and fasting. Why? Because food peutrifies within the bowels and this can cause disease if not cleansed out. This is why, the toxin bore holes in your colon sort of like a screen door is the lining of your colon and the mucoid lining is the screen door for instance. Okay, when the toxins come they bore holes within the colon and it becomes like a screen door with holes in it. See the mucoid lining screens out the bad and takes in the nutritional nutrients your body needs. Unfortunately many people don't understand that when these toxin get into the colon and put holes in it, those toxins go directly to the liver (which is already trying to fight off its own toxins) and then from there those toxins go into the blood stream causing all sorts of dasterly diseases. One is auto immune diseases, fibromyalgia... It goes on and on... But if you let your body take control of itself, then it will heal its own self. When you cleanse your taking a toxin absorber 5 times a day it sort of acts like a clay drawing in all toxins, which is why it is better to not eat and only go on a liquids only diet, it's not bad I'm telling I am on my 3rd day without any food the first day wasn't so great but it got better and better... Then at night you take one or two or three pills depending on the person of Digestive stimulator. This makes your colon move in the wave like pattern it does as if you are eating... That way the toxin absorber moves down the colon and binds with all the bad toxins and even after a day or so usually with people they've got a mucoid plaque covering the mucoid protective lining (except for those holes right) this can be anywhere from 1/4 in. to three inches thick and believe it or not your colon is as tall as you are. So there is alot of putrification. I don't want to be offensive but I couldn't believe what came out of me... It was the whole mucoid plaque resembling my entire colon! I feel great! There is supposedly so much more to come... I'm tired yet feel younger and refreshed and when it is over on the last day this Wed. I'm totally going to eat healthy, actually I had already with juicing with a juicer and eating veg. and fruid only organic... I'm taking my health seriously. I don't trust doctors at all, I trust what my body says... I wish the best for you and that you will read this again and just DO IT.... good luck