Does anyone know is FMS is progessive? I have had a Rheumatologist tell me that a crash made my condition two years worse. Can he say that? Before the crash I was holding down three jobs with FMS is there a possibility that I could have continued to do so until retirement or is there proof that people with FMS steadily get worse.
i have read that it does not get worse but i bet there are some fibromites out there that don't agree. i have had fibro for about 6yrs now and i am still the same, in extreme pain especially if i don't take my pain meds.
robin
hey jollyjan,
I think it's progressive. It starts out - at least for me - mildly and then progressively gets worse. FM isn't fatal and doesn't do damage to your body. Physically we LOOK fine, we just feel horrible.
Hard to say, but that's my humble opinion
God bless, Jen
I have had fm for 21 years and believe me it does get worse. I have pain in parts I did not even know I had. Of course aging does not help either. My fm started in the neck and shoulder now is all over this old bode.
HUgs, LInda
__________________
pa235
Fibromyalgia
Myofascal pain syndrome
Costochondritis
Arthritis, cervical and thorastic
My understanding of "progressive" in fibro terms means that the pain that emanates from the affected areas can and does get worse as time goes on for a lot of patients. It is not in itself "destructive" to your muscles and joints. This should be made clearer. Whilst there is no wasting away of the muscles or erosion of the joints because of fibro, the constant aching and pain in the body can get worse with time. This then makes the fatigue worse, etc. and so it goes on and on, as you all know.
A suitable regime of medication is needed and also a gentle, made to measure set of exercises that suit the individual. It is the same as with a lot of illnesses, the patients are lumped together and it is assumed that what works for one works for another. We all know this is not the case.
Take care my friends.
goldenwings
__________________
I am not a medical doctor, I only speak from my own experience of the illnesses I discuss here.
Last edited by goldenwings; 08-25-2005 at 05:31 PM.
Most Definetly. I, too had a bad car accident and even though I was functional before that, I still wasn't on my game, and I can see now (others as well) that I AM declining.
I've been using a cane for 22 months & have a handicap tag for the cars.
When one thing on me bothers me, everything else gets more dramatic to deal with. And trust me, I've been trying.
I feel that I'm going to have this illness forever and my PainKillers are just dulling the fact and making me look drunk & stupid when I go out, (the oxycontins) so, I stopped taking them. Now I take them if I hurt too much, and definetly if I have to leave the house.
The Dr. put me on 100mgs of Morphine and said the side effects were not as bad as my oxy family of medications. No matter what, I always get break-through pain, on or off meds.
I told me Dr. i'd just like to take a few Klonopins and sleep thru my bad days.
He said he didn't blame me!!
So, my vote is yes, it worsens. If you don't think so? Maybe we're starting to get used to pain. I wouldn't know a good day now, if it came up & bit me.
Now I have the IBS??!!!! Like I'm really looking forward to this new member to enhance my other problems.
Most Definetly. I, too had a bad car accident and even though I was functional before that, I still wasn't on my game, and I can see now (others as well) that I AM declining.
I've been using a cane for 22 months & have a handicap tag for the cars.
When one thing on me bothers me, everything else gets more dramatic to deal with. And trust me, I've been trying.
I feel that I'm going to have this illness forever and my PainKillers are just dulling the fact and making me look drunk & stupid when I go out, (the oxycontins) so, I stopped taking them. Now I take them if I hurt too much, and definetly if I have to leave the house.
The Dr. put me on 100mgs of Morphine and said the side effects were not as bad as my oxy family of medications. No matter what, I always get break-through pain, on or off meds.
I told me Dr. i'd just like to take a few Klonopins and sleep thru my bad days.
He said he didn't blame me!!
So, my vote is yes, it worsens. If you don't think so? Maybe we're starting to get used to pain. I wouldn't know a good day now, if it came up & bit me.
Now I have the IBS??!!!! Like I'm really looking forward to this new member to enhance my other problems.
Most Definetly. I, too had a bad car accident and even though I was functional before that, I still wasn't on my game, and I can see now (others as well) that I AM declining.
I've been using a cane for 22 months & have a handicap tag for the cars.
When one thing on me bothers me, everything else gets more dramatic to deal with. And trust me, I've been trying.
I feel that I'm going to have this illness forever and my PainKillers are just dulling the fact and making me look drunk & stupid when I go out, (the oxycontins) so, I stopped taking them. Now I take them if I hurt too much, and definetly if I have to leave the house.
The Dr. put me on 100mgs of Morphine and said the side effects were not as bad as my oxy family of medications. No matter what, I always get break-through pain, on or off meds.
I told me Dr. i'd just like to take a few Klonopins and sleep thru my bad days.
He said he didn't blame me!!
So, my vote is yes, it worsens. If you don't think so? Maybe we're starting to get used to pain. I wouldn't know a good day now, if it came up & bit me.
Now I have the IBS??!!!! Like I'm really looking forward to this new member to enhance my other problems.
I certainly believe it is. I've gone downhill in the past 6 months. People see it as well as I do & know. And I've had this for a loooong time.
I think having a bad car accident did me in and that was Nov. 2003
I've been using a cane and have handicap tags for the cars. AND part of me is still angry and still in denial. Funny hah?? And now I have picked up IBS, you know, just to top things off and all.
thommie
ps...sorry, my computer is delaying and I hit the buttons too many times. SORRY, i'm getting used to this board, slowly.
hi thomasina,
as some of our sisters here have stated fmd does not damage the tissues of our bodies. blessings come.
it takes time to incorporate the changes in your body. have patience. being worried won't fix anything and actually gives fmd food to grow on.
ibs is a pain in the arse, pun intended. diet, activity and water will help you alot. the right balance of veges, fiber and water will assist in balancing ibs symptoms.
there will always be days when no pill works. it happens. in time you find you can do it, and do it with a smile in your heart. giving your body permission to hurt is a very important aspect of finding peace as you go thru a flare up. i once spent several months in a wheelchair. it goes up and down. some days i wonder at my ability to walk, other days i skip around.
you will get the hang of not knowing what to expect. we all do. or we go nuts. my mind is the only aspect of my being where fmd is not allowed to rule. i keep that. my mind is my strongest medicine for living with all these bizarre goodies in my body. i decide how i feel about what my body is experiencing.
peace,
bluelakelady
I started this battle about 6 months after the birth of my first daughter. She's sixteen now. Prior to getting married I was involved in 3 wrecks (not my fault) and one at her first birthday.(my fault). It's been a long and winding road.
During the last 6 - 7 years, I was kicked off SSDI, went back to work, etc. At first it was mind over matter to me. The pain, the misery, etc. But, I swear in the last 2 years, it's gotten much worse. Why? Because it became an issue for me. I was diagnosed with IBS. I suffer from severe PMS! I can no long keep it under what I call my mind handling it for me. Is it psychological? Maybe, but, I know that my body hurts twice as bad as it used to. I have more pain than before, EVERYWHERE!!!!
So, yes it's progressive, as far as I'm concerned.
Hi I am new here and just wanted to post my opinion on this subject.
I was diagnosed with Fibro only 3 yrs ago. I have since discovered that I have had this dreaded disease for over 20 yrs. Yes my symptoms have progressively gotten worse. I find that every new ailment that is added is just all that much more to deal with. More pain and more stress...........
Most doctors believe that Fibro does not cause permanent damage, I think otherwise. I now have muscle weakness and spasms constantly. I get no relief from any of the meds prescribed for this.
Goodmorning Happyslove, welcome to the fibro board. You will find
support you never dreamed was possible. Folks here are not judgemental
and you can write things you can't tell your family or friends. Sometimes it
helps just to put it in writing. Please tell us more about yourself, that helps
us get to know you better. I agree with you, I've found no medication that
gives much relief for pain. May God bless you my NEW friend.
Bilij
I personally think the word progressive is just medical semantics. Does our fm get worse...Of course it does!! We are all here to prove it. Medically though it is not fatal and doesn't progress in medical thinking like MS or other disease's that eventually destroy the body and become fatal.
Do our muscles waste away, yes if we let them and can't keep ourselves active enough to keep them strong. FM is such a misunderstood disease, but optimist that I am, I think one day it will have the research and have a cure!!
God I hope its not, because ihave just been in remission most of the summer except when the weather changes and then it doesn't last and i don't have that deep muscle pain.
Mine got better when my chronic myofascial pain was treated and i don't have it anymore (I hope)
You all are freakin me out. Lupus is progressive but i don't fms necessarily is (I hope)
I posted earlier on this topic. I still believe that what I said that was correct. There is no reported "wasting" of the muscles or erosion of the joints actually caused by fibro as a medical condition. As was pointed out, if you do not use muscle or joints, then this can lead to problems with overall body problems and will of course then lead to pronounced weakness in the muscles and stiffening up of the joints. This is what I personally meant when I said about fibro not actually causing degeneration of the body. The old saying "if you don't use it, you'll lose it".
Sorry to go off the discussion about fibro, but just to comment on your bit about lupus Donna. Lupus is not normally termed as progressive once diagnosed and treated. We all go through flares which can be exacerbated by infections or perhaps coming down with a bad cold, or getting flu or anything like that. Also some patients actually can go into remission for long periods of time. Others, like me, don't have periods of remission but are kept in control of their symptoms. Treatment is the key and this is why it is so advisable to carry on reporting anything that is out of the ordinary that can cause these flares. If you have been diagnosed with lupus and are receiving the correct treatment for you, then I honestly wouldn't cause yourself too much stress about this. It is only when left undiagnosed and untreated - as with any chronic illness - that problems arise.
Take care.
goldenwings
__________________
I am not a medical doctor, I only speak from my own experience of the illnesses I discuss here.
Last edited by goldenwings; 08-29-2005 at 09:46 AM.
I'm afraid I have to agree. Before I was actually dx'd and until about 1 year later, my pain and fatigue would come and go. I would have a bad bout of fatigue for several weeks or a couple of months and then it would go away for several months. The same would happen with my pain. During that time, I figured, "ok, this isn't toooo bad. I can deal with this."
Unfortunately, I now deal with this almost every day and the fatigue and pain can get quite severe, even to the point where I once was curled up on my sofa in a fetal position practicing my lamaze breathing I learned 30 years ago! I now take the oxy's as well ... sustained release on a daily basis and instant release for break-through pain.
A word for DonnaM - Please don't let this worry you too much because I truly believe that there are plenty of people out there who have less severe cases of FM who probably have never needed narcotics, etc. We probably don't hear from them so much because they're not feeling sick enough to bother visiting the boards!
Good for you Robin, stick to that story it sounds good to me!! Golden, I think you are right about the progression thing. (Boy when my brain doesn't work, it really doesn't work). I think that is what has happened over the years for me with lupus, I'm sure I could have been diagnosed as a young adult but wasn't and I went into a remission for several years. Now it is rearing it's ugly head again.
Just my two cents here - again - I honestly feel that in the majority of cases when we have aches and pains and fatigue and the never ending list of our fibro symptoms, unless we have actually been given a diagnosis of fibro, we do tend to put it all down to perhaps our age, the work we do, the home life we have, constant running around after everyone and so on. By the time we actually say "hey, this is not right at all" in a lot of cases it has taken residence in our bodies and so we have the added fight to try and sort it out within ourselves.
Always here for you, the old mamma of SLE that I am too he he !!
Take care.
goldenwings
__________________
I am not a medical doctor, I only speak from my own experience of the illnesses I discuss here.
Last edited by goldenwings; 08-30-2005 at 12:07 PM.
