I have been wondering why I have FM. And, maybe there is no "set" answer because it could be from a lot of things.
- Traumatic Childhood
- Depression
- Anxiety
But, when I was growing up I had chronic tonsillitis, bronchitis and ear infections.I would go to my doc, get antibiotics and be good for about 6 weeks until I got another infection. I also had chronic strep throat. This went on every 6 weeks for about 5 years.
My Doc did not want me to have my tonsils out since I could never get rid of the infections completely.
So, when I was 15 I got Rheumatic Fever. It was treated with Penicillin and it never came back. I have no heart damage from it but I am wondering if having Rheum Fever could be a "cause" of FM??
I've never had RF but my childhood until I had my tonsils out at 5 years old sounds like yours.
I have a lot of allergies and wondered if there is any connection there. Since allergies are the body overreacting to something like an autoimmune disease that attack your own body, I wondered if that may be a connection.
I don't have rheumatic fever, but had years of throat infections and eventually had my tonsils out at 17. I have however had a very abusive childhood, with numerous breakdowns and depression/anxiety since I was 14. My onset of FMS came after a second (non fault) car accident in 18 months although this was not proven to be the cause (obviously thier insurance company would have had to pay out a huge amount of compensation). The doctor did report that days after the whiplash injury I appeared to have a virus which showed up initially in my throat. Pretty confusing and fristrating isn't it. It would be nice to have a clear cause so that preventative measures could be taken.
I did not have RM, but I did have a lot of trauma during junior high. I think that so many things must be able to trigger FM. I have terrible allergies. I took 3 shots a week for at least 5 years. I have had ADD and the LD disgraphia my whole life. and I was struck by lightning in 1995. I think it is possible that any of these could have caused my FM.
I had an emotionally abusive father and a pretty distant mother. I was also sexually abused by a neighbor when I was 12-13. I was in a major car accident in 1997 and had a brain injury. I was also in a couple of minor accidents since then. I also wonder if the head injury could have led to thiss. It seems like a long time ago but I have been having bouts of the fatigue, seemingly random pain in my arms, legs and sides (not all at one time) and wonder if I have been working up to this full blown illness. I also had mono when I was a senior in high school with a relapse in 2007. Wish there was an answer so there could be a cure!
I never had RF either. There are some common threads that those with fibromyalgia seem to share. First, they mostly are Type A personality, easily stressed out, push themselves sometimes past their own limits. Second, it seems that we all have had some form of trauma or stressful event or long term stress before we come down with the fibro. Then it just escalates into all kinds of sensitivities having to do with the nervous system. Every system in the body is affected. It just seems to come back to the kind of stress that the human body was not meant to endure over long periods of time. I've seen animals get sick and even die from stress alone. Why couldn't it happen to us?
Like in the case of that little girl who was abducted by a child molester and kept trapped and abused for several years. She was perfectly normal and healthy before, but after they rescued her she developed fibro and is disabled now from the fibro.
Allergic, I never heard that about the little girl who was abducted. Which one?
I have read that FM can be autoimmune or may be autoimmune. I have also read the virus theory and the stress theory and the trauma theory.
I am just wondering if what you said about long term stress can be a cause as opposed to a single time episode, like a bad accident. I have never really had any health issues that were chronic before all this but have had bouts of stuff. I just pushed my way through them and kept on pushing myself to always do more and be better. But that was the way I was raised. I was pushed in everything from academics to sports and perfection was demanded of me.
Maybe this can start in childhood and just accumulate over time to the point where your body just gives in?
I also find it curious that most people think of FM as just pain when it does affect every single part of your body, as I have found out.
I am like ama- I don’t care what they call it, I just want them to fix me! The only good thing about having a named diagnosis is the possibility of getting some assistance for it.
Gentle hugs. (I got this awesome tshirt today that says “hug me gently, I have FM”. It is lime green, one of my favorite colors, and I figured I would wear it when I see my family in a couple of weeks so I don’t have to keep asking them to be gentle.
MBP-6....They showed her story on one of the shows several times, maybe Dateline and then she was on one of the talk shows like Dr. Phil. I guess she would be in her twenties by now. It was really sad, she has fibro now and caught herpes from the guy. He kept her locked in a motel room. Sorry, I don't remember her name. The story was on tv a few years ago.
Chronic Rheumatic Fever is considered an autoimmune disease. Autoimmune diseases seem to go hand in hand with fibro, as many fibro people go on to develop autoimmune diseases.
Strep throat can cause a certain kind of psoriasis. Psoriasis can sometimes lead to psoriatic arthritis, whose symptoms are remarkably close to fibro's. Does this sound familiar to anyone here? Again, psoriatic arthritis is another autoimmune disease. Again, quite a few psoriatic arthritis people also have fibro.
MBP-6... I found the name of the girl who was kidnapped and abused, it is Jessyca Mullenberg. She was 13yrs old when they rescued her. It was on a show called 'Survived' and also her and her mother were on Dr. Phil. You can google her name. She suffers from severe fibromyalgia but she now tries to help other victims.
I had blood test that indicate I may have early rheumatoid arthritis but my rheumy will not treat me for it yet as I have no visible joint damage. He did no ultrasound or X-rays or anything. Another reason to go to UAB as it is a teaching hospital and they are more up to date.
I have had multiple surgeries before 22, and terrible allergies. My dr said this was traumatic as well as all the other surgeries I have had during my life. I was hospitalized before I was 3 months old, and my parents were told to go home that it wasn’t any use staying. That was probably traumatic. I had forgotten. I lived. Tonsils out at 7. Terrible cramps. My health life has been ongoing in a bad way.
I had pneumonia several times, and then I had a car accident where I landed on my head. After the accident my neck injury and pain gradually progressed to my whole body. I pretty much attribute that accident to the start, but I also developed a thyroid goiter around the same time. And I have been seeing on the Road Back Foundation page that treating bacterial infections with long term antibiotics is helping people with Fibromyalga get better. I guess it’s no wonder Doctors don’t like to deal with us when it’s so complicated like this!
I had my tonsils out age 10yrs and have not had RF.
However, I did have a traumatic childhood..abuse, neglect, molesting, etc.. But I am pretty well convinced that I got FM from a botched back surgery. The surgeon (idiot) cut into my spinal column releasing Cerebral Spinal Fluid into my blood stream. I was VERY ill for a long time and 14months after that surgery...another Dr. - another hospital - a patch was put on the 'cut' area of my spinal column. I have never been the same since. Always have backaches, depression, anxiety.
Then along comes FM where not just my back hurts buy ALL OVER I hurt/ache.
Thus you can well believe that I consider my FM came from both physical and emotional trauma.
Hi! The website is roadback.org. http://roadback.org/ It has a lot of information and they used to send a list of doctors that use antibiotic therapy in your state if you email them. Please let me know if you have trouble finding it-there is another website very close to it called THEroadback.org and it is a substance abuse site so be sure to not put THE in the address or search.
OMG! I started readying thinking oh yes I've been through that but you definitely out stressed me. That is so sad and really doesn't help the FM does it. I am having a horrendous time at the mo and it just makes it worse and maximises the depression too. Hopefully I will pull through really soon. Life is soooooooo cruel. And its always the nice people too, not the ones dishing it out. I hope you are feeling a lot less stressed now. You are my inspiration now to keep going and kick life up the ass too.
Jo, please try not to get too stressed out. I know it is easier said than done. every time i think that i can't take another dqy, i find a way tokeep going. My father always said i was a survivor but i dont want to b a survivor- i want to be a liver! so i keep going and God gives me the strength to keep going. I can not do the things i used to do but i have adjusted and i do what i can. I could barely move yesterday but i just enjoyed a movie and planning my next house on the beach, which will never happen but it is fun to fantasize.
i started on the mobic this morning- took it right when i got up- and it seems to be providing some relief. at least i can walk!