"Over time, the brain can become more sensitive to chronic pain. It may overreact to even less intense pain signals."
As Fibromyalgia patients, we are already hypersensitive to pain... so are we destined to eventually having even more pain? FMS is supposedly not progressive, but this will definitely make it feel that way if it's true. I don't know how much more a lot of us can take!
You are so right about being hypersensitive to pain, but also stress seems to be effected. In February I received my first tattoo. I've always wanted to get one to cover up a bruise looking mark on my right shoulder and it was.....so cliche....on my bucket list. All of my life I have had a high tolerance for pain, but not with Fibro, that tattoo hurt like a son of a gun. That will be my first and last tattoo. Let's see...next on my list....skydiving?
I can relate too. I get so much better relief from acupuncture and massage than from narcotics. I take vicodin on an as needed basis. If I'm going to be doing something very physical or stressful I take a vicodin. Its a really odd thing though. I get a little boost from it and it works about 3 hours then I have the worst fibro pain I've had since before Lyrica. There is something about it that relieves my pain temporarily and then makes it worse than it was in the first place. So, I have to take it up until bedtime if I take it.
Last year my husbands union cut our "elective" medical care coverage from $10,000 a year to $1,000 a year. That lumps my acupuncture, chiropractic/massage and naturopathic care into one. Well, I just don't go. I can't afford it. I thought we were getting closer to the holistic type of care that worked for centuries before all the drugs. Oh I'm getting so mad thinking about it. I better go.
I do think our nervous systems are on “heightened awareness” where even the slightest stimulus causes an action potential and then a misinterpretation by the brain. (My physical therapist has me reading a book about our bodies’ response to pain. It’s fascinating.) I think that this heightened awareness is why our bodies get used to the pain meds. Our brain WANTS to receive the signals because it believes we are in danger. Anyway, that’s what I think.
Has anyone heard of the gate theory of pain. I studied this a bit when I was doing additonal training and try to put some of the theory in to practice on myself to try to help the fibro pains. May be worth a look. Type gate theory of pain into your search engines to get more info if you are interested.