Autonomic Nervous System Symptoms
Many autonomic nervous system symptoms are found including difficulty standing , rapid heartbeat and poor blood pressure regulation that causes dizziness, nausea, fatigue, headaches, sweating, pallor, mottling in lower limbs, etc. palpitations, breathing dysregulation , irritable bowel syndrome , visual disturbances, burning sensations, chest pain
Many of the defining symptoms of ME/CFS are pain symptoms. Upper body pain is particularly common.
Getting Older And Me/cfs
There is very little information on getting older and ME/CFS, however people can develop ME/CFS at any age. Additionally, all of the strategies such as pacing to reduce PEM and managing symptoms still apply. As people age, other problems with their health may also arise, so discussing any new symptoms with their doctor important.
What Do We Know About Fibromyalgia
Of the two, fibromyalgia affects about 4 million Americans and is one of the most misunderstood conditions. Many times, family members and friends dont understand what having fibromyalgia means and what it means to suffer from it.
Many patients get their diagnosis between the ages of 20 and 50, but the incidence increases with age. By age 80, about 8% of adults have fibromyalgia. according to the National Fibromyalgia Association. About 75% to 90% of those who have fibromyalgia are women.
The cause of fibromyalgia is unknown, says Dr. Bolash. Genetics, trauma or an infection may play a role. Fibromyalgia sufferers say it feels like having the flu all the time.
Symptoms include:
- Fatigue and tiredness.
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My Own Fibromyalgia Symptomchecklist
I can testify that I had many of the problems listed above and three times as many more that are not listed. Now I don’t.
Why?
Because I kept asking questions. And when I got answers, I asked questions about what was behind the answers.
It was not too long before I discovered that fibro, while regarded as a ‘special’ condition, or even a disease, by many – is nothing of the sort. At best, it could be looked upon as a ‘syndrome,’ which is to me a catch-all designation for the ‘unexplainable.’
One doctor I discussed these things with said to me, ‘A fibromyalgia symptom checklist is a ‘garbage pail category’ in which to throw health issues that most think are unexplainable.’
But beyond the syndrome explanation, you may want to investigate your own personal history to find the real causes and the real solutions. My own journey, as well as those of coaching clients with long term chronic conditions, shows that when you dig deep enough, you can find origins of such problems and a path of action that will bring desirable results.
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Why Do More Women Have Fibromyalgia
Women in peak childbearing years are diagnosed with fibromyalgia at a much higher rate than any other segment of the population in the U.S. This has led researchers to study the role hormones might play in the development of this disease. Some hypothesize that an imbalance of estrogen and progesterone may be to blame. They point to shifts in these hormones as women experience pregnancy, childbirth, and menopause.
Other causes of fibromyalgia in women can include:
- Genetics: Women with a sibling or parent with fibromyalgia are more likely to be diagnosed themselves.
- Viral infection: Viral infections such as the herpes simplex -1 virus, commonly linked to cold sores, have been connected to the development of fibromyalgia.
- Trauma: Physical or emotional trauma also correlates with a rise in the incidence of fibromyalgia.
- Dysfunctional pain processing: Many researchers agree that one of the key causes of fibromyalgia is dysfunction in the central nervous systems pain processing.
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Housebound Or Bedbound With Me/cfs
About 25% of people with ME/CFS are housebound or bedbound. Those who are housebound may be able to undertake minimal daily tasks for themselves, such as brushing teeth, cooking or using a computer for short periods of time, but they have to pace their activity and often use aids to help them . They are unable to leave the house, often because this requires more energy than they have available. When they do leave the house, they often need mobility aids such as a wheelchair or mobility scooter, or other assistance . Recovery from a trip out of the house can take days, or longer.
Some people are so severely unwell that they are bedbound some or all of the time. The most severely unwell may be unable to undertake even simple tasks, like eating or going to the toilet by themselves. They may require additional medical devices, such as feeding tubes, to help them get enough nutrition and fluids, and can be totally dependent on carers.
Here Is The Overall List Of Symptoms Of Fibromyalgia
GENERAL
- 1. Activity level decreased to less than 50% of pre-illness activity level
- 2. Cold hands and feet
- 3. Cough
- 5. Delayed reaction to physical activity or stressful events
- 6. Dryness of eyes and/or mouth
- 7. Edema
- 8. Family member with Fibromyalgia
- 9. Fatigue, made worse by physical exertion or stress
- 10. Feeling cold often
- 15. Hypoglycemia
- 16. Increased thirst
- 17. Low blood pressure
- 18. Low body temperature
- 19. Low-grade fevers
- 21. Noisy joints with or without pain
- 22. Poor circulation in hands/feet
- 23. Profuse sweating
- 25. Shortness of breath with little or no exertion
- 26. Severe nasal allergies
- 27. Sore throat
- 28. Subjective swelling of extremities
- 29. Sweats
- 30. Symptoms worsened by air travel
- 31. Symptoms worsened by stress
- 32. Symptoms worsened by temperature changes
- 33. Tender or swollen lymph nodes, especially in neck and underarms
- 34. Tremor or trembling
- 35. Unexplained weight gain or loss
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Tips For Exercising Safely With Me/cfs
If you feel you can tolerate some exercise, be guided by your doctor or specialist, but general suggestions include:
- Experiment to find the type of exercise that works best for you. Choose from a range of gentle activities such as stretching, yoga, tai chi, walking and light weight training. Often, people find exercises lying down use less energy.
- Keep an activity diary so you have a long-term picture of your performance levels and factors that might impact on your symptoms. Some people with ME/CFS find they feel good straight after exercise, but then crash later on, so make sure you monitor how you feel, hours to days after exercise.
- Stop the physical activity well before you feel any symptom flare. Pacing yourself is very important.
- Remember that the amount of exercise you can do will change from one day to the next.
- Listen to your body if you dont feel up to exercising on a particular day, dont.
- Find out as much as you can about your ME/CFS. Make sure you consult with health professionals who fully understand ME/CFS as a biomedical disease
Challenges For Women With Fibromyalgia
Its not only increased pain. Women also face discrimination to the level of pain medication theyre prescribed as well as the manner in which they are treated when they report pain. The same study also found that:
- Women are more likely than men to have their pain dismissed as psychological
- They are also less likely to be prescribed opioids for pain
- Women feel that that their pain is not taken seriously or believed when they report it
Women process pain differently than men, but discrimination in the doctors office when women report their pain is a big hurdle in diagnosis. This lack of understanding of womens pain plays a big role in the amount of time it takes to even receive a diagnosis of fibromyalgia. The average time for a fibromyalgia diagnosis is two years or more.
Fibromyalgia in women is a debilitating syndrome. It inordinately affects our mothers, sisters, grandmothers, nieces, and aunts. Because one of the primary causes in women is hormones, it is crucial that researchers focus their efforts on treatment options that are designed for and tested on women. There is an historical research bias against women. This undoubtedly affects the efficacy of medications for them. Research needs to recognize that this syndrome is female-focused and actively recruit female study participants for more effective treatments.
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High Levels Of Fatigue
It is a sensation that you may consider is because of something else however fibromyalgia can originate severe and great intensities of fatigue you are inevitable to neglect.
Management : With daily activities, its good to set up a scheduled routine. Be careful about overdoing it, so you dont deplete your extra energy. Learning moderation is a skill that can help you get things done despite discomfort and fatigue.
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Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Symptom Generation
When you look at the huge list of symptoms in Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, you can see that every bodily system is affected. Such a large range of symptoms often leads to unkind and unhelpful accusations that the patient is catastrophising, malingering or is a hypochondriac or has some kind of mental illness. This of course couldn’t be further from the truth – ME/CFS is a real physical illness!
Not only are the symptoms of ME/CFS real, but this large range of symptoms is actually the biggest clue as to the root cause of the illness.
So what connects all the bodily systems? The CENTRAL nervous system. More specifically, it is the Autonomic Nervous System that controls the various bodily systems.
Whilst the WHO identified ME/CFS as a neurological condition many years ago, the mechanisms that lead to the symptoms are still poorly understood by the wider medical community.
In the book CFS Unravelled I outline the explanation of ANS dysfunction as the root cause of the illness and outline how this explains the variation in illness onset, symptom variation, symptom generation and recovery. The book also outlines a framework for recovery and explains how this is experienced by many people despite severe or long-term illness.
There is no single magic cure, but recovery is possible and the key is to understand how the illness works so you can tailor a personal recovery action plan.
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Treating Chronic Fatigue Syndrome And Fibromyalgia
Theres no standard treatment for ME/CFS or fibromyalgia. Most people end up with multiple types of treatment. It can take a lot of trial and error to come up with a good treatment regimen.
Types of treatment include:
- Painkillers: Ranging from over-the-counter or prescription anti-inflammatories to opioid painkillers, such as Advil/Motrin , Aleve , Relafen , Vicodin , OxyContin
- Sleep drugs: To improve sleep duration and quality, including Klonopin , Lunesta , Ambien
Topical pain relievers like BioFreeze and Tiger Balm are commonly used, as well.
Therapies
Some therapies are controversial when it comes to ME/CFS. Two historically common ones are:
- Cognitive behavioral therapy : A type of talk therapy that addresses negative thoughts and habits and how to replace them with healthier behaviors.
- Graded exercise therapy : Controlled exercise that attempts to build exercise tolerance.
These treatments used to be recommended as first-line treatments, despite little evidence showing them to be effective. A major flaw in this treatment approach is that it doesn’t address known physiological abnormalities of the disease.
In fact, the theory behind these treatments holds that ME/CFS involves false beliefs, being out of shape, and having an irrational aversion to exercise. These beliefs are not supported by research or the experiences of people with ME/CFS.
Some studies estimated CBT and GET to benefit about 20% of people who tried them. Other estimates put it as low as 10%.
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Diagnosis And Treatment For Me/cfs
Currently, there is no single test to diagnose ME/CFS. Doctors make a diagnosis by excluding all other illnesses that might be causing symptoms and following accepted diagnostic criteria. The persons results from routine medical tests will often be normal, but additional tests may show abnormalities.
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What Do Your Fibromyalgia Symptoms Mean
There is currently no cure for fibromyalgia, but there are treatments that can make living with fibromyalgia easier. An earlier post on our blog discussed the common fibromyalgia treatments that are in use today for this syndrome. You can also watch our blog for any developments in fibromyalgia research or therapeutic techniques.
If youre experiencing some of these symptoms, but not all, read about lupus symptoms. This is a similar condition, but it often causes accompanying skin changes.
Your best way to beat fibromyalgia or any pain condition starts with a diagnosis. By working with a pain specialist who has experience treating fibromyalgia, you can take the first step in getting your life back. Click the button below to find a pain doctor in your area.
What Is Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/chronic Fatigue Syndrome
Myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome is a complex and disabling disease. It has been classified as a neurological disorder by the World Health Organization, though it affects many parts of the body, including the brain and muscles, digestive, immune and cardiac systems.
The term myalgic encephalomyelitis means pain in the muscles, and inflammation in the brain and spinal cord. Scientists are starting to understand some of the biological changes in the bodies of people with ME/CFS, although they have not yet found how to prevent, or cure it.
Research has found that ME/CFS is associated with problems involving:
- The bodys ability to produce energy at a cellular level
- Immune, neurological and hormonal systems
- Blood pressure and heart rate regulation
- Digestion
- Sleep
- Cognition how quickly information is processed
ME/CFS affects men, women and children of all ages, ethnicities, and socioeconomic backgrounds. 75-80% of people with the disease are female. It is estimated that up to 600,000 Victorians may be living with ME/CFS, and as many as 90% are undiagnosed.
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Bones And When They Ache
Hurting bones are not common normally however people who suffer from fibromyalgia are considered to have hurting bones. Tenderness, bone pain and others are all triggered by a sever disruption in your blood stream and fibromyalgia is somewhat that carries this along. People who suffer from this are considered to have sleep issues and an incapability to carry out physical exercises. Achy bones is an indication that individuals experience on a daily basis but someone might certainly not recognize that it is because of fibromyalgia and it is consequently something that you have to check
Management : People should avoid caffeine and other stimulants in the evening and sleep in a quiet, dark room with comfortable bedding. They should not eat or watch TV in bed. Doctors may prescribe low doses of tricyclic antidepressants. Aspirin or other nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are generally of limited benefit. Pain relievers, such as tramadol or acetaminophen, can help. Opioids, which can be habit-forming and become less effective over time, are best avoided when treating chronic disorders such as fibromyalgia.
Confirming A Relationship Between Cfs/me And Fm
SEM results confirmed that both groups were invariant on all the questionnaires with the exception of the American CDC Symptom Inventory, the FIQ and the HADS . The results also confirmed that the criteria for metric invariance have not been fulfilled, suggesting that CFS/ME and FM groups were responding differently to items on these questionnaires for each model. To identify which questions were responsible, each item was constrained individually. The results confirmed that, on the CDC Symptom Inventory, muscle aches and pains was the item of interest ). Two items on the FIQ were identified: the symptoms ) and how tired have you been ). On the HADS, the questions identified were: I can laugh and see the funny side of things ) and I can enjoy a good book or radio programme ).
The Syndrome Model and note changes made. C=CFS/ME, F=FM. CDC, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention err, errors FIQ, Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire Anxiety and Depression = HADS, Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale.
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Problems Getting A Good Nights Sleep
Almost all chronic fatigue syndrome patients experience unrefreshing sleep and/or reduced or increased levels of sleep. Sleep issues can range from insomnia, to early waking, to difficulty achieving deep sleep. Sleep studies focusing on traditional sleep issues have had mostly unremarkable findings but recent studies employing measures of autonomic nervous functioning suggest that system is intimately involved in sleep and other issues.
How Is Me/cfs Diagnosed
There is no single test to diagnose ME/CFS. Your doctor will ask you about your symptoms, and how long you have had them, and might do some tests to rule out other possible causes.
You can only receive a diagnosis of ME/CFS after you have had symptoms for 6 months or more.
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