FMS

[Guest guest]

FMS is very real. FMS can be brought on by many things so some doctors

say (use it as a catch all for when they can't figure out what is wrong

with you); and yes unfortunately up until early 90's the majority of

doctors state it's all in our heads; but I have been fortunate enough to

find a doctor that knows what FMS is. FMS is a muscle disease and one

may be the unlucky one to get it as I am. Despite what some may say it

is not inherited, passed on from generation to generation. I have had

FMS all my life pretty much but no one could identify it as such until

mid 90's until I went to a civilian doctor who is from the Philippine's.

I was in such bad shape that he had to give me a series of shots

combined with chordizone and pain medicine starting in my right shoulder

and work his way down to below the wing of my shoulder. It gave it

relief but it is not a cure. Unlike MS it is not life threatening, you

just hurt all the time and there are spells where you cannot walk at

all. When you exert yourself because of no feeling in your muscles you

start hurting. Those with FMS must take their health into there own

hands. Even good doctors like I had who told me what I had after all

these years can only keep giving you pain shots, cortisone and such.

But one must even get away from such doctors and do there own thing to

put FMS under control. It can be controlled if we don't allow

ourselves to become victims of HMO's, doctors, and pharmacies who

dispense pain killers, or give you injections for such.

 

I was a career Marine back in late 60's, and 70's and had the same

problem. The Navy doctors didn't know what to do with me. I was given

physical therapy for my lower extremities for not being able to walk and

my right side going into temporary paralysis at a whim. After two

years of that torture and not getting anywhere I was assigned a new

doctor because the one I had was transferred. That Navy doctor told me

" off the record " that I was being treated for the wrong thing. He

immediately stopped the physical therapy. I spent almost 9 years in

the Corps before there giving me a medical discharge with disability. I

am a disabled American Veteran because they did not know I had FMS . I

spent the next 20 years with the problem and never went back to a doctor

after getting out of the Corps because none of them knew what to do with

me. The couple times I did was because I had married and was with

child. Had a son who is now 25. Back in 1996 I injured my self by

over exerting myself and pulled every muscle in my right shoulder and

just about ruined my arm. I did not know I had done so because I was

so use to pain that it never dawned on me that I had injured myself. It

was than that I went to a civilian doctor and found out what I had. He

told me I was the worst case of FMS he had ever seen and couldn't

believe that I was tolerant of the pain as I was and how badly I had

torn my ligaments. He wanted to put me under to give me the cortisone

and I refused. I didn't feel anything, simply because I was in so much

pain to begin with the needles injected in the injured shoulder and arm

didn't matter. I went to him from Oct. 96 until Dec. 96 when I took it

upon myself to quit taking those shots and just doing for myself. I

checked the internet for FMS groups, any information I could. I bought

a couple books put out by doctors who have FMS and had learned ways to

treat it. I forget the names of those books right now cause I haven't

had to look at it in about 3 years. I found alot of stuff on the

Internet as well. By this time it was 1997.

 

In all my research I found that anyone with any type of medical

condition no matter if a simple headache, to cancer, to MS, to CFS, and

so on are like that because of nutrients and vitamins missing in their

system. We are sick because we are in taking the wrong foods into our

system. By end of 1997 I started going to the gym on the military base

and working out with weights and such to help me with my muscles. By

the end of 1997 I had lost about 70 lbs and still had more to lose. I

was feeling better than I ever had. Also need to state here that I

had started also on a strict diet (well sort of). I started drinking

herbal teas instead of sodas, coffee. I started eating meat only once

a week instead of several times a week. I did the detox using a system

they had at the health food store. I started using natural stuff from

health food store and started using double dose of B-12 and B-6 to help

with the pain. WARNING: B-12 AND B-6 DOUBLE DOSES ONLY TAKEN when I was

in extreme pain at the beginning of one of my attacks. USUALLY TAKEN

FOR NO MORE THAN A WEEK than go back to regular dozes. It worked,

within 3 days I was showing improvement. I also faithfully had my

BRAGGS APPLE CIDER cocktail at least 3 times a day (in the morning when

I first got out of bed, mid afternoon and before going to bed at night).

You use 2 tablespoon of BRAGGS (must be braggs because it is all

natural and sold only at health food stores) with 1 tablespoon of PURE

NATURAL HONEY also purchased at a health food store in a cup of hot

water. Drink it just like you would a tea. This cleans out your

system especially your blood of impurities, as well as it being a good

duriec for excess water and definitely helps to reduce the weight. I

would use Spiritein (energy shake) with rice milk or soy milk for my

lunch. In the morning it was my apple cider vinegar drink and oatmeal

with toast for breakfast. I ate pretty much what I wanted in the

evening but made sure it was vegetables, rice or potato with usually

some type of baked fish or chicken. I'm not a fussy eater so I ate all

sorts of vegetables with my fish or chicken. Once a week usually

Saturday I treated myself to anything I wanted so if I ate meat that was

the day I did it. Instead of eating candy bars or chips I instead had

fruit or a ultra-slim fast candy bar for my sweet tooth. I always made

sure to have my evening meal ready by 5 at night. After 6 p.m. I did

not eat anything unless I really felt I needed it and than I might have

one of my energy shakes or fruit.

 

Anyway following this routine I lost alot of weight, felt great, was

working out at the gym 3 times a week until May 1998 I had a relapse.

I woke up in the middle of the night in great pain and I knew exactly

what was happening. I managed to fall back to sleep only to wake up a

few hours later paralyzed from the waist down and no feeling there as

well as my right side. I had to use my walker to hold myself up and

drag my sorry body from room to room. I finally ended up going to the

emergency room only to have some jerk telling me I had the flu. They

also checked me for having a stroke. I told them I did not have a

stroke told them my problem but the damn asshole tried to tell me it

was in my head. I got so hungry at him that I cursed him and told him

to get his sorry ass out of my face. Pretty much told him he was a

sorry excuse for a doctor. Couldn't get a hold of my doctor was the

weekend and he was gone. I came home with pain killers which did not

help. Next day I went to my doctor and he wanted to give me more shots.

I told him no more shots. He told me he could do nothing for me

that I would have to live with my FMS. I told him it was more than FMS

this time so I demanded he request an MRI. He finally did and when

they took the test found out one of my disk and slipped out of place and

was what caused the relapse of my FMS with the pain and all. Nothing to

worry about the disk not life threatening, no surgery and such. I was

told to quite going to the gym especially the weight room. This time I

was down until almost end of July. But unfortunately because of my

having to stop going to the gym I started putting the weight back on in

2000. In 2000 I felt well enough that I traveled North for a couple

months and I guess I over did myself because when I came back my right

ankle had an injury. I figured I had pulled it somehow and it seemed

like it would heal and I'd be good to go for awhile than I'd have a

relapse. I somehow got away from my herbal teas and apple cider vinegar

drinks and type of foods I was eating. So by end of 2000 I had started

gaining back some of the weight I had lost. Early last year I

requested a new doctor and went to one that is very well liked in the

community. A Dr. Woods, but I have yet to see her but have instead her

partner a Dr. Eskandar, a Middle Easterner. He and I get along really

well. I was forced to go back to a doctor because of my right leg

getting worse. I ended up having to wear a brace. Was sent to

Othropedic and found out what I already knew that I have weak muscle and

my ankles cannot support my weight. So on bad days I wear my braces

on both the right and left ankles to just walk. This doctor was upset

that I had not seen a doctor for a yearly physical in more than 20

years. So in his doing the physical found out I had high blood

pressure, and my cholesterol was up and also have thyroid problems. He

started me on meds and I faithfully took them. I lost all interest in

his meds earlier this year when I went for my meds and they had given me

double doze on one of them and I knew that was wrong because my blood

pressure was back to normal, and my cholesterol was much lower and

thyroid was normal. I called them on it and the nurse stated I had

been taking that doze all along and I argued with her I had not. She

called me a liar. That really ticked me of so I drove myself down

there and made a scene (I usually don't do that and usually quiet). I

embarrassed her to no end in front of everyone. I also told the doctor

he had better review his prescriptions before having those nurses fill

them for him. I haven't been back since. I take only the doze I

originally had for all my meds. I haven't even gone for my yearly

physical but I will in October. I have been using a natural substance

called Thyrolean for my thyroid instead of the meds. Last time I went he

was really impressed with my thyroid. I didn't tell him what I was

doing. Want to wait till I go in October and than tell him I haven't

been using his meds for that.

 

I know with a certainty that once I get back on my schedule with my diet

that I won't have as many episodes of relapses to being temporarily

paralyzed. The very reason why I have joined this group. FMS is a

muscle disease which cannot be explained and the reason we hurt like we

do is because we don't realize how much exertion we put on our bodies to

walk on our weak muscles, or open a jar of mayo, or while driving

putting alot of pressure holding the steering wheel of a vehicle. We

unconsciously hold tight not realizing we have the problem and we exert

alot more pressure than should be needed to a normal person who does not

have weak muscles.

 

I do force myself to walk some. I wear my ankle braces and take my

wheelie walker and go out the door and down the street. On good days I

take my metal detector and go treasure hunting. Granted it's not the

same as someone normal who can walk briskly but I refuse to let FMS

beat me. Most times anymore hubby has to take me shopping because my

legs give out. He always tries to get me to use one of those mobile

machines in Walmarts and other places but I refuse to. I walk in with

my ankle bracelets on, a cain, than get a cart hold on to it and just

walk until I can't walk anymore. When I injured myself back in 2000 I

would go everyday (when I could walk) to our local Walmart, take a cart

and walk for 30-45 minutes in the store. Seldom did any shopping

would just walk holding on to the cart and when I'd get tired I'd stop

and look at items on a shelf while leaning on the cart. Learned alot

about pricing and such. Also learned all that junk they put in food

snacks and such. LOL

 

On 9/11 last year all hell broke loose here in GA. I live next door to

the 3rd Mechanized Infantry and we were on lock down for a week in this

town after 9/11 and after that for several months we still are monitored

and vehicles checked because of the post being a vital military base.

So I have been stressed quite a bit about it and pretty much stay home.

I also realized in the last week with it being on the news again that I

am more in pain than I have been all year. But I am trying to keep

that under control and have been forcing myself to walk even if it's in

my house from room to room for 15-20 minutes or up and down my street.

 

Doctors who label everyone with FMS as a catch all are doing those

patients an injustice. I had an elderly lady who passed away last fall

that has a niece who has been diagnosed with FMS and is today a

vegetable, taking more than 15-20 types of pills, was made to believe

she needs it to survive and such. It's a croak, my opinion is she has

something else such as arthritis, and such. This woman is only in her

early 40's. Her aunt sent her what I did to help myself but she

refuses to try it. Many folks I'm sorry to say are sick because they

refuse to take there health into there own hands and attempt to do

something about it. Some like to be on a pity party and use those

stupid meds and are doing themselves an injustice.

 

As for myself I know I have relapsed and part of it was my fault, I gave

up the last time when I had a relapse instead of keeping doing what I

knew to do but I'm back on track now and I simply refuse to give up.

NO MATTER WHAT DOCTORS SAY, FMS is not in our head, it is not a catch

all for other maladies IT IS A MUSCLE DISEASE which will not kill you

but can keep you in pain and not able to do alot of things as normal

folks do such as running, walking, opening jars of mayo and such and the

best thing for someone with FMS is to be on a healthy diet, work hard at

doing some walking, exercising muscles in hands, legs and such BUT HAVE

TO BE VERY CAREFUL not to tear ligaments like I did while attempting

these. FMS is not like MS that eventually kills one with MS. There

have been times that I wish I had MS instead of FMS and just die but I

don't think like that anymore because I have learned my weaknesses and

know my strength's and life is to precious to want to give it up so I do

all I can to be able to live as normal a life as I can. I am not

ashamed to wear my ankle bracelets or use my wheelie walker and going

down the street.

 

So if any of you have ever been diagnosed with FMS as a catch all you

had better find another doctor who knows what the heck they are doing

and have them run a serious of test on you. FMS is not cfs, ms,

arthritis, etc. It is a muscle disease. Find a doctor that was

trained in Europe, the Middle East, Philipains or Chinese if at all

possible. Fortunately there are now some American doctors that are

open minded and being trained by going out of this country or going to a

seminar/school somewhere in CA. to learn what they need to about natural

herbs and such and identifying medical problems by knowing how to check

the points in your body to know how to treat you with natural methods.

I found out about this with the last two doctors I have had who have

gone through this type of training even though the medical profession

frowns on these doctors.

 

I know this much with a certainty that no matter what medical problem we

may have from headaches to the worst such as cancer and so forth we can

all get it under control if we all took control of our bodies and

learned about nutrients, vitamins, what foods to avoid and what to eat.

If we all did this there would be no need for doctors, except for

maybe surgery from time to time to mend perhaps broken legs or accidents

and such. Americans would not be so obese. Americans would be more

healthy. There would be no need for HMO's, for pharmacies.

 

I hope and pray that one day health food stores will out number

pharmacies. Most likely won't happen in my life time but one can hope

that it will later down the road. It can happen if we continue to

educate folks about such things. The internet has opened an avenue to

do this and reach as many people as possible. I know if it were not for

the internet I would not know as much as I do about my condition. I'd

probably be one of those totally crippled by my condition if I had not

taken the initiative to check things out for myself.

 

Time for me to stop now. I'm wearing myself out............ LOL