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Fibromyalgia Education

I was recently researching Fibro information for an article and discovered several interesting pieces of information that have come from recent research.

People with Fibro have high levels of Substance P in their system.  Substance P is the neurological signal that is sent from the nerves to the brain that say, "HELP ME I'M HURT!"  Researchers are speculating that this difference in patients with Fibro means that they are highly sensitive to pain and have low levels of pain tolerance.

Another piece of research shows that Fibro patients have low levels of Seratonin.  Seratonin regulates mood and sensitivity to pain.  Again, researchers are speculating that Fibro patients have hypersensitivity to pain because of low levels of Seratonin.

Finally, people with Fibro have unusually low periods of REM sleep.  REM (rapid eye movement) sleep is the phase of sleep that is the deepest and usually is associated with dreaming.  Since such small amounts of this deep sleep happen for Fibro patients, they often wake feeling very fatigued and even have difficulty with concentration (Fibro Fog) as a result of not enough restorative sleep.

I have Fibromyalgia.  I know that I am often completely exhausted even though I sleep MANY hours.  I seem to be unusually sensitive to pain, and I have a lot of pain because I also have Lupus.

I have taken this new information and used it to show my doctor (who doesn't seem to have a clue sometimes) that I'm not making things up just because I have time on my hands to be annoying.  I have also taken this information and put it in my SSI file to use as supportive evidence.

Comments




  • Also, something you might want to consider.  Female reproductive hormones may be involved in increased sensitivity to pain.  Endocrine problems (i.e. Adrenal Insufficiency) has been linked to Fibromyalgia.  Researchers are looking into low levels of cortisol that could contribute to the body's inability to handle stress, and leading to fibro.


    For more information on this here is a link that explores the new research with Fibro:


    http://www.niams.nih.gov/Health_Info/Fibromyalgia/defalt.asp


     


    Blessings,


    Christine

    chrisym, 7 months ago | Flag
  • And another thing with Fibro, we lack the ability to get to Delta level of sleep. At this level, our bodies will repair itself and create the required hormones to fight pain. REM stage just lets us dream. But a sleep study showed that we can get to REM stage but not to Theta or Delta stage normally. We need sleep medicines and/or sleep hygiene such as getting to bed same time every night, have an hour of quiet time before bed, no stimulants such as TV or Internet or even a book that might make us skip the Delta level of sleep.

    I have a CD that gets me to the Delta level. And also take melatonin (6mg) and sleeping pills to get me to a deep sleep so I can get into Delta level.

    A sleep study I had undergone showed I NEVER got to Theta or Delta level. A person can get approved for SSDI with a sleep study showing they never got to Delta level. That is one piece of evidence and supports their not be able to work a normal job.
    geekygranny, 8 months ago | Flag
  • Actually it is not Factor P but Substance P in the spinal fluid. Higher the level, the more pain you feel.

    Thanks for adding more research!
    geekygranny, 8 months ago | Flag
  • First of all Thank You very much..............I read what you wrote and I could not beleive it you decribed exactly how I feel and it is very hard to get people to listen to you they think that you have lost you mind. I am currently taking Cymbalta and I have been on it for a couple of yrs. but when I went to my doctor and told him that I think that I have Fibromyalgia he said we can take some blood test and that was about the exstent of the conversation. Since then I have talked him into trying me on Lyrica and I have already noticed a difference. I am now taking notes because I have trouble remembering things sometimes and I have to go back and see him in a month. Reading what you wrote has got me excited and I am going to start taking notes and showing them to my doctor and maybe he will start listening to me and take me serious. Thank you for the information. I think this is going to help me very much. I have applied for my disibilty 2 times and been turned down and now have retained an attorney so keep me in your prayers and that is what I am doing also. Hope to have some good news soon on my disibilty. I would love to add you to my friends list and stay in contact with you. Thanks again Tiggernanny
    Tigernanny, 8 months ago | Flag

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