12 Months and 14 Fibro Musings by The Pained Ink Slayer

As fibromyalgia awareness month winds down, I am reminded of all the wonderful work of advocates and fellow bloggers. However, this month is a difficult one for me personally, because I also have chronic migraine; and the unstable atmosphere of spring weather is a trigger I cannot control. Fibromyalgia and its partners can be more than a physical challenge. For instance, a special PAINS-KC meeting I looked forward to attending was side railed because of what would end up being a 14-day status migrainosus. And, I can’t remember doing an interview for May awareness that I did not have migraine. Unintentionally, this introduction is also a segue to June headache and migraine awareness month, stay tuned.

What I write is rooted in my personal quest for help. I have learned to forgive myself for the things I can’t control and to embrace adversity. I realize that good days for others are spectacular to me. I hope you find something that is helpful for you.

Note: For future reference, archived blogs are in the right column of this page, Celeste’s freelance articles are in the header tab Celeste’s Publications, and this particular blog will be linked in the header tab Fibro Musings.

  

Just published! 7 Tips for Reclaiming Control over Fibromyalgia

Ways we can manage the effects of fibromyalgia on our central, autonomic, metabolic, and immune systems…

9 Reasons Tai Chi Reduces Pain and Promotes Health

Explore the types and benefits and practices tai chi, dubbed “medication in motion” for those of us living with chronic pain…

Fibro-mates, GI Disturbance, and Hypnosis

There is a well-documented bidirectional pathway between the brain and gut. Read about fibro-mates, IBS and GERD, and evidence on supportive therapies of the mind…

​Pitfalls and Pleasures of Therapeutic Massage for Fibromyalgia and Myofascial Pain

Determining the most beneficial type of therapeutic massage or bodywork relies on our understanding of the differences between fibromyalgia and myofascial pain syndrome. What massage techniques can help?...

Science, Fibromyalgia, and Exercise

What type of movement is showing promise for managing our fibromyalgia? You might be surprised to see the recent evidence…

Does Rare Disease—EDS—Plague Fibromyalgia?

Fibromyalgia and EDS (hEDS = EDS hypermobile type) share connections you might not have considered…

3 Tips for Reducing Stress in Fibromyalgia

What you may not know about your symptoms, stressors, and management tools…

Myofascial Pelvic Pain in Men and Women with Fibromyalgia

About the male and female fibromyalgia pelvis, pain and the myofascia, diagnosis to treatment…

Update: Fibromyalgia FM/a Blood Test and EpicGenetics Landmark Clinical Research

Genetic studies on fibromyalgia are underway with the assistance of the University of California, UCLA, and University of Illinois at Chicago using the FM/a blood test to identify participants.

Fibromyalgia and Thyroid Dysfunction

Thyroid problems can co-exist with and/or sometimes mimic fibromyalgia, the science, medicine, and awareness...

Lymphatic Massage, Clogged Drains and Fibromyalgia Pain

To understand why manual lymphatic massage is beneficial for those of us with fibromyalgia, we must first understand how it works.

The Lessons of Myofascial Pain Syndrome and Fibromyalgia

Why does myofascial pain become chronic? What causes the chronic pain of fibromyalgia? Does myofascial pain sustain fibromyalgia pain? Difference between a trigger point and tender point, and more...

Casting Light on the Shadow of Fibromyalgia: Finding the cause

The FDA "Voice of the Patient", getting unstuck, the biology of body matter, immune cells, and noteworthy news...

It’s a Battlefield: Bruising and Fibromyalgia

Are your arms and legs like battlefield magnets? Do your extremities look like a world atlas? For those of us with fibro, there might be an explanation to why that is.

Criteria and Chaos: Diagnosing Fibromyalgia

Disparity, agreements, 2016 Revisions to the 2010/2011 Fibromyalgia Diagnostic Criteria appear to address previous concerns, and now conclude...

Don’t miss:

The Pain Advocate’s Corner: How to Raise Your Voice

(also permalinked in the header tab of The Pained Ink Slayer).

“To unleash victory, I must have an open mind and willing heart,

judge not, embrace change, and be a steadfast observer of self.”

In healing,

Celeste Cooper, RN / Author, Freelancer, Advocate

Think adversity?-See opportunity!

http://www.CelesteCooper.com

~ • ~ • ~ • ~ • ~ • ~

Learn more about Celeste’s books here. Subscribe to posts by using the information in the upper right hand corner or use the share buttons to share with others. 

Fibro-mates, GI Disturbance, and Hypnosis

(C) The Forest of  an Open Mind

For years, we have known an extraordinary number of us with fibromyalgia also live with one or more frequently co-occurring, comorbid, conditions. One of those is irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). I have vocalized my own experiences with IBS, interviewed Dr Stephen Wangen, board certified, licensed physician in naturopathic medicine and co-founder and Medical Director of the IBS Treatment Center, and I have written about it in what our readers call “The Big Book”. 

Quintessential Fibro-mate: Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)

If you have IBS, you know the drum-like tightness and resonance caused by belly bloat. When not in an attack, I can explain it like this; I am in a canoe that is lazily floating through my gut. There I am with my feet up, hands behind my head relaxing in a tranquil gently moving environment. Then suddenly, I am holding on for dear life. My canoe ricochets from side to side like a ball hitting the bumpers of a pinball machine, threatening to throw me into a toxic abyss. If you have FM and IBS, you know.

What you may not know is that during an attack I practice creative visualization. I envision my bowel being coated and cloaked with a calming gel that clings to the walls of my intestines. The gooey colorful substance protects the lining against caustic toxins. As I control my breath, I call on my reserves to translate what is happening differently, without judgment. I have not mastered the technique enough to prevent an attack, but it does ease my minds interpretation of the event. In the past, things like creative visualization were not seen as valuable tools by traditional medicine. But, could times be changing? 

Fibro-mate: Gastro-esophageal Reflux Disease (GERD)?

A stronger connection has been made between fibromyalgia and GERD, as reported in an article I wrote for ProHealth. What’s interesting about this connection is that all three; FM, IBS, and GERD share two things

1.     Relationship to the immune system

2.     Relationship to brain, centralization

What’s even more interesting is that traditional medicine, thanks to neuroscience, is now embracing the things my co-author, Jeff Miller, PhD, and I have written about in our books.

Hypnosis— Really?

According to Medscape, a continuing education website for physicians and registered nurses, hypnotherapy for IBS, GERD and inflammatory bowel disease  looks promising. Did I ever think conventional medicine would look outside the box? Yes, but when we wrote our book on integrative therapies for fibromyalgia, ME/CFS, and chronic myofascial pain I would not have predicted the robust acceptance or the change taking place in traditional medical paradigms.

Hypnotherapy, as I can personally attest, gives us a sense of control and like my reported experience with creative visualization; it exposes our internal dialogue to change. As a qualified hypnotherapist makes suggestions, we gain power over autonomic body dysfunction, such as IBS and GERD. Biological changes, i.e. temperature, pulse, and blood pressure occur in response to our thoughts as evidenced by biofeedback.  

There is a well-documented bidirectional pathway between the brain and gut, and I believe integrative therapies, such as creative visualization, hypnosis, and biofeedback have a positive effect because fibromyalgia, IBS and GERD share a brain-body connection, centralization and the autonomic nervous system.

Articles of interest:

·        Is There a GERD—Fibro Connection?

·        A Nervous System at Odds: Dysautonomia and Fibromyalgia

·        What is Centralized Pain: An Interview Dr. Karl Hurst-Wicker, MD

·        Incredible Ways to Visualize Pain in the Brain

·        Chest Wall Pain, Esophageal Spasm, and GERD

 In healing,,Celeste

"Adversity is only an obstacle if we fail to see opportunity."

~ • ~ • ~ • ~ • ~ • ~

Celeste Cooper, RN

Author—Patient—Freelance Writer at Health Central & ProHealth —Advocate

Celeste’s Website: http://CelesteCooper.com

Learn more about Celeste’s books at her website or find links here on Celeste's  blog. Subscribe to posts by using the information in the upper right hand corner or use the share buttons to share with others.

All blogs and comments are based on the author's opinions and are not meant to replace medical advice.