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FMS, CFS, Lupus and Related Conditions
FDA News
June 21, 2007
FDA Approves First Drug for Treating Fibromyalgia..
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved
Lyrica (pregabalin), the first drug to treat fibromyalgia,
a disorder characterized by pain, fatigue and sleep problems.
Lyrica reduces pain and improves daily functions for some
patients with fibromyalgia.
August 27th 2007
Eli Lilly has filed for FDA approval.
To sell Cymbalta as a fibromyalgia remedy. It's already marketed for use against general anxiety and nerve pain, in addition to depression.
Lilly announced its supplemental drug app with news of a study that found that fibromyalgia patients taking Cymbalta felt less pain.
I am not suggesting you run to your doctor for a prescription.
I am however greatful that the FDA is taking a serious look at FMS as a real syndrome/condition.
The NFA has teamed up with Pfizer and has recently been airing a Public Service Announcement on several TV stations.
You can also view this announcement at:
http://www.fibrohope.org
Fibromyalgia means pain in the fibrous tissues of the body-the muscles, ligaments and tendons. FMS used to be called fibrositis, which implied that there was inflammation in the muscles, but recent research has proved that there is no inflammation.
FMS does not damage the tissues and is not progressive. Because various other symptoms often accompany the muscle pain, it's often called Fibromyalgia Syndrome. Routine laboratory tests usually reveal nothing abnormal in patients with FMS. However, FMS sufferers are sensitive to pressure in specific areas of the body called "tender points."
In 1990 the American College of Rheumatology established formal criteria for diagnosing Fibromyalgia (primarily for research purposes). To meet the diagnostic criteria, patients must have:
Widespread pain in all four quadrants of the body for at least three months. At least 11 of the 18 specified tender points.
Other common symptoms associated with Fibromyalgia include fatigue, sleep disorder, cognitive impairments, numbness and tingling sensations and more.
You can learn more by visiting my website at:
www.fibromyalgiatalk.com
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To visit the Fibromyalgia Talk Website
just click on the Banner.
WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT FIBROMYALGIA
1. FMS is not the newest fad disease. In fact, it isn't a disease at all, and it isn't even new. In 1815, a surgeon at the University of Edenburgh, William Balfour, described fibromyalgia. Over the years, it has been known as chronic rheumatism, myalgia and fibrositis. Unlike diseases, syndromes do not have a known cause, but they do have a specific set of signs and symptoms which, unfortunately for the patient, take place together. Rheumatoid arthritis and lupus are also syndromes.
2. The many physical and emotional problems associated with FMS are not psychological in origin. This is not an "all in your head" disorder. In 1987, the American Medical Association recognized FMS as a true physical illness and major cause of disability.
3. Syndromes strike life-long athletes as viciously as they do couch potatoes. They can be disabling and depressing, interfering with even the simplest activities of daily life.
WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT ME
1. My pain - My pain is not your pain. It is not caused by inflammation. Taking your arthritis medication will not help me. I can not work my pain out or shake it off. It is not even a pain that stays put. Today it is in my shoulder, but tomorrow it may be in my foot or gone. My pain is believed to be caused by improper signals sent to the brain, possibly due to sleep disorders. It is not well understood, but it is real.
2. My fatigue - I am not merely tired. I am often in a severe state of exhaustion. I may want to participate in physical activities, but I can't. Please do not take this personally. If you saw me shopping in the mall yesterday, but I can't help you with yard work today, it isn't because I don't want to. I am, most likely, paying the price for stressing my muscles beyond their capability.
3. My forgetfulness - Those of us who suffer from it call it fibrofog. I may not remember your name, but I do remember you. I may not remember what I promised to do for you, even though you told me just seconds ago. My problem has nothing to do with my age but may be related to sleep deprivation. I do not have a selective memory. On some days, I just don't have any short-term memory at all.
4. My clumsiness - If I step on your toes or run into you five times in a crowd, I am not purposely targeting you. I do not have the muscle control for that. If you are behind me on the stairs, please be patient. These days, I take life and stairwells one step at a time.
5. My sensitivities - I just can't stand it! "It" could be any number of things: bright sunlight, loud or high-pitched noises, odors. FMS has been called the "aggravating everything disorder." So don't make me open the drapes or listen to your child scream. I really can't stand it.
6. My intolerance - I can't stand heat, either. Or humidity. If I am a man, I sweat...profusely. If I am a lady, I perspire. Both are equally embarrassing, so please don't feel compelled to point this shortcoming out to me. I know. And don't be surprised if I shake uncontrollably when it's cold. I don't tolerate cold, either. My internal thermostat is broken, and nobody knows how to fix it.
7. My depression - Yes, there are days when I would rather stay in bed or in the house or die. I have lost count of how many of Dr. Kevorkian's patients suffered from FMS as well as other related illnesses. Severe, unrelenting pain can cause depression. Your sincere concern and understanding can pull me back from the brink. Your snide remarks can tip me over the edge.
8. My stress - My body does not handle stress well. If I have to give up my job, work part time, or handle my responsibilities from home, I'm not lazy. Everyday stresses make my symptoms worse and can incapacitate me completely.
9. My weight - I may be fat or I may be skinny. Either way, it is not by choice. My body is not your body. My appetite is broken, and nobody can tell me how to fix it.
10. My need for therapy - If I get a massage every week, don't envy me. My massage is not your massage. Consider how a massage would feel if that charley horse you had in your leg last week was all over your body. Massaging it out was very painful, but it had to be done. My body is knot-filled. If I can stand the pain, regular massage can help, at least temporarily.
11. My good days - If you see me smiling and functioning normally, don't assume I am well or that I have been cured. I suffer from a chronic pain and fatigue illness with no cure. I can have my good days or weeks or even months. In fact, the good days are what keep me going.
12. My uniqueness - Even those who suffer from FMS are not alike. That means I may not have all of the problems mentioned above. I do have pain above and below the waist and on both sides of my body which has lasted for a very long time. I may have migraines or hip pain or shoulder pain or knee pain, but I do not have exactly the same pain as anyone else.
I hope that this helps you understand me, but if you still doubt my pain, your local bookstore, library and the internet have many good books and articles on fibromyalgia.
Author's note: This letter is based on communications with people throughout the world, males and females, who suffer from fibromyalgia. It does not represent any one of the over 10,000,000 people with FMS, but it can help the healthy person understand how devastating this illness can be. Please do not take these people and their pain lightly. You wouldn't want to spend even a day in their shoes...or their bodies.
Author unknown......
Click on the Dvd to visit ProHealths Site.
Visit the Living with Fibromyalgia Site.
Thank you Sit and be Fit
for providing me with
this link. Please take time
to visit their site.
A Book by Devin Starlanyl
for those of us with
FMS and/or CMP Syndromes.
Written by Lynne Matallana
NFA President and Founder.
A Poem By MySpace Friend Mick
Thank You!
Woke up this morning, reeling in pain,
But it didn't shock me, as each days the same,
I tilt back my head, and look to the sky,
To ask but one question, that question is why?,
Why must we live, embroiled in this tourment,
Without reason, or answer, alone in the torrent,
Living with fibro, you lose recognition,
For whom you've become, through the pained repetition,
Of the daily torture we face, we can but abide,
Though it often feels like, we are dying inside,
Whilst our prayers go unanswered, on must we go,
For in our hopes lie motivation, so on with the show.
Please respect his work.
Ask before reposting.
Thank You!