What To Do for Overwhelming Fatigue & Pain

Question:
Hi, I wrote to you a few years ago... about your healing trauma book and my book about fibro... I have been fine for 7 years but since late Oct. this year, I've been in a lot of pain... any suggestions would be really helpful... been a very difficult and stressful time for me and not sure what to do... the pain is very different than before... cannot lift my arms, my left leg and lower back hurt, mostly... thanks.

Sarah H.

Hi, Sarah. Sorry you're having to deal with this challenging situation.
Of course, the first thought that comes to mind is to ask you if there’s anything you can do to relieve yourself of the stressful conditions that have been impacting you so severely and exacerbating your symptoms? If so, please do it! And I also assume you’ve seen your doc and there’s no new help to be gained there.

So, that said, here's the rest:

Is there any gentle body work you can get from a knowledgeable, experienced practitioner? Sometimes gentle massage and/or energy work can make a big difference.
What about a medical/nutritional consult to see if you can get some help with diet change and possibly supplements, not to mention evaluate you for a thorough detox & cleansing regimen?
Acupuncture could be well worth a try now.
Do whatever you can to get some restful sleep.
Keep working with your guided imagery, perhaps going for variety to keep it interesting enough to stay motivated. You could supplement this with some breathwork, MBSR (mindfulness-based stress reduction) or any form of Vipassana meditation. This will help with the stress and it will also help with the pain, so these mind-body methods are definitely a two-fer for you.

And of course, rest when needed, get help, prioritize all necessary tasks and choose how to expend your energy wisely. This too shall pass, but this takes extra attention!

I know you know all this, but sometimes it's good to hear it from somebody else. I hope this unpleasant phase moves quickly out of your life!

All best,
Belleruth

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written by Sue, February 23, 2010

I have to tell you, I was diagnosed with Fibromyalgia 10yrs ago and then IBS, chronic fatige, arthritis, untreatable depression and just kept getting worse and worse. Well, turns out I have celiac disease. Having eaten gluten free for over 5 months now, all of my symptoms have gone away, yes! NO PAIN, NO IBS, and very little depression!

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written by Jane, February 23, 2010

It is useful for folks who have been diagnosed with Fibromyalgia to get a consultation with a Lyme literate physician - that means a physician who does not blindly adhere to the IDSA (Infectious Disease Society of America) guidelines, which I believe are still being revised courtesy of an investigation by the Attorney General of Connecticut that resulted in a Consent Agreement.

Check out ILADS, The International Lyme and Associated Disease Society. Review the diagnostic hints on the ILADS website written by Dr. Joseph Burrascano. Get a Western Blot blood test, not just an ELISA, which is the first test most folks are given if Lyme is suspected, despite the fact that it has a high number of false results.

Make sure you have not been suffering all these years with Lyme disease and/or associated tick borne infections such as Bartonella, Babesia, or Erlichia, to name just a few, all of which can can varying degrees of neuromusculoskeletal pain.

Not everyone who has been infected notices a tick, (they can be poppy seed size) or a bite, or a rash. Co-infections are not even in the lexicon of many physicians who live and treat in Lyme endemic areas.

As a social worker in private practice, I have found that many of my clients infected with tick borne illnesses present with emotional symptoms – anxiety, dread, depression, sleep disturbances, cognitive dysfunction, word-confusion, etc, along with neuromuscular pain, sometimes disabling fatigue, gut dysfunction, and more. When they are tested appropriately, (many have already had false negative test results) they turn out to be positive for Lyme disease and co-infections. When treated for long enough, they recover.

The political battle in the medical community gets in the way of finding appropriate treatment, but the above resources may help. An interesting new documentary "Under Our Skin" might also be enlightening.

Good luck!

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written by Donna, February 23, 2010

Your story sounds so much like mine. I have lyme.

Certain foods cause inflammation. Certain supplements and foods can greatly reduce inflammation, and the pain that goes with it. A nutritionist is a great idea!

Have you ever heard of Rosen Method body work? It can really help with pain... physical and emotional.

Good luck and thank you for asking this question... I will borrow from this advice too!

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written by Susan, February 23, 2010

I have fibro and Belleruth's suggestions were right on. I have had days where it hurts to wear clothes! Acupuncture has been very helpful for me. I have purchased a good massage chair, and find that plus a bath in very hot water to be helpful. However, there are those days when nothing seems to help, and I spend the day in bed. Fortunately, this only happens a few times a year. I take a high potency B vitamin complex daily, this helps with some of the weird aesthesias I get- tingling in various parts of my body. I also use flexaril to control muscle spasms. Guided imagery is a big part of my life, too. I use this at least once a day, usually to help me get to sleep. I've had a full workup for Lymes, MS, etc. and all tests were negative. I find that I do best when I keep moving during the day. Hope this helps.

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written by Monte Hueftle, February 24, 2010

I believe this is a very important topic. Belleruth gives excellent advice for chronic pain that has a physical cause. But, and this is a really significant but, when chronic pain is caused by inner tension/stress/anxiety you must treat the cause of the inner tension. This is always a person's thoughts and behavior patterns.
It is very important to realize that fibromyalgia is considered to be a form of Tension Myositis Syndrome. This is a syndrome where pain is caused by inner stress. What I want everyone to understand is that the pain is real, however it's purpose is to keep you distracted from your feelings/emotions. Yes this is a intelligent pain strategy. And when you get bodywork done, acupuncture or any treatment that is designed to fix the body, then you are being distracted from the real cause. So yes, bodywork and alternative treatments are helpful for physical pain caused by a body out of alignment but when it is a psychological cause then you want to go with Guided Imagery, Cognitive Behavior Therapy and Hypnotherapy to address the cause of your inner tension.

Monte Hueftle
TMS Mind Body Coach
www.runningpain.com

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written by Linda Corr, February 24, 2010

Hi,
I just picked up BN's CD on Fibro and CFS. Too early to tell about that, but the one she did on weight loss is very good. Someone recently mentioned a new treatment/cure from a Dr. Gupta in London that he claims will cure CFS and FMS. Has anybody else heard of him? From what I can tell, he uses, mindfulness meditation, neurolinguistic programing and yoga breathing to heal these conditions. His web page says he suffered from CFS for 10 years before coming up with this. He claims he's 'retraining' the amygdala with this process. Sounds good, doable, but I've wanted help for so long, I worry I'm getting stung once again

Thanks for any info on this.

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written by Donna, February 25, 2010

There is no blood test for lyme disease.

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