There are many people, especially doctors, who claim that fibromyalgia is just a symptom of depression. I’ve had both, and I know the difference quite well. They are very, very different.

Being in pain all the time can certainly lead to depression. That’s just logical. There are, however, people who have fibromyalgia who are not clinically ( Read more... )

There’s been a lot of buzz over the past week about a study published in the Journal of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome that suggests treating fibromyalgia and ME/CFS with cortisol (a steroid), based on the fact that most patients have low cortisol levels. I do not have access to that publication but would like to point out some concerns.

First, most of ( Read more... )

I’ve been doing so much reading because I’ve been sick and unable to do much else. We did get the girl to her doctor, so we know there’s no strep around here. The doctor wouldn’t rule out mono, but wouldn’t test for it either. (I don’t really like this woman, and we usually try to go when the nicer physician is there.) She said that since they don’ ( Read more... )

Some of the comments are pretty old by now, but there are certain themes that come back, over and over again. I’ve decided to answer them once, and that’s it.

ME and FMS are not “lifestyle” diseases. Researchers have found genetic, neurological, and cardiological anomalies, so get off that blame-the-victim bullshit. We know better. We’ve done the ( Read more... )

I’m back home from a couple of days in the hospital, with a new diagnosis and all that entails, plus related fibro flare.

Nobody likes hospitals, and people with fibromyalgia deal with it even more poorly than others. I could do much kvetching about the hospital experience in general, but let’s take it as read.

Ah, well-I’ve got plenty of podcast ( Read more... )

I'm back home from a couple of days in the hospital, with a new diagnosis and all that entails, plus related fibro flare ( Read more... )

I've seen this all over the place, so I can't really credit where I got it:

If there is someone on your friends list who makes your world a better place just because they exist and who you would not have met (in real life or not) without the internet, then post this same sentence in your journal.There are many of you. Thank you ( Read more... )