Fibromyalgia

teeituptom, BSN, RN · Apr 12, 2004

Nicki, *I* CARE!! I'm a niurse to be, eithe rin community or A&E Which is ER
to my fellow Americans!! The economy is crap, the government is crap,
the president is a real piece of work and I WANT BILL BACK!!! But since some ]
irate Republican may damn well tar and feather me, I'll shut up now, Me, the wide mouthed Frog!! I HAVE 'FM. HAD CFS, also diagnosed as ME...And EVERY morning is a struggle, but I am blessed...for I'm that rare idiot(And this is no
slur on rare people or idjits so PUh-LEEZE don't hit me)that the rest of you would call an OPTIMIST...WHY, I''ll never know...HOW? I was never a really
happy or sunny kid, until I died at the age of thirteen....then things got, and I mean, REALLY got, my attention... I realised that it was my choice that I got up in the morning, and I won't go on here, cause you ALL have heard the "I can do it, so YOU can too!" speech...for me, getting up in the morning has NEVER had the clarity and resolution that my mother's death has brought, until now...I am more peaceful(although I dread the funeral!), serene, and commonsensical, than I have EVER been in my entire life...but my fight with
FMS( I **HATE**, as both a nurse, and a patient, the word, "SYNDROME"!)
centers on one thing...getting up in the morning and choosing to make a difference in SOMEBODY's LIFE...THAT DAY. Yeah, sure, there are days I REALLY hurt, somedays so badly that I cannot bear to have my believed touch my skin, and he has the MOST tender touch of ANY man I have ever know, biblically or otherwise!!!
Nicki, don't give up crying, screaming,k shouting, and getting PISSED off about this disease...the people who call you a frequent flier and a wastebasket diagnosis don't deserve the chance to LICK your slippers, Kid!!!
Vehemently, Spiritus

I will give this a 9.5 on the WOWSA pains scale

I dont understand the "I died at 13" thing

veetach · Apr 12, 2004

I couldnt figure that out either, Tom. :rolleyes:

BabyChainus · Apr 12, 2004

Fibromyalgia a.k.a. muscle fibre pain as the term denotes is a symptom. If accompanied by other associated clinical complaints or symptoms, it becomes a syndrome with unkown origin(which might perhaps explain why at present it is becoming a diagnosis by itself).

Unfortunately, some doctors are basically abusing and misusing the term. If a patient comes in with vague or actual symptoms(similar to fibromyalgia, of course) but doesn't points out a definitive diagnosis, the easiest thing to do is find a scape goat and basically diagnose it as such. This then makes fibromyalgia a "term basket". It saves them time to do loads of investigations and the term, as it sounds, is basically "posh":coollook: and passes our medical lingo.

However, I do not totally agree that we are all suffering from fibromyalgia due to stress, lack of rest/ sleep and hard work:imbar (???!!??). Pain, being a subjective complaint, is exclusively felt by patients and as healthcare giver our main role is to ackowledge it as such and treat it accordingly. Having said that, most patients who come in because of such clinical sypmtoms usually carry an underlying root cause. If we have an indepth investigation of the root cause, fibromyalgia will not exist at all as a common diagnosis.

Fibromyalgia is fibromyalgia until all diagnostics has been done and only points out to it. Unless, we go back to basics and do a full assessment of patients (history plus a wholistic approach), it won't be long before everyone is out of work because of it. Social services will go bankrupt, by then. (Tough!!!) The focus however is that patients will be misdiagnosed and will be treated by symptoms (palliative care, anyone????!!!???).

It is like giving an injection to your head because you have a headache. :imbar Pfffft!!!

NOTE: This is just a product of my little brain cells working overtime. No offense meant.

Happy Easter, everyone!!!!!

sbic56, BSN, RN · Apr 12, 2004

I will give this a 9.5 on the WOWSA pains scale

You crack me up. :rotfl:

nurseunderwater · Apr 12, 2004

WOWSA pain scale??? Like......WOWSA! :)

veetach · Apr 12, 2004

WOWSA pain scale??? Like......WOWSA! :)

I think it like the idea of having a WOWSA scale... I am sure we could use it in our ER. LOL

teeituptom, BSN, RN · Apr 12, 2004

I think it like the idea of having a WOWSA scale... I am sure we could use it in our ER. LOL

Dont give them any Ideas

ask pt How did your Dilaudid work

"WOWSA WOWSA WOWSA WOWSA WOWSA WOWSA WOWSA WOWSA"

tHAT WOULD BE AN 8 ON A 10 FOR THE WOWSA SCALE

RNin92 · Apr 12, 2004

Dont give them any Ideas
ask pt How did your Dilaudid work
"WOWSA WOWSA WOWSA WOWSA WOWSA WOWSA WOWSA WOWSA"
tHAT WOULD BE AN 8 ON A 10 FOR THE WOWSA SCALE

So would 8 out of 10 possible WOWSAs be good?...or bad?

:uhoh3:

Just askin'...

hee hee hee

:coollook:

teeituptom, BSN, RN · Apr 12, 2004

So would 8 out of 10 possible WOWSAs be good?...or bad?

Just askin'...
hee hee hee

I guess that would depend on whetehr your the pt or the nurse

Good for the pt

poor nurse has to listen to them

after the dilaudid they always want a sandwich and some coffee

RNin92 · Apr 12, 2004

I guess that would depend on whetehr your the pt or the nurse
Good for the pt
poor nurse has to listen to them
after the dilaudid they always want a sandwich and some coffee

and a smoke...don't forget the smoke!!

:uhoh3:

zenman · Apr 12, 2004

Today's medical science (whoops, medicine is not a science; it uses the sciences) tends to deny or disregard entire domains of reality. Medicine is so far behind the true sciences that it would not recognize the existence of the cell phone except for the fact that a cell phone can be held in one's hands. So, because "modern" medicine can't get a handle on certain conditions, some of you tend to fall right in step with this ancient form of medicine?

PAMELA1957 · Apr 12, 2004

What are your opinions, nurses? Is Fibromyalgia a justified condition or just a basket term ? I am interested in your feedback. It seems like we see a large number of patients (usually women) with "fibromyalgia" and the numbers are getting larger and larger.
I even had a patient tell me that fibromyalgia patients were predisposed to trigeminal neuralgia.

******************************************

As a RN of 26 years who has had Fibromyalgia since 1986 (back when "it was an all in your head thing"), I can tell you that...yes it is sometimes used as a "catch all"; by those who are not knowledgeable about the condition. It's a lot easier for some MD's to give you this Dx than searching for other maladies when the presenting symptoms are seen as profuse and vague.

It is a very real condition, and is one that most physicians are not familiar with...I have been able to inform patients on this syndrome to a much greater extent than MD's...because it is a part of my life.

It is depressing to be in pain and fatigued all the time, but...clinical depression is neither a cause of, nor a result of, FMS.

The best thing I can tell you is to search out information about this disorder and use it to educate and inform both patients and doctors with whom you have contact with.

The second best thing I can tell you is to pray that neither you nor any one you know and love comes down with this...it is very difficult to live with.

But speaking for myself, I now am under the care of a knowledgeable Rheumatologist and we have formed a treatment plan for me, that has enabled me to work at least on an "agency" basis.

Being that I have had this malady for going on 18 years, I have been through the fire and the flames of both learning about and managing this condition.

The CDC is continually doing research on this, when monies allow, and several things have been found out recently about this disorder.

That those who have it have: changes in Scec scans, have different sleep study results, have a higher percentage of substance P in their spinal fluid (relates to pain sensitivity and compares to that of cancer patients), have narrow cervical spines when compared to the normal C-spine studies, these are just a few I can pull up off the top of my head...there are many others.

Some people compare it to being linked with the CFIDS, but I can't correlate them precisely together. Although they do have similarities, they also have differences. If you have CFIDS you are more likely to have an easier time getting SSI benefits than with FMS, but that is also changing.

I hope to be able to continue to work, but at this time am recovering from my third cervical spine surgery and my second lumbar spinal surgery. I believe my beginnings with FMS started back in 1985 after my first motorcycle accident that resulted in a neck injury, and it has been thought that FMS can begin after a time of trama...physical or emotional.

There is still SO much that needs to be learned about this condition.

My best advice would be to follow the recent pain guidelines...if a patient states they are hurting, give them the benefit of the doubt, because you can't feel what they feel, each of us exhibits pain in a different way (pertaining to environment, culture, etc.), and sometimes they need someone to just listen.

Many patients with this syndrome look "normal" and that can cause others to disbelieve the complaints...but there are many Dx and illnesses which look normal to start with.

We will continue to learn more about this disorder in the coming years, until then...just offer the old standby...TLC.

Thank you.