Fibromyalgia

[veetach]

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.

[mammaoftwo]

blaming the victim and belittling those who hurt are acting out of ignorance...if you hurt after a hard day's work then imagine hurting like that when you wake up in the morning and it increases during the day

i have fm and have never been to the er so maybe the people who have to go are worse off than i am, i am not clinically depressed and neither are the vast majority of those who suffer with the sx

as mentioned before too many of the health care providers who do not have the problem use it as an ego booster, LOOK AT ME, I AM SO GOOD I DON'T HAVE IT, SO ERGO NOBODY ELSE HAS IT EITHER

some diseases are only dx by symptoms...was aids less of a disease before there was a blood test

we need more open minded health workers and we need some research..too many people are wasting their lives due to this

AMEN!!

[LeahJet, ASN, RN]

But can some of you admit that the FM people that present at the ER about once a week or so may contributing to the stigma?

And I'm sorry, but YES..... FM patients do seem to fit in a certain mold. When you are triaging them, you are just waiting for them to list "fibromyalgia" in their health history.

Before everyone starts getting defensive..... I am not saying that FM is not a real disease.

I am just saying that there is a stigma out there for a reason.

And I do think that the diagnosis is sometimes given to people that keep presenting to their PCP with the same complaints and all diagnostic tests keep coming back negative.

As I said, please try to refrain from becoming defensive and calling people that don't agree with you "ignorant" or absurdly accuse them of trying to boost their own egos.

Thanks.

[CritterLover, BSN, RN]

but can some of you admit that the fm people that present at the er about once a week or so may contributing to the stigma?

and i'm sorry, but yes..... fm patients do seem to fit in a certain mold. when you are triaging them, you are just waiting for them to list "fibromyalgia" in their health history.

before everyone starts getting defensive..... i am not saying that fm is not a real disease.

i am just saying that there is a stigma out there for a reason.

and i do think that the diagnosis is sometimes given to people that keep presenting to their pcp with the same complaints and all diagnostic tests keep coming back negative.

as i said, please try to refrain from becoming defensive and calling people that don't agree with you "ignorant" or absurdly accuse them of trying to boost their own egos.

thanks.

definatly agree with you, leah.

i'm sure the disorder is real, but it sure does get taken advantage of.

[gr8rnpjt, RN]

I have never in my life wished anything bad on any other person in my life, but I fervently do wish that some of these posters with their holier than thou attitudes wake up with FM some day.

My mother and sister both had the same attitudes 20 years ago when I was first diagnosed. My sister acutally called me a "bored housewife".

Well, I prayed very hard for God to "help them understand", and guess what?

They have both come down with FM symptoms.

My sister is a chiropracter, she called me crying about 4 years ago. From the sound of her symptoms, she appeared to be in the throes of a full blown fibro flareup. I was very sympathetic, but inside, I thanked God for answering my prayers in a way I never would have expected.

[LeahJet, ASN, RN]

I have never in my life wished anything bad on any other person in my life, but I fervently do wish that some of these posters with their holier than thou attitudes wake up with FM some day.

You know, I asked a couple of legitimate questions and I get called "holier than thou".

If some could get less defensive and actually have a discussion then maybe we could get somewhere with understanding both sides.

And thank you for your well wishes.

You seem like a very nice person.

[gr8rnpjt, RN]

Never even saw your post. Got halfway through these old posts and saw red.

Now that I have read all the way through...nothing has changed regarding the way I feel.

[Nurseonwheels]

I am a 30 year old female who is convinced I have fibromyalgia. I have taken many tests to find out why I am often so achy, but nothing. I do agree that it often goes hand-in-hand with depression. My pains started after I lost my father when I was 20 and became very depressed. I still struggle with my depression but am doing so much better. That said, on my down days, my aches and pains are unbearable. I am tired and unmotivated. I have done enough research to know that a healthy diet and exercise is my only option.I do yoga which really helps. I refuse to give up. So is the disorder real? It is real to me and I was glad to find something that outlines how I was feeling when everyone elso thought I was making things up.

[phiposurde]

Here a good article I just read on the subject.

Getting the point about: fibromyalgia.

Article

Nursing. 37(2):61-64, February 2007.

Dell, Deena Damsky

RN

, BC, AOCN, MSN

Abstract:

Invisible and incurable, this disorder can wreak havoc with your patient's life. Find out how to get her back on track.

© 2007 Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, Inc.

[CHATSDALE]

maybe ignorant was a strong word but closed minded can't be argued with

many within the medical have already decided that this is a form of hyprochrondia..i have never had any menopausal sx but i believe other women who tell me that they have had mood swings and hot flashes

if they are not getting better, if their md doesn't believe in anything that doesn't show up on a lab report, their family listens to md and calls them lazy you ae going to have some frustrated individuals

i wouldn't wish ill health on anyone but i believe that asking health workers to have compassion on their patients and not paint everyone with a depression, 'its all in her head' brush

[LeahJet, ASN, RN]

yeah, you seem really nice yourself.

you were quoting my post about the certain "mold" i was referring to.

just because it strikes a nerve makes it no less true.

have you ever heard of female, fat and 40? i've heard that many times referring to the demographics of a chole patient.

i am sure some chole pts. wouldn't like to be referred to that way but there is a reason for that phrase.

as i said, i am not implying that fm is not real. i am only suggesting that the reason for the stigma are the frequent fliers in the er. these are often pts. that have been to their pcp too many times to count with nothing found and were given a diagnosis just to placate them. i think this discredits people with the real diagnosis.

but, the positive aspects of my post will more than likely be overlooked due to the fact that a discussion with opposing view points are quickly flamed.

if that is the case, this should be a fibromyalgia support thread instead of a public forum.

fo-rum [[color=#4ca628]fáwrəm] (plural fo-rums or fora [[color=#4ca628]fáwrə]) noun

1. place to express yourself: a medium, for example, a magazine or newspaper, in which the public may debate an issue or express opinions

[gr8rnpjt, RN]

you were quoting my post about the certain "mold" i was referring to.

just because it strikes a nerve makes it no less true.

have you ever heard of female, fat and 40? i've heard that many times referring to the demographics of a chole patient.

i am sure some chole pts. wouldn't like to be referred to that way but there is a reason for that phrase.

as i said, i am not implying that fm is not real. i am only suggesting that the reason for the stigma are the frequent fliers in the er. these are often pts. that have been to their pcp too many times to count with nothing found and were given a diagnosis just to placate them. i think this discredits people with the real diagnosis.

but, the positive aspects of my post will more than likely be overlooked due to the fact that a discussion with opposing view points are quickly flamed.

if that is the case, this should be a fibromyalgia support thread instead of a public forum.

fo-rum [[color=#4ca628]fáwrəm] (plural fo-rums or fora [[color=#4ca628]fáwrə]) noun

1. place to express yourself: a medium, for example, a magazine or newspaper, in which the public may debate an issue or express opinions

and i am not implying that you are "ignorant". i am only saying that if you woke up one day and every joint in your body felt like it was lined with ground glass, and hurt so much that you wanted to scream, and then you went to the er and people treated you as if you were a drug seeker and a complainer, maybe you would have a little more compassion for the people suffering with fm.

god bless you. (i am not saying with what)

[LeahJet, ASN, RN]

Ok.... I realize that I am getting nowhere here.

You may want to seek help for your bitterness. I can understand some... but the repeated (not so veiled) wishes of pain upon others is a tad concerning.

If you have a patient that is not understanding and difficult to deal with, do you also wish some pain upon them?

I have debilitating chronic heel pain and I would never wish it on anyone that didn't understand it.

And I do ask God to bless you. (with the best)