Pain Management Community

have been hearing from my Care team that Fibromyalgia is right on the boarder of being classified as somatic and a Mental Health issue rather than neurology or pain management, seems a little strange to me that so many people have it and its all Psychiatrical or its all Physical their must be a mixture of Mental and physical i can not believe that everyone all of a sudden went "nuts" .

Peace

To me it sounds like they are basically saying, "anxiety & depression" is the issue for the aliments of Fibro.

They in a about way try to say "do not try to focus on every little symptom", but rather physical symptoms. I am guessing something that can be seen or tested for in blood work.

Did not seem to me like they necessairly believe in it as far as a medical stand point, rather one they believe in it as far as a mental issue..

It is not about what "they believe"; it is academic research, published and peer-reviewed literature.

I don't see it as proving anxiety and depression, but somatization, which is unconscious.

If I had fibro symptoms and it was suggested that I could be helped by psychiatry, I'd try it. I do not think I'd care if it was called a physical or emotional problem- if I could get relief, I'd try it.

I used to tell me pain management MD that I'd do, "anything for anything." meaning that I'd be willing to try any treatment that could possibly give me any relief.

I think that people get offended when they hear the term "psychosomatic". That word merely means mind-body connected. I think we all agree that the mind-body connection is irrefutable.

Like all that is controversial, the answer probably is inclusive of all the options.

I did NOT post the link to cause dissension; I posted it as I found interesting to think about these things and to stay informed with what sort of research findings are being published.

You can look up the author on Google and read about her other pub-med works.

Peace.

I hope you'll also post this on our Fibromyalgia community so the members there and one of our experts, Dr. Pellegrino, can also address it.

Did not mean to offend you. But that was what I (my opinion) read the web links to say.

I was diagnosed with Fibro 4yrs ago...

I am not saying anxiety or depression are NOT something to take serious because they are...

To me if they say Fibro is psychosomatic then those currently going to Pain Mgmt, or a Rheumatologist might be told to "go to a psychiatrist you really do not need all the medication to help control your pain".

My opinion yes FIBRO is all nerve pain related somehow the wiring got redone in our bodies that control the pain nerves.

You've not offended me at all.

Since all sensation is processed to the brain by nerve cells, what are "pain nerves" and how would "the wiring get redone"?

Do you think that the wiring in the pain nerves could get redone and no diagnostic tests would be able to indicate this re-doing of the wiring in the pain nerves?

Interesting theory.

Scand J Work Environ Health. 1997;23 Suppl 3:7-16.Somatization and fashionable diagnoses: illness as a way of life.Ford CV .SourceDepartment of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurobiology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, 35294-0018, USA.
AbstractThe history of "nondisease" dates back, at least 4000 years, to early descriptions of hysteria. More recently somatization became a part of the official diagnostic nomenclature by creation of the DSM III category, "somatoform disorders." Somatization can serve as a rationalization for psychosocial problems or as a coping mechanism, and for some illness, becomes a way of life. One variation of somatization can be the "fashionable diagnosis", for example, fibromyalgia, multiple chemical sensitivities, dysautonomia, and, in the past, "reactive hypoglycemia". These disorders are phenomenologically related to environmental or occupational syndromes and mass psychogenic illness. Fashionable illnesses are characterized by (i) vague, subjective multisystem complaints, (ii) a lack of objective laboratory findings, (iii) quasi-scientific explanations, (iv) overlap from one fashionable diagnosis to another, (v) symptoms consistent with depression or anxiety or both, (vi) denial of psychosocial distress or attribution of it to the illness. Fashionable diagnoses represent a heterogeneous collection of physical diseases, somatization, and anxiety or depression. They are final common symptomatic pathways for a variety of influences including environmental factors, intrapersonal distress and solutions to social problems. A fashionable diagnosis allows psychosocial distress to be comfortably hidden from both the patient and the physician, but premature labeling can also mask significant physical disease. Hysteria remains alive and well and one contemporary hiding place is fashionable illness.
PMID:9456062 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE>
Free full textPublication Types, MeSH Terms LinkOut - more resources

Be aware that some of the studies involved are more than a decade old and new research suggests something else. And, historically, there have been many health conditions - such as multiple sclerosis - that were not believed to be physical ailments until newer tests were developed.

Dr. Pellegrino, one of our Fibromyalgia experts, responded to this on our Fibromyalgia community. I hope that anyone interested in this will look in there and respond there with any comments:

Click here .

http://portraitsfibro.blogspot.com/2012/02/fibro-mass-hysteria.html

This is from Feb 2012. That's pretty current.

Yes but caprice Old information does not change look at the work with bacteria 100 years ago we have added to it but the basic facts remain the same, same thing with Penicillin do you think that because we do not actually grow the mold and cultivate the bacteria now , that the original work is hogwash because it is out of date and too old to be valid,50 research years is a blink of an eye 10 years is not even enough time to go to the bathroom, look at diseases we have been pumping money at and have not cured or learned to control yet,The curtain will not fall on Fibro as a Mental or Physical ailment definatively in our lifetime, so why do people bother to fight about it why not read the literature and the studies as they are available and form your own opinion for beter or worse, wrong or right and if you choose to discuss the issue due so with a level head and remember others opinions may differ from your own and for better or worse you need to hear them out as they need to hear you out. Now as to where i stand fibro is a constellation of symptoms that can not yet be fully understood by Physical or Psychiatric issues, Although those with Fibro seem to have a laundry list of Mental health issues pre diagnosis of Fibro from what i have seen, And my opinion is that fibro patients annoy many occupants of this board and to relieve the stress it would be better for them to stay on the fibro board because i have talked to many members and we all are of the opinion that most fibrous worst pain days would be a "great day for us" with no need for break through med's and feeling like you where almost whole again, so that causes agitation.

Peace

Hi TDXSP08,

My only point about old information is that often things do progress/change with new research, no matter what the condition.

Regarding whether those with Fibromyalgia should or shouldn't post here... we have to be careful and keep in mind that this board is for Pain Management and chronic pain of many kinds is discussed here. I also hope that no one is comparing pain to see whether anyone meets some criteria to be here. Pain is pain and only that person can know how it may be impacting their life.

Having said that, I will often ensure that anyone presenting here with Fibromyalgia is aware of that community where they can find information and support from those who share their challenges. That just makes sense to me. But if I don't, it's because they're probably already posting there and thought all of you here may also be helpful. You all have great information to share here; I'm sure I'm not the only person who has learned a lot from every one of you.

All are welcome here, though no one here is obligated to answer anyone if they are not so inclined.

Take care.

Well it like Lyme disease by the time it manifested itself as a problem the tick was long gone and it took a long time for them to figure out what was causing it. And no none of us are measuring or attempting to at all quantify each others level of pain because pain is perceived differently amongst everyone and everyones bodies have different mechanisms and pathways for there pain based on what the actual causative factors are ( if you get poked in the eye and complain to the Doctor your pinky toe is killing you, the doctor is not going to understand) and yes we do all together make up a huge amount of knowledge on pain, medication's, procedures, what to avoid for certain conditions, How to speak to your Doctor, My personal favorite "intent" the difference between addiction and Dependance, side effects, and list goes on and on. well i feel sorry for the fibro people who come here because most of the time they are looking for things that i have no experience or anything to find common ground on to be able to answer them and that bothers me,people who suffer in a unique and odd way that i have nothing to offer them from my years on the job and then now my time as a disabled American.

Peace

My theory on my health issues are that my "brain" got rewired on what my nerves feel.

I only mentioned re wiring due to a sleep doctor saying that phrase to me. I was sent for severe insomnia. I developed insomnia about 18yrs ago due to graves/hyper/toxic goiter. When I told the doctor he told me he had one other patient in the same boat as I was in & he too had graves/hyper. My brain will not shut off AT ALL...He was honest & told me I would be wasting my money & his staff would sit & watch me twittle my thumbs. He asked if I had hit "thyroid storms" YEP two...He says my wiring got mixed up due to the thyroid storms & my brain wires got mixed up somehow. Thyroid storms are not plesant and it does affect every organ in your body.

I am not saying that "it medically can happen", but for me everything in my nevere sensory changed. I do have a high tolerance for pain, but used to the muscle aches & insomnia. I do get fatigued, however, I won't sleep. Yes I can if I take ambien (20mg). I can sleep for a good 2-3 hrs. I can't take ambien every night though, it won't work after taking it more than once every 2-3 weeks. I have a life time presciption for it.

My other theory on the "re wiring" for me at least was the radiation iodine pill I had to take for the thyroid issues. They say the radiation "will only go directly to your thyroid to destroy it", however, then they say it may cause "thyroid eye disease & salivary gland issues...guess what I did end up with thyroid eye disease (protruding eyes) & had to have a salivary gland removed...so how can they say it only affects the thyroid if it "may" cause those other issues.

I don't know how, but I believe somehow it got into my muscles & caused other health issues.

Now this is just my theory on my issues.

the thyroid gland does effect everything related to your metabolism.