I do not have a thyroid gland and take meds to regulate. My doctor put me on a higher dosage because she heard it will help my fibromyalgia pain? What are the effects of being over medicated and is this actually a good idea?

The symptoms that are commonly lumped together and labeled as Fibromyalgia are often a case of a person that is hypo thyroid and under dosed.

The key is to properly dose the replacement thyroid hormone to provide the hormone needed for body function, then the 'fibro' symptoms will lessen, or go away… depends on how severe they are and how long they have been manifest.

If you and your doc is serious about addressing this, my suggestion would be to run the properly labs and adjust accordingly.

By proper labs I mean TSH, as well as the thyroid hormones, Free T4 and Free T3, to be sure that your dosage is correct AND your body is properly converting the replacement hormone that you are taking into the hormone that your body needs to function in an healthy manner..

It's not just getting the blood levels of the hormones 'in normal range' it's getting them to the proper levels within those ranges to be sure that you body has what it needs to be healthy.

You still don't want 'over medicate', you don't now want to have so much of the replacement hormone to become hyPERthyroid.. you want enough for your body to function properly.

I was recently diagnosed with fibromyalgia. I am sixteen years old, and was a competitive cheerleader for the past five years or so. I am barely doing any kind of excercise because now I can't even go for a jog. The only thing that I have found so far that doesn't hurt is a ten minute walk, but after too long I get dizzy and have to stop. However, I don't want to be out of shape and would like to keep my muscles strong and healthy. Any ideas?

Megan, I think you need to start out with a slow work out first. I have been diagnosed with fibybromyalgia since 2009, but had symptoms everysince 2001. I don't know why it took my doctors so long to diagnose me. I am 30 now but feel about 50. I notice when you do to much in one day, you will have many bad days. Watch what you eat aswell, stay away from red meat because it can inflame your tissues and joints/muscles. Eat things that are very green, get on plenty of vitamins because fybromyalgia not along attacks your joints, muscles, tendons; but aswell attacks your immune system too. Walking is very good, but stay with, or some kind of low strenious excercise because your joints do get stiff from time-to-time.

Thank you for sharing and hope to hear from you soon

Sincerely,

Brandy

You received a diagnosis of cancer.  Where to go now?  Because of our own experiences with this dreaded disease, my wife, Nancy, and I have some suggestions to share with you.

Nancy, my wife and my hero, and I will celebrate our 40th wedding anniversary this September 25.  It has only been over the last 10 years that I have come to appreciate and admire her heroic qualities brought to fruition through tremendous personal adversity.  To accomplish this it is imperative that the doctors and hospital chosen possess unique skills and procedural methods to make the cancer victim's survival possible.

Many know me as the author of the "Managing My Fibromyalgia" Website and Forum in which I describe my life dealing with the effects of what is now termed fibromyalgia, for more than 30 years.  My life has been challenging and I find myself now permanently disabled due to this chronic pain and fatigue disorder.  What I have had to face with my illness pales in comparison to what Nancy has dealt with successfully over the past 10 years. 

Nancy was diagnosed with the dreaded big "C" in 1999.  It was both colon and pancreatic cancers.  She was initially devastated.  This was something she feared since 1973 when she found out she had a condition called familial polyposis.  Until that point, Nancy thought her rectal bleeding was due to hemorrhoids as her doctors had told her since she was in her teens.  She had thousands of polyps in her colon, too many to be removed.

[Familial polyposis or familial adenomatous polyposis [FAP) is a premalignant disease.  This means that a person with FAP, if left untreated, will invariably develop cancer.  Individuals with this disorder grow hundreds of polyps throughout their large intestines.  The polyps, also called adenomas, commonly develop just after puberty.  Approximately half of all FAP patients will have polyps by age 14.  Ninety percent will have detectable polyps by age 25.  Usually by age 35-40, one or more of these polyps will become cancerous.]*

[FAP is a rare disease.  One in 8,000 people in the United States have FAP.  However, it may be very common in affected families.  FAP is inherited in an autosomal dominant pattern.  This means that a person with FAP has a 50% chance of passing the condition down to each of their children.  [Our son Gregg inherited this abnormal gene and had his colon removed by the time he was 22].  FAP can also develop in someone with no family history of the disorder, due to a new genetic mutation in that individual.  It is thought that approximately one percent of all colorectal cancers in the United States can be attributed to FAP.]*

Nancy had surgery back in 1973 to remove her colon.  The doctors created what they term a "J-pouch" out of her intestine to replace her colon and to restore normal bowl function.  It was now necessary for her to be monitored for the rest of her life.  Any new polyps that developed, while in a precancerous state, required removal and testing.

This treatment worked for many years.  Since moving to Virginia, however, she became uncomfortable with the doctors she met.  Nancy became remiss on going for her checkup appointments, even after my protests that she not neglect her follow-ups.  This is what undoubtedly led to her developing colon and pancreatic cancer in 1999.

Nancy's initial reaction to her diagnosis was immediate devastation.  It lasted until she met her new doctors at the Sloan Kettering Memorial Cancer Hospital in New York City.  She saw the doctors at Sloane after getting the recommendations of family and friend based on their experience with the hospital. 

After talking to the doctors and meeting other patients with the same condition, her feelings of devastation became one of hope and steadfastness in the face of cancer, an attitude she has strongly maintained until the present.

Since 1999, Nancy was treated and had surgery and several related procedures for colon, pancreatic, and lung cancer.  Through it all, she is now cancer free.

The past two years, polyps where found developing in Nancy's stomach.  They were removed, tested, and found to be showing mild dysplasia.  At the time, it was thought that they could be controlled this way, which was until the polyps became more and more numerous.

After several consultations and much consideration on Nancy's part, to prevent any cancer of her stomach developing to threaten her life, she opted for a total gastrectomy [surgical removal of the stomach and the connecting of her intestine directly to her esophagus] on Oct 7, 2008.  This radical surgery would extend her life and assure that the polyps in her stomach would not turn to cancer.  Her surgeon told us that she should expect to be in the hospital for 5 to 10 day, possibly a week, after having her surgery.

As it turned out, this was not the case.  From Oct 7, 2008 till when she returned home December 9, 2008, she spent a total of 8.5 weeks in the hospital with only a couple of short stays at her sister's home in New Jersey.  There were complications due to leaks in her new digestive tract, slow healing, abscesses filled with fluid in her torso and related infections.  In fact, Nancy returned home to Virginia with two drains still in place. 

The doctors in New York City gave us the name of a surgeon in Winter Park Florida.  Dr. Timothy Childers, was going to follow up on her case.  We moved from Virginia to Chuluota Florida to live at my sister's home on December 13, 2008.  We gave up our apartment in Lorton, Virginia due to financial reasons; going to stay at my sister's home in Florida would give us extra hands to help in Nancy's recovery. 

Within several days of seeing Dr. Childers for the first time and before having her drain apparatus removed, Nancy ended up once again in the hospital [Florida Hospital Orlando South] for another week.  She had developed fever and it was determined to be an on going infection from a previously undetected abscess filling with fluid.  She finally left the hospital on December 27, 2008.

It is now January 6, 2009 and we are thanking God that Nancy is making slow but steady progress [some days better with occasional set backs] in achieving some sort of normalcy.  She will never be able to eat the same way as before, but many times a day in much smaller portions and will probably need supplements to reach the goal of 2000 calories a day.

This last surgery turned out to be the hardest on Nancy that I have witnessed.  It took a toll on her emotions and determination, but I know in my heart that her steadfast resolve to live will make the difference again and she will continue to be cancer free.

Nancy's surviving cancer has come at a financial cost.  Even with her good insurance coverage from her employer, we have been financially devastated over these past 10 years.  We gave up our home in Stafford Virginia in 2005, used up my entire 401k plan from my once employer, over extended my credit on my main credit card to pay medical bills and are at a point of considering declaring bankruptcy [although it goes against everything I believe in].  We now realize we may never get to travel during our retirement as we had planned, nor have a place of our own nor live our remaining years together without tremendous financial stress and pressure.

I am not complaining though.  We look to God for comfort with thanksgiving.  Even if I knew back then, what I know now, I would, without hesitation, do it all over again and ask Nancy to be my wife. 

After nearly 40 years of marriage, I love and cherish my hero wife even more than before.  I would truly be lost in this world without her.

Based on Nancy's experience with her cancer and my own experience with prostate cancer, that was treated successfully this past year, there are several things that are important if one is to successfully fight the cancer battle:

1.    Early detection through regular examinations and testing is essential.
2.    Know your risks [family history, etc].
3.    Learn everything you can about your particular cancer.
4.    Always obtain a second or third opinion.
5.    If you do not feel comfortable with a doctor, move on to another; if you do not have any confidence in your cancer doctor, find a new one.
6.    Research cancer doctors and cancer hospitals.
7.    Ask friends and professionals for their recommendations on same.
8.    When declared cancer free, do not become complacent.  Continue regular examinations and tests to detect any reoccurrence early.

*Gale Encyclopedia of Medicine, Published December 2002 by the Gale Group.  The Essay Author is Ellen S. Weber, MSN.

Bill Wallmuller
http://www.articlesbase.com/cancer-articles/cancer-diagnosis-where-to-go-now-728674.html

There was a time when we did as we were told. We listened to our parents, to our teachers and to authority in all its faces; adhering to rules of the day. It was appropriate and an accepted component of our lives. Today, much of what we are advised has been turned upside down. The voice of today’s society rings of topsey turvey council. Instead of work first and play later, our world entreats us to play first. Instead of buying a home that we can afford, society implores us to borrow beyond our means. Instead of firm discipline in the home, we are lured by psychobabble entreating us to give our kids “space”. Much of this “guidance” has an industry behind it, often quite powerful. It is based on what is best for someone else, often large industry promoted by agenda science. Even our precious health is at stake as we ingest more and more nostrums of questionable integrity without regard for consequences of side effects. I say it’s time to turn back the clock…or perhaps swing it forward. Whatever the direction, it’s time we take back control of our lives and use common horse sense.

Let’s indeed discuss our health. For example, does it make sense to get a flu shot only to get the wrong strain? This is a frequent occurrence since the epidemiologists do not know which strain is forthcoming, so they make a soup of the latest microorganisms. They then inject it directly into our blood stream. And many get the flu in spite of it, or perhaps as a direct cause of it. What about the connection between the flu shot and muscle pain? It has been clinically noted that when healthy patients yield to flu shots in autumn, by winter or spring, they succumb to fibromyalgia. Oddly enough, fibromyalgia is one of the symptoms of the flu! Remember the achy joints and bones of the flu? That is fibromyalgia! Only with the vaccine, it’s directly injected into the blood stream via a needle. Indeed, I think we’ve lost common sense.

Why not simply take a gentle homeopathic remedy that will work better, more delicately and politely on the system? That remedy is Oscilloccinum, (pronounced: oh-sill-oh-cock-sign-um). It happens that since homeopathy is highly regarded in Europe by the medical profession, as well as lay people, that this is the #1 over–the–counter medication and prescription medication in France. This is not a coincidence. It is popular not because it is advertised, but because horse sense prevails and because it works. Oscillioccinum is made from the heart and liver of a waterfowl, so it stands to reason that it is useful for the onset of colds and flus that come on in the wet season, such as in fall or spring. If taken at the onset of a cold, it will abort the illness so that it doesn’t develop into a more trying one. But here is the best part: if taken as a prophylactic, say once per week for four weeks, then again, once each month until the flu season is over, it will protect you and your family from the flu. If indeed the person still gets a cold, it will insure a much milder episode. This is rational medicine. No drugs, no side effects, no questionable ingredients and no chance of being given the flu and then paying your doctor for it. Do you need another reason to take this remedy? How about a cost of less than $10?

Now, I certainly wouldn’t want to dictate what you ought to do for this upcoming season; that would put me in the same category as proselytizing drug manufacturers. However, this little lesson may just convince the most staunch advocates of modern medicine of the power of homeopathy. Consider the consequences of each choice and decide for yourself. Drugs or homeopathy? For my clients, family and me, the decision is straightforward…homeopathy for a gentler, more profoundly capable medicine.

Joette Calabrese
http://www.articlesbase.com/diseases-and-conditions-articles/do-as-youre-told-the-flu-flu-shots-and-homeopathy-716854.html

Whole Health Therapy for Fibromyalgia is a one of a kind holistic treatment. The term Whole Health is used to denote that this therapy not only promotes relief of symptoms associated with Fibromyalgia but also retains health and balance to all parts of the being (including the physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual aspects). In this way, healing takes place at the root of the dis-ease so that as symptoms dissipate and disappear the effect is lasting.

Treatment is flexible working closely with each person to help manage symptoms, explore deeper levels of healing, and mentor healthy self care as necessary. Resources are available for short term management or as part of a personalized health care program. In this way, Fibromyalgia sufferers are given influence and control over their healing allowing care to be tailored to the individual.

At the heart of Whole Health Therapy is a special Reiki formula which combines 12 healing energies from six different healing traditions. When applied together, this combination has been shown to decrease the presence and intensity of Fibromyalgia related symptoms while reducing the average number of flare ups experienced. In fact, international testing has been completed showing the significant statistical proven benefits of this therapy.

Whole Health Therapy for Fibromyalgia is broken up into three general healing stages: Symptom Management, Core Healing, and Self Care. As the name suggests, Symptom Management seeks to gain control and provide relief from Fibromyalgia related symptoms. Core Healing probes deeper into the mental and emotional expressions of this condition. Finally, Self Care teaches healthy self reliance and self healing techniques.

Dr. Tami Brady
http://www.articlesbase.com/alternative-medicine-articles/whole-health-therapy-717475.html