Fibromyalgia Pain Description

This is the new Bella article and the details of the article that sparked chaos in the fibromyalgia community.

Enjoy,

Veronica

Controversial article receives International attention

I received this email from a journalist in South Africa. The “murky ailment” guy caused international chaos among the fibromyalgia community. See the article, Fibromyalgia Pain Description at the Bella Online site to find out the details.
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Hi Veronica,

Could you let me know the URL of the original article? As a journalist
myself, I would like to judge this for myself, then write to them.

Regards,
Chris in South Africa
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Hi Veronica,

I’ve read the article as well as the NFA response. I’ll try and scare up
some time and energy, and respond to this.

Chris
P.S. All the to-ing and fro-ing about the pharmaceutical companies hardly
has relevance for me in SA, but their poorly-written article does!
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Here’s my reply:

Hi Chris,

I’d like to call it irresponsible journalism! I don’t necessarily disagree with the idea of money-hungry drug companies. I have been treated for years with medication on the $4 drug list and generic list for years. The doctor that I had several years ago did a brain study of fibro patients, and he discovered that the brain chemical that is affecting FM patients is dopamine. When he presented his reseach to the powers that be, they rejected it. His comment to me alluded to the drug companies “recouping cost”. Neither of the drugs approved for fibromyalgia targets dopamine nor can you get them in generic. So, I feel that there is some truth to the drug companies capitalizing on others pain. The problem that I had with the article was calling fibromyalgia a “murky ailment”. I receive countless emails from FM patients calling out for help wanting to kill themselves because they have lost hope. 9 times out of 10, the reason: an insensitive doctor has labeled them as depressed and crazy and did not provide any relief. So the only solution that these sufferers have left is to kill themselves to stop the pain. His article can do a great deal of damage to persons who have lost all hope. If he did not have full knowledge of the disease, then he should have kept his mouth shut!

Dr. Patrick Wood, Dr. Andrew Holman, and many others have lab reports, MRI reports and other scientific evidence that fibromyalgia is a reall illness that cause visible changes in the brain. It is now considered a central nervous system disease which is why the drugs approved for FM either target the nerves or the brain. So, Kudos to the drug companies in the sense that they made the disease come to life; that no longer can a physician who doesn’t have a clue how to treat fibromyalgia use the “depressed and crazy” excuse. By the FDA approving medicines for FM, our cries have been heard. So along comes a journalist who has no clue, trying to muffle the cries. Yes, we’re angry about that! So, it was more than being offensive; he was undoing a great deal of hard work done by advocates who have been lobbying for years to have fibromyalgia to be considered as anything but a “murky ailment”.

Veronica
Editor of Fibromyalgia & Chronic Fatigue Syndrome at Bellaonline

The FDA Approves a Third Medication for Fibromyalgia

Well, it doesn’t work on dopamine, but it’s making fibromyalgia more real to unbelieving doctors and to the public. The medication is called
Savella or Milnacipran. We’ll see what the public has to say about it. When the FDA approves a drug that addresses dopamine, I’ll applaud then!

Book Review: I Want My Life Back!

I Want My Life Back! Perhaps you have shouted those words a number of times in your life. Read this book review to find out how to take your life back.

Fibromyalgia Friendly Diets

Weight Gain is common for many who live with fibromyalgia and CFS. But, not all diets are beneficial. Continue reading to find out my Top-3-Picks…

Reaching Out Website Review

Reaching-Out is a gem among support networks in the FMS/CFS community. Learn more about this great web site and the services they offer.

Read…

Become A Proactive Patient

The Bella Online article for this will provide suggestions on how chonic illness sufferers can become proactive in their own health care.

Enjoy,

How Dare She?!?!

Did you know that if you patrol the web more than 6 times a month looking for answers about your health that you are labeled as a ‘cyberchondriac?’ And to add salt to the wound, the author of the book, Medical Myths That Can Kill You-by Nancy Sniderman, MD, called you a fool for doing so! You see, I had to write a fair and dignified article on the Bella site, but I had to speak on what she said in this book.

I saw an episode of Mystery Diagnosis the other night, and it chronicled a girl’s life since birth. From the slightest touch, she would have breathing difficulties, and it was a tremendous task to keep her alive. In the end, she had a rare condition that had to be tested out of the country and only a handful of people had this illness (I don’t recall what it was, only the suffering that this child and her parents endured for years.) The doctor that diagnosed her wasn’t a specialist in her condition, in fact, he had not heard of it himself. So, how did he find out what was wrong with her? The mother had did an internet search of her daughter’s symptoms and found this condition. She faxed the information to her daughter’s doctor, and what did he do? Throw it in the trash? Call her a cyberchondriac? Dismiss her concerns altogether? Call her a fool? NO! He asked, “where did you find that?” It gave him a foundation to build on. He appreciated the information, and he was able to do further research which allowed him to develop a treatment plan for his patient.

How dare she? Do you know how many people would be dead if they didn’t cybersearch their symptoms?

I actually think that we intimidate them. We have the same access to most of the information that they have-only we have the time to find it. So GOOGLE on!

Are You A Cyberchondriac?

This is the new Bella article.

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New Blog Added

Check out a new fibromyalgia blog on the block!

An inspiring story of Dominie Bush.

See the Blogger’s Block.