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Fibromyalgia, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome & Related Syndromes   Site Index  'Be kinder than necessary; For everyone you meet is Fighting some kind of battle.' I have created this web page to provide an extensive resource of information on FM, CFS and other related conditions. I hope you find this site helpful in your search for information or support. These conditions can be debilitating, however it's the individual's outlook, how they interact with others, their mentality and how they live their daily life is the most important factors in determining if and how much they can actually do. Every single medical condition effects the physical, psychological, spiritual and social aspects of the individual. In turn the same medical condition is effected by the person's outlook on life, internal belief system, personal values, ambitions, personality and coping skills. Some people become great contributers to society and inspire all they come in contact with. Others become a negative influence and an emotional drain on all they come across alienating all friends and family members. Needless to say there are always people who can not handle accepting the fact of a disabling or chronic condition in a family member or friend so they distance themselves simply due to their own ignorance and insecurities. However if the medically ill person uses their condition to seek attention and expect handouts and to always take and never give, they become a burden and negative influence on everyone they come in contact with. Use this site to gain useful information and find encouragement. I do have some inspirational content as well as information on feelings people with these conditions as well as family members may experience, in additional to medical and support information and links.  Tips For Fibromyalgia Sufferers Use big grip tools and utensils. Use big grip pens. Make lists or use voice recorder machine. Watch the weekly weather and plan your week around low barometric pressure days. (Low barometric pressure may make you feel worse.) Pull back on activity during times of low pressure. Set your activity according to difficulty and take breaks. (If you do less things that damage your body, then your body will use that extra time to heal itself.) Get up at the same time! Always! Apparently sleeping in late causes increased body symptoms and following a regular schedule makes the body feel experience less symptoms. Change your mattress if it is uncomfortable. (An old lumpy mattress does not promote sound sleep nor support the body well during sleep.) Red meat and red wine increase pain. White meat and white wine decrease pain. I'm not sure if any alcohol would be good for the FM body or anyone suffering from an autoimmune disease. If you drink wine limit the amount of consumption. If you have Irritable Bowel Syndrome and use the bathroom frequently, purchase Charmin with Aloe or another very soft bathroom tissue. If you have allergies or sinus drainage and blow your nose often, purchuse soft tissue which helps reduce irritation of the nose. Eat slower. This helps decrease digestive problems. Learn to say NO. Wear comfortable clothes. This helps decrease irritations and problems caused by ill fitting clothes and shoes. Get a quality multivitamin. Some cheaper ones are reportedly undigested and the body disposes of it whole. Get a quality antioxidant and mineral supplement. Never drink carbonated soft drinks or junk foods. This adds more bad chemicals to your body and actually contributes to the negative cycle in the body. Never eat or drink anything labeled diet. Apparently the sugar substitute, which man made, is worse than the sugar, which God made. Never eat anything labeled sugar free. It'll contain a sugar substitute. Learn which foods make you feel worse and avoid them. Learn what foods make your body feel better and eat these. Fruits and vegetables are important in the diet and contains many vitamins and minerals the body needs. Watch you thoughts and words. It is good to attend a support group for emotional support and encouragement. This helps release emotional stress but focus on positive ways of coping with symptoms. There are many people with FM who live active productive lives. Remember there is always someone better off than you but also there is someone worse off. Look for commonality with people, not how you are worse off than others. Remember people have different pain thus holds, different opinions, different views on life, different genetic makeup and different issues in life. These contribute to how a person interpretes experiences and sensations. Therefore you can't tell someone your symptoms are worse or less than theirs. The old saying "Walk a mile in someone else's shoes before you tell them what and how they feel." Reduce stressful situations in your life. This includes things, jobs, relationships, activities. Stress is a big factor in increasing symptoms. Change the "I'm helpless over changing my life." thinking to "I'm an overcomer." Remember people like Joni Eareckson Tada who became even more useful and mighty in reaching and inspiring others as a result of the disability. If you use learn what God wants you to learn, trust in Him and allow Him to turn your life around, you will get a sense of peace and joy you never had before. Don't forget to allow yourself time to cry and pray. We all need our time of solitude and meditation to regroup. Remember we all experience negative emotions and experience times of negative thinking. (I happen to have depression, cognitive problems along with a few other things that at times compound the depression and know it is depressing to be depressed. I also know I'm not alone with these symptoms and know everyone experienced or will experience these symptoms in their lifetime at least once if not many times.) These are some tips I got from a local FM support group but also added some of my own thoughts as well. I hope you find these helpful.  This is an email I got from Carol offering a FM online course. Hi, I am a college professor who suffers from FMS. Currently I am offering an online course in coping with Fibromyalgia and was wondering if you would mind mentioning it to your readers. Anyone who suffers from fibromyalgia is aware of the need to educate themselves about the beast that burdens them. Even more important is our need to interact with others who understand what we are going through and can share our experiences. "Coping with Fibromyalgia" is an online course offered through Suite101.com's Suite University aimed at covering the basics of dealing with FMS, from diagnosis (and finding the right doctor) through coping with the physical and emotional aspects, traditional and alternative treatments, pitfalls of applying for disability and more. The course runs from May 27 through June 27. It includes 8 lessons with resources (including a link to your site), and a highly interactive discussion area for students and instructor to discuss the many aspects of FMS. There is a text, "Inside Fibromyalgia" by Dr. Mark Pellegrino as well as a large resource area for additional resources. For more information see http://www.suite101.com/course.cfm/16603/seminar Sincerely, Carol Wallace Virtually Gardening http://www.suite101.com/welcome.cfm/virtually_gardening Check our new Garden Center! http://suite101.com/gardencenter/ Compassion International Share your love, prayers and support with a boy or girl who lives in poverty. Children are waiting now. If Tommorrow Never Comes Information and diagnostic criteria of FM Information on various symptoms of FM and how they defer from what people consider symptoms of "aging" and also includes the diagnostic criteria of FM. FM, CFS Diagnostic Criterias & Their Syndrome Symptoms Explain the various symptoms common in FM and CFS as well as the diagnostic criteria for FM, CFS and idiopathic fatigue. Emotional and Cognitive Problems Associated with FM & CFS Explaination of the specific memory, information processing and thinking problems common in people with FM & CFS. Hashimoto's Thyroiditis Hypothyroidism has a lot of what I call "syndrome symptoms" in common with CFS & FM. (Just take away the disabiling fatigue & the severe pain and you will get hypothyroidism "syndrome symptoms".) Sleep Disorders and CFIDS Explaination of sleep abnormalities associated with FM & CFS as well as links to site providing information on normal sleep, sleep hygeine & sleep disorders. Dizziness Common conditions that causes the feelings of dizziness, weakness or feeling faint. Some of these conditions are common to people with FM or CFS but many people without FM or CFS can experience these conditions also. Family and friends of people with FM & CFS How to best help and understand the sufferer of fm and cfs. A little suggestion on how to encourage a person with FM, CFS or anyone. Money Matters especially with FM This was sent to me by a friend. Gives practical advice on how to reduce financial stress. Money contributes to more stress in the home than probably any single factor. Research informational links useful links & information for those who are wanting to get more medical & scientific details as well as information benefical to researchers. Support & general information links This page includes an extensive list of links to support groups as well as general information on FM, CFS & related syndromes. I also share why I have established this web page. Overcomers Page Links to Support groups, advocacy sites and pages created by people with FM & CFS. Prescription drugs information links Search information about your drugs and financial assistance with prescriptions. The Body Balancer Good news! The invention idea is going forward. It is being marketed through Invent Tech & is in the process of seeking a manufacturer. The good news it will be cheaper to make than oringinally thought. Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek His will in all you do, and He will direct your paths (Prov. 3:5-6).  Now I will taking a sabbatical from my many years of working on this site and research on FM & CFS. I have literally burned myself out so need to slow my pace and look to the Lord for guidance. I will have to let my sister decide what she wants out of life and set her long term goals. She did move from SD to SC after a truamatic divorce. She is doing better but still needs a lot of prayers. Vocational Rehabilitation Page I have created this page for use by vocational rehabilitation counselors, VR staff or anyone else who may find this type information useful. Webmasters I have added links to sites I have found helpful and educational in helping me build my web sites. Spybot-Search & Destroy A coworker of mine told me about this site and I just installed the program & removed a bunch of those trojans & other computer type bugs that caused those pop up ads to constantly pop up. Before I thought those ads were from being on hotmail. The program is free! Just scroll to the bottom of the site & click on download. The site mentions about donations. If you want to give you can if you don't that's ok too. We can't give to every cause. McAfee FreeScan Check your computer to see if you have any viruses. It takes a long time to do so if you have an hour to kill go for it. It's a good idea to check your computer for viruses from time to time especially if you are having a lot of problems with it. Merriam-Webster Online Need to look up a word in the dictionary? This site you can do that & more to expand your vocabulary. PetsWelcome.com Travel with pets.  Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service Traveling With Your Pet US Airways Perishable and Animal Shipments International Air Transport Association They're redoing their site but is suppost to have info on pet air travel regulations. Tid Bits Valuable information on free internet service, Guardian TV (device that blocks out foul language on many TV shows), DJ service for Charlotte NC area, printing, etc.  Enjoy surfacing.   Please email me if you find any bad links or just to say hi. Email me |
This FM, CFS & Related Syndromes site owned by Linda
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