TBT...PUMPED UP KICKS AND FEEDBACK LOOPS

I always knew I was dysfunctional.

I just didn't know it ran so deep.

Clear down to my neurotransmitters.

I think we all have a dysfunctional neurotransmitter system. There has to be a reason that we don't all have the same symptoms and we don't all respond to the same therapies and medications. 

We have pain perception problems. 

Isn't this linked to neurotransmitters?

Chronic stress can contribute to Fibromyalgia but it isn't a cause, otherwise, everyone on the planet would have it. We all know that chronic stress changes the neural pathways in the brain but to what end?  Depression isn't the cause because not everyone who is depressed has Fibromyalgia. I think it's like everything else. There may be risk factors for the development but that doesn't mean you're going to get it. There may be a genetic predisposition depending on many things, but again, what is the trigger?

I'm on a roll here.

So what do we know?

1. We know that Substance P, glutamate, are elevated in Fibromyalgia and this accounts for an increased pain sensitivity. 

2. The lowered levels of serotonin and noradrenalin in the central nervous system could be the reason that the descending neural pathways are messed up.  This can cause issues with sleep and depression. 

3. The HPA (hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal) axis and the sympathetic nervous system are off but it may be a symptom but not a cause of Fibromyalgia. Dopamine levels are also off which can cause our achy-breaky stiff muscles and brain fog.

I'm not a doctor (obviously) but doesn't this suggest subgroups? I know people with Fibromyalgia and they have pain but the fatigue seems to be more of an issue than the pain. With me....yes, I have the fatigue but pain is far more of an issue with me. Maybe this is why medications like Cymbalta and Savella work well with people who have more of an issue with serotonin levels and less of an issue with elevated Substance P and glutamate. 

Maybe by targeting the specific subgroups and medications that work specifically for that group.....is that a way to get better results than lumping us all into one group? It seems that pain with depression and pain without depression respond differently to medications. 

The only thing that works for me is the oxycodone in very small doses (5 mg.) and Zaniflex which controls the muscle spasms. Lyrica made me squirrely and gain weight and did nothing to help the pain or fatigue but others swear by it.

What I find VERY interesting is that Zaniflex (tinzanidine) reduces Substance P levels. Since the prevalence of pain is my main issue isn't this why this might work for me and not for someone that has a predominance of fatigue?

I think that the argument against using opioid in treatment  has more to do with the general issue of doctor liability and the risk of dependency. Right now it's politically correct to be against these in pain management because of a group that abuse them. 

I don't like a lot of them because of the addition of acetaminophen. Long term use can cause damage to your liver. When I went on the oxycodone my pain doctor and I had a long talk about it. He did explain the risks but also told me this would be better as a long term treatment because of the damage that anything with Tylenol or acetaminophen would cause. He knew that addiction and dependency were two very different animals and I was low risk for addiction. 

I just don't think you can pour everyone with Fibromyalgia in a bowl.

It's like making a cake.

You need to add one ingredient at a time.

If you add too much of one,

You get a mess.

This is what they've done with us.

IS IT HOT ENOUGH FOR YOU??

It doesn't make any sense.

I live in Las Vegas.

And I HATE the heat.

I have to say one thing about Fibromyalgia. The internal thermostat definitely doesn't work! I don't like it too hot and I don't like it too cold. I don't like it real windy. I love the rain but I hate the humidity. 

I'm also a pain in the ass.
Anything else I don't like?

But mostly, I hate the heat.

Living in Las Vegas in the summer is like standing in front of a hair dryer. Just turn it on the hottest setting and point it at your face and voila! You're in virtual Vegas. We are in triple digits and I'm just not ready for it. The way I see it is that you can put on sweaters and jackets to stay warm but you can only strip down so far. 

Hot is hot.

And it sucks.

I guess we just can't regulate our thermostat. Usually we have problems with one extreme or the other. As you can guess, mine is the heat. I do much better when the weather is cooler. True to the general theme of Fibromyalgia, other people cannot tolerate the cold weather. Most of us do agree, however, on humidity. We don't perspire as easily either. Maybe that's why the heat really gets to me. Could this be due to my thyroid imbalance? Or is it just another symptom of our hypersensitivity?

Basically, it comes back to that pesky hypothalamus. The HPA axis seems to be popping up everywhere.  I guess the autonomic system is out of whack. Everything seems to point to a problem in this area. What triggers it is anyone's guess but when you trace back the symptoms that we have........well, it all seems to point back to this area of the brain. 

We have malfunctions in the two key areas of the brain. The autonomic system and the HPA axis. These two areas are the major pathways for the bodies response to stressful situations. Considering that we don't handle stress very well...........well, there you have it.

Here's what I don't get. 

What pioneer rode across the country.....in the summer........

Settled on what is now known as Las Vegas......

And said.........

"oh, this is PERFECT....let's settle here!!???"

But back to the heat.

I hate it.

I'm sitting right in the middle of fort stinking desert.

And it hasn't even gotten started.

Hello to Las Vegas in the summer.

WHAT CAME FIRST, THE THYROID OR THE FIBRO?

Oh yay!

Another cure!!

Never mind the research.

Everyone else has been wrong.

It seems that everyone else has been misguided and the cure for Fibromyalgia has been right under our noses all this time.

It's your thyroid that causes the Fibromyalgia.

Sounds simple, huh?

I will agree that a lot of the symptoms sound the same but, at the same time, managing one does not automatically mean the cure of the other. The interesting part? The irrefutable evidence is currently on a website that is offline. 

Hmmmm.......

My doctor gets it. He knows there is a difference between normal and optimum. I don't feel well just being barely normal (OK, don't even go there!!!). I also need T3 and T4. I can't take levothyroxine alone, it just doesn't work for me. Getting my levels in check took some doing but now they seem to be where they need to be. 

I think it's interesting that that a lot of these symptoms are the same. I don't mean to sound flippant. There are a lot of issues with our body and the thyroid may just be one of them. The HPA axis dysfunction has long been a favorite theory of mine. I just think it's suspect when you take the same symptoms and point them to a simple fix.

Don't you think researchers have thought of this?

Maybe there is a problem with the thyroid due to low body temperature and basal metabolism that is common in Fibromyalgia patients, I don't know. Maybe some patients who were diagnosed with Fibromyalgia were actually severely hypothyroid. Maybe it is a problem but, right now, we just don't know. It's a shame that promising studies set themselves up for ridicule.

Why can't they just say, "another piece of the puzzle found."

Or, "study looks promising,

But, no......

Everyone else is stupid

And the cure was right under their noses.

So far, no one has been cured of Fibromyalgia,

But we can!!

(oops, the website with the proof is gone)

Is there any reason this shouldn't be suspect?

The thyroid science study link

PUMPED UP KICKS AND FEEDBACK LOOPS

I always knew I was dysfunctional.
I just didn't know it ran so deep.
Clear down to my neurotransmitters.

I think we all have a dysfunctional neurotransmitter system. There has to be a reason that we don't all have the same symptoms and we don't all respond to the same therapies and medications. 

We have pain perception problems. 

Isn't this linked to neurotransmitters?

Chronic stress can contribute to Fibromyalgia but it isn't a cause, otherwise, everyone on the planet would have it. We all know that chronic stress changes the neural pathways in the brain but to what end?  Depression isn't the cause because not everyone who is depressed has Fibromyalgia. I think it's like everything else. There may be risk factors for the development but that doesn't mean you're going to get it. There may be a genetic predisposition depending on many things, but again, what is the trigger?

I'm on a roll here.

So what do we know?

1. We know that Substance P, glutamate, are elevated in Fibromyalgia and this accounts for an increased pain sensitivity. 

2. The lowered levels of serotonin and noradrenalin in the central nervous system could be the reason that the descending neural pathways are messed up.  This can cause issues with sleep and depression. 

3. The HPA (hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal) axis and the sympathetic nervous system are off but it may be a symptom but not a cause of Fibromyalgia. Dopamine levels are also off which can cause our achy-breaky stiff muscles and brain fog.

I'm not a doctor (obviously) but doesn't this suggest subgroups? I know people with Fibromyalgia and they have pain but the fatigue seems to be more of an issue than the pain. With me....yes, I have the fatigue but pain is far more of an issue with me. Maybe this is why medications like Cymbalta and Savella work well with people who have more of an issue with serotonin levels and less of an issue with elevated Substance P and glutamate. 

Maybe by targeting the specific subgroups and medications that work specifically for that group.....is that a way to get better results than lumping us all into one group? It seems that pain with depression and pain without depression respond differently to medications. 

The only thing that works for me is the oxycodone in very small doses (5 mg.) and Zaniflex which controls the muscle spasms. Lyrica made me squirrely and gain weight and did nothing to help the pain or fatigue but others swear by it.

What I find VERY interesting is that Zaniflex (tinzanidine) reduces Substance P levels. Since the prevalence of pain is my main issue isn't this why this might work for me and not for someone that has a predominance of fatigue?

I think that the argument against using opioid in treatment  has more to do with the general issue of doctor liability and the risk of dependency. Right now it's politically correct to be against these in pain management because of a group that abuse them. 

I don't like a lot of them because of the addition of acetaminophen. Long term use can cause damage to your liver. When I went on the oxycodone my pain doctor and I had a long talk about it. He did explain the risks but also told me this would be better as a long term treatment because of the damage that anything with Tylenol or acetaminophen would cause. He knew that addiction and dependency were two very different animals and I was low risk for addiction. 

I just don't think you can pour everyone with Fibromyalgia in a bowl.

It's like making a cake.

You need to add one ingredient at a time.

If you add too much of one,

You get a mess.

This is what they've done with us.

AIN'T NO CURE FOR THE SUMMERTIME BLUES

It makes no sense.

I live in Las Vegas.

I hate the heat.

I have to say one thing about Fibromyalgia. The internal thermostat definitely doesn't work! I don't like it too hot and I don't like it too cold. I don't like it real windy. I love the rain but I hate the humidity. 

Mostly, I hate the heat.

Living in Las Vegas in the summer is like standing in front of a hair dryer. Just turn it on and point it at your face and voila! You're in virtual Vegas. We are almost to triple digits and I'm just not ready for it. The way I see it is that you can put on sweaters and jackets to stay warm but you can only strip down so far. The power company loves me. Or, in other words, the nickname for my home should be Antarctica.

Hot is hot.

And it sucks.

I guess we just can't regulate our thermostat. Usually we have problems with one extreme or the other. As you can guess, mine is the heat. I do much better when the weather is cooler. True to the general theme of Fibromyalgia, other people cannot tolerate the cold weather. Most of us do agree, however, on humidity. We don't perspire as easily either. Maybe that's why the heat really gets to me. Could this be due to a thyroid imbalance? Or is it just another symptom of our hypersensitivity?

Basically, it comes back to that pesky hypothalamus. The HPA axis seems to be popping up everywhere.  I guess the autonomic system is out of whack. Everything seems to point to a problem in this area. What triggers it is anyone's guess but when you trace back the symptoms that we have........well, it all seems to point back to this area of the brain. 

We have malfunctions in the two key areas of the brain. The autonomic system and the HPA axis. These two areas are the major pathways for the bodies response to stressful situations. Considering that we don't handle stress very well...........well, there you have it.

But back to the heat.

I hate it.

I'm sitting right in the middle of fort stinking desert.

And it hasn't even gotten started.

MICROBES HAVE BROTHERS

For every microbe you see.

There are a million that you don't.

I learned something new. I was reading an article out of the Costco Connection magazine about Fibromyalgia. What caught my eye was something that I'd never seen before.

Fibromyalgia was classified as an autoimmune disorder.

This really strikes a chord with me. I have a thyroid issue but along with that tags along Autoimmune Hashimoto's Thyroiditis. I also found a spinal issue that I have also on the list. But, to my amazement Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue are also on that list. I'm going to add links to these lists as well. Just click here. We have enough trouble being believed in the medical community, now I find it's classified as an autoimmune disorder??

Why can't someone get this straight?

Like I said, where one autoimmune disease lurks another one is sure to follow. Something always felt wrong about this being a "syndrome" and muscular in nature. Now, things are becoming a little clearer. According to the Marshall Protocol Knowledge Base, a research foundation that deals in autoimmune disorders, our immune system becomes compromised by the very nature of chronic illness. All of our symptoms are so intertwined with other known diseases and illnesses. Is it any wonder that no one knows what the heck is going on with our bodies?

Least of all us.

Is it an issue with the HPA axis? The Hypothalamus, Pituitary and Adrenal axis does interact with the immune system and the control of pain. Let's not even get started on the stress effect. So what does all this interaction tell us?

It tells me we are really screwed up somewhere.

Generally Fibromyalgia is regarded as a noninflammatory and non autoimmune but some show evidence of autoimmunity. Also, in autoimmune diseases, there is evidence of Fibromyalgia. It can drive you crazy looking at all the articles regarding this disease. 

I feel like I'm going in circles.

No, it's more like a maze.

More twists and turns and you can't get out.

BURNING THE CANDLE AT BOTH ENDS

I always thought I thrived on stress.

I was wrong.

So what is the HPA Axis?

The HPA axis is the relationship between the hypothalamus, the pituitary and adrenal glands. Research is showing that people with Chronic Fatigue and/or Fibromyalgia have a real problem in this area.

The hypothalamus is at the base of the brain. It controls body temperature, hunger, thirst, mood, your sex drive and your sleep. The pituitary gland is also at the base of the brain. It controls our metabolism, blood pressure and stress response. The adrenals are at the top of the kidneys. They produce cortisol, adrenalin and norepinephine. 

So basically dysfunction in this area causes low body temperature, digestion problems, problems in the immune system, problems with energy and problems in the response to stress trauma or injury and pain and those are just the highlights.

Does this sound familiar?

The stress response is the body protecting you. I loved the feeling of flight or fight and lived that way on a daily basis. It was more powerful than any drug. I was typical Type A and thought that was the way to really live. If I wasn't going at mach two with my hair on fire then I felt like a wimp. What is interesting is that many of the women I worked with in new home sales now suffer from Fibromyalgia. I don't think it's a coincidence either. We lived under high pressure, long hours and high intensity. The stress was unbelievable. What I didn't realize was that I was burning myself out. I don't think any of use had a clue what was happening to our bodies.  

So what came first?

The chicken or the egg?

I'm not saying that any of us who are Type A personalities did this to ourselves. Did we have problems in this axis to begin with and then the stress just exacerbated the symptoms? Or did the stress and trauma put too much pressure on these glands and they weren't able to deal with it?

I remember the feeling. My muscles would tighten and my heart would beat faster. It seems like your senses are sharper. What I interpreted as daily living was my bodies way of protecting me. It would enable me to rise to the challenge of survival. 

I was in survival mode.

To the max.

When the stress is greater than the body is able to tolerate you are at risk for a stress related disorder. The heart becomes more susceptible to disease because of the increased cortisol and adrenaline in your already compromised system. The body doesn't differentiate between physical and emotional stress. Stress is stress.

If chronic stress can rewire the brain then I must be really screwed up. The body needs to shut off the switch and therein lies the problem. The stress felt so normal for so long that it tends to give you a warm, fuzzy feeling but the price that you pay for that over-achieving, perfectionist, familiar feeling is a very heavy toll on your system. 

You've basically put a big bulls eye on your back.

And back then I still didn't pay attention.

I pay attention now.