Beyond the Pain

The February 2006 issue of Psychology Today reports on a study at Boston University.

Professor Glenn Saxe that giving children large doses of morphine following a serious burn or accident will reduce the number of post-traumatic stress disoder (PTSD) symptoms.

Researchers are uncertain if it’s just the morphine or if anything that reduces pain will do the trick.

Saxe suggests that undertreament of pain because of a fear that patients will become addicted could lead to greater rates of PTSD — which ironically, in children, gives them an increased risk of substance abuse as an adult.

All I know is that all lot of folks (mainly men) who I suspect of having PTSD (from a little event called WWII) chose to self-medicate with alcohol. The end result: alcoholism in my family of origin, stress, abuse, and PTSD in the children (well, at least me).

Too bad folks in the 50s and 60s and even the 70s didn’t know about PTSD. Maybe, there’d be fewer fucked up people today.

One of the joys of Fibro is the "pain in the butt" feeling.

Apparently, tender points are the cause. But, what causes tender points?

According to Dr. Stuart Donaldson of Myosymmetries tender points and other pain associated with Fibro is ’caused’ by "bad messaging" between the brain and muscles [my words]. As I understand it, the pain associated with Fibro is due to brain wave slowing. Apparently, some initial cause (often an MVA) will create a bodily disruption which starts flooding the brain with pain signals. Eventually the brain just shuts off — but not really. Cause it becomes super sensitive to stimulation. Hence, pressing a ‘tender point’ creates great pain for the Fibromite.

This site, the home of a massage therapist, suggests that the cause is utimately due to poor nutrition effecting the junction between muscle and myofascial tissue.

My theory?

I suspect it’s complex, as is the condition. And, I think the prime cause is different for different people. I’m one of those lucky Fibromites who experienced many of the most frequent ’causes’ of FMS. I smucked up my neck in a body surfing accident. I had a bad reaction to aneasthetic and nearly died. I had a sinus infection for a year and was treated with massive doses of anitbiotic. And, I was sexually and physically abused as a child. That’s enough to make anyone sick.

I’ve talked to many Fibromites and others who experience chronic pain. One common theme is how the pain impacts us. And, what works to make it better.

I’ve managed to find a simple but powerful way to eliminate the crushing pain I’ve experienced for the last 3 years.

But, this pain in my  butt stymies me.

Any ideas?