"Please remind readers that I am a fellow sufferer just like them and not a medical authority (I worry about doctors being handed the pinwheel thinking this came from a medical journal backed up with huge case studies  when in fact it was just my idea of trying to sort out this puzzling problem).  What the FibroWheel represents is an attempt to logically correlate input and outputs; some might have other inputs or outputs that need to be added to the wheel.  The principle behind it seems to work but the data might be different for different people.

On the FibroWheel, a crash is not defined and it is presently correlated to the number of symptoms.  The fact is any one symptom, if taken to an extreme. could produce a crash.  For me, I can run completely out of energy followed by the onset of pain which then results in hypersensitivity.  I tried hard to not show that progression as it seems to be different for everyone.  I am revising this as follows:

A crash occurs when the intensity of a symptom (pain for example) becomes so intense or the combination of multiple symptoms results in mandatory shutdown for recovery (such as being confined to bed or a chair).  The crash can last for one day, one week, or longer depending on the speed of the wheel and the impact on the person.  Some people have likened a crash to what people with migraines suffer with during an intense onset.

I have yet to find anything that helps during a crash beyond being in a dark  and quiet place, sometimes a heating pad can help but when the crash is bad you have no idea where you should apply it.  I have read that pressure chambers have worked for some people, I have not tried this. My wife sometimes suffers from migraines and I am struck by how similar a crash is for us to a migraine.  I know this part well and have been unable to even be a passenger in the car when things take a bad turn and a crash is coming; every small bump in the road somehow upsets my whole nervous system in a way I have yet to figure out.  Probably the most important thing to learn is how to avoid a crash.  If we can tune into the body speaking back to us sometimes we can schedule down time ahead of time and what might have been a long intense period passes more quickly with less intensity.   For me, that means being careful with my schedule.  At this point when I schedule a meeting I try to visualize it first and get a sense of the level of energy it will require. If this is high output energy, then I plan in recovery time the next day. 

My last bit of advice is an odd observation that seems to hold true for me. Often, my wife can see me heading downhill when I might be totally unaware of this.  It happened at a family function this weekend. By the time she suggested I head home I could barely get to the car but thought everything was fine while I was sitting in a chair talking.  She saved me from a certain crash and instead I made it through kind of a brownout period and did very little for the balance of that day and made it through the following day by being careful with my energy.  She says she can tell by looking at my face; evidently I go pale before I discover I don’t feel well.  When you have a crash it is important to try to think of something positive to make it through.  It can be like having a bad flu – you feel like things will never get better.  But they will. 

One positive idea is to think of this less as a crash and instead more like a time of building up your reserve energy so you can participate in your life again.  It seems strange, but I also work out problems in my mind during these times.  When the world is too bright and loud it is time to retreat.  Once you retreat if you find you are not sleepy see if you can think (if you are in a fog you might have a hard time answering that question).  If you can think, pick out a small problem that you can try different solutions with and do this without ever opening your eyes.  Often I find solutions that would not normally think of only because I have quiet time to relax and approach things from more than one angle.  The idea of the pinwheel came to me during one of those thought sessions; I was trying to visualize the inputs and outputs and graphically show the relationships.  Afterwards, I had done something productive with my downtime.  This takes away the sting of being unproductive or the guilt of not accomplishing anything.  Turns out you can accomplish things even during a crash."

FROM DOM:   I'm sure just about every reader of this newsletter can relate to what this man is saying.  I have had countless crashes with FMS/CFIDS since its inception in 1982.  It sure does get discouraging, but take a look at www.fms-help.com/coincidences.htm - the second story - about the radio.

8.  HOW EATING AT HOME CAN SAVE YOUR LIFE

From a reader--

http://healthimpactnews.com/2011/how-eating-at-home-can-save-your-life/

9.  WEIGHT GAIN & MEDS

From a reader--

"Your reader www.fms-help.com/020211.htm mentioned Lyrica and 50-60 pound weight gain.  Another one they are pushing on TV big time for depression is Abilify.  My daughter takes that for Autistic Spectrum/bi-polar issues and she has gained 70 pounds.  It came on quick.  30 pounds before we knew it.  One thing Abilify does is cause blood sugar imbalances.  That could cause the weight gain.   I think I'll try the cinnamon caps with her."

10.  IS FMS A CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM (CNS) OR AUTOIMMUNE DISORDER?

From a reader--

"Do you see Fibromyalgia as a Central Nervous System disorder or a Auto-immune disorder?  I have heard both are the cause (individially) and I would appreciate your input."

FROM DOM:  Good question.  I see it as both.  FMS being primarily a CNS problem, (perhaps of viral or genetic origin) and CFIDS as containing immune problems as well.  Although the human genome has been mapped, researchers are discovering "triggers" that turn on and off genes. write dombush@bellsouth.net with your thoughts or information.

 11.  DEATH BY MEDICINE & MEDICAL ERRORS

From Dr. Mercola's site--

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2011/02/04/death-by-medicine-an-update.aspx

It's been seven years since I posted the comprehensive, footnoted research article, Death by Medicine, on this website.  Authored in two parts by Gary Null PhD, Carolyn Dean MD ND, Martin Feldman MD, Debora Rasio MD, and Dorothy Smith PhD, it described in excruciating detail how the modern American medical system had bumbled its way into becoming the leading cause of death and injury in the United States.

12.  HOSPITAL-ACQUIRED INFECTIONS

From Dr. Mercola's site--

A study, published in the Archives of Internal Medicine this year, showed that sepsis and pneumonia caused by hospital-acquired infections killed 48,000 patients and ramped up health care costs by $8.1 billion in 2006 alone. Both these infections are mostly preventable through better infection controls. The study also found that 20 percent of people who developed sepsis died; 11 percent of those who developed pneumonia died.  The authors noted that many hospital-acquired infections are super resistant to common antibiotics – and it's not just sepsis and pneumonia that they're talking about.  A different study in 2006 showed that "central-line-associated" bloodstream infections caused by catheters placed directly into veins resulted in a $26,839 loss for each patient that came down with this type of hospital-acquired infection. This same study estimated that 2 million people come down with hospital-acquired infections of any type in every year, and that approximately 100,000 die from those infections.  MORE HERE: http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2011/02/04/death-by-medicine-an-update.aspx

13.  GREEN LIGHT CAN RESET YOUR BODY CLOCK

From a reader--

"Interesting article about light and body clock.  Computers and TV upset the clock.  http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2010-05-13-sleep13_ST_N.htm#uslPageReturn - Green Light Can Reset Your Internal Body Clock - Affect Sleep"

14.  CHINESE MEDICINE

From a reader--

"I'm thinking of trying cordyceps. There's a Chinese medicine doc in New York, who is a Harvard M.D. as well, who uses Chinese herbs to fight fibro and Lyme, and co-infections.  Their office seems very nice.  The tech stayed on the phone for about 20 minutes and gave me a bunch of free info, genuine desire to help (which is RARE!)  They usually charge $150 for initial consult, recommend herbs, and then all follow ups afterwards are FREE.  Seems like a legit place!"

FROM DOM:  I have a reference on my site to cordyceps - www.fms-help.com/August2003.htm, Topic 8.

15.  "A SUDDEN ILLNESS" BY LAURA HILLENBRAND

FROM DOM:  www.cfids-cab.org/MESA/Hillenbrand.html - "A Sudden Illness - How My Life Changed":  19-year-old Laura Hillenbrand (now the famous author of "Seabiscuit" and "Unbroken") was traveling back to college when her CFIDS symptoms suddenly began.   See my page about children and teens with CFIDS at www.fms-help.com/teens.htm.  The onset of my FMS was sudden also - actually overnight in June of 1982 www.fms-help.com/fibro.htm.  I should have written down the date which altered the course of my life!  Then CFIDS began in 1987 www.fms-help.com/fatigue.htm.  I have been a human guinea pig since then in my efforts to get well, or at least functional.  I am doing considerably better now with the aid of many helps listed at www.fms-help.com/what.htm; however, my life is still far from "normal."  I have to manage my time and energy carefully to avoid crashes.  This has been especially true since I worked in a moldy building in 2004-2005 www.fms-help.com/mold.htm.  I still cannot travel more than abot 30 miles from home without crashing.  I have been writing the newsletter since 1996 to inform and encourage fellow patients with FMS/CFIDS, since there is still no "cure" that doctors can help us with.

16.  AUTHOR ESCAPES CHRONIC FATIGUE SYNDROME

From a reader--

http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/02/04/an-author-escapes-from-chronic-fatigue-syndrome/?emc=eta1 - Snippet: "