100 TIPS FOR COPING WITH FIBROMYALGIA & INSOMNIA - things I learned from dealing with FMS since 1982

ADRENAL INSUFFICIENCY - patients are overexcited when they should rest and sleep, but tired and weak when they need to function.

AIDS & CFIDS - is there a link between the CFIDS epidemic and AIDS??

ANTIBIOTICS - overuse of antibiotics can cause yeast overgrowth and FMS/CFIDS symptoms

AWARENESS - letter I wrote to Congress for Fibromyalgia Awareness Day - May 12, 2006

BLADDER PROBLEMS - suggestions I received from readers about irritable bladder and urinary frequency

BRAIN FUNCTIONING IN REVERSE - I can relate!

CAUSES OF FIBROMYALGIA - there are many theories about what causes this baffling and debilitating illness

CENTRAL NERVIOUS SYSTEM ABNORMALITY & FIBROMYALGIA - this explains the strange symptoms

CEREBRAL ATROPHY & CFIDS - this bad news could be good news, since it proves we aren't malingerers or hypochondriacs

CHILDREN & TEENS WITH FMS/CFIDS - younger people now have FMS/CFIDS

CHINESE CLUB - a friendship club we started in Clay County - a bright spot in my life!

CHRISTMAS BLUES - depressed during the holidays?

CHRONIC FATIGUE STORY - my CFIDS began after a virus in 1987

CHURCH HOME - we love our church! - it's a warm place of worship, friendship, service and support

DEFINITION OF FIBROMYALGIA - "a change in brain chemistry from distress in the central nervous system"

DISABILITY FOR FMS/CFIDS - I have not filed for disability, but many must do so in order to survive - here are some tips from those who have been successful

DOCTOR WHO IS CARING - Dr. Murphree is soooo refreshing!

DOCTORS - GOOD AND BAD - comforting if you've had a bad experience with a doctor

DRUG INTERACTIONS - CHECK YOUR MEDS HERE - good idea!

DRUGS BEING TESTED ON HUMANS - What will the consent forms disclose about the risks involved?

DRUGS THAT ARE DANGEROUS - beware

DYSAUTONOMIA - AUTONOMIC NERVOUS SYSTEM DYSFUNCTION & FIBROMYALGIA - fascinating article

ENERGY GONE - "chronic fatigue is not a psychiatric illness, but a nasty mix of immunological, neurological, and hormonal abnormalities"

EXCITOTOXINS & FIBROMYALGIA - avoid aspartame, Nutrasweet, MSG, etc.

FIBROMYALGIA STORY - my FMS experience may be similar to yours - I think I have a "classic" case!

GENETICS - chronic fatigue syndrome is caused by mutated genes in the brain, according to the CDC study, reported by the L.A. Times

GULF WAR SYNDROME - similar to FMS/CFIDS

HYPOTHALAMUS GLAND & FMS/CFIDS - my very smart sister-in-law with a Ph.D. in virology may have been right 15 years ago

IMAGINE (what it's like having fibromyalgia) - for those who don't have FMS

INSOMNIA STORY - I have had a sleep disorder for 30+ years

INTERVIEW WITH DOMINIE (BellaOnline, the Voice of Women) - things you wanted to know about me but were afraid to ask

IRRITABLE BOWEL SYNDROME - many people with FMS have IBS too

LAB TEST FOR FIBROMYALGIA - finally?

LETTER TO THE HEALTHY WORLD FROM THE LAND OF CHRONIC PAIN & FATIGUE - well stated

LINKS - some related sites

LOSSES WE EXPERIENCE WITH THIS ILLNESS - here is one woman's poignant (yet typical) FMS/CFIDS story called "I Have Been Robbed"

MAILING LIST - to receive FMS/CFIDS updates from Dominie, send an email to dombush@bellsouth.net (TIP: put me in your address book so these emails don't bounce or go into your spam folder.)

MARITAL HARMONY - an emergency marriage manual for women in difficult marriages

MEN WITH FIBROMYALGIA and/or CHRONIC FATIGUE SYNDROME - an "equal opportunity" illness

MILLION LETTER CAMPAIGN - THE PROJECT - thanks to all who participated on May 1, 2005

MILLION LETTER CAMPAIGN - UPDATE - responses we received

MISERY INDEX - "CFS has one of the highest morbidity rates (degrees of suffering) of any illness, rivaling the physical misery of advanced cardiac disease and cancer"

MITOCHONDRIA DYSFUNCTION - FMS & CFIDS are complex diseases that involve multi-system disturbances and abnormalities

MORE TIPS FOR COPING WITH FIBROMYALGIA - a most helpful list

MUSIC STUDENTS - I really enjoy teaching piano, organ, guitar and voice to my wonderful students!

MY NAME IS FIBROMYALGIA - an easy way to explain FMS to friends and family

MYCOPLASMAS - are we infected???

NEUROENDOCRINEIMMUNE DISORDERS - tremendous description of what it's like to live with a neuro-endocrine-immune illness

NEWSLETTER ARCHIVES - a wealth of information - you will not feel alone after reading even one issue of this warm and encouraging newsletter!

OPEN LETTER TO NORMALS - explains to healthy people what it's like to live with FMS/CFIDS on a daily basis

PAIN SCALE FOR FIBROMYALGIA - very helpful

POEMS ABOUT FIBROMYALGIA - contributed by creative readers of my site

QUESTIONNAIRE FOR FMS/CFIDS - risk factors and symptom checklist

REMEDIES FOR FMS/CFIDS (find them or rate them) - all of us "guinea pigs" need to speak up - we have a wealth of experience to share

REVIEW OF FMS-HELP.COM (BellaOnline, the Voice of Women) - "FMS-HELP.com provides inspiration, information, understanding, support and encouragement"

SALVATION TESTIMONY - I was "Religious but Lost" for 36 years!

SLEEP IDEAS - things I've tried for sleep during my decades of insomnia

SPINAL CORD FLUID - CFS patients have 16 proteins that healthy individuals do not - the CFS problem lies in the central nervous system

SPLENDA & FIBROMYALGIA - tastes good, but is it good for you?

SONGS - Dominie sings and plays MAKE ME A SERVANT and WELCOME TO OUR WORLD

SPOON THEORY - helps explain chronic illness to healthy people

STEALTH VIRUSES - CFIDS symptoms are the result of viral-induced organic brain damage - an infected patient's immune system may be up-regulated or impaired due to it's constant search for something it "feels" is there but cannot locate and destroy

STIGMA OF HAVING FIBROMYALGIA - negative perceptions our society has about fibromyalgia sufferers and how we can create more awareness

SUICIDAL FEELINGS - biochemical depression and fibromyalgia

TENDER POINTS - interesting chart showing fibromyalgia tender points located at major branching of arteries

T-SHIRTS THAT EXPLAIN FIBROMYALGIA - Candy's T-shirts inform the public

THIEF OF MANY LIVES - great article by Kathleen Houghton

TRIBUTE TO MY LOVING DAD - my father went home to be with the Lord on January 28, 2005

TRYING HARDER (and why it doesn't work for CFS) - a compassionate article

WHAT I USE - things that help me to function