"I just recently was recommended your website www.fms-help.com by a fellow fibro sufferer and was amazed by how similar your experience sounded!"

"Your story www.fms-help.com/fibro.htm is so helpful. I have had this for about 7 years now it is getting worse. I have tried a lot of a things - some help a little - some not at all."

"Have you come across any info that suggests that XMRV could be transmited from mice to humans by way of tick or mosquito bites? It seems probable."

FROM DOM: Not yet, but if XMRV is mosquito-transmitted, I've been bitten hundreds (if not thousands) of times since moving to Florida in 1972.

"I had the [surgical recovery] problem after my hysterecomy too! it was horrble! yet my friend who received two C-section babies, being cut the same way as I was, seemed to recover fine! I am certain is not 'pain level' problem....because I am able to put up with a lot of pain before going crazy. lol But from what you say about the friend who did NOT have a problem yet had large breasts, that seems t kill my theory. I found so many people who recovered fine...and a few who did horrible with the same symptoms as myself. Doctor called this morning and she is not surprised at all about my problems.....she said that this pacemaker, although in a 'pocket' flows freely and floats in the pocket, which will float to the 'bottom' of whatever I make the "bottom' at the time....she said I will have about another month of this before it subsides more."

FROM DOM: I had an EXTREMELY SLOW recovery at age 34 from a complete hysterectomy (for endometriosis). My fibromyalgia began at age 30 www.fms-help.com/fibro.htm. The doctor said I could go back to work in 6 weeks. RIGHT!!! At 6 weeks post-surgical, I felt as bad as I did when I got home from the hospital. I am a verrrry slow healer. Arrrgh!!! I hope I never have to have surgery ever again. I also get desperately sick from anesthesia. I've had 3 surgeries in my life and got horribly sick each time with vomiting, etc. for days. Also, after one of my surgeries, I woke up in the recovery room with my body thrashing around uncontrollably. I heard a nurse say, "They gave her too much!" (anesthesia??) They gave me a shot of something and my body settled down. What a weird nervous system I have. Then followed days in the hospital of throwing up while holding a pillow to my dissected abdomen. Fun, fun, fun. Anyone want to weigh in on surgery and FMS/CFIDS? Good or bad experience? Write dombush@bellsouth.net.

"I am a [middle-aged male] and have had anxiety/insomia since I was a kid, I too recall laying there tossing and turning all night, going to school was a nightmare! I remember night after night well into adulthood seeing the sun come up. ive always gotten/guessed younger than my years and i'm shocked since I have lost so much sleep my entire life!in 2002 a doctor gave me Xanax and one at night helped me sleep, he eventually took me off and gave me Klonopin, its OK, but not so much. also from time to time he gave me ambien and bingo! I began to sleep, I moved recently and my doctor isn't here and I do not drive due to anxiety, so after being OFF ambien 5 weeks, needless to say, I did NOT SLEEP! eeeeeek - awful! I was getting depressed by the day, id doze toward dawn an hour or less. last week I went to a new dr and he gave me Klonopin AGAIN, ambien and added trazadone, the traz does make me sleep, but I feel groggy on it! im going to switch over to the ambien and see what happens, I have a bottle of 30. I am now sleeping again, but feel groggy. so tonite I am taking half a klonopin and an ambien, my tried and true sleep aid. without SOMETHING I will never sleep. thats just my life. I pray they dont take me off anything. im like a diabetic, who has no choice but to take meds. all the shrink talk in the world isn't gonna fix me on this. your story is very interesting, I read it all and thanks for writing it. im glad to know im not alone in that lonely sleepless darkness."

FROM DOM: Yes, the wretchedness of life-wrecking insomnia!!! I have heard from many men (as well as women) with severe insomnia. My own story is at www.fms-help.com/insomnia.htm. Sleep deprivation is actually used as an instrument of torture in POW camps! I have mentioned sleepless people in several past newsletters www.fms-help.com/newsletters.htm. It's amazing that a person can still be alive without sleep! - but then I think of those people who have Fatal Familial Insomnia. A list of everything I've tried for sleep is at www.fms-help.com/sleep.htm. My sleep disorder began when I was 16. I am now 58. I am sooooo thankful for the meds that help me. Whoever invented Ambien is a genius! But strangely, sleep meds did not work until I got my immune system balanced, but that's another story. A list of what I use now for sleep, etc. is at www.fms-help.com/what.htm. The worst story I ever heard was from a 72 year old man whose sleep disorder began at age 18 while he was in the military. He said, "If you think insomnia is tough, try going through boot camp without sleep!" (Horrors!!!!) He continued to have lifelong health problems. I am just guessing, but the insomnia could have come from stress (which I think is how mine began as a 16 year old college freshman at UCLA - too young!) or from military vaccinations which affected the brain and immune system. I'm obviously not a doc, just a fellow sufferer. One last thing, I have a page for MEN WITH FIBRO (and that includes insomnia) at www.fms-help.com/men.htm.

FROM DOM: FASCINATING ARTICLE! Here's a snippet: "Sleep in magnesium deficiency is restless, agitated and disturbed by frequent nighttime awakenings. However, all forms of magnesium are not equally effective. In a study of more than 200 patients, Dr. W. Davis used magnesium chloride as a possible means of combating insomnia. The researcher reported that sleep was induced rapidly, was uninterrupted, and that waking tiredness disappeared in ninety-nine percent of the patients. In addition, anxiety and tension diminished during the day. (W. Davis and F. Ziady, "The Role of Magnesium in Sleep," Montreal Symposium)."

"Every doctor we have gone to (specialists or alternative doctors and even allopathic doctors) advises treatment for parasites at the beginning of any treatment. We have never, however, seen anything like the photos of those things you see on the internet in advertising parasite treatments. (Maybe that�s because we don�t eat meat.) Unfortunately, tests for parasites are not usually covered by insurance nor is the treatment. In addition, parasites, once destroyed, do not stay away. You can kill some and then get others because your body is hampered in protecting itself because of your illness. So taking care of parasites can become a year-round chore. And parasites can become immune to certain killers as can candida and other beasties. Usually we did a parasite cleanse (whatever the particular doctor recommended) for about three months and then in cycles associated with the full moons (some come out to play and breed with the full moon). It�s probably good to be on some kind of parasite control, off and on, throughout the year or to do seasonal cleanses that include parasite treatment. Rotating kinds of treatments (herbs and meds used) is a good idea. Once, our daughter had a fever for 90 days straight (instead of her normal cyclical fever) and we had a stool analysis done. She had two beasties that both could be treated with garlic and Uva Ursi, so we used that and in two weeks, the fever was back to a normal routine. If you have digestive symptoms, you can get a diagnostic stool analysis by ordering online. If you have some new symptom, think parasites or bacteria first and try general herbal remedies unless you can find out specifics of what the beastie is. Don�t go immediately to antibiotics because you can find broad-spectrum herbal anti -biotics, -fungals, -parastics, -virals to try. Some are more expensive than others. Nutramedix (more expensive) sells all kinds of herbal tinctures for different symptoms and causes, including fungal, which is probably just as big a problem as parasites. Look up online the information on the Crowden Protocol to find out more about how the Nutramedix products can be used. Of course, you have to be careful with herbs if you are on other medications, so there is no really easy solution. Also, be sure you are eliminating bowel contents almost as frequently as you eat a meal. Keeping your bowel moving in a healthy manner helps all kinds of problems. There are all kinds of things now that really do work and are pretty safe, even if you have to start out with something more harsh. Herbs may not be the best for this problem."

FROM DOM: Parasites are gross and disgusting, but the controversial Hulda Clark may have been right in her book, "The Cure for All Diseases," about parasites and flukes. More recently, there's a fascinating program on TV called "Monsters Inside Me" - very graphic - about the illnesses parasites can cause. Some parasites are invisible to the naked eye. Others are larger. They can bore into the body from walking barefoot on contaminated soil, working in the garden, from pets, etc. EEEyew!

"After many years of pure suffering, and lots of pills that did nothing for me, or worse gave me loads of bad side effects, I gave up and tried something a friend told me about.

Measure 4 cups of water into a small pot and bring to a boil on the stove. Make sure that the water has come to a full boil.
   Add 1 tsp. of turmeric and 1 tsp. of ginger powder to the boiling water and reduce to simmer for 8 to 10 minutes. This will extract the beneficial compounds from the turmeric and ginger. Ginger has many benefits for health also.
     Remove the pot from the stove and strain the tea into a cup. The particles of turmeric and ginger will be filtered out.
     Add honey to taste and a slice of lemon. The honey and lemon will make the tea a bit more palatable.

I make this every night. I drink one cup warm before bed time. Drink one cup when I wake up, then 1/2 cup mid morning and one cup with lunch one cup mid afternoon. Then make a new batch and repeat next day.
I no longer eat tomatoes, potatoes, peppers, and eggplants. All in the nightshade family. Next I started eating one carrot with peanut butter each day. After two days I feel so much better it is unbelievable. I have tapered off all other meds that I was taking for fibro problems.

Simple dried spice from the grocery store on the spice isle, has done more for me then all the doctors and 13 different kinds of medications I have taken, have. Turmeric , and ginger are in the same family of plant, and have lots of benefits for your health. I had reservations about something this simple before I drank some. But I was surprised. It works for me. Do some research for yourself. Look up Turmeric Tea. The draw back for me is I don't like the taste yet, But It is getting better."

FROM DOM: I tried Natural Calm years ago and it did not help my sleep, but here's an interesting snippet from this site: "We don�t claim that Natural Calm Magnesium Supplement Insomnia Remedy is a definite remedy for insomnia because sleep disorders can also be caused by deficiencies in Folic Acid(7), Thiamine(9), Iron(13) and Potassium(14) or excess Chromium(12). Research also shows that supplementation of Niacinamide(8) ,Vitamin B12(10), Vitamin E(11) helps remedy insomnia. However, in our experience, Natural Calm Insomnia Remedy is more effective insomnia cure for sleep disorders such as restless leg syndrome. It is a fast acting and highly absorbable form of magnesium providing a sleep aid and an insomnia relief." I personally take a high quality calcium/magnesium supplement daily, mainly for the prevention of painful muscle cramps in my feet. Magnesium also helps with fibromyalgia stiffness, and calcium helps prevent osteoporosis.

http://www.amazon.com/Other-Brain-Schizophrenia-Revolutionizing-ebook/product-reviews/B00328ZUNE/ref=dp_top_cm_cr_acr_txt?ie=UTF8&showViewpoints=1 - "The Other Brain: From Dementia to Schizophrenia, How New Discoveries about the Brain Are Revolutionizing Medicine and Science" by R. Douglas Fields, Ph.D. - Snippet from a review: ".....a fascinating read. The book is amazingly interesting and easy for a layperson to read. It poses insightful questions about why particular events or symptoms are occurring and then uses the chapter to explain. It provides interesting surprises about how the brain works, how glia influences neuro-degenerative disorders, and how research is investigating new treatment options based on the impacts of the glia cells. For anyone who has been impacted by any of these diseases or who family has been impacted, the book will enlighten you on the latest understandings and research."

FROM DOM: We always hear about neurons in the brain, but 85% of the brain is made up of glial cells.

"I love your updates, especially the ones with info about essential oils. Years ago my husband's friend began using the essential oils and got us interested in it.Then we slowly stopped, but I recently began using the oils again. It's funny because I LOVE the Peace and Calming. I love the smell of it. I use it everyday, and I have been using the oils on my two youngest when they go to bed. First we were trying the Lavender roll on and now I give them a drop of the Peace and Calming on their wrists and they rub it in. If I forget they always remind me. I saw one of the new blends, Common Sense, and found it interesting. I wonder if that would work on my children, lol!"

FROM DOM: Ha! If that one works, parents everywhere (especially of teenagers) will be buying "Common Sense." I can say that lightheartedly as an empty-nester, because I'm not in the trenches with teens anymore! About Peace and Calming, it's been a necessary part of my life for many years because it relieves my brain fog. Check out Peace and Calming at www.youngliving.com (sponsor: Dominie Bush, #905788). You can read a list of my favorite essential oils and what I use them for at www.fms-help.com/oilsstore.htm.

"This woman [doctor] lives in New Hampshire about 45 minutes from me. I went to see her years ago when she was seeing people for private consulting. She was a surgeon before she got fibromyalgia. Scroll down to How to use this web site and then be sure to click on symptoms in that paragraph. Lots of info at http://homepages.sover.net/~devstar/index.htm."

FROM DOM: This is the website of a doctor who also has fibromyalgia. Someone gave me her book, "Fibromyalgia and Chronic Myofascial Pain Syndrome: A Survival Manual" about 14 years ago. At that time, she was following Dr. St. Amand's guaifenesin protocol for several years, but still not pain free and having a lot of yucky side effects from the guai, but believed in it. [SEE TOPIC 17 BELOW.] However, that same year, I had become 95% pain free with an OPC product after 14 years of severe suffering from fibro pain. Interestingly, around that time, I heard from a lady who said that the guai protocol cured her fibromyalgia. This news was followed shortly thereafter by a desperate phone call. She had been in a car accident and the fibro pain came back full force. From these two ladies' experiences, I decided not to try guaifenesin, but to stick with what I was using, as I was getting much better results. Over the past 28 years, I've experimented with a lot of things. The best stuff I've found is listed at www.fms-help.com/what.htm.

Don't Quit
- Author unknown

When things go wrong, as they sometimes will,
When the road you're trudging seems all uphill,
When the funds are low and the debts are high,
And you want to smile, but you have to sigh,
When care is pressing you down a bit,
Rest, if you must, but don't you quit.

Life is queer with its twists and turns,
As every one of us sometimes learns,
And many a failure turns about,
When he might have won had he stuck it out;
Don't give up though the pace seems slow--
You may succeed with another blow.

Often the goal is nearer than,
It seems to a faint and faltering man,
Often the struggler has given up,
When he might have captured the victor's cup,
And he learned too late when the night slipped down,
How close he was to the golden crown.

Success is failure turned inside out--
The silver tint of the clouds of doubt,
And you never can tell how close you are,
It may be near when it seems so far,
So stick to the fight when you're hardest hit--
It's when things seem worst that you must not quit.

David - Brother of newsletter reader has recurring stomach cancer requiring radiation. Also needs salvation.

http://www.healthgrades.com/ - "HealthGrades provides ratings and information for over 750,000 physicians, 5,000 hospitals, and 16,000 nursing homes across the United States. Please return to HealthGrades.com to learn more about how HealthGrades can guide you to better health care."

http://www.ratemds.com/ - "Give your doctor a checkup."

17. GUAIFENESIN NO BETTER THAN PLACEBO

From a reader--

http://www.fmnetnews.com/resources-alert-product6.php - Snippet: "Guaifenesin is a cough syrup expectorant, but there is a popular theory that it works to help with the pain and other symptoms of fibromyalgia....There was a research study conducted to look at the potential effect of guaifenesin in people with fibromyalgia. Due to the negative results, the study was never published in a peer-review medical journal (so it is not on PubMed), but Fibromyalgia Network interviewed the lead author of the study and wrote the article "Guaifenesin ... Is One Placebo Better Than Another?" below. After the study showed that guaifenesin performed no better than a placebo, and the blood/urine tests revealed that it could not possibly work as suggested by Paul St. Amand, M.D., the guaifenesin controversy is still alive." [SEE TOPIC 12 ABOVE.]

18. WHAT IS SLEEP?

http://www.epilepsy.com/epilepsy/sleep_stages

FROM DOM: If someone can please explain sleep to me and why so many people now (even non-fibromites) need to use sleep medications, please write dombush@bellsouth.net. Even my pharmacist (a "normal") uses Ambien. I lost my ability to sleep normally around age 16 www.fms-help.com/sleep.htm. I am extremely grateful for sleep meds www.fms-help.com/what.htm. I suffered for decades with severe life-wrecking insomnia www.fms-help.com/insomnia.htm.

19. LEARNING MUSIC HELPS PEOPLE OF ALL AGES

http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/your-musical-self/201008/is-music-training-only-our-children

FROM DOM: As a piano and guitar teacher, I just had to include this interesting article!

'Til next time,

Dominie

www.fms-help.com

dombush@bellsouth.net

II Corinthians 1: 4 - "[God] Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God." Visit Dominie's FMS/CFIDS Homepage at www.fms-help.com for Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome sufferers and their families.