DOM'S NEWSLETTER
www.fms-help.com
Dom in 1962 (age 10) and now.
November
1, 2010
A Christian-based
newsletter about Fibromyalgia (FMS), Chronic Fatigue & Immune Dysfunction
Syndrome (CFIDS) and Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (M.E.) - sharing thoughts,
research and experiences.
FIBRO STORY CFIDS STORY INSOMNIA STORY HELPFUL THINGS I USE PREVIOUS NEWSLETTER ARCHIVES
32 TOPICS below. Don't miss the RED
ones!
Readers comments in
BLACK. My comments in
TEAL.
===========================================================================================
1. READERS WRITE
"Thank you for the
work you put into each newsletter."
"I wanted to write and
tell you how much I appreciate your newsletter. I know it takes a lot of
energy to do what you do and I think about that fact every time I hear from
you. Thank you so much for all of the care and love and valuable
information you have given to us who suffer from these horrible
diseases."
"Thank you for posting your
100 tips for coping with fibromyalgia www.fms-help.com/tips.htm. It lends some hope to be able to choose
different tips to help with some of my symptoms."
"I love your
newsletter."
"Thank you for the time and
effort you've taken to help improve the lives of others
living with fibromyalgia."
FROM DOM: I appreciate the encouraging and kind
words that readers send me. It has been my privilege (and probably
calling from God) to write these newsletters since 1996 for fellow FMS/CFIDS
sufferers. There is so much emerging research now, and I am excited
to follow these developments! When I was first diagnosed in 1982 at the
age of 30 (my FMS onset was literally overnight in June!) www.fms-help.com/fibro.htm.
Very little if anything was known about FMS/CFIDS back then. I
was considered to be a hypochondriac and lost
many important relationships in my life, not to mention my career,
etc. Today we have an immense blessing with the internet to
share our information and experiences. I have been a guinea pig for the past 28 years looking for things to help
the insomnia, pain, depression and fatigue. I am happy to report that I am
doing well now for a 58-year-old fibromite. A list of things that help me
is at www.fms-help.com/what.htm. It
took a lot of trial and error to find these things. Each of us is
different, however. I think you will find many good ideas on my list to
help make your life more comfortable and manage symptoms....until there
is a CURE!
2. MORE SLEEP
STUDIES
Reader 1--
"Regarding the question about a
sleep study, I had one done and it was very eye-opening: I had
the classic fibromyalgia pattern: alpha-delta intrusion, which means Stage
1 intruding into Stage 4 (and other stages), except I got zero minutes of
Stage 4 all night long, not one single minute. Not good, as Stage 4
is when the body produces growth hormone and repairs itself. Also,
my REM sleep was about 1/3rd the normal amount, the dream
stage. Also classic fibro pattern was that I "woke
up" 8 times an hour! That means that I bounced back and
forth between Stage 1 and Stage 2 (which is pretty light sleep as well) pretty
much the whole time. I did get some Stage 3, but minimal as
well. I believe fibro runs in my family, as my father had a severe sleep
disorder as well and died pretty young, with all the classic end-stage
fibro-related illness: cardiovascular disease, brain aneurysm and heart failure,
which can be related to sleep deprivation. I felt the test was
very valuable in helping me understand my specific sleep issues. I used to
take a myriad of sleep aids along the way, but because I could
not tolerate the side effects at all (severe mood swings in most cases), I
am now using herbs -- lemon balm, scullcap, chamomile -- with some relief, a
little, and taking a tablespoon of honey before bed REALLY
WORKS. It builds serotonin in the brain. I've heard it also
helps the body produce growth hormone. Not sure if that's true, but that's
what I've heard."
Reader 2--
"I recently did a sleep study
and wanted to share some of the results. I have severe IC but
the sleep lab manager and sleep tech worked hard at accomodating me, which was a
blessing. I went to the restroom 30 times the night of the sleep
study but eventually managed to fall asleep. My results have not yet
been interpreted for me so I am only giving you what has been typed out for me.
"Severe sleep fragmentation due to increased spontaneous arousals and frequent
awakenings. Severely reduced sleep efficiency with markedly increased
awakenings. Decreased total rem sleep.... Alpha intrusion in sleep which may be
associated with chronic pain, fibromyalgia, and/or depression." I did not have
leg movements or sleep apnea. Another important point, my mean heart rate while
asleep was 115!!! My heart bpm upon awakening was 126.5, I do have anxiety and
not sure what else could cause such a high heart rate, if somebody has a
suggestion please let me know (although I suspect it could be purely anxiety;
anxiety I started experiencing after I got sick with CFS). The recommendations
included: not driving if sleepy (the problem is I'm aways sleepy), sleep
hygiene (been doing this for years), CBT.....all things I've done or am
doing. I am disappointed that there isn't more help out
there. One of my doctors recently gave me a medication called
Savella and is confident it will help my fibro, depression, and
sleep, he is not trained in any way to treat the illnesses of CFS and fibro
but he is the only one trying to help. The thing I see in common w/
all of our sleep studies is the awakenings/arousals and alpha delta intrusions.
The doctors can't do much for alpha intrusions b/c the only medication known to
help w/ this is Xyrem, which of course is only FDA approved for
narcolepsy with cataplexy. "
FROM
DOM: Wow. And I thought getting up 10 times a night was bad (at my
worst with bladder problems). I have a page of suggestions for IC
(interstitial cystitis) and frequent urination at www.fms-help.com/bladder.htm that I received from
readers. About Savella, search my newsletters at www.fms-help.com/newsletters.htm for readers’ experiences
with this. Interesting about BPM being so high. It could be from the
general stress that the body is under from lack of sleep! That is verrry
physically stressful. About anxiety, I use lorazepam (ativan) – see
my list of stuff I use at www.fms-help.com/what.htm. I am finally getting
restorative sleep after decades of suffering. My doc has finally come up
with a concoction that works for me. I really hope this reader's doctor
can help her find things to help her get some good sleep.
This takes patience and experimentation, because different things work for
different people. Basically, our brain is broken - at least the sleep
center is. Who knows why? Could be a genetic defect we suffer from,
or the result of years of stress, hormones, or even a virus attacking that part
of the brain. My sleep disorder began when I was 16 www.fms-help.com/insomnia.htm.
3. MISTAKEN IDENTITY
From a reader--
"For the 'mistaken identity
person' www.fms-help.com/102510.htm (Topic 2)---- If you have decent insurance, you
can fight this. If you are clearly underweight, then you have an easy out. Lose
weight is not a good recommendation for an underweight person. They may make it
hard for you because they don't like to do that, but you have good evidence.
Your doctor is wrong. This is a medical mistake. You may have to get a
lawyer, they may have lost your results (given the same results to two
people) BUT it can be done. Even if you can't afford a lawyer (or not worth it),
I would still try writing to my insurance company. They may give
in."
4. SEARCHING FOR FIBRO & CFS
INFO?
FROM
DOM: I get a lot of email from readers asking questions that were answered
in previous newsletters. Of course, as lengthy as my newsletters are,
I can see how readers may have overlooked various topics! I have a
search box on most of the pages on my site that you can use to look up things
you are interested in - or go to my homepage at www.fms-help.com (easy-to-remember web
address). My newsletter archives is at www.fms-help.com/newsletters.htm, but you can access it from any page on my
site.
5. BLOOD WORK
From a reader--
"I had about $500 of blood work
done. I hesitated due to not having insurance and really no means
too. Being also in the hole on two house payments and truck payments, I
just decided I was going to put it on one credit card I had. I waited
though. I just don’t want to add to our debt. It's one more bill... I
came across a doctor on the internet who sent me a work up on blood work who
said he could possibly help me. He's on www.usdoctor.com. I should have asked you before I did
it. It's done and he will look over and let me know something. He
wanted me to fly out but I told him my situation and he understood.
They're wanting to start me on Savella (the local doctor). I'm holding off
till I hear from him."
FROM
DOM: Use the google search box below to look up Savella. It's been
mentioned in several past newsletters.
6. XMRV TESTING
From a reader--
"In response to Topic #9 in the
newsletter at www.fms-help.com/102510.htm --
First of all, I believe CFS/ME is not an autoimmune
disease (such as Lupus, Rheumatoid arthritis ,etc) but it is a neuro
immune disease although most of the medical community has not caught up
with the overwhelming evidence and research that proves this. Many doctors and
other health care workers (I’m a nurse and have been in the
medical field myself for several years & have been sick for several years
with this illness also) know very little about this disease and still categorize
it as some sort of mental health disorder or autoimmune disorder when it
is neither.
I kind of think of our illness more like MS/HIV where there is
brain /immune system defect (not exactly like these illnesses
but similar). I do not know for sure if the XMRV or MLVs came first
and then disease begins or if the disease begins and then infections (XMRV, MLV,
HHV6, Epstein Barr, CMV, etc., etc.) are secondary.
Yes, There has
been much controversy over XMRV with about half of the researchers finding it in
a high majority of their CFS patients and very little in the controls and the
other half of researchers are not finding it in anyone or very few people. I
believe that there is probably some sort of difference in the testing procedures
that the different labs are using. I don’t buy into Mice contamination theory
because if that were the case then the Controls would have been
contaminated in high percentages with XMRV also.
I just
had the XMRV/ MLV test done a couple of weeks ago and I am waiting for the
results. If we truly do have XMRV and or MLV’s, I believe
this could be very serious because not only could we be potentially giving this
to our children and/or spouses but our blood supply could be
contaminated also. So yes, whether there is treatment now or not I
think it is important to know if we are infected and could make others
sick too. I know paying 400-500 dollars for a test is not possible for
some but hopefully there will eventually be a test approved by some insurance
companies that will make this available for all CFS/ME patients. One of the main
reasons I got this test done is because I have daughters and a mother that could
have this also and when there is treatment I am planning on being
a guinea pig."
FROM DOM: For those readers with CFS who don't
know what XMRV is, see www.fms-help.com/XMRV.htm.
7. TRIP TO INDIA, NARCOLEPSY, &
DEXTROAMPHETAMINE
From a
reader--
"I'm a fellow fibromite and
newsletter recipient. I saw another reader's dilemma with narcolepsy-like
symptoms in the October 18th newsletter www.fms-help.com/101810.htm and wanted to comment.
First, a bit about me:
I got sick in early 2006, after returning from a trip to India. Since
then, I've had every symptom in the book--constant severe pain, joint stiffness,
colitis, debilitating fatigue, brain fog, temperature regulation problems,
Raynaud's, migraines, cycles of insomnia and hypersomnia. I
somehow managed to graduate from law school in 2009 and have been working for
the past year as an associate in a Manhattan law firm. I recently informed
my firm about my health issues, and fortunately those who know about my
condition have been supportive and accommodating.
Beginning early this year, I
started having "sleep attacks," especially at work.
Several times I found I had fallen asleep in my office, and I'd doze off
for 10 minutes at a time, during which I'd also dream. I was scared
because I had less control over my body than ever, and because I had no idea
what would happen if anyone ever walked in on me during a sleep attack.
After suffering through this for a few months, I saw a new doctor, an
internist who runs an integrative medicine clinic. We talked about my most
pressing health issues, and of course I mentioned fatigue and sleep attacks.
He doesn't think I have narcolepsy (I agree), and he recommended a sleep
study to test my brain function at night. Instead of waiting for him to
address my need to stay awake in order to be even minimally functional, I told
him that I was at the end of my rope, and that I needed medication to help me
stay awake and stay focused. When he realized how much the fatigue and
sleep attacks impacted my life, he immediately began a conversation about
different medication options for me. I had researched ahead of time and
came prepared with questions about different medications. I ultimately
chose to try dextroamphetamine (10 mg/day), which is indicated for narcolepsy
and is a purer form of the active molecule in the ADHD drug
Adderall. I've been on this for the past month, and
although it's not a magic bullet, it has made a difference in daily
life.
I have not had sleep attacks
since I started taking dextroamphetamine. It helps me get
up and get going in the morning, and stay awake throughout the day. It
doesn't erase the fatigue, but pushes the fatigue into the background so I don't
notice it quite as much (although it's definitely still there). I'm still
tired enough to go to sleep at any moment of the day, but only if I choose to,
and not because of a sleep attack. I'd recommend that the reader who is
dealing with narcoleptic symptoms research different medications and talk to her
doctor right away. I suffered needlessly because I waited to see someone
about my problem. A good doctor will know of and explain different
options, and fortunately there is a wide range of medicines available, even
generics. (Dextroamphetamine is a generic and costs me $5 a
month.)
Other readers should
not be afraid to advocate for themselves at the doctor's office. I know
just how difficult it is to find a doctor who is educated about FMS and who is
also caring and responsive. But regardless of your doctor's
personality, only you as a patient know how much each issue affects you, and
what your tolerance is for each. If you aren't assertive about your care,
your doctor will never truly know what you need, and therefore how he or she can
help you. Although my education included advanced degrees in human biology
and pharmaceutical law, I still do a whole lot of research. Research goes
along with being assertive about your care--you are responsible for your health
and for getting the best care you possibly can. Part of that
responsibility is educating yourself about your condition, new treatments and
the latest research, so that you can speak knowledgeably with your doctor and
become an active participant in your care. When your doctor knows that you
are invested in your care, he or she can do even more for you because they can
explain information that you may have come across and how it relates to your
particular situation. No matter what, education, assertiveness and taking
responsibility for your health can only benefit you, and the sooner the better.
(Okay, I'll get down off my soapbox now. :) )
I hope you can let your other
reader know there are many options available for her situation and that all she
(I'm assuming she's a "she") needs to do is research and talk to her doctor, and
soon she will be able to increase her functionality and quality of
life."
FROM
DOM: I do believe our illness is caused by a virus that attacks the brain
and nervous system. About doctors and fibro, see www.fms-help.com/doctors.htm - comments from shell-shocked
patients.
8. LOW THYROID & SLEEP
ATTACKS
FROM
DOM: I have lost the email, but a reader recently reported that her sleep
attacks were the result of LOW THYROID, for which she is effectively treated
now.
9. HEADACHES, COFFEE &
MAGNESIUM
From a reader--
"A person wrote to you
about having to deal with headaches and that she does not tolerate
Percocet as it causes incleased heart rate (tachycardia) as does
coffee. For many years I have had to deal with headaches (on
the right side!) after a head-injury (on the left side!) and the only
thing that helps me to get rid of headaches, is a cup of coffee.
I have had that problem for almost 30 years now, and have had
heart problems (electricity of the heart) for about 13 years.
However, twice a day I take liquid magnesium that goes
better and quicker into a person's system than capsules or tablets. In the
morning, I take my liquid magnesium in a half glass of water, and then I am set
to take my coffee and enjoy it. There is no racing of the heart at all,
because the magnesium keeps my heart at a steady pace. I even have taken
it at times when I physically overexerted myself and my heart would develop a
fast heart rate. I just took extra magnesium on the spot, 15 minutes again, till
it went back to normal. Coughing deep and holding that cough for as long as you
can, meaning you cough and press down while you cough, you feel it in your body,
that also will get your heart rate back to normal, in case it gets out of hand.
Now that does not mean, that is helps all the time, I still had to go to the
E.R. at times and even where my heart had to be shocked back electrically. But a
person can do a lot by taking the liquid magnesium and as I said, by coughing
deep (you exhale deeply during that "deep" cough and hold it for as long
as you can), to stop the tachycardia / and or atrial
fibrillation."
10. EATING THIS TWICE A WEEK CAN MAKE
YOU GAIN 10 LBS.
11. MARRIAGE
From a
reader--
"I constantly refer women to
your [marriage advice] website www.fms-help.com/marriage.htm. I am a moderator for women's discussion forums
and that is how I found you. I am 36, and most women my age (even Christian
women) have very different views on how to treat your husband on a normal day,
much less when there is a problem....If we are consistent in
turning our hearts back to God and let Him handle it, our marriages are much
better for it. Thank you so much for having this information available;
it is very much needed."
12. pH BALANCE IS VITAL
"O2xygen Force
(stabilized liquid oxygen or
SLO) http://neveranoutbreak.com/oxygen.php?partner=FM5H1PDB is a safe supplement containing
stabilized oxygen molecules in a liquid solution of salt and distilled water. It
is very alkaline. O2xygen
Force has the highest pH of any stabilized liquid oxygen product available
today. The higher the pH
the higher the oxygen content. Disease is anaerobic. It cannot exist in an elevated oxygen
environment. Cancer, influenza, HIV, herpes, measles, the common cold
- anaerobic.
Legionnaire’s disease, E-Coli, salmonella, staphylococcus - anaerobic.
Arthritis, emphysema, asthma, chronic bronchitis, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Epstein-Barr, Candida
and even heart disease - anaerobic one and
all. They exist and proliferate with little or no oxygen present.
And most people are oxygen deficient. If you significantly increase your body’s
pH (oxygen) level these anaerobic diseases cannot replicate or
exist."
FROM DOM: I have not been sick since I began
putting these drops in my drinking water in August 2009. It is now the end
of October 2010. I have been sickly and virus-prone all of my life.
This is one of the best things I have ever found for improving my health.
Read my CFS story at www.fms-help.com/fatigue.htm. My stamina is greatly
improved. A reader suggested these drops to me last year for help with
cold sores. I was shocked when my fatigue and brain fog lessened
considerably to where I am much more functional now. I teach piano at a
school of music www.fms-help.com/students.htm and I play the piano/organ for my
church. It is interesting that Dr. Majid
Ali has stated that one of the "3 furies of fibromyalgia" is acidosis.
Acid causes disease and pain. These drops make your pH more healthily
alkaline. They have no taste - I put them in drinking water (filtered from
my fridge).
13. THE ENCOURAGING
WORD
From our plumber, who has a
ministry of emailing a scripture daily to those who ask to be on his
list!
The Encouraging Word for Thursday, 28 October
2010:
“The heartfelt
counsel of a friend is as sweet as perfume and incense.”
(Proverbs
27:9 NLT)
14. THE PINK RIBBON CAMPAIGN'S DIRTY
LITTLE SECRET
From a reader--
"By William C. Douglass,
MD
Here's what October smells like: burning leaves, pumpkin pie and
BS.
That's because it's Breast Cancer Awareness Month, which is
practically a national holiday at this point -- and if you don't
join
the "in" crowd and slap a pink ribbon on whatever you're wearing,
you're treated like some
kind of cold-blooded
breast-hating monster.
But those pink ribbons don't exist to
cure disease or save lives --
they represent a Big Pharma-funded effort to
drive millions of women
through a funnel of screenings for a disease many
don't even have,
and treatments that most of them don't even need.
In
fact, the supposed benefits of all those screenings and
treatments are about
as real as the Great Pumpkin -- and the numbers
prove it every
time.
Breast Cancer Awareness Month is now 26 years old. In the 26 years
since it was launched by AstraZeneca to help sell the company's
cancer
drugs, it's been a wild success -- for AstraZeneca and anyone
else who makes
money off cancer screenings and treatments.
But when it comes to saving
lives and curing disease, it's been a
miserable failure. Up to 15 lives are
ruined with unnecessary and
deforming breast-chopping surgeries and
poisonous radiation
treatments for every life "saved."
And even then,
there's no guarantee that the one life "saved" was
actually the result of
early detection and brutal mainstream
treatments -- because plenty of them
were actually CAUSED by the
radioactive and tumor-bursting screenings in the
first place.
There's something you won't hear anywhere else this
month!
The LA Times -- and kudos to them for this -- recently asked
AstraZeneca if maybe Breast Cancer Awareness Month wasn't all it
cracked
up to be.
"If it's not broken, I don't think we should try and fix it,"
was
all a spokesman could say.
Why mess with success,
right?
But the Times didn't stray too far from the mainstream message --
because the very same day, the paper ran a massive 1,400-word
article
urging women with no sign of the disease to take
AstraZeneca's cancer meds
strictly as a preventive measure.
I'm taking those kudos
back.
Mainstream pushes radiation tests
Whatever you do, don't get
your health advice from the Los Angeles Times.
Hot on the heels of a
report urging healthy women to take breast
cancer meds even if they have no
signs of the disease, the newspaper
issued another stunner -- urging people
to go out and get their X-rays.
The logic? Nearly everything has a
radiation level anyway... so
what's a little more?
The first example
in the article is a banana -- which, because of
its potassium content is
slightly radioactive.
Not mentioned: You'd have to eat 600 bananas in one
sitting to get a
blast of radiation equal to a single chest X-ray... and
240,000
bananas to match an abdominal CT scan.
King Kong doesn't eat
that many bananas!
What's more, the article tries to cloud the issue by
mentioning
everything from gamma rays to Hiroshima while making the
ludicrous
claim that, "it's impossible to know the real toll from CT scans
and X-rays."
But it's not impossible.
In fact, there's some pretty
clear research on this -- just don't
expect to read about it in the Los
Angeles Times. Where you can
expect to read it is in The Douglass Report. I
wrote an in-depth
article on the dangers of CT scans earlier this
year.
Studies have found that one percent of all new cancers are caused
by
CT scans alone. In fact, mainstream researchers have estimated that
CT scans performed just in 2007 -- just that one single year -- will
eventually lead to 29,000 cancers.
What does the Times have to say
about this? Only that CT scans can
cause cancer "in rare cases."
Does
29,000 in one year sound rare to you?
No matter how you look at it,
radiation-based tests come with major
risks -- and studies have found that
half of them are completely
unnecessary, and many more are wildly
redundant.
I won't say never, ever get an X-ray or CT scan -- but before
you
put yourself into a lead-lined tube, make sure it's really necessary
first.
You might be surprised at how often it's not.
Using my
X-ray vision,
William Campbell Douglass II, M.D.
P.S. If you want
to save your life, skip the test. It's as simple as
that. To learn more
about the dangers of CT scans, read the February
issue of The Douglass
Report.
15. A WEALTH OF ESSENTIAL OILS
TESTIMONIALS!
There is a wealth of healing information
at http://www.oil-testimonials.com/6861 - this website has continued to grow by leaps
and bounds. We now have 4005 essential oil testimonials in our database
with more being added each day.
FROM
DOM: Check out this site to find out which essential oils are
being used successfully for your particular challenge - physical or
emotional! Essential oils have electrical frequencies that affect the
limbic portion of the brain using the olfactory system. Many are
anti-viral, anti-parasitic, anti-bacterial, etc. - basically all the
stuff we struggle with. My favorite essential oils are listed at
www.fms-help.com/oilsstore.htm - and what I use them
for.
16. VIRTUOUS
CHEERLEADING
http://www.onemillionmoms.com/signpetition.asp?id=101 -
What a virtuous example to the nation; Thank you Fayleen! -
When 11-year-old Fayleen Frampton from Ashland, Nebraska, decided to take a
stand, she not only made her mother proud but www.OneMillionMoms.com as well. Fayleen
refused to participate in a cheer that required her to say, "Jump, shake your
booty…jump, jump, shake your booty!" all while shaking her behind. She said, "It
has nothing to do with cheerleading or football." The cheer coach, Toni
Harris, thought it would be best to ask Fayleen not to participate in the last
few games. Fayleen was kicked off the squad for taking a stand for what she
believed in. This brave young lady is paying the price for doing the right
thing.
FROM
DOM: Yep. Cheerleading is not what it was in our high school days in the
1950's and 60's. It had become seductive, e.g. our local Jacksonville
Jaguar cheerleaders, who even have a swimsuit calendar. I wonder
about these kind of cheerleaders who say they are “Christian.” Are
they listening to the Holy Spirit? Do they know that their bodies
are temples of the Holy Spirit? Maybe they don’t have good Bible teaching,
assuming they even go to church anymore. Sports has become a god in this
country. I’m so glad this young girl stood up for what was right.
She is braver and truer to her convictions than
adults.
17. MIGRAINE TRIGGER FOODS
18. WHAT TRIGGERED YOUR
FIBROMYALGIA OR CHRONIC FATIGUE SYNDROME?
VOTE IN POLL
HERE:
Reader 1--
"They should have vaccine as a
choice, tetanus vaccine almost killed me some people don't
realize that even a vaccine given earlier can cause all this and
more."
Reader 2--
"I don't know what category to place mine
in. I went to Bali on vacation in 1997 and ate one bite of a vegetable
sandwich after a camel ride on the beach. Just enough to stave off hunger
before husband was scheduled for a bungee jump. I don't know if it was the
water I washed my hands in beforehand, the sandwich itself, or the people
preparing it might have had fecal matter on their hands, but we both had
dysentary by that night (he had the egg sandwich which I told
him was nuts...). It took 5 days to run through our system.
Within 2 weeks after that my fibro symptoms started.
So I'm not sure if you consider that viral or physical. I would say it was
"contamination", but I'm not sure if toxins is
the word...probably more like parasites from the water (what
would fecal matter be if it was on the sandwich?). Man did my body
hurt."
19. VALCYTE
REQUEST
From a reader--
"In reply to request
from a writer in the Oct. 8 newsletter www.fms-help.com/100810.htm who wants Valcyte - please tell her I am on
Valgancyclovir after having been on Valtrex
for several years and am doing fine with it. There was an
initial flare when I switched to the generic but it quickly calmed down.
she should have no worries about the generic as long as she is using a reputable
pharmacy. Most of the people who are on antivirals that I know of
are doing well and some are continuing to work. The success depends on
whether there are mitigating health issues suck as bacterial infections which
don't respond to the viruses. Dr. Daniel Dantini in Palm
Coast/Ormond Beach, FL is very familiar with this treatment and
tests for the viruses."
20. WATCHING TV CHANGES YOUR BRAIN
CHEMISTRY
21. MAGNESIUM
From a reader--
"Regarding the query about an
unusual reaction to magnesium supplementation suggests a number of causes - one,
that she may be getting enough magnesium through her diet already, two ,that she
should try a smaller dose, three, that her amygdala is overreacting to a 'new
and perceived threat to the body'. Magnesium is widely recommended
for muscle relaxation. Many people with fibro cannot tolerate extra
magnesium as it gives them diarrhea, others need more than the RDA just to
have a bowel movement. Most of us are oversensitive due to the nature of
the illness and we all react differently to supplements. She could try
Epsom Salt baths (which contain magnesium and is absorbed through the skin
to see if that helps her muscles relax."
22. FAILING HEALTH STOPS
WRITER
From a reader--
October 14, 2010 - Dear Members and
Fellow Patients - Due to failing health I've been forced to cut back on
certain aspects of my website. I no longer will be providing Alerts or the
monthly Newsletter. I apologize for any inconvenience this may cause my
readers. Feel free to contact when there is anything I can do for you. -
You're Not Alone, Misty Roberts, Patient/Owner,
FM/CFS/ME RESOURCES
23.
BEDBUGS
From a reader--
"People with fibro should always wash clothes before
wearing to remove as much of the chemicals and dyes as
possible. Breathing in and wearing chemicals is not good for us. Also - I
would wonder about the bedbugs coming from clothes. Why did they start up there
and gradually moving South. So far not where I live but have reached my aunt 7
hours north of me and moving down. No reports in clothing shops or homes or
theatres here. If it was in the clothes, as was stated, then why not is it not
here.... I know it will be soon and I am terrified. www.NEEDS.com has a wand that they say kills bed
bugs. I am going to try it. Anything but the
chemicals."
24. SPICE THAT IGNITES YOUR IMMUNE
SYSTEM
"Turmeric is 5 to 8 times stronger than vitamin E and
stronger than vitamin C, this 'antioxidant breakthrough' may help boost your
immunity, maintain normal cholesterol levels, and put the brakes on
aging." http://www.addpr.com/articles/health_fitness/45061.html
25. THINK YOU'RE HAVING A BAD
DAY?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zse4LJK8OZ0 - This is hilarious - if you aren't the lady in the video!
It would be hard to top this for a "bad day!"
26. MAN BACK FROM CERTAIN
DEATH
http://www.3news.co.nz/Living-Proof-Vitamin-C---Miracle-Cure/tabid/371/articleID/171328/Default.aspx - A loving family insists that doctors try
intravenous Vitamin C before pulling the plug on their dad, a dairy farmer in
New Zealand. He was in an induced coma on life support due to severe
complications from swine flu, leukemia and pneumonia. The man's
family fought doctors and hospitals, who wanted to remove him from life support
and let him die. The dairy farmer lived, thanks to his family, and is
thriving once again!
27. EYE FLOATERS
From a
reader--
28. "FIREPROOF" - THE
MOVIE
FROM
DOM: Donnie and I finally saw "Fireproof" on TV tonight
(pre-recorded). It was AWESOME!!!! If you are going through marriage
stress, fighting, contemplating divorce, etc., you have GOT to see this
movie! So hold everything!!!! Don't throw in the towel yet!!!
Try the "love-dare!" Yes, it takes two to make a marriage work, but
sometimes just one person with their heart right with God and humbled toward
their partner, can create a miracle and send Satan and his minions
scurrying. We enjoyed Bill Stafford as Mr. Rudolph, Caleb's neighbor -
delightful comic relief in a serious movie. We met Bill Stafford (in his
70's) when he came to our church to hold revival meetings.
29. EXPECTATIONS CREATE
DISAPPOINTMENT
From a friend,
Todd--
"One of
the lessons I have learned over the years, both in business
and relationships in general, is that I am only ever disappointed
if I have an expectation. The key words in the previous sentence
are "I" and "expectation." You see, we all tend to judge other people on their
actions or behavior, not their intent. At the same time we judge our selves
often on our intent instead of our actions.
We all have our own way of
doing things and our own lens in which we see the world. When we cast an
expectation on someone else it is based on ourselves and how we see things and
do things. We are automatically placing the other person in a position that is
very difficult to live up to, because in most cases for the other person to meet
OUR expectation, they would have to be US!
We are not allowing them to
be themselves...and we are certainly not appreciating who they are, or
respecting our possible differences. Just because we do things a certain way,
does not mean it is the only way or the best way...it is just our way...and it
is just our way right now! We might do things entirely differently ourselves in
5 years based on our own personal growth and evolution.
The concept I embrace now and
have for several years now is this: BELIEVE IN EVERYONE, BUT HAVE EXPECTATIONS
ONLY FOR YOURSELF.
If you look at people in an
appreciative way, you can easily find many great attributes in everyone. As you
may have heard me say in the past "God does not make normal." So the moral of
this little email is: appreciate people for who they are, enjoy their
uniqueness, and place no expectations on them and you will have much more joy
with them and fewer disappointments."
30.
READERS PRAYER CORNER
Please continue to
pray for Megan! See www.prayersformegan.com. The original request was
submitted by Susan, a newsletter reader who is friends with Megan's mom, who has
fibro. Here is what Megan's husband Ryan wrote back in July (so much
has happened since then - Megan has been in an and out of an induced coma,
has had a tracheotomy and also suffered a stroke). Her husband is the
epitomy of the message of the movie "Fireproof" (Topic 28 above). He is a dental
school student--
"Sunday night Megan woke me
up at 2 am saying that she thought her water had broken. So we checked and sure
enough, time for delivery was near. We went to the hospital and got settled in
for a big day. When it was about time for the epidural the doctors did a CBC
(complete blood count) and found some abnormalities in the white blood count.
Instead of a normal 5 - 10k it was around 40k. We found this odd because she
just 2 weeks ago she had a full workup of blood and everything was perfectly
normal, she was perfectly healthy as she always has been.
After the test
was performed in triplicate and sent all around NY to be verified by
pathologists, hematologists and a ton of other specialties I have never heard of
I started to quickly catch on the apparent seriousness of the issue. The doctors
were not positive but had serious suspicions about what was happening. During
this Megan was fighting through a good long labor with her epidural not working
(poor girl). They were able to get it working before she started the pushing and
it is a good thing because she pushed for over 3 hours. After all of that at
around 10 pm a perfect little girl was born and to my amazement she came out
with no distortions, blotches or imperfection of any kind.... amazing.... She
weighed 7 pounds 3 ounces and was 21.5 inches long. We gave her the name Rylee
Hannah Smith : )
Due to the seriousness of the situation the doctors
would not let Megan rest, even after my appeals to let just sleep through one
night, after only being able to hold the baby Megan was rushed off to the
Roswell Cancer Institute in an ambulance. That night they performed countless
tests including things like bone marrow biopsies...
After all of this
they found that Megan has AML which is Acute Myeloid Leukemia. Even after
probably the most difficult 2 days i could ever imagine anyone going through,
Megan has the best attitude ever and i think i am safe to say she is already the
most popular person in the entire Leukemia wing of the hospital. She is
cute to begin with but the more drugs they give her she cuter she gets!
Megan is awesome and she has a long road ahead and that is why I made this
page so that she can see the tremendous support out there for her. I will do my
best to do as many updates about her as I can but she will be i treatment for
the next year and this first stretch of chemotherapy and treatment will leave
her in the hospital for the next month and half."
PLEASE PRAY FOR THIS
YOUNG COUPLE! It is now November, and Megan is still in the hospital and
her situation remains very serious.
31. "SLEEP SWITCH" DISCOVERY COULD
LEAD TO INSOMNIA CURE
From a reader--
32.
CLOSING THOUGHTS FROM DOM
I'm feeling fairly well these days
(!) with the help of many things I use listed at www.fms-help.com/what.htm. Just glad to be functional and not
brain-fogged, in pain or sick. For those who are new to the newsletter, my
fibro story is a classic one www.fms-help.com/fibro.htm - was
diagnosed in 1982 at age 30. My CFIDS story is classic as well www.fms-help.com/fatigue.htm
(diagnosed in 1987). I have spent the past 28 years as a guinea pig trying
this thing and that to try to get my life back. FMS/CFIDS has been
ruinous financially, socially and a lot of other ways. I'm just glad to be
doing we well as I am now at age 58!
Our School of Music recital www.fms-help.com/students.htm
went very well on Oct. 15. Whew!!!! It took me about 10 days to
recover! (Next one is May 6.) Right now we are in the midst of revival at church
with Bro. Braxton Hunter. It's been GREAT! We have 3
more nights (Nov. 1-3). The choir and orchestra have been awesome and many souls
saved! We get insurance for everything else - our cars, houses,
dental, medical, etc. How about eternal life insurance??? There is a real
heaven and a real hell. Everyone who is alive now is actually dying, and
it won't be long until we are all in either one place or the other. We can't get
to heaven by "being good, helping others, etc." See my testimony, Religious But Lost, at www.fms-help.com/salvation.htm. Bro. Braxton is a very CLEAR preacher of the Word of God -
he's an evangelist and professor of apologetics. His website is
http://www.braxtonhunter.com.
I apologize for not being able to answer the many
emails I receive. If you DO receive a personal reply from me, it
is the exception and not the norm. My website www.fms-help.com has grown tremendously since
1996. Most of the answers people are looking for are already on my
site. Please use the Google search box at the end of this newsletter (and
on most pages of my website) to find info. If your question is not
answered there, try writing me dombush@bellsouth.net and if possible, I
will answer. There is just not enough time in the day for my work and
church responsibilities (and did I mention things like laundry and
cooking?...ha!)
I'm trying to focus on writing the weekly newsletter
to keep as many people up to date as possible regarding FMS/CFIDS/ME issues that
affect us all. Many questions are being answered in the newsletters
themselves www.fms-help.com/newsletters.htm.
'Til
next time,
Dominie
Bush
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.
Dominie's Favorites:
Alkalizing
Drops Antioxidants Cold Sore
Treatment Colloidal Silver DMSO
DNA Protector
& Immune Booster Essential Oils (Sponsor #905788) Immune Balancing Shake
Nutritional
Powder Omega 3's Oxygen
Drops Protein Powder Shingles
Treatment Stress Tablets Supplements (highly
bioavailable) Questions? Write dombush@bellsouth.net
FREE BUSINESS CARDS
DOMINIE'S FIBROMYALGIA & CHRONIC FATIGUE SYNDROME
HOMEPAGE
DISCLAIMER: I am not
a medical doctor. I am a fibromyalgia / chronic fatigue syndrome survivor. The
purpose of this website is not to diagnose or cure any disease or malady, but is
presented as food for thought. This information cannot take the place of
professional medical advice. Any attempt to diagnose and treat an illness should
come under the direction of a physician. No guarantees are made regarding any of
the information in this
website.
