FMS-HELP.com

Welcome to Dominie's Homepage

A compassionate and informative site for people with Fibromyalgia (FMS),
Chronic Fatigue & Immune Dysfunction Syndrome (CFIDS) and Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (M.E.)

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SITE CONTENTS (listed alphabetically):

50 SIGNS OF FIBROMYALGIA - do you have these?

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??

ANIMAL VIRUS MAY CAUSE CFIDS - 96% of blood samples and 91% of spinal fluid tested positively for Cryptovirus specific antibodies in these CFS patients

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

AUTONOMIC NERVOUS SYSTEM - dopamine, fibromyalgia and the autonomic nervous system

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

BIBLE - I love the King James Version of the Bible - here are some great resources

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

BODY CLOCK - gene mutation speeds up body clock, interfering with sleep and circadian rhythm

BRAIN FUNCTIONING IN REVERSE - I can relate!

CAUSE OF CFS - virologist disovers cause of CFS in the central nervous system after 20 years of research

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 - this was a bright spot in my life!

CHRISTMAS BLUES - depressed during the holidays?

CHRISTMAS CD - Dominie plays 20 Christmas carols using beautiful instrumental sounds

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

CHURCH - this is our wonderful church - a bright spot in my life

COINCIDENCES - some amazing things that happened to me recently

COLDS & SORE THROATS - can dampness cause people with CFIDS to catch viruses that affect the respiratory system?

COLDS SORES - some things I've used for cold sores

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

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

DOCTORS LIST - compiled by Million Letter Campaign volunteers in 2004 - click on this link, then click SAVE. Then you can OPEN the list.

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"

ESSENTIAL OILS - these plant extracts affect the limbic portion of the brain and help relieve my debilitating fatigue and fibro fog

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

HELP - these are things that help me

HOMEPAGE - you are here!

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"

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

MOBILE HOMES - comments from readers about formaldehyde and mold in manufactured housing

MOLD - I worked in a "sick building" and became desperately ill

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 - to receive FMS/CFIDS updates from Dominie, send an email to dombush@bellsouth.net

NEWSLETTER ARCHIVES - a wealth of information - you will not feel alone with FMS/CFIDS after reading even one of these warm, encouraging and informative newsletters!

OCCUPATIONS & FIBRO - here's what my newsletter readers were doing when they got fibro!

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

PAIN RELIEF IDEAS - I endured agonizing pain during the first 14 years of my FMS. Here are some things that helped me.

PAIN SCALE FOR FIBROMYALGIA - very helpful

PHOTOS - just for fun - here's a picture of me at age 10 and now at 54

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

RELATIONSHIPS & FIBROMYALGIA - chronic illness strains the best of marriages - here are some suggestions for family life while suffering with FMS/CFIDS

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!

SKEPTICS - dealing with people who are skeptical of fibromyalgia or say it's "all in your head"

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

SPOUSES - letter from a man whose wife has fibromyalgia

STEALTH VIRUSES - CFIDS symptoms are the result of viral-induced organic brain damage

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

SUPPORT GROUP - all of my newsletter readers receive an invitation to join my support group on Yahoo. Write dombush@bellsouth.net to request my free newsletter.

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

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

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 - list of things that help me greatly - without these, I would not be able to function

YUPPIE FLU? - "Drained by the Brain" - excellent article about CFS from Australia

DomDon0507.jpg

Dominie and Donnie Bush
used with permission from Lifetouch Church Directories and Portraits
Disclaimer: I am not a medical doctor. I am a fibromyalgia/chronic fatigue syndrome survivor. The purpose of this site is not to diagnose or cure any disease or malady, but is presented as food for thought. What you read on this site is based on my own history and ideas. 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 site.

My name is Dominie Soo Bush. I'm a piano teacher and church musician in Florida. I developed fibromyalgia (FMS) in 1982 from severe job stress as a legal secretary - coupled with years of unrelenting stress in my personal life. I began experiencing debilitating muscle pain and stiffness, extreme fatigue, insomnia and depression. 

Not much was known back then about fibromyalgia (called "fibrositis"). I consulted doctors in many cities. They all prescribed drugs, but nothing really helped and I felt like a zombie from the side effects. I tried many "alternative" treatments as well. It was all very frustrating, not to mention expensive. I also had serious hormonal, neurological and allergy problems. Then in 1987, I developed CFIDS (chronic fatigue & immune dysfunction syndrome) after a nasty virus and lung infection. I was prescribed numerous antibiotics, and they wrecked what was left of my immune system.

After 14 years of suffering, in June 1996 I began to find things that were helping me. My health began to improve to where I could function again. I did very well for many years until 2005 when I worked in a building with toxic mold. This caused my health to crash once again. It has taken almost 3 years to gain back (limited) health and strength.

Here are my stories: fibromyalgia, insomnia and chronic fatigue. Also, see my 100 tips for coping.

There's a lot of info in the yellow box on the left, such as the CDC study which showed that chronic fatigue is caused by genetic mutations in the brain and an article from Australia called Drained by the Brain. I continue adding to FMS-HELP.com, so you may want to bookmark my homepage and check back now and then. 

Only those of us with FMS/CFIDS understand what it's like to have this mysterious and often disabling condition. I am fortunate that my husband understands my illness! He is a great help at home and supportive of my endeavors (when he's not admonishing me to slow down and rest more!)

I use several meds, supplements and protocols that help me cope and function so that I have a reasonable quality of life. I had to experiment a lot over the years to find things that helped me. See the list of things that help me. However, each of us is different. I must continue to be very careful about managing stress (my worst enemy!), and I still need sleep meds or I don't sleep at all. I've had a broken sleep clock since I was 16 (40+ years ago).

You can use the Google search box (below) to find specific topics I've discussed on my site and in my newsletters. I continually get new information about FMS/CFIDS and I'm happy to share it with others who suffer from this condition. Please write dombush@bellsouth.net if you want to receive my free newsletter.

Dominie Soo Bush

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Dom at the piano
"I COULDN'T SLEEP" I was very excited that my story about how I developed FMS/CFIDS was recently published in "Challenger," an inspirational magazine similar to Guideposts. To receive a FREE copy by mail anywhere in the world, send your name and address to dombush@bellsouth.net. All addresses are kept confidential.
FREE NEWSLETTER: To receive my informative FMS/CFIDS newsletters, send an email to dombush@bellsouth.net. Your email address is kept confidential.

LOOKING FOR SPECIFIC INFORMATION? The Google search box below will search my entire site and newsletters.
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