There are many people, especially doctors, who claim that fibromyalgia is just a symptom of depression. I’ve had both, and I know the difference quite well. They are very, very different.

Being in pain all the time can certainly lead to depression. That’s just logical. There are, however, people who have fibromyalgia who are not clinically depressed. Depression can also manifest as physical pain, but it is does not meet the criteria for fibromyalgia.

I was treated for depression for years before I developed FMS, though, and I truly believe that if I’d gotten proper treatment for mental health issues in my childhood (post-traumatic stress disorder and all the complications it brought, including major depressive disorder) I probably wouldn’t have developed FMS.

I never have trouble distinguishing between the two, or between either of them and CFS/ME, which I also have. They’re all quite different.

With FMS, the pain causes fatigue, and together they can (but don’t always) have an affect on your emotions. You may feel like doing something, but your body absolutely will not cooperate. There have been times when I’ve been feeling great, gone out to do something I was SO looking forward to — and nearly collapsed in the middle of everything when my body said, “All right, that’s it, no more. Done. Where’s the bed?” (We’ve joked that if I ever manage to get a scooter or electric wheelchair, it will have to have a remote control feature so that Sam can steer me on home when I’ve passed out.)

But serious clinical depression…it doesn’t matter whether you’ve got the physical energy or not. Logic doesn’t matter. Knowing that you’d feel better for having a nice, hot shower is utterly irrelevant. The fact that the telephone ringing is contributing to your headache, and you could make it stop by merely lifting up your arm up pushing a button, is irrelevant, because lifting your arm would take too much damned effort. Yes, somewhere, on some level, you may know that you’ll lose yet more function for not getting up and doing your exercises, but it’s less important than staring at the ceiling, or the pillow, or whatever is in front of your face right now. Not that you really make any kind of conscious value judgment or anything, but the staring has inertia going for it. Even if nothing IS hurting, even if you have all the energy in the world and you could do anything you just don’t care.

Remember that, the next time you hear someone claiming that FMS and depression are the same.

The interview we did is up!
Chronic Pain and Sex: a Couple’s Gentle Battle With Fibromyalgia

I’m pleased with it. There are very few, mostly immaterial inaccuracies.

Did anyone else see this at PostSecret today?

I was made aware of it by a post to fibromyalgia.¹ Reactions there are fairly negative, because so many of us have had bad experiences with people who think we’re malingering.

I have mixed feelings, though. I don’t exactly share the sentiments expressed in the piece, but I do think it’s good art. I can relate to feeling like pain has been my entire life. It’s familiar. I can’t remember anything else, honestly.

I don’t think I’m “scared to feel better,” though, because I really resent the pain, the fatigue, and especially the brain fog. I’ve tried every treatment to which I’ve been able to get access, without much relief. Pain management is all that helps in any way now.

I have, however, gotten very anxious about trying many things. Too many falls, followed by increased pain and disability, have made me incredibly cautious. Unfortunately, I know that leads to more loss of muscle mass and endurance. I’m working on getting past it. Knowing is half the battle, right?

Talk to me. What do you think about the artwork?

Paula Kamen, author of All In My Head, talks about the value of education in coping with chronic illness in an excellent editorial in the New York Times.
Leaving the Rabbit Hole. This passage, in particular, spoke to me:

The worst thing, to me, about having a non-stop multi-year headache isn’t necessarily the pain. Or the way it tends to disrupt intimate relationships, empty all financial reserves, and sabotage the best-laid career plans. It’s not even the endless barrage of (albeit well-meaning) suggestions for “cures” from everyone you meet, most of which you’ve already tried anyway (except for the colon cleansing and the Jews for Jesus conversion).

No, it’s the emotional suffering – from all the guilt and the shame, of patients like me thinking it’s our entire fault, and maybe all in our heads.

She also mentions a good site for anyone who has problems with migraines, Robbins Headache Clinic.

I’ve had these two stories bookmarked to post here for a bit, so it seems past time for me to actually do it.

The best new pain cures, with a focus on women

Many women have a tough time finding the right kind of relief for their pain — and for good reason: Until recently, experts hadn’t actually studied women’s pain specifically, and most research wasn’t conducted with a woman’s hormones and physique in mind. All that’s changing, though.

Docs now know that to banish our aches, they must develop treatments formulated for women’s bodies. What’s more, researchers are also looking for — and finding — ways to head pain off at the pass, so those of us with chronic troubles such as migraine, fibromyalgia, or backache don’t have to be hobbled by pain on a daily basis. Here, how the new research will help you live an (almost) pain-free life. Health.com: Smart ways to banish pain

It’s definitely good news that they’re doing the research, at least! There’s good information here on how estrogen and other hormones affect the central nervous system. The article specifically mentions treatment for migraines and other headaches, fibromyalgia, and chronic fatigue syndrome.

There’s a definite anti-painkiller bias in the article, unfortunately. The author doesn’t seem to grasp the fact that ibuprofen isn’t enough “preventive medicine” for some of us, but if you can look past that it’s a decent article.

Low-energy bulbs ‘cause migraine’

I’ve had concerns about this issue myself. Fluorescent bulbs have always been a problem for me, and the “low-energy” bulbs that are so popular now are fluorescent. The flickering of fluorescent bulbs can also trigger seizures in epileptics. While manufacturers claim that the new bulbs don’t flicker, they still cause problems for some people. Eye strain from the low-intensity light is cited, but some of us do perceive flickering.

The U.K. plans to ban the sale of conventional (incandescent) bulbs within the next four years. Patients’ associations are asking that the older bulbs remain available for those who have issues with the newer ones.

This article didn’t happen to mention another problem with the disposal of the bulbs: they contain mercury. You can’t just toss them in the trash, and if one breaks you have an environmental hazard. That cost is seldom mentioned when people talk about how much can be saved by switching to those bulbs. When I looked for legal ways to dispose of the bulbs here in Atlanta¹, all of the results involved paying $1 or more per bulb. How many people are going to do that? Not many, which means that the bulbs will go into landfills, releasing the mercury.

In looking for a citation regarding the disposal problems, I came across another article that states that the fluorescent bulbs also cause skin healing problems for those who are photosensitive due to lupus, eczema, or other conditions.

I think we’ll keep buying the full-spectrum incandescent bulbs for now.