"Hi Gin,
I noticed in the link of your archive you gave me regarding the monster list it has carb cravings on there. You mentioned you fought with this on the loop the other day and it sounded like you beat it. Can you tell me some of the stuff you did? I crave sugar and chocolate and pasta all the time and I'm afraid to develop diabetes. Do you know if thats possible?
Thanks,
Bev"
Hiya Beverly!
Thanks for coming by. I know I don't have a lot of new posts but I hope you check the archives often and feel free to ask more questions. Also, thanks for letting me post your letter. I've had so many people want to be anon lately I haven't had much material. LOL
As far as kicking the carb craving habit...I wouldn't say I've kicked it. More like...weaned from it with a few episodes of wagon jumping. (I'm not big on the term falling off the wagon, as I believe it is a decision we make and the word "falling" is a crutch that takes away personal responsibility. Kinda anal of me huh? LOL)
I grew up on noodle dishes and the like, so learning to cook things without pasta took me a while. I, too, worried about developing diabetes especially when I was gestationally diabetic while pregnant. I also had my blood drawn for a test not too long ago and my doctor actually told me to lay off the carbs and lose a few pounds. Well okay! Wake up call for me. So I set up a plan of attack...again. This isn't the first time I've tried to cut carbs but it is the first time I was specifically told to by a doctor and not by a suggestion to help Fibro.
First - slowly retract from carbs. Trying to cut them out completely will result in a wagon jump quicker than you'd anticipate AND it will give you a sense of failure which doesn't help our mentality.
Second - get yourself used to sugar substitutes. (Be careful. Some sugar substitutes can upset the belly. Try a splenda with fiber or another type of sugar sub with probiotics to, hopefully, keep from IBS issues, if you're the type that has them.) Remember to do this slowly or you're going to HATE on sugar subs. lol You may be against sugar substitutes, as the health benefits and risk are often debated. If that's the case, (and even if it isn't) start looking for products that are "less sugar" or "low sugar".
Third - Give sugar free products a shot or two. Remember, nothing is going to taste as awesome as sugar. And after a few days of low sugar/carb intake, give yourself rewards. I talk about rewarding often because I feel without a benefit at the end of the road, we might start asking "what's it all for" or thinking "I'd rather just take the risk and feel like I'm living than eat crap I hate for the rest of my days". (Both things I've been known to think. lol)
Fourth - Don't boycott all carbs. (Withdrawal!) Just work on portions. If you eat a lot of potatoes, cut your portions to half and try to eat them baked instead of fried (if that applies). If you eat noodles all the time, try to add more chicken or meat or veggies and just a little bit of pasta.
Fifth - Snacks are the bane of our existence. For me, I was a chip-hound. I LOVE chips. I switched from regular salty tater chips to tostitos. Once I was able to keep my chip craving back a little, I moved from tostitos to snacking on crunchy vegs to spinach salads. Always? Heck no. Once or twice a week I allow for a chip award. lol
Sixth - Look in healthy magazines for recipes that are sugar free but don't taste it. HOWEVER, if you are a little lazy in the kitchen like me, you can find quite a few short-cuts.
Seventh - Vitamin supplements exist that are reported to curb carb cravings. My memory is failing me but I think I tried some to a degree of success. But, taking so many vitamins can upset the tummy so I know I had to quit a few.
Okay. Those suggestions are what I gave to myself and followed.
So...what do I eat when I have a craving? This is a personal list and not meant to be much of an endorsement. lol
Sweet Tooth Fixes:
- Russel Stover's sugar free chocolate candies. (The first few bites...meh. But the overall taste does curb the chocolate craving.)
- Jell-o Sugar Free Milk Chocolate and Dark chocolate mousse. ( Lemme just say, YUM! and only 90 calories I think. Bonus!)
- Jell-o Sugar Free Strawberry Acai gelatin. (For my Weight Watcher friends it's ZERO points and 10 calories. As a bonus, it also has antioxidants and when I was eating 2 a day to curb cravings and everyone around me was getting colds... I didn't. Coincidence? Possibly but I'm thinking yay antioxidants.)
- Weight watchers Fudge or chocolate ice cream bars. (Again YUM! An excellent chocolate fix without the sugars.)
Noodle Fixes:
- Replaced potatoes with spinach salads or an extra helping of veggies.
- Switch up noodle dishes for rice. I like Basmati. Why switch from one carb to the other? To change your taste buds. It's easier to quit something you didn't grow up loving, but the rice will fill you like potatoe and noodle carbs. It's much easier to cut down on a carb you're not used to. I made basmati rice with every meal (Spring for a rice cooker for 15 bucks to make awesome rice) and then cut down my carb portion to 1/4 cup of cooked rice.
On this regiment, I lost ten pounds without adding to my exercise schedule.
As far as any type of medical proof Fibromates get diabetes because of their carb cravings, well I couldn't find any research that would support the theory but logically, if you cave in to eating a lot of sugars, you're at risk like any other.
I hope I answered your question and gave you some good stuff to try.
All my best wishes for pain-free days.
Gin
Friday, April 16, 2010
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
Happy Spring!
A great time of the year! The snow melts here, and the weather warms to perfection. I usually grab my daughter and wander around the zoo often. We've already been once and it was a great day. One of the best I've had.
The problem was...I had to be drugged up on pain killers. I had to bring a driver, Shy's father, and he doesn't much care for the zoo. We still had a great time, no matter what, but I could definitely tell by the pounding of my head, Spring was in the air!
With season changes, so come the flares. Mine lasted about a month and I was in a pain killer haze. I really dislike pain killers but the fault was mine for needing to depend on them. I'd been forgetting to take my vitamins (as we often do) which resulted in a lack of ambition, so I didn't do much exercising either.
Spring, is the time of year to prepare for Fibro Awareness, so we need to take better care of ourselves; be preemptive! Encourage each other to keep pushing toward days where we look our doctor in the face and say, I don't need anything right now.
I know what Spring does to me. I hurt more, I get a migraine that lasts for weeks, I lose ambition and before I know it, it's halfway through summer.
Not this year!
I'm going back on Acai Berry supplements for energy, popping those vitamins, and walking the dog if it kills me! And it just might.
I plan to start my day with Yo-Plus vanilla and acai powder and granola for energy and to fill the belly. Then I'll take half my vitamins. (B-complex, Magnesium, Vitamin D, Biotin) Next I'll work out for 15-30 minutes starting with low impact exercises until I've built up my strength again. Shower and take care of my skin and hair. The rest of my day is going to be filled with writing, working, cleaning when I can, and I'm going to stay away from greasy fast food as much as possible. (Or at least count calories and carbs so I don't fall into the same pattern of overdoing.) I'm going to eat a low carb supper and maybe have a little bit of something that isn't very good for me because I deserve it for sticking with my routine. After my belly has something in it, I'll take the second half of my daily vitamins because I can't "stomach" taking them all at once. (Amino Acids, Vitamin E, Calcium{sparingly! Every three days for me. Omega 3,6,9) And at the end of the day, I'll treat my face with a calming, soothing masque and rub my body down with body butter to promote circulation and relaxation. Having a plan for taking care of yourself can work, even when we don't stick to every aspect of it (which for Fibro Mates is extremely hard). Don't beat yourself up for what you can't do in a given day. Reward yourself for doing what you can!
Remember, Fibro is a brain disorder. Our brain fights against us. It makes us depressed, it saps our inner strength and we have to fight self-defeating behaviors by not talking down to ourselves.
If you have a few days where you can't do any of the things on your list, hey...you'll get it the next day, or the next. When negativity due to Fibro takes a breath, you use that brief reprieve to get through enemy lines and take control for as long as you can hold on!
I have faith in you, my friends.
Now if you'll excuse me, I have a list to complete today! :-)
All my best wishes for pain-free days.
Gin
The problem was...I had to be drugged up on pain killers. I had to bring a driver, Shy's father, and he doesn't much care for the zoo. We still had a great time, no matter what, but I could definitely tell by the pounding of my head, Spring was in the air!
With season changes, so come the flares. Mine lasted about a month and I was in a pain killer haze. I really dislike pain killers but the fault was mine for needing to depend on them. I'd been forgetting to take my vitamins (as we often do) which resulted in a lack of ambition, so I didn't do much exercising either.
Spring, is the time of year to prepare for Fibro Awareness, so we need to take better care of ourselves; be preemptive! Encourage each other to keep pushing toward days where we look our doctor in the face and say, I don't need anything right now.
I know what Spring does to me. I hurt more, I get a migraine that lasts for weeks, I lose ambition and before I know it, it's halfway through summer.
Not this year!
I'm going back on Acai Berry supplements for energy, popping those vitamins, and walking the dog if it kills me! And it just might.
I plan to start my day with Yo-Plus vanilla and acai powder and granola for energy and to fill the belly. Then I'll take half my vitamins. (B-complex, Magnesium, Vitamin D, Biotin) Next I'll work out for 15-30 minutes starting with low impact exercises until I've built up my strength again. Shower and take care of my skin and hair. The rest of my day is going to be filled with writing, working, cleaning when I can, and I'm going to stay away from greasy fast food as much as possible. (Or at least count calories and carbs so I don't fall into the same pattern of overdoing.) I'm going to eat a low carb supper and maybe have a little bit of something that isn't very good for me because I deserve it for sticking with my routine. After my belly has something in it, I'll take the second half of my daily vitamins because I can't "stomach" taking them all at once. (Amino Acids, Vitamin E, Calcium{sparingly! Every three days for me. Omega 3,6,9) And at the end of the day, I'll treat my face with a calming, soothing masque and rub my body down with body butter to promote circulation and relaxation. Having a plan for taking care of yourself can work, even when we don't stick to every aspect of it (which for Fibro Mates is extremely hard). Don't beat yourself up for what you can't do in a given day. Reward yourself for doing what you can!
Remember, Fibro is a brain disorder. Our brain fights against us. It makes us depressed, it saps our inner strength and we have to fight self-defeating behaviors by not talking down to ourselves.
If you have a few days where you can't do any of the things on your list, hey...you'll get it the next day, or the next. When negativity due to Fibro takes a breath, you use that brief reprieve to get through enemy lines and take control for as long as you can hold on!
I have faith in you, my friends.
Now if you'll excuse me, I have a list to complete today! :-)
All my best wishes for pain-free days.
Gin
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
To My Blogging Buddies
Hiya FibroMates, and Mates of Fibro Mates
Just a quick warning about a trend I've been noticing.
Foreign Pharm spammers are targeting blogs, trying to post comments that are advertisements for their business. Cheap drugs the American government doesn't allow you to have, etc.
Some of my followers have blogs of their own, reaching out toward the medical community, so I'm letting you all know that filtering responses has saved me a LOT of time.
Think about it.
Ohhh btw, I just received a few questions in my inbox this week and I'll be responding to, either privately or in a post if I can. (Have to double check anon status with both.)
All my best wishes for pain free days.
Gin
Just a quick warning about a trend I've been noticing.
Foreign Pharm spammers are targeting blogs, trying to post comments that are advertisements for their business. Cheap drugs the American government doesn't allow you to have, etc.
Some of my followers have blogs of their own, reaching out toward the medical community, so I'm letting you all know that filtering responses has saved me a LOT of time.
Think about it.
Ohhh btw, I just received a few questions in my inbox this week and I'll be responding to, either privately or in a post if I can. (Have to double check anon status with both.)
All my best wishes for pain free days.
Gin
Friday, January 22, 2010
Birthday Week!
It's my birthday week. And those of you who are on my Facebook friends list, know why I take a week.
I'm so forgetful that I figure I might notice my birthday more if I celebrate the week surrounding it. Hopefully, you all follow suit with this idea. It's fun and we deserve more than one day a year to celebrate ourselves and all our accomplishments. Even if the only thing we accomplish is getting out of bed. ::grins::
So enough about me. Without further ado...I'll hit the mail.
"FG,
I have IBS like you and my flares make them worse. I can't take both at the same time. Any ideas?
Barb"
I do have some ideas but really we need to find out what is causing your upset. Are you going through more stress than usual? Are you taking more medication?
I'm going to make a few assumptions here. With bad flare-ups we tend to take more pills. More pills means that our digestive tract be bombarded. There's a whole bunch of medical jargon to sift through involving liver function etc. but suffice it to say that what you're taking through your flare-up might be making your IBS worse.
I've read a bunch of reports that talk about aspirin and tylenol and other acetaminophen products playing havoc with the belly but in my case, I can trace almost every bad IBS episode (and I'm talking extremely bad...don't want to leave the house here) to ibuprofen.
Why? I have a few theories. One: I took a lot more of this medication than I should have right after my pregnancy (4 pills every four hours) and when I was first diagnosed with Fibro and advised to take a 3 pill dose every four to six hours by my doctor.
I've stated before (and I apologize if I sound like a skipping CD here) that Fibro patients are known to adapt to their medications and also to become sensitive to them. Something that never bothered us before can one day...drive us crazy, make us itch, make us feel sick...worsen our IBS.
Some things to try:
During the days of your flares...eat lighter. My favorite thing to do when I notice my stomach becoming upset is to start eating soft. I drink green tea with a bit of the splenda with fiber to try to toughen the stool but I "eat soft". Chicken noodle soup, flavored applesauce snacks with reduced sugar, basmati rice with baked chicken (the soft juicy dark meat) and some yo plus vanilla (Best yogurt EVER lol). I eat like I have Gastroenteritis again, giving my digestive tract a chance to heal while still getting to eat.
We often forget about how hard a flare-up hits the rest of our body. We baby tender muscles and joint stiffness and pain but still eat Doritos and broccoli and...for me...Taco Bell.
Give all parts of your body time to heal.
Vitamins can also be a contributing factor. Try to get liquid vitamins when you can.
Also, unless otherwise specified, try to take medication around a meal to help with digestion of pills and vitamins.
Stress is another major factor in both IBS and Fibro. Nothing new there. Find a pastime that can soothe your nerves or find something that inspires you. For me.. Planet Earth the DVD series. I'm reminded of hardships and that life...beautiful life...always moves forward. I also like to think about the saying "this too, shall pass".
Whatever you can find that brings you even a modicum of peace, use it! Bring down those stress levels and those depression bouts that we all are subjected to almost daily.
I truly wish I had a definite answer as to how to make the terrible duo of Fibro Flare and IBS go away. The day I master it, I will shout it to the world, but these tips, small as they are, have helped me.
Recap:
-give your bowels time to heal after a medication surge.
-eat soft, eat plain.
-take as little medication for flares as you can stand, and look for liquid vitamins.
-find personal inspiration to lose yourself to. Heal the mind...help the body.
Make sure you're keeping a food diary as well so you can find out if any particular foods or medications are causing your flare-ups to worsen. Food allergies can develop and attack when we least expect it.
My best to you, Barb, and the rest of my Fibro Mates.
Hope everyone is having 98% pain free days!
Gin
I'm so forgetful that I figure I might notice my birthday more if I celebrate the week surrounding it. Hopefully, you all follow suit with this idea. It's fun and we deserve more than one day a year to celebrate ourselves and all our accomplishments. Even if the only thing we accomplish is getting out of bed. ::grins::
So enough about me. Without further ado...I'll hit the mail.
"FG,
I have IBS like you and my flares make them worse. I can't take both at the same time. Any ideas?
Barb"
I do have some ideas but really we need to find out what is causing your upset. Are you going through more stress than usual? Are you taking more medication?
I'm going to make a few assumptions here. With bad flare-ups we tend to take more pills. More pills means that our digestive tract be bombarded. There's a whole bunch of medical jargon to sift through involving liver function etc. but suffice it to say that what you're taking through your flare-up might be making your IBS worse.
I've read a bunch of reports that talk about aspirin and tylenol and other acetaminophen products playing havoc with the belly but in my case, I can trace almost every bad IBS episode (and I'm talking extremely bad...don't want to leave the house here) to ibuprofen.
Why? I have a few theories. One: I took a lot more of this medication than I should have right after my pregnancy (4 pills every four hours) and when I was first diagnosed with Fibro and advised to take a 3 pill dose every four to six hours by my doctor.
I've stated before (and I apologize if I sound like a skipping CD here) that Fibro patients are known to adapt to their medications and also to become sensitive to them. Something that never bothered us before can one day...drive us crazy, make us itch, make us feel sick...worsen our IBS.
Some things to try:
During the days of your flares...eat lighter. My favorite thing to do when I notice my stomach becoming upset is to start eating soft. I drink green tea with a bit of the splenda with fiber to try to toughen the stool but I "eat soft". Chicken noodle soup, flavored applesauce snacks with reduced sugar, basmati rice with baked chicken (the soft juicy dark meat) and some yo plus vanilla (Best yogurt EVER lol). I eat like I have Gastroenteritis again, giving my digestive tract a chance to heal while still getting to eat.
We often forget about how hard a flare-up hits the rest of our body. We baby tender muscles and joint stiffness and pain but still eat Doritos and broccoli and...for me...Taco Bell.
Give all parts of your body time to heal.
Vitamins can also be a contributing factor. Try to get liquid vitamins when you can.
Also, unless otherwise specified, try to take medication around a meal to help with digestion of pills and vitamins.
Stress is another major factor in both IBS and Fibro. Nothing new there. Find a pastime that can soothe your nerves or find something that inspires you. For me.. Planet Earth the DVD series. I'm reminded of hardships and that life...beautiful life...always moves forward. I also like to think about the saying "this too, shall pass".
Whatever you can find that brings you even a modicum of peace, use it! Bring down those stress levels and those depression bouts that we all are subjected to almost daily.
I truly wish I had a definite answer as to how to make the terrible duo of Fibro Flare and IBS go away. The day I master it, I will shout it to the world, but these tips, small as they are, have helped me.
Recap:
-give your bowels time to heal after a medication surge.
-eat soft, eat plain.
-take as little medication for flares as you can stand, and look for liquid vitamins.
-find personal inspiration to lose yourself to. Heal the mind...help the body.
Make sure you're keeping a food diary as well so you can find out if any particular foods or medications are causing your flare-ups to worsen. Food allergies can develop and attack when we least expect it.
My best to you, Barb, and the rest of my Fibro Mates.
Hope everyone is having 98% pain free days!
Gin
Saturday, December 26, 2009
Blog Purpose and A Call For Help
Every once in a while I get a letter that shakes me up a little.
I don't mean in a bad way, though the letter I'm referring to had decidedly bad news.
A lot of the time I get the same questions about pain, itching, IBS, prescription drugs, and vitamins that I don't always have much to say on the blog. Pretty much the archives can give out so much information that I find I don't have to post all the time.
"Here's what happens to me. It might be the same for you. Here's the newest rumors. See you next time."
My blog has a certain feel to it. Kinda homey. To me anyway. Like an aunt once comes to visit when they're looking for the same ole. LOL
I don't always keep up or run with the latest "helpful" trend. I sit back and wait to see and then post my opinion and my sources etc. I try not to complain too much about the sucktitude of Fibro because I don't see a point in it other than feeding into the depression beast that threatens all of us.
But perhaps because of my repetitive ways...some vital things fall through the cracks of my routine and bring me up short. And in my opinion...this is a very good thing. I don't want to become complacent in helping out my fellow Fibromates and their families. I don't want people to just visit the archives any more.
I want people to ask questions even if they think it's something I've gone over a hundred times. I want ...to be helpful. I need to be. Because I refuse to believe my life's worth lies in my ability to feel pain. Instead I realize that my life's worth lies in my ability to press on, to help, to become important to myself as well as to others and I hope that you all can feel that too. In yourself and in me.
I'll do my best to answer ALL questions old and new in the upcoming year to refresh the archives and create new.
Now...that being said, I want to get back to this letter I received.
The gentleman said nothing about covering his story on my blog so I won't mention any names or get overly specific. I wouldn't post anything about it all if I didn't feel it reiterated a VITAL point about my last post against a drug.
The author of the letter lives halfway around the world and he let me into his life with his email. To summarize, he and his children lost their wife and mother to a suicidal incident that may be related to Topamax.
He's looking for answers, and I want to give them to him.
So I'm calling out to my readers. I know there are lawyers out there pursuing the drug company and I want to know what proof they have that makes them feel as though they can win these cases. There has to be something or they wouldn't advertise. As I said in my November post, Lawyers don't pay good money for a commercial spot if they aren't sure they can win.
What do they know? Whatever it is... I want to know it! And I want to give it to those who can take comfort in closure. I said I was coming out against Topamax before, but now I'm coming out swinging. I've received dozens of reports from readers and read on many loops about this drug and suspected effects and allegations. So what proof is out there?
My friends, help me find it?
All my best wishes that everyone had a great holiday if you celebrate, and a healthy new year to come.
Gin
I don't mean in a bad way, though the letter I'm referring to had decidedly bad news.
A lot of the time I get the same questions about pain, itching, IBS, prescription drugs, and vitamins that I don't always have much to say on the blog. Pretty much the archives can give out so much information that I find I don't have to post all the time.
"Here's what happens to me. It might be the same for you. Here's the newest rumors. See you next time."
My blog has a certain feel to it. Kinda homey. To me anyway. Like an aunt once comes to visit when they're looking for the same ole. LOL
I don't always keep up or run with the latest "helpful" trend. I sit back and wait to see and then post my opinion and my sources etc. I try not to complain too much about the sucktitude of Fibro because I don't see a point in it other than feeding into the depression beast that threatens all of us.
But perhaps because of my repetitive ways...some vital things fall through the cracks of my routine and bring me up short. And in my opinion...this is a very good thing. I don't want to become complacent in helping out my fellow Fibromates and their families. I don't want people to just visit the archives any more.
I want people to ask questions even if they think it's something I've gone over a hundred times. I want ...to be helpful. I need to be. Because I refuse to believe my life's worth lies in my ability to feel pain. Instead I realize that my life's worth lies in my ability to press on, to help, to become important to myself as well as to others and I hope that you all can feel that too. In yourself and in me.
I'll do my best to answer ALL questions old and new in the upcoming year to refresh the archives and create new.
Now...that being said, I want to get back to this letter I received.
The gentleman said nothing about covering his story on my blog so I won't mention any names or get overly specific. I wouldn't post anything about it all if I didn't feel it reiterated a VITAL point about my last post against a drug.
The author of the letter lives halfway around the world and he let me into his life with his email. To summarize, he and his children lost their wife and mother to a suicidal incident that may be related to Topamax.
He's looking for answers, and I want to give them to him.
So I'm calling out to my readers. I know there are lawyers out there pursuing the drug company and I want to know what proof they have that makes them feel as though they can win these cases. There has to be something or they wouldn't advertise. As I said in my November post, Lawyers don't pay good money for a commercial spot if they aren't sure they can win.
What do they know? Whatever it is... I want to know it! And I want to give it to those who can take comfort in closure. I said I was coming out against Topamax before, but now I'm coming out swinging. I've received dozens of reports from readers and read on many loops about this drug and suspected effects and allegations. So what proof is out there?
My friends, help me find it?
All my best wishes that everyone had a great holiday if you celebrate, and a healthy new year to come.
Gin
Friday, November 27, 2009
Topamax.
I've been very open about my sensitivity to anti-depressants and anti-epileptics. I've also searched for the answer to my suicidal urge four years ago since my neurologist had told me Topamax couldn't be responsible.
As I sat watching TV the day before yesterday, an interesting commercial came on. Some law firm was setting up lawsuits for family members who had lost a loved one to suicide "while taking the medication Topamax for depression or migraines".
Validation at last from a reliable source. Shyster Lawyers a viable source? LOL. But think of it this way. Lawyers don't waste their time pan handling for cases they don't think they can win.
Please, my friends, be cautious, be aware.
I cannot, in good conscience, say nothing. I come out swinging against this medication.
All my best hopes for 98% pain free days for all of us.
Gin
As I sat watching TV the day before yesterday, an interesting commercial came on. Some law firm was setting up lawsuits for family members who had lost a loved one to suicide "while taking the medication Topamax for depression or migraines".
Validation at last from a reliable source. Shyster Lawyers a viable source? LOL. But think of it this way. Lawyers don't waste their time pan handling for cases they don't think they can win.
Please, my friends, be cautious, be aware.
I cannot, in good conscience, say nothing. I come out swinging against this medication.
All my best hopes for 98% pain free days for all of us.
Gin
Monday, November 23, 2009
The Pain Culprits?
I've been at it again. In the last three years I've had short bouts of Fibro pain that has lasted a week, maybe two at max.
Throughout October and a decent chunk of November, I had one of the worst flare-ups I've had in a long time. I was actually bed-ridden for about 10 days with migraine after migraine and by day 3 there wasn't a single pill I could take that would do anything for me. I ended up going to the doctor on day 8, only to be told the same thing I'm always told: "Well, there's not a whole lot we can do for you given your sensitivities."
They gave me a shot of Demerol, because honestly, I would have tried anything to get rid of the pain and a steroid shot to...do whatever steroid shots do other than screw up your digestive organs.
As expected, I became physically sick. I curled up on my bed, paler than usual and certain I was going to soil my bedding in vomit. Pretty picture hm?
The next day I woke up with a mild migraine. Mild meaning I could still function but the damned thing was STILL there.
I asked my doctor previously about starting on Low Dose Naltrexone and/or medical marijuana. Now before you start thinking I'm some pot hound lemme just tell you... I'm desperate! I'm not looking forward to Marijuana, which used to make me feel more...stupid. But when I get a ten day migraine? I'll try anything!
I'm feeling great now, and have for a week or so but I've had a lot of catching up to do with manuscripts and the like.
And though the trip to the doctor's office was pointless from a treatment standpoint, it wasn't an absolute waste of time.
On the table in the waiting room, there was a magazine called Scientific American(http://www.scientificamerican.com/). In the November 2009 issue is an article in the Neuroscience section about the "New Culprits of Chronic Pain".
There's simply too much science in the article for me to be able to articulate or translate successfully. So I'm going to hit a few high points and then leave the research up to you, my friends. If you're interested in learning more.
The article is based on Chronic Pain. The subtitle reads: "Glia are nervous system caretakers whose nurturing can go too far. Taming them holds promise for alleviating pain that current medications cannot ease." By R. Douglas Fields.
Pg 50 Key Points by the Editors read as follows:
- Chronic pain that persists after an injury heals is often caused by overly excited pain-sensing neurons that signal without an external stimulus.
- Traditional pain drugs that target neural cells directly rarely quiet these abnormal pain messages because the neurons' heightened sensitivity is driven by a different type of cell called glia.
- Such cells monitor the activity of neurons and attempt to keep them healthy and functioning efficiently. But well-intentioned glial reactions to intense pain can at times prolong that pain.
Meaning...for a long time we've blamed the neurons and really they've just been forced into the pain job by the glia.
Here's another excerpt on pg 56 that might ring true with some of you as it has with me.
"A stunning discovery made in recent years is that glia play a role in causing opiate painkillers to lose effectiveness. Lina R. Watkins of the Univ. of Colorado at Boulder has demonstrated that morphine, methadone, and probably other opiates directly activate spinal cord glia, causing glial responses that counteract the drugs' painkilling effects. The activated helper cells begin behaving much as they do after nerve injury, spewing inflammatory cytokines and other factors that act to overly sensitize neurons. Watkins showed that the effect starts less than five minutes after the first drug dose.
By making neurons hyperexcitable, glial influence overcomes the normal neuron-dampening effects of the drugs, explaining why patients often require ever increasing doses to achieve pain relief. The same mechanism may also underlie the frequent failure of opiates to relieve chronic neuropathic pain when it is driven by reactive glia." R.D.F.
So what does all this jargon really mean?
I suspect more tests will be done until theory becomes fact, but if they really have discovered why we feel pain, we can become hopeful that they will find better and more efficient drugs. And of course, in this same article they cite tests that have been done and... here comes the real funny part of this entire post:
"Another existing drug, indeed an ancient pain-relieving substance that can work when many others fail, is marijuana, which has been legalized for medicinal use in some states. Substances in the marijuana plant mimic natural compounds in the brain called cannabinoids, which activate certain receptors on neurons and regulate neural signal transmission.
Two types of cannabinoid receptor occur in the brain and nervous system, however: CB1 and CB2. Activating the CB2 receptors induces the psychoactive effects of marijuana. Remarkably, the CB2 receptor that relieves pain does not appear on pain neurons; it is on glia."
Blah blah blah.. "I'm a wicked smart scientist talking a lot of jargon..." etc.
You get the point.
Another interesting part of the article: (And remember, these are just the ones I understood easily and feel okay about sharing but there is a TON of information in this issue. Try to back order it if you can.)
"Like heroin, opium and modern narcotics, such as OxyContin, morphine blunts pain by weakening communication among spinal cord neurons, thus diminishing the transmission of pain signals.
Unfortunately, the power of morphine and other narcotics to block pain quickly fades with repeated use, a property called tolerance. Stronger and more frequent doses are necessary to achieve the same effect. Patients with chronic pain can become addicts, compounding their misery with debilitating drug dependency."
Sometimes we know in our hearts that we're taking too much, too frequently and before we know it, nothing works but having nothing feels worse. This is a scary place to be.
BUT... this article is proof that we could see better, more effective, help on the horizon! This is good news, my friends.
I hope you're all well, and will excuse my lengthy absences from time to time.
All my best,
Gin
Throughout October and a decent chunk of November, I had one of the worst flare-ups I've had in a long time. I was actually bed-ridden for about 10 days with migraine after migraine and by day 3 there wasn't a single pill I could take that would do anything for me. I ended up going to the doctor on day 8, only to be told the same thing I'm always told: "Well, there's not a whole lot we can do for you given your sensitivities."
They gave me a shot of Demerol, because honestly, I would have tried anything to get rid of the pain and a steroid shot to...do whatever steroid shots do other than screw up your digestive organs.
As expected, I became physically sick. I curled up on my bed, paler than usual and certain I was going to soil my bedding in vomit. Pretty picture hm?
The next day I woke up with a mild migraine. Mild meaning I could still function but the damned thing was STILL there.
I asked my doctor previously about starting on Low Dose Naltrexone and/or medical marijuana. Now before you start thinking I'm some pot hound lemme just tell you... I'm desperate! I'm not looking forward to Marijuana, which used to make me feel more...stupid. But when I get a ten day migraine? I'll try anything!
I'm feeling great now, and have for a week or so but I've had a lot of catching up to do with manuscripts and the like.
And though the trip to the doctor's office was pointless from a treatment standpoint, it wasn't an absolute waste of time.
On the table in the waiting room, there was a magazine called Scientific American(http://www.scientificamerican.com/). In the November 2009 issue is an article in the Neuroscience section about the "New Culprits of Chronic Pain".
There's simply too much science in the article for me to be able to articulate or translate successfully. So I'm going to hit a few high points and then leave the research up to you, my friends. If you're interested in learning more.
The article is based on Chronic Pain. The subtitle reads: "Glia are nervous system caretakers whose nurturing can go too far. Taming them holds promise for alleviating pain that current medications cannot ease." By R. Douglas Fields.
Pg 50 Key Points by the Editors read as follows:
- Chronic pain that persists after an injury heals is often caused by overly excited pain-sensing neurons that signal without an external stimulus.
- Traditional pain drugs that target neural cells directly rarely quiet these abnormal pain messages because the neurons' heightened sensitivity is driven by a different type of cell called glia.
- Such cells monitor the activity of neurons and attempt to keep them healthy and functioning efficiently. But well-intentioned glial reactions to intense pain can at times prolong that pain.
Meaning...for a long time we've blamed the neurons and really they've just been forced into the pain job by the glia.
Here's another excerpt on pg 56 that might ring true with some of you as it has with me.
"A stunning discovery made in recent years is that glia play a role in causing opiate painkillers to lose effectiveness. Lina R. Watkins of the Univ. of Colorado at Boulder has demonstrated that morphine, methadone, and probably other opiates directly activate spinal cord glia, causing glial responses that counteract the drugs' painkilling effects. The activated helper cells begin behaving much as they do after nerve injury, spewing inflammatory cytokines and other factors that act to overly sensitize neurons. Watkins showed that the effect starts less than five minutes after the first drug dose.
By making neurons hyperexcitable, glial influence overcomes the normal neuron-dampening effects of the drugs, explaining why patients often require ever increasing doses to achieve pain relief. The same mechanism may also underlie the frequent failure of opiates to relieve chronic neuropathic pain when it is driven by reactive glia." R.D.F.
So what does all this jargon really mean?
I suspect more tests will be done until theory becomes fact, but if they really have discovered why we feel pain, we can become hopeful that they will find better and more efficient drugs. And of course, in this same article they cite tests that have been done and... here comes the real funny part of this entire post:
"Another existing drug, indeed an ancient pain-relieving substance that can work when many others fail, is marijuana, which has been legalized for medicinal use in some states. Substances in the marijuana plant mimic natural compounds in the brain called cannabinoids, which activate certain receptors on neurons and regulate neural signal transmission.
Two types of cannabinoid receptor occur in the brain and nervous system, however: CB1 and CB2. Activating the CB2 receptors induces the psychoactive effects of marijuana. Remarkably, the CB2 receptor that relieves pain does not appear on pain neurons; it is on glia."
Blah blah blah.. "I'm a wicked smart scientist talking a lot of jargon..." etc.
You get the point.
Another interesting part of the article: (And remember, these are just the ones I understood easily and feel okay about sharing but there is a TON of information in this issue. Try to back order it if you can.)
"Like heroin, opium and modern narcotics, such as OxyContin, morphine blunts pain by weakening communication among spinal cord neurons, thus diminishing the transmission of pain signals.
Unfortunately, the power of morphine and other narcotics to block pain quickly fades with repeated use, a property called tolerance. Stronger and more frequent doses are necessary to achieve the same effect. Patients with chronic pain can become addicts, compounding their misery with debilitating drug dependency."
Sometimes we know in our hearts that we're taking too much, too frequently and before we know it, nothing works but having nothing feels worse. This is a scary place to be.
BUT... this article is proof that we could see better, more effective, help on the horizon! This is good news, my friends.
I hope you're all well, and will excuse my lengthy absences from time to time.
All my best,
Gin
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