It’s Not Poultry, It’s Just a Chicken

I’m about to say something that would is very unpopular with many medical professionals (as if that’s a shock coming from me), and organizations. I’m just so fed up that I can’t not make it plain.

Fibromyalgia IS autoimmune. I don’t know why it is so difficult for some people to understand. I read an article a few days ago that (paraphrased) basically said Fibro isn’t autoimmune, it’s just that people with Fibro have abnormal immune function. Uhm… HUH? It’s not just me – I don’t even need anyone to tell me that. That’s just stupid. Don’t get me wrong, I’m the biggest proponent of a Ford is a car but not all cars are Fords. This just isn’t the same thing though. It’s a known fact that Fibromyalgia runs in the same groups as every other autoimmune disease – RA, SLE, Sjogren’s, Raynaud’s, Scleroderma, et al. It’s also a known fact that you generally don’t get just one. I know that most of the people I know with Lupus also have Fibromyalgia if not a host of others from this category. If they’re trying to keep from giving it enough credibility that they have to take responsibility for treating it, it’s not only unethical, it’s a losing battle because science is already proving it out. There is research to show the connection. They just don’t want anyone to see it. I don’t even need a lab report or research paperwork to figure that out.

This is like saying it’s not poultry, it’s just a chicken. I realize that in the realm of full-blown Lupus out of control, a “mild case” as I seem to be dealing with is rather the Cornish game hen variety of disease activity, but it still deserves credence. It really doesn’t matter if you’re looking at a Goose or a small hen… they are related and you can see that. We know that these things are progressive when not controlled. If prevention is our goal in healthcare, why are they blocking us at every turn? Is it ego? They don’t want to admit they’ve been wrong? What? I don’t really care how it makes anyone look, and I‘m not interested in a point and laugh session once the truth is spelled out. I just want answers and help so I can move on. Who wouldn’t?

So they put me on a short course of Medrol with the statement that it’s Fibromyalgia but maybe that will help my hands until I can get to the acupuncturist in a few weeks. Lo’ and behold, not only did my hands feel better, so did everything else – including the long-nagging problem of feeling a weight on my chest as if I can’t quite get enough oxygen. I’ve complained about this repeatedly, only to be told to use my inhalers. Inhaled steroids didn’t help, and I don’t want to toxify myself with an unnecessary med, especially a steroid long-term. I was first told I don’t sound obstructed, and then told the reason I feel this way is obstruction, so use my Albuterol daily. That made no sense but I humored the good Dr. and used it. Same non-results. They help a LITTLE – very little – but not enough. Never anything that seems sufficient. While I’m trying to get work done on art, writing, posting, or anything else, why do I keep having to take breaks and lie down because I feel so worn out? Guess what… the oral steroids gave me relief. Here’s the kicker: Fibro does not respond to steroids this way. So that’s all this is, why do I feel so much better now? I can take a deeper breath and with far less pain. Go figure. Pleuritis anyone? Not once have they ever considered that diagnosis. So here I am. Journaling yet again, so I have a list of symptomatic improvement… and degeneration again, I presume at some point again when this bottle is empty. We shall see. When I have that all down on paper, I have to take it back to rheumatology and tackle them once again and ask for answers… again. If it’s not Lupus, WTH is it? My immune system obviously attacks the host. I have unexplained pain and I react badly in sunlight and heat, multiple drug allergies/sensitivities, environmental and substance allergies, and fatigue from an undetermined cause, PLUS memory loss and reading comprehension difficulties. Somehow, the advice “wear sunblock and read more books” just isn’t going to cut it for me.

I find myself also faced with a personal moral quandary regarding my stance on natural living. If I can’t find a natural answer, what then do I do? I have to look at the same choices as those dear ladies I know that are advanced cases and wonder… which poison do I choose? At present, the potential side effects of any available meds outweigh my distressing symptoms. All except for that breathing issue, I could continue to find ways to deal with pain… but that… that scares me. I don’t want to go back to feeling that way now. I shouldn’t have to. Doesn’t anyone take or honor the Hippocratic oath any more? Aren’t they supposed to be providing me with solutions for quality of life? It isn’t about merely existing. Most anyone can do that for a long time even under the most dire of circumstances.

I feel the timer ticking. I have 2 weeks and then I find out whether I needed a boost and this stuff gives me some lasting relief… or not. I’m praying that it does.

And… now I will go to the market and consider a few suggestions like Noni juice. I’m hunting for solutions again. I thought Noni boosted the immune system, but I found out it’s adaptogenic like ginseng so it seems worth a try.