The FMS/ACM Controversy

Fibromyalgia
(and it's good-for-nothing relatives)

They say you can pick your friends, but you can't pick your family.  There's always going to be a few relatives that the rest of the clan could just do without.  Unlike your family, however, if a friend turns out to be 'not so friendly' you can always find a new one.  Family, on the other hand, well, there's a few that aren't too bad and a few more you don't mind putting up with, a couple with whom you seem to have a lot in common and one or two that aren't around that often so you don't seem to notice them as much.  Of course, there's ALWAYS a few bad apples and usually a black sheep or two, but what's really ironic?  I'm not talking about a family at all.  I'm talking about Fibromyalgia.

Personally Speaking....

I have Fibromyalgia (FMS).  I am looking for someone who has &/or had a rare congenital disorder called Chiari (ACM).  I had it and an operation for it in '86 and was fine until I was involved in a car accident in '94.  It was only after the accident that I noticed changes in my overall health.  First, my eyes that had been 20/20 were giving me a hard time reading and watching TV.  Doctors said "You're just getting older" and at 39 years old, I believed them.  To make a long story short, I was officially diagnosed in '98 with Fibromyalgia "and a few of it's good-for-nothing relatives" such as Hypothyroidism and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS).  I now attribute the failing eyesight to the Fibromyalgia, although the doctors won't confirm my theory.  They also refuse to agree that the FMS of today is linked to the Chiari I had in '86.  It is my belief that the accident 'jarred' whatever the doctors worked on during the operation nine years prior.  If you have any information about a possible connection between FMS/CFS and Arnold Chiari Malformation please contact me at the following email address: SBernheart@(NO_SPAM)HotPOP.com, but please remove '(NO_SPAM)'  before you send your message.  Even the smallest piece of information could very well be the piece I am missing to 'prove my case', if you will, to convince the doctors to repair the damage caused by the accident and allow me to return to a normal life.  If you know ANYTHING about these illnesses you also know what a fight it is to get the doctors to understand anything's wrong with you in the first place!  I've finally found a doctor willing to work with me -- we just need some answers!

About Disability

According to SocialSecurityHome.com, "...many individuals with Fibromyalgia file for disability benefits, few cases actually receive benefits.  There are multiple reasons that exist for this dilemma.  First, there is no listing in the Social Security s Listing of Impairments, a manual which contains the lists of illnesses acceptable for disability, for the condition known as Fibromyalgia.  But, unfortunately, this does not change the fact that this illness does hinder many people from being able to work.  Secondly, the symptoms and causes of Fibromyalgia are not stable from one person to the next, so little is known for sure about the condition causing skepticism in the eyes of the Social Security Administration.  Because of this fact, to win a Fibromyalgia disability benefit case, it is greatly beneficial to have some other medical diagnosis along with the Fibromyalgia impairment in order to add more weight and viability to the case.  Also, a Fibromyalgia diagnosis made by an Orthopedist or a Rheumatologist will receive greater attention by the Social Security Administration than a diagnosis that has been made solely by a family doctor."
Although the Social Security Administration does not list Fibromyalgia (FMS) in their manual, the American College of Rheumatology legitimized FMS in 1990 based upon a specific set of criteria doctors would use to diagnose it.  The medical community could no longer ignore what had previously been labeled "The Invisible Illness".

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Fibromyalgia -- The Invisible Illness
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