For many, getting a diagnosis of having FM, CFS or any of the chronic pain illnesses is frightening and unnerving. For others, it serves as validation for health problems they have endured for years without support from their doctors, family, friends and co-workers. Whether you are scared to death at hearing the news that you have these diseases or are relieved to have finally gotten a diagnosis of "what is really wrong with you", the cold hard truth that you eventually have to accept is that you have a disease that is debilitating and one for which there is no proven, effective treatment, much less a cure. Thus, for those of us who finally do get a diagnosis, the journey of searching for answers to our questions and treatment for our pain begins.
Being diagnosed with FM, CFS or any of the auto-immune or Chronic Pain related illnesses isn't like being diagnosed with cancer or the flu. The medical community as a whole only recently validated the true existence of these illnesses so for many of us, it has been a long journey without any support. Personally, I have suffered from FM and a long list of symptomatic syndromes for almost 15 years, yet was not officially diagnosed as having Fibromyalgia until 2004. That means that I suffered for eleven long years without treatment, validation or support. The sad truth is that there are thousands of people out there just like me who have endured the symptoms of FM for as long and longer. The medical community as a whole has really let us down as they cannot agree on a direct cause, treatment or cure; meanwhile, we continue to suffer. Our only defense is knowledge and while it is abundant, no one thing works for all since everyone is effected differently by the disease. I searched for years for every tid-bit of information I could find because the doctors offered no help and I pretty much had to treat myself the best way I could using homeopathic remedies, diet control and vitamin supplements. This continued until the day the pain became more than I could tolerate and I was forced to begin using strong narcotics for pain control. Still, I continue my search for information and have made it a mission to help make it easier for others like me, who are on this same journey to find resources and information. I purchased a domain and began building my site...Missionbeachsouth.com was born.

The Ultimate Fibromyalgia Research Center is a website dedicated to providing FM resources for those searching for answers. In addition to FM resource links, there is an Amazon sponsored Library where people can review and purchase books on FM and related topics, a Video Room where you can watch videos from various sources as well as a video news feed. A Treatment Page lists available treatments, supplements and for those with Cognitive Dysfunction or Dementia, a series of games and puzzles to exercise the mind. I have found and am in the process of posting some 200 published articles on topic, offer disabilty information and resources to assist those who are disabled to help them win their disability case. There is a Web-Opportunity Page that lists ways to supplement income through web-based avenues in addition to marketing ideas and resources that is continuously being updated and is steadily growing. (As I find a resource that works well for me, I list it on the site.) There is also an Awareness Shopping page where you can visit various online shops like Cherabella for Awareness Jewelry as well as other shopping links such as Bidz.com, a NASCAR Shopping site and of course, our new and exclusive fibromyalgia awareness bracelet!

"The Fog Blog" is my daily journal about living with Fibromyalgia. It's mascot is the little green dude you see at the top of this page and if you have this disease you can understand and empathize that it pretty much symbolizes the way I feel on a daily basis. I don't pull any punches in this blog and it pretty much reflects how I feel from day to day. I don't sugar coat things but I do try to make it an interesting read. Feel free to drop by and leave comments if you have any.

A New Approach to Fibromyalgia Forum Management

The Ultimate Fibromyalgia Forum is a new, but growing support forum sponsored by missionbeachsouth.com and is unlike any FM Forum you will ever visit. Yes, there are countless FM forums and message boards on the internet and I would take nothing away from them as they provide a great service to their members.
So, how is the Ultimate Fibromyalgia Forum different than the others?
As a relatively new venue, this forum presents a unique opportunity to become part of something that will make a difference in people's lives and be pro-active in promoting awareness through legislation. Yes, I did say, "legislation". It is time to unite and call on our state Representatives to introduce and support legislation mandating additional funding of FM Research! (There are many online groups and Forums that have the membership base to make a difference, yet instead sit passively, exchanging sunshine and poetry, all the while calling it "support"!) Do you want to make a difference? Join the Ultimate Fibromyalgia Forum!

Another reason you will find this forum different is that, unlike most other forums, you will not be "RULED to DEATH"! Unlike other groups on the internet, I realize mine is not the ONLY one and I am not on a mission to "conquer the Forum Universe". Since information is the greatest weapon in our fight against FM, posts on The Ultimate Fibromyalgia Forum are not edited or deleted for content, including the posting of other site url's! (As long as they are on topic) It amazes me that people maintain message boards and forums claiming to offer FM support, yet squelch and censor their membership beyond endurance. This is a major difference that sets this forum apart from the others.
My goal is to introduce a more user friendly experience, where there exists a true freedom to exchange information WITHOUT censorship and to offer support for those searching for answers.
We are small but rapidly growing so why not join us now and help make a difference? Sign up is quick and easy!

Mission Beach South's Ultimate Fibromyalgia Resource Center, with God's Grace, will continue to grow into it's name and I invite everyone to visit the site, the forum and the blog. Share the link with anyone you know who is touched by these terrible diseases and do what you can to help spread awareness that we need help finding a cure for this disease that is stealing countless lives away. It is time for people to stop ignoring the fact that thousands of people are suffering unbearable pain, being disabled to the point where we are house-bound and merely existing instead of actively living, each day trying to see through the fog!

Often when I tell people that I have Fibromyalgia, one of three things will happen. One, their eyes will glaze over and they will ask what it is. Two, they will respond that they have heard of it and say how sorry they are, but they have no real comprehension of the pain it causes or the severity of disability that it creates. The third is the most common and unfortunately, the most frustrating and hurtful, (even though they mean well when they say it.)...

..."But you don't look sick!! Well, at least it isn't fatal like cancer and you aren't going to die from it!"

Sometimes there is more than one kind of death and there is something worse than dying from a disease...
...And that is having to live with it.

The Ultimate Fibromyalgia Resource Center
Owned and maintained by Tammy Elaine McPherson

Visitors welcome!

The Ultimate Fibromyalgia Resource Center

The Ultimate Fibromyalgia Forum

The Fog Blog

Upcoming Site Events:
We are planning another Online Shopping Party at Cherabella! This a jewelry party you can attend in your pajamas, ladies! Get 5% off your purchase of your Fibromyalgia Awareness pieces. Check site for dates.

Don't forget to order your own exclusive Fibromyalgia Awareness Bracelet, designed for The Ultimate Fibromyalgia Resource Center by a very talented crafts-woman, Lisa of "Sparkle And Support".

Disclaimer: Content provided for informational purposes only and is not intended to replace a consultation with nor treatment by a licensed physician.

I am very pleased to announce the launching of our very own and exclusive Fibromyalgia Awareness Bracelet at The Ultimate Fibromyalgia Resource Center! Lisa, of "Sparkle & Support" has created an exquisite design that you will be proud to wear everyday and show your support for this debilitating disease! It makes a great gift for anyone touched by FM. Please visit The Ultimate Fibromyalgia Resource Center for details and get your bracelet today to show your support!

This original comic strip is written and designed around a charater named "Fibro Fanny", who has Fibromyalgia. Follow Fanny as she struggles to deal with the problems presented in daily life by Fibromyalgia. I think there is a little bit of "Fibro Fanny" in all of us! Enjoy!



Fibro Fanny

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How to Avoid the High Cost of Healthcare

Author: Ronald Godlewski

Article:
There is a storm brewing in America. It has the power to ruin
lives directly and indirectly. The storm will wreak more havoc
than any natural disaster in history. The name of the storm is
not a common name like Katrina. This storm's name is called
"America's Health Care Crisis." The early signs are already
here. Just consider these facts:

* Every 30 seconds, someone in the United States files
bankruptcy due to a serious health problem.

* According to a Harvard University study, 50 percent of all
bankruptcy filings in the United States are the direct result of
medical expenses.

* Health care spending in the U.S. is more than $1.8 TRILLION!

* In 2003, the U.S. spent 15.3% of its Gross Domestic Product
(GDP) on health care.

* Premiums for employer-sponsored health insurance in the U.S.
have risen five times faster than workers' earnings since 2000.

* Experts predict retiring elderly couples will need a
conservative $200,000 to pay for basic medical services and most
experts agree that the number is probably closer to $300,000.

With the cost of services going up, the demand for those
services is also increasing. Consider the following:

* Cancer rates have exploded from 1 death in 20 in 1910 to 1
death in 3 in 2006.

* Diabetes Type 2 (adult onset) has exploded by 600% in just the
last generation.

* Heart Disease deaths went from obscurity in the early 1900's
to the #2 killer in America.

* Stroke moved from obscurity to the #3 killer and the #1 cause
of disability in the US.

* Auto-immune disorders like Chronic Fatigue and Fibromyalgia
have become commonplace.

Why is this happening? What could be the common link? Many
experts believe it is what we eat. Not just the types of food
and how they are prepared, but the actual nutritional content.
Over a 10-year period, the potassium level in oats and buckwheat
dropped by two-thirds. That means you need to eat three bowls of
oatmeal to get the same potassium as one bowl gave you just ten
years ago. Think about you and your children - over the last ten
years you and they have eaten the same amounts of food but with
much less nutritional content. In the fifty years between the
1940s and the 1990s, nutrient values for protein, calcium,
phosphorus, iron, riboflavin, and ascorbic acid declined in at
least 43 garden crops.

What's the answer? What can we do to add nutrition back into our
diets and our bodies? What can we do to keep from spending all
our savings on medical bills? How can we continue to enjoy an
active lifestyle well into our senior years?

The answer is simple: Supplement.

Even the FDA, along with a growing number of nutritionists and
medical experts agree that nutritional supplementation is the
key to leading a healthy and fit life. Read why more and more
people are being proactive about improving their health and at
the same time they are fighting the effects of aging. I
encourage you to examine the nutritional content of your current
diet. You can definitely look and feel better with proper
nutrition.

As we get older, many of us start taking more and more
medications. Consider that while Americans comprise only five
percent of the entire world's population, we consume ONE-HALF OF
ALL the prescription drugs manufactured WORLD WIDE! That is more
than 3 billion prescriptions each year. Prescription drug
expenses are the fastest growing health care costs increasing by
more than 15% each year since 1998.

The pharmaceutical industry has done a great job at convincing
people that drugs are intended to cure disease. But if
prescription drugs were the answer to health, why aren't we the
healthiest nation on Earth? In spite of all the drugs, the
physicians, and the hospitals, Americans are getting heavier;
the rate of diabetes, heart disease, and cancer are rising; and
we have one of the highest infant death rates in the world.

We need to transition from our over-reliance on drugs and
believing that taking a pill is the 'solution' to finding and
treating what caused the disease in the first place. It is
certainly fair to say that traditional medicine can do amazing
things - especially in treating trauma and infectious disease.
But for promoting health, traditional medicine is ineffective
and extraordinarily expensive.

Many in the wellness industry work very hard spreading the word
that it is much better (and cheaper!) to prevent disease than to
treat it after it occurs. Preventing disease and fighting the
effects of aging are two of the primary reasons why many people
take supplements and how they become proactive about improving
their health. By putting yourself into a state of optimal
health, you feel better, have more energy, and increase the
quality of your life.

About the author:
Ronald Godlewski has successfully founded and run several
businesses and is currently working with Life Force
International. You can obtain more information on the
nutritional value of vitamin supplements and receive your FREE
15-day supply of a leading vitamin supplement at
http://www.pillfreesupplements.com/specialoffers.htm or call him
toll free at 1-888-LFI-CUST (1-888-534-2878).