Blog & News

Dare I Hope Again?

Many times I’ve hoped I’d get better. Every time I’ve turned to a health care provider for help, hope has walked with me. But when disappointment is the recurring result of your medical experiences, it gets hard to encourage hope to keep tagging along.

I’ve scheduled my first appointment with the Philadelphia Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue Center. I haven’t even gone yet, but already I can tell I’m in for a completely different experience. Hope’s coming with me.

Why?

I was given the date and time for my visit and told I’d receive a medical questionnaire by email. Fill it out. Take it with you on your first visit. Okay.

You’d expect a two-page form. Maybe four. It’s 26 pages! I have never in my entire life seen a more comprehensive evaluation tool.

I set aside some time, thinking it’s a very good thing I don’t have to waste any of my office visit on this sort of paperwork. I begin by rating the frequency and severity of symptoms that include pain, various dimensions of sleep, headaches, gastrointestinal problems, numbness, sore throat, concentration, energy, sense of well-being.

I move on to questions about the stresses in my life, the doctors I have seen, exams I’ve had, medical conditions that have been diagnosed, surgeries, medications, nutritional supplements, allergies and sensitivities. Oddly, I may feel rotten, but I leave a majority of these questions blank. They just don’t apply to me.

Then come the symptom checklists for Chronic Fatigue (yep, I’ve got these) and Fibromyalgia (hmm, I’ve got more of these than I expected). There are more checklists. One is specifically for women; another just for men. After which, checklists for hormones, Vasodepressor Syncope, Lyme, Sinusitis, Disordered Sleep, yeast, parasites, vision, dental.

And just when you think you’ve got the bases covered, there are questions about swelling, weight loss and gain, anxiety levels, coughing, localized pains, lumps and bumps, family medical histories.

You’re not done yet. There’s a three-part yeast questionnaire you rate and score. A two-page dietary analysis. The form concludes with the Beck Inventory for Chronic Fatigue and Fibromyalgia.

I need a nap after this!

Many FFC patients I’ve talked to have said they were amazed as they filled out this form. Nodding as they ticked their way through the pages, they felt for the first time a doctor grasped the situation well enough to ask the right questions. A form meant to provide a baseline for diagnosis became a vehicle for inspiring confidence. For daring to hope again.

It’s a wondrous thing to feel understood, to be taken seriously, even before you’ve said your first hello!

Awe for the Human Spirit

The voices that come to me over the phone have the power to move me to tears. More important, they have the power to inspire me and instill gratitude, happiness, hope. They are the voices of men and women who have suffered from Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue and other autoimmune-related disorders. They are the voices of recovery.

I’m Lisa T. Davis. As there are a bajillion women with the same first and last name, I throw in my middle initial. Not to sound pretentious, but to distinguish myself a little from the crowd. But Lisa will do just fine here.

I’m an author and freelance writer. In February I took on a project for the Fibromyalgia and Fatigue Centers collecting the stories of patients who have struggled with these conditions and sought treatment at FFC. What could be more exciting for a person who loves to talk and loves to write - than to talk with people and write about what they say? It’s not every day an opportunity like this comes down the pike.

But there was a hidden agenda to my enthusiasm for the project. I have long suspected I have Chronic Fatigue. I thought maybe I would find the confirmation - affirmation - in the words of others that would spur me to take the plunge and confront my own situation head-on.

What has happened since I began listening to these voices of all ages from all walks of life has left me in awe of the human spirit and the ability of FFC to fulfill an unmet need in the medical community.

If one bell rings consistently for all the people with whom I’ve spoken, it is this one: This is my life! I know these are just words on a screen. They are the only way I have at my disposal to communicate what is precious to me. What is precious to you. What we all want to nurture and sustain with every fiber of our being. What every single person who comes to FFC is fighting to regain. They want their lives back.

I want my life back. It’s the only one I have. So I’ve made my appointment. I’m researching and learning all I can. I’m speaking with people. And I’ll be sharing what I learn and experience here.

Please share these things - the information, the stories, the hope - alongside me.

Thyroid Testing

January 20th, 2010 by FFC

Last week, we talked about some red flags of thyroid problems—sudden weight gain or inability to lose fat, fatigue or insomnia, chronic sinusitis or lingering infections, for example. Perhaps you decided it was time to get an expert’s opinion, and if so, your doctor will probably want to perform thyroid testing.

The thyroid works when the pituitary gland releases thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH), which tells the thyroid to make thyroxine (T4) and triiodothyronine (T3). Too much or too little of one thing can throw the hormonal system—and your body—off balance. To measure if your hormones are balanced, your doctor may prescribe a TSH test, a T4 test, and a T3 test.

Many medications can affect your thyroid test results: amiodarone, often used for an irregular heartbeat; prednisone, often used for arthritis or severe allergies; estrogen, some birth control pills, and even aspirin. Your best bet is to talk to your doctor about how to properly prepare for your tests, because he or she will be able to give you personalized advice, depending on other conditions you may have or medications you are taking.

JANUARY IS NATIONAL THYROID AWARENESS MONTH

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Suzi Prokell
(817) 598-1556
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JANUARY IS NATIONAL THYROID AWARENESS MONTH
Underlying medical condition can sabotage best efforts to lose weight

FORT WORTH (January xx, 2010) - According to numerous surveys, weight loss reigns supreme once again as the most popular resolution for 2010. Sadly, many may be sabotaged in their efforts to lose weight - not by their lack of effort or by overindulgence - but by their own body.

An underactive thyroid, known as hypothyroidism, may actually be the culprit. Often going undiagnosed or not properly treated, it can slow down metabolism making it difficult to lose weight. The Fibromyalgia and Fatigue Centers (FFC) often finds this and other deficiencies of the endocrine system in their patients, many of whom also suffer from weight gain as a result of hormonal imbalances.

NEW TEST AVAILABLE FOR CHRONIC FATIGUE SYNDROME

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact:
Suzi Prokell
(817) 598-1556
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NEW TEST AVAILABLE FOR CHRONIC FATIGUE SYNDROME
Fibromyalgia and Fatigue Centers seeing increase in patient inquiries; research continues on link to XMRV virus

(DALLAS - December 7, 2009) – The recognition of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) continues to gain traction in the medical community, bringing validity to tens of thousands of patients who suffer from the condition.

The latest buzz was created by a recent study by the Whittemore Peterson Institute in Nevada, which found that XMRV appears to play a role in CFS.

Dr. Jacob Teitelbaum, medical director for Fibromyalgia and Fatigue Centers, Inc. (FFC) appeared on the "Dr. Oz Show" in October to discuss fatigue and just yesterday, women’s health expert Dr. Donnica Moore also appeared on Dr. Oz to explain how CFS and XMRV are related, even providing a checklist for patients to take to their physician.