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the feeling better by being on it has a lot to do with helping the body produce your own seretonin. (Here we go again with that "feel good" stuff that we need for our gut as well). There is a huge lap over with thyroid patients that have fibro too, and fibro patients that have undiagnosed thyroid problems.......well, not problems that you see in blood test but none the less the symptoms like Jen says she has. As you know the biggest risk factor for getting an autoimmune disease is to already have one.....
If you start doing a search on T-3 you'll see where it used in both types of patients. My thyroid meds already contain T-3 and T-4 so I don't have to worry about the body converting T-4 into some T-3. However, with my antibodies so terribly elevated all the test results don't apply and show up as false readings.
Synthetic T-3 can be tricky stuff so it needs to be monitored by a GOOD lab consistantly. If you got to much you'd get hyperthyroid symptoms. Those are much worse, not to mention dangerous, than hypo ones.
The brain fog is common with both fibro and hypothyroidism, but I'd say you and Linz and LS are doing pretty darn good. My mental functioning ability right now is about 1/2 of what it normally is. Maybe part of it is age related though too.
As to the B-12 I understand if you take it via shots and not supplements your body will use all of it. With supplements only a small percentage gets absorbed. I've read there are fibro patients that swear by weekly B-12 shots.
Good luck to all of you fibro/CFS ladies. It is rougher stuff to go thru than anyone can imagine and my heart goes out to you.
Kandee
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Jen,
I am bummed to hear that. I guess sometimes IBS and Fibro go together, oh joy! You are a wonderful person and your strengths will get you thru this. All's I can think of is that Sheryl Crow song about soaking up the sun, so I'm sending you that. Oh also,ask your Doc about omega 3 fatty acid supplements. I heard that they are sometimes helpful with fibro and IBS.
Take care and soak up some sun,
Cindy
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thanks, sweets. i appreciate it. you're the best!
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B12
#66188 - 04/30/04 05:55 AM
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jenX
Reged: 08/11/03
Posts: 3252
Loc: Richmond, VA
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actually, Kandee, i fully intend to push for the B12 (even harder than i do for the T3). why? because pernicious anemia runs in my family. both my grandmother and her sister have it, and they both got it in their early 30s. (Hullo! i'm 33!) what pernicious anemia means is this: the body doesn't make enough of what's called "intrinsic factor" (made in the stomach. hullo!?) and therefore cannot metabolize most of the B12 that is taken into the body. so by giving B12 shots, the vitamin goes right into the bloodstream and is more readily used by the body.
the theory goes that fibro and CFS patients are unable to use the B12 in their brains.
so, coincidence? i doubt it. my grandmother and great aunt have both been getting the shots for years. my father asked my g-mother "what did you feel like right before they found the pernicious anemia." her answer: " i was very tired and slept a lot and felt so weak i could barely lift my arms." Hmmmm... now who does that sound like!?
my B12 levels came back fine and i'm not anemic, but i still think i'm on to something here and intend to push for the B12.
thanks for listening to me ramble! 
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Hi Jen,
I am fairly new to this message board but I want you to know that I really enjoy reading your posts and a lot of your tips have helped me. I am sooooo sorry to hear about your Fibro. I am not too familiar with it (you can ask me about panic attacks) but I have heard that it is painful. I have always found that checking stuff out on the net always gets a lot of info and advice. Please take care of yourself and hopefully venting on the message board will help..
Barbie
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Oh Jen sweetie,
sorry to hear the news. ive read about this so called tie with IBS. i used to clean for a lady who had fibromyalgia and I do know from seeing her and from my medical transcriptionist course some things about it. I shall pray for you sweetie.
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if God brought you to it. He will bring you through it.
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Thanks, all...
#66202 - 04/30/04 06:23 AM
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jenX
Reged: 08/11/03
Posts: 3252
Loc: Richmond, VA
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as always, you've cheered me right up! thanks for the kind words. and don't worry, just 'cause i have fibro doesn't mean i dont' have IBS (o joy!), so i'm not going anywhere. you get to put up with me anyway!
how do i feel about this fibro stuff? well, i was tired yesterday so i didn't think about it much. but here's what i'm thinking now: no biggie. well, of course fibro is "a biggie," but i think you know what i mean. "no biggie" meaning: what does it really change? it's not like having my doctor say "you have fibromyalgia" changes anything for me. in fact, it probably makes it better in that now i have a name for it and they can start attacking the problem. (interpretation: i can start researching and telling them what they're going to do to attack the problem! ) knowing it's fibro doesn't give me more pain, or make me more tired. so.... no biggie!
you know what's funny? i've always had pain in all kinds of places. different kinds of pain: achy, stabbing, shooting, cramping, etc... and for years i haven't even bothered going to the doctor because they always tell me "there's nothing wrong." there's nothing wrong? i can't sit in a movie without my knee feeling like someone stabbed it? ah, there's nothing wrong. i have had a "crick" in my neck for 2 1/2 years that nothing fixes? there's nothing wrong. i wear heels one day, and i'm fine. i wear the same shoes 5 days later and there's lightening bolts of pain in my toe and at the bottom of my foot? there's nothing wrong! i have muscle tightness in my hips that never goes away and no kind of stretching seems to help? ah, there's nothing wrong.
so... i just always sucked it up and kept going. which i still will do, but it's nice to know that there is something wrong.  at least i know i'm not nuts or a big baby or a hypochondriac. 'cause after 20 years of hearing there's nothing wrong, you begin to wonder about your own brain! but now i can get scripts for physical therapy and so forth and maybe get some of those things taken care of even though on xray "there's nothing wrong."
so really, i'm not that stressed about the fibro. the one thing i find very frustrating, though, is these periods of brain fog ("fibrofog"). they are terribly frustrating and they really piss me off. i hate being stupid, and to me if you can't think of easy words in a conversation, forget where you put your pants and you bump into things like walls, you could be perceived as stupid! that that symptom may always be there and reoccur periodically really makes me angry. i'm hoping if i can get into a good plan for deep sleep then that won't happen often, but there are no guarantees. so i'm not too terribly upset, just not looking forward to the flares of fibrofog. otherwise, i'm my normal cheerful self!
sadly, i just got my hair color touched up, and it's not blonde. LS, you may be onto something there! but i think i'll stick with the dark brown... it suits me better. (there are some blonde hilites, so that's something at least. since i don't have "severe fibro" then i don't need to be totally blonde! )
anyway, thanks for the cheer. you all are the best!
SMOOCHES!
 OH! BY THE WAY......
not only does this stupid medicine they put me on for sleep give me horrible dry mouth and make me gain weight (!) but it also--- get this! ---- it ALSO makes me constipated. I DON'T GET CONSTIPATED. this is just wrong..... ARGH!!!!!
LOL
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Hi Jen,
Don't feel alone about fuzzy brain. I am 59yrs old and have to write notes to myself so I don't forget stuff...old age, I guess. What sleeping med or you on? I take an over the counter pill that has benedryl (anthistamine) and it works great and not addicting. Did you know that there is a toothpaste and mouthwash for dry mouth at drugstore? I think it's called Betodine or something like that.
Barbie
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i'm on nortriptyline, which is a tricyclic antidepressant. the problem with some of the sleep narcotics and over the counter meds, from what i've read, is that they make you sleep but you're not getting deep sleep, which is what i need. (i already sleep all night, i just stay in the light levels)
thanks for the tip. i hope that "betadine" isn't the same betadine i used to use at the veterinary hospital! that was a bright red iodine mixture used as a surgical prep.  UCK.
have a great day!
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