Ina Patterson of Veedersburg, Ind., has some advice for people afflicted with fibromyalgia: You don’t have to suffer.

Patterson struggled with the symptoms of fibromyalgia — widespread muscle and skeletal pain — for 20 years. She had pain in her arms, stiffness in her legs, migraine headaches, extreme fatigue and fog.

“I couldn’t stand it; it was too much,” said Patterson, a registered nurse with Carle Home Health.

She took pain medications, herbal preparations, vitamins and minerals, but the relief was hit or miss. A year ago, she decided to go to a chiropractor, and that worked wonders for her, although it may not work for everyone.

“Each person needs to know their own body and what’s going on with it,” she said. “Just know that you don’t have to suffer. There are people who can help.”

As part of Fibromyalgia Awareness Month, Patterson and Dr. George Sooley want to alert people to the symptoms and treatments of the condition.

Sooley, owner of Sooley Chiropractic Health Center, is a member of a national network of chiropractors who specialize in fibromyalgia. A workshop he held on the topic last week was so well-attended that he’s scheduled another for June.

Even though fibromyalgia affects many people — not only the patient, but the people around them — there is no support group in Vermilion County, he said.

“I feel strongly about this topic,” he said. “These people are so debilitated and have nowhere to turn.”

Some people have fibromyalgia and don’t even realize it, he said, adding it can take years sometimes to make a diagnosis.

“They’re desperate, in many cases, to find help. These are the folks we want to reach,” he said.

People with the affliction can receive medication to control the pain from a general practitioner, or try chiropractic treatment.

Chronic pain

Fibromyalgia is a chronic disorder of widespread muscle pain, fatigue and multiple tender points. More than 90 percent of the sufferers are women, mostly between ages 35 and 54.

It’s defined as a history of pain in all four quadrants of the body lasting more than three months. The four quadrants are both the right and left sides, and above and below the waist. In order to be diagnosed with fibromyalgia, a person must have 11 or more tender points — that is, areas of tenderness in a muscle.

Other symptoms include: sleep disturbances, morning stiffness, headaches, irritable bowel syndrome, numbness or tingling of the extremities, restless legs syndrome, painful menstrual periods, temperature sensitivity and cognitive and memory problems (sometimes referred to as “fibro fog”).

In all cases, there has been significant trauma to the head, neck or back at some point in a person’s life, Sooley said. Stress also is a trigger.

There are no diagnostic tests for fibromyalgia, he said, adding, “It’s not like heart disease that’s recognized and treated.”

Consequently, people who complain of widespread pain with no obvious cause sometimes are told it’s all in their head, Sooley said.

Early diagnosis

Patterson, who is now 60, said she was fortunate that Dr. Edmund Andracki recognized the condition as fibrositis, another term for fibromyalgia, 20 years ago. At that time, she was having migraines and the pain in her arms was so strong that she couldn’t raise them over her head.

And, she said, “The fatigue was amazing … just walking up a flight of stairs (was tiring). I was so fatigued I couldn’t talk on the phone for 5 minutes.”

The mental fog was just as distressing as the pain and the fatigue, she said.

As for trauma, Patterson said she was in a car accident several years ago; her car was hit from the rear. That may have triggered her symptoms.

After trying traditional medicine, Patterson said a friend suggested she try a chiropractor. Sooley adjusted her neck, which allowed for increased circulation to her brain, and that alleviated some of her symptoms. She also started a regimen of exercises.

Patterson has found doing exercises that don’t disrupt the alignment of her spine, such as walking, are helpful, as well as getting enough sleep.

Three months after starting chiropractic treatment, she was able to stop taking her migraine medicine, which she had been taking daily.

Sometimes, she gets stiffness and pain, as well as numbness and tingling in her arms, but then she comes in for adjustment.

Although she takes vitamins and minerals, she finds that she doesn’t need pain medication anymore. Some people take anti-depressants.

Listen to body

Patterson also suggests eating a balanced diet and staying away from simple carbohydrates and sugars.

“Listen to your body, learn all you can,” she said.

Fibromyalgia can be triggered by accidents, infections and stress, she said.

“I just thank God for my faith,” said Patterson, a member of the Mellott (Ind.) Community Bible Church. “He’s not going to give me any more than I can handle.”

Some people with fibromyalgia, Sooley said, treat the symptoms, such as taking antidepressants and sleeping pills.

“They’ve lost hope that anyone can help them,” he said, and sometimes they stop looking for treatment.

Sooley said the chiropractic approach is to balance the hormonal and nervous systems. Correcting the spine gives the body the ability to restore balance.

“We restore spinal health as much as we can,” he said.

More information about fibromyalgia is available at Sooley’s office at 11 E. Fairchild St.



ON THE WEB

Fibromyalgia Centers of America: http://fibromyalgiacentersofamerica.org

National Fibromyalgia Association: http://www.fmaware.org



COMING UP

An informational workshop on fibromyalgia will be June 2. Call Dr. George Sooley’s office at 431-3290 for details and to register. Seating is limited.