Chronic pain can be caused by fibromyalgia. My sister suffers from chronic pain for this reason takes prescription drugs -Hydrocodone or Oxycodone. I read an article by Findrxonline and says that chronic pain can also be caused by cancer.
In my case my whole diagnostic package includes: CFS, FM, osteoarthritis of the thoracic spine and nerve issues that are left over from two severe whiplash injuries. Hence the umbrella diagnosis of Chronic Pain Amplification Syndrome. I have pain and/or nerve problems from each of these issues.
Patients do not understand and in many cases abusers of these prescription drugs - hydrocodone or lortab - and not think about the side effects. These abuses are the causes of complications and although patients know, do not measure the consequences mentioned in line.
Because I am so reactive to meds due to the CFS I carefully consider all side effects before starting any meds. I also start at amazing low doses and check constantly for side effects. I know already I have a much worse reaction to Vicodin than Percocet so I'm not willing to touch Vicodin unless absolutely necessary. That said pain meds when used properly are absolutely essential to pain management. It is why the stuff was invented. I am lucky that my pain is currently under good control with nothing much stronger than Celebrex and the odd aspirin. I am worried that when the effects of the lidocane/cortisone shot wears off that I will need something stronger. As a patient I should have all options be available which is why I'm going to be seen in a pain clinic.
I was very enlightened by your blog. We recently learned that our son also was diagnosed with pain amplification syndrome. All of this info. is very new to us. Any additional info would be most appreciated. Keep smiling!
I so sorry to hear that your son has been diagnosed with this. I still don't see much about Chronic Pain Amplification Syndrome on the web. I'm sure a lot of the fibro stuff would be applicable or at least helpful. As a patient the thing that you can control is inflamation from diet. Use and elimination diet to find any food allergies or sensitivities. While cutting down on inflamation doesn't cure this it helps cut down the pain tremendously.
All the things on this blog that I am looking at look almost 2 years old, I hope I can still get some feed back. My daughter just turned 14, she was having lots of pain and not sleeping. because my mother and my mother-in-law both suffer from fibromyalgia I self diagnosed her. Then I took her to a pediatric rheumatologist and she told me she had Pain Amplification syndrome, and that she needed to see a psychologist. Which made my daughter feel that is was all in her head. I have a follow-up appointment next month which fells may be pointless. So I ask how similar are the two? And should I see a different Dr. for a second opinion?
In my humble opinion (I'm not a doctor just a patient), second opinions are always a good thing. The feeling that I got from my rheumatologist is that she gave me the CPAS diagnosis since I was involved with lawyers and the insurance company at the time. Things get messy for the docs if they hand out FM diagnosis when there is legal stuff afoot. The original rheumatologist that I saw firmly gave me an FM diagnosis until she found out I had a lawyer and needed a letter of diagnosis and suddenly she retracted everything she said during the office visit and never put the FM diagnosis in writing.
That said. I think the second opinion is a fine idea. I'm not sure there is any difference between the two diagnosis. I'm under the impression that FM is a subset of CPAS. I have friends that have RSD which is another nerve disorder different from FM that also falls under the CPAS umbrella. There is very little info on the internet about it so without access to a diagnostic manual I really don't have a good answer to that question.
While I'm sure your child's pain is quite real, seeing a psychologist isn't a bad idea either. Mentally trying to deal with a chronic pain problem is no easy feat for an adult. I would take any help I could get. I see a shrink myself and it has helped me deal with the issues that come up due to the illness. Also many of the pain meds for FM are actually psych meds. I've tried many of them myself but have had allergic reactions to them. The only one that helped was a low dose of trazadone for sleep. Trazadone is originally an antidepressant but it also affects sleep quality.
Long answers I know but these are complicated illnesses. I would suggest looking into at least a gluten free diet and possibly a Paleo style diet as these seem to help reduce pain in a lot of FM patients myself included. Also gentle exercise such as swimming, water aerobics, water yoga, hatha yoga or even walking. It seems counter intuitive but exercise helps keeps the muscles loose and can help reduce pain levels. Also get involved with a local FM support group. You can get all sorts of helpful info from other patients that have been dealing with these issues and it is nice to talk with people who understand what you are going through.
Chronic pain can be caused by fibromyalgia.
ReplyDeleteMy sister suffers from chronic pain for this reason takes prescription drugs
-Hydrocodone or Oxycodone.
I read an article by Findrxonline and says that chronic pain can also be caused by cancer.
In my case my whole diagnostic package includes:
ReplyDeleteCFS, FM, osteoarthritis of the thoracic spine and nerve issues that are left over from two severe whiplash injuries. Hence the umbrella diagnosis of Chronic Pain Amplification Syndrome. I have pain and/or nerve problems from each of these issues.
I have never heard of this. CPAC. I'm glad you finally have a diagnosis and that you are getting help working towards managing all of this.
ReplyDeletePatients do not understand and in many cases abusers of these prescription drugs - hydrocodone or lortab - and not think about the side effects. These abuses are the causes of complications and although patients know, do not measure the consequences mentioned in line.
ReplyDeleteBecause I am so reactive to meds due to the CFS I carefully consider all side effects before starting any meds. I also start at amazing low doses and check constantly for side effects. I know already I have a much worse reaction to Vicodin than Percocet so I'm not willing to touch Vicodin unless absolutely necessary. That said pain meds when used properly are absolutely essential to pain management. It is why the stuff was invented. I am lucky that my pain is currently under good control with nothing much stronger than Celebrex and the odd aspirin. I am worried that when the effects of the lidocane/cortisone shot wears off that I will need something stronger. As a patient I should have all options be available which is why I'm going to be seen in a pain clinic.
ReplyDeleteI was very enlightened by your blog. We recently learned that our son also was diagnosed with pain amplification syndrome. All of this info. is very new to us. Any additional info would be most appreciated. Keep smiling!
ReplyDeleteI so sorry to hear that your son has been diagnosed with this. I still don't see much about Chronic Pain Amplification Syndrome on the web. I'm sure a lot of the fibro stuff would be applicable or at least helpful. As a patient the thing that you can control is inflamation from diet. Use and elimination diet to find any food allergies or sensitivities. While cutting down on inflamation doesn't cure this it helps cut down the pain tremendously.
ReplyDeleteAll the things on this blog that I am looking at look almost 2 years old, I hope I can still get some feed back. My daughter just turned 14, she was having lots of pain and not sleeping. because my mother and my mother-in-law both suffer from fibromyalgia I self diagnosed her. Then I took her to a pediatric rheumatologist and she told me she had Pain Amplification syndrome, and that she needed to see a psychologist. Which made my daughter feel that is was all in her head. I have a follow-up appointment next month which fells may be pointless. So I ask how similar are the two? And should I see a different Dr. for a second opinion?
ReplyDeleteIn my humble opinion (I'm not a doctor just a patient), second opinions are always a good thing. The feeling that I got from my rheumatologist is that she gave me the CPAS diagnosis since I was involved with lawyers and the insurance company at the time. Things get messy for the docs if they hand out FM diagnosis when there is legal stuff afoot. The original rheumatologist that I saw firmly gave me an FM diagnosis until she found out I had a lawyer and needed a letter of diagnosis and suddenly she retracted everything she said during the office visit and never put the FM diagnosis in writing.
ReplyDeleteThat said. I think the second opinion is a fine idea. I'm not sure there is any difference between the two diagnosis. I'm under the impression that FM is a subset of CPAS. I have friends that have RSD which is another nerve disorder different from FM that also falls under the CPAS umbrella. There is very little info on the internet about it so without access to a diagnostic manual I really don't have a good answer to that question.
While I'm sure your child's pain is quite real, seeing a psychologist isn't a bad idea either. Mentally trying to deal with a chronic pain problem is no easy feat for an adult. I would take any help I could get. I see a shrink myself and it has helped me deal with the issues that come up due to the illness. Also many of the pain meds for FM are actually psych meds. I've tried many of them myself but have had allergic reactions to them. The only one that helped was a low dose of trazadone for sleep. Trazadone is originally an antidepressant but it also affects sleep quality.
Long answers I know but these are complicated illnesses. I would suggest looking into at least a gluten free diet and possibly a Paleo style diet as these seem to help reduce pain in a lot of FM patients myself included. Also gentle exercise such as swimming, water aerobics, water yoga, hatha yoga or even walking. It seems counter intuitive but exercise helps keeps the muscles loose and can help reduce pain levels. Also get involved with a local FM support group. You can get all sorts of helpful info from other patients that have been dealing with these issues and it is nice to talk with people who understand what you are going through.