It seems every day somebody else is running into me or emailing me with the latest miracle cure for fibromyalgia. Just drink this 3 times a day..........just do that 5 times a week. The latest is a miracle doctor who provides specialized care for over 20 different illnesses! NO drugs, no adjustments, no therapy.........the only problem I found with their website is that they couldn't tell me exactly what it is they DO do? I have a friend who referred me there, who has fibro also, who swears by the treatment, but she also couldn't tell me what the treatment was!
Then I have another friend who has just started the latest miracle cure all drink and she wants me to try it. It's, of course, all natural, no drugs involved. Helps the body heal itself! But once again, they can't tell me exactly what it is that the stuff does.
These alternative treatments are NOT cheap, nor are they covered under insurance or medicare.
Don't get me wrong....I KNOW my friends are only trying to help me. They see me suffering with this horrible thing called fibromyalgia and they want to help. They've tried something that they think has made them feel better, so surely it would work for me as well. I mean, what have I got to lose? I'm miserable now, if it fails I will still just be miserable. At least it's worth a shot, right?
What they don't realize is that I've already tried almost everything out there under the sun at least once. Rarely are there actually new treatments. They're just the same old ones remodeled to look like the latest and greatest cure all. I've tried all the scientific treatments that I know of. I've tried all the alternative treatments that I know of. I've tried everything you could possibly think of that's out there, whether covered by insurance or not and the conclusion I've come to is that nothing is going to cure me because they don't even know why I'm sick! The things that have helped me, I've stuck with. Unfortunately, it is true that these are just "band aids", if you will, and aren't actually helping me get better, but rather just treat the symptoms. As far as I can tell, that's the best that technology has to offer me at this juncture of life.
So when someone, especially great friends, come up to me and want me to try the latest and greatest treatments, please don't get mad at me if I don't immediately run out and buy it or book an appointment. Don't be upset that I'm skeptical. Don't write me off as "not wanting to get better" just because I don't try it. Because frankly I'm tired, just tired of being poked and prodded and used as a guinea pig for every new therapy that comes along. I'm heartbroken and discouraged that there's NOTHING to actually treat my illness and the illnesses that come along with it. Don't write me off.........I'm not trying to be difficult, I'm just being realistic.
So that leaves me with the age old question.........Should I try it? What do YOU think?? Seriously, What DO you think? I want to know.
Teresa
5 comments:
Well, I can't tell you what to do...and I can't blame you for trying. I know how desperate I feel when Im feeling crappy. BUT I dont trust all those "fix it fast" claims especially when they cant or wont tell you up front what the treatment is. Sorry.
I know this advice can be very irritating. I'm like you, I've tried just about everything there is to try. But don't give up hope because sometimes it doesn't work the first time! An example is my TENS unit. My hubby kept nagging me to try a TENS unit and I got really annoyed with him. I tried one at PT and it did NOT work. Then when I went to a pain clinic and they gave me another TENS unit. Surprisingly, the second one DID WORK! I was kind of embarrassed to admit it. The second one had more settings on it and was more adjustable. It was just higher quality and I still have it and use it! The same with vitamins, I've already tried many different kinds of vitamins. Now I'm trying some from Dr. Teitelbaum's website endfatigue.com
I'm not sure if it will do anything but I'm going to try it. Just don't give up because I think as long as we're still alive and kicking, there is hope!!! So yes I would say give it a try, it might work the second time! My problem also is I need to be sure I'm only testing one thing at a time, otherwise I won't know which thing it was that helped.
Ugh! It's a problem I've had too. Everyone seems to be selling something that will cure fibromyalgia and you're an absolute crazy and difficult person who doesn't want to get better if you don't fork over for these miracle cures.
Don't get me wrong, I'm always up for trying new things - if they make sense to me. But if my own research doesn't yield any evidence to support such a cure, I pass on it, especially if it's expensive.
I guess the best thing to do is just weigh the cost. Someone recently recommended I try a mineral supplement. I found one in the health food store for $15 and figured "why not?" So far, I think it may be helping. But I tend to be more leery of things that cost an arm and a leg and have to be done regularly. I figure even if it does help, it doesn't do me any good if I can't afford to do it regularly.
Good points, all of you. But I think I've decided against these 2 treatments, at this time. The deciding factor for me is money since my husband was out of work for 1 1/2 years. And pretty much, if something isn't covered under Medicare or Medicare RX I can't afford it. I do want to make a note however, that , should I become financially able in the future I think I would like to try some of these "alternative" tx's. But not everything, especially not the things that promise instant relief or total relief. We all know there is NO cure for fibro/CFS!
It's a wise choice then. I know people are trying to be helpful when they suggest things but we could go broke chasing rainbows if we aren't selective and realistic about what we choose to try.
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