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Thumper tries HGH for Fibromyalgia symptoms... film at 11
Fibromyalgia is Latin for "Holy Frijole, everything on me freaking hurts." Or something like that...

Still...there are no whiners here.

Imagine...

...having a Charlie horse--all over your body.

...having the flu--all the time.

...feeling like you've been backed over by a tractor...every single day.

...waking up and being afraid to step out of bed because you know--without a doubt--that when your foot hits the floor, a knife will cut through your body, and the feeling won't stop.

...not being able to sleep.

...fatigue seeping from every pore of your body, running in thick rivers that pool at your feet like concrete shoes.

...feeling like every muscle in your body is on fire, and nothing will put it out.

...feeling like you're about to come apart at the seams--and your doctor tells you it's "All In Your Head."

Just Imagine.

©1997,2005 K.A. Thompson

One of the theories about Fibromyalgia Syndrome is that there may be an endocrinological base--that the pain associated with FMS may exist because of a lack of, or the body's inability to use existing supplies of, Growth Hormone.

On June 26, 2002, I had a tumor removed from my pituitary gland; this tumor left me with diabetes insipidus, premature menopuase, and as discovered recently, a lack of Growth Hormone.

The problem is, no one knows how long the tumor was there, and no one knows whether or not I was deficient in Growth Hormone prior to developing the tumor.

Because of some of the studies regarding Fibromyalgia--something I have lived with since January 1997--and Human Growth Hormone, I have opted to give HGH replacement a try. It may be a way to work past the pain of FMS, a way to build lean muscle mass, lose body fat, and hopefully, offer measureable hope to recovery.

This blog will chronicle my progress, or lack of it. I will include details of how it makes me feel, the exercise routines I will use to help speed up loss of body fat, dietary changes, and any changes in body shape and pain reduction.
FMS Links

Dr. Devin Starlanyl
American Fibromyalgia Association
FMS Network
Chronic Syndrome Support Association
Living With FMS
4/04/2003

I found one of the pounds I lost. I expected as much, but it was not a happy discovery—I would have been very happy for it to stay lost, never to be found again. I may find another one tomorrow morning; we had a coupon for a free Big Mac, and talked ourselves into it. That’s “we” as in the Spouse Thingy and I, not the collective voices in my head (those voices tried to talk me into a hot fudge sundae...)

Or, I may get lucky. Breakfast today was a banana (no Pop Tart, surprise-surprise), I skipped lunch, and we had dinner very early (eh, we’re getting old, we ate at 4:30) so if I don’t really eat anything else tonight, it might not do too much damage.

I took today off from working out; energy-wise* I could have done it, but I felt some strain in my quads, shoulders, and back, and figured 2 days on, 1 day off wasn’t a bad way to go initially. We’re planning on hitting the Y tomorrow on doing some weight training, and if the pool isn’t crowded, a little water walking or swimming (but probably not an entire hour’s worth.)

From email: How did you manage to get your doctor to prescribe HGH, and is the injectable different from the oral spray? Is it expensive?

My endocrinologist was willing to prescribe HGH only after testing my IGF-I levels a couple of times, and then he required me to under go an Insulin Stress Test for a final check before writing the scrip. The insulin stress test isn’t something to undertake lightly, though to be honest, I didn’t know it was a dangerous test until he was standing there with several residents and said “Now this is a dangerous test…” I still would have done it.

As far as I know (from surfing around online, so take it for what it’s worth), the oral HGH sprays are completely ineffective.

Injectable HGH is very expensive; anywhere from $700-1000 a month. I would not be able to afford it if we had to pay the costs ourselves—being able to try this now is another benefit of the Spouse Thingy being in the military. I would guess that if it were prescribed by a civilian endocrinologist with supporting lab values, insurance would cover it. I wouldn’t place a cash bet on an HMO paying for it, though.

*since it’s only been four days, I’m assuming my surge in energy is a placebo effect, but I’m not complaining. I’ve definitely felt more alert the last couple of days, and not nearly as fogged.

link | posted by Thumper at 2:57 PM
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