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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

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8/30/2004

Ok, so I was wrong. The doc didn't just look at my lab values and say "Oh, you're normal, so let's leave it at that." He took a real look at it and doubled the synthroid dose. So hopefully it'll push into the therapeutic range sooner rather than later; it's not just a weight issue...I'm tired of being cold all the time.

I've spent the last 10 days or so with a nasty cough that turned into full blown whatever...not sure what, just that what started out as only being annoying kind of knocked me on my keister for a few days, so I haven't worked out at all for a week. And I have a feeling that when I can get back to the gym it might be like starting over. I'm not sure if the FMS will rear its ugly head and rob me of all the endurance I gained or not.

But, as soon as I can breathe normally, I will get back to the gym, and the Skinny Little Thing who does such a good job at torturing us all...

link | posted by Thumper at 1:33 PM
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8/22/2004

I had bloodwork done this last week in anticipation of an appointment with my endocrinologist on the 26th. Having access to the hospital computers, the Spouse Thingy got all my lab values (except for Growth Hormone levels, which had to be sent to an outside lab) yesterday ... everything came back in the normal range.

Thing is, my Free T4 just *barely* came back normal. On the scale they use .78 is the absolute bottom of normal and mine came back as .80--technically normal, but still. I'm still symptomatic--cold most of the time, nails break easy, and I can't seem to lose weight no matter what. My doc, as good as he is, seems to be a medical minimalist. It's like "we got you into the normal range, let's not muck around anymore."

I'd rather be in the therapeutic range, thankeweverymuch, but I'm not the one writing the scrips.

My endurance is still increasing, I think, and I'm able to push a little harder during workouts (and when you compare to when I first started all this over a year ago, it's serious pushing...maybe not if compared to other healthy people, but against myself. Why, I impress myself ;) ) During the Boot Camp aerobics class, where I was power walking during those portions of class where everyone else is running, I can now jog--well, somewhat. I'm wearing a heart rate monitor now, and if I go above my max, I have to back off, or else the instructor thinks I'm going to just keel over and die right on the spot.

I suppose that would put a dent in her day, to have some 40-something woman just pop off and die 20 minutes into class...

She's a really good instructor, too. She pushes hard but realizes individual limits and works with those. These classes are honestly tougher than the TKD classes I took back when I was in really good shape. I think they're a good part of my improvement lately.

I'll be curious to see what the HGH levels are when they come in. I'm still on a very, very low dose, but it's obviously working. I do wonder, though, if you're taxing your muscles for growth if your body sucks it all up quicker, and if my levels will come back a tad lower. Just conjecture on my part, no real basis in any reality I know of.

link | posted by Thumper at 1:25 PM
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8/08/2004

Ok, well, I may not be getting any smaller, but I'm definitely getting stronger. In cleaning out the garage this weekend, trying to clear a bunch of crap off a sofa we had stuck in the back, I realized that I've made tons of progress from this time last year.

When we moved the sofa into the garage, my end sort of dragged along the ground as I pushed and the Spouse Thingy puuled. This year, as we liberated it for donation to the Airman's Attic, I not only fully lifted it, but carried it without any trouble.

All bragging aside, it is a heavy sofa.

Props to the combo of HGH and weight training, I suppose...

link | posted by Thumper at 4:22 PM
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