FIBRO COACH LARRY

fillings & didn’t like to be hugged because it hurt. Perfume and cologne bothered me too. So when I was 13 my Mom started taking me to different doctors. All the doctors told us the same thing, “Larry doesn’t look sick”, or “Larry is just a finicky little boy” or “The symptoms are all in his head. 2 years later we still had no diagnosis. By the time I was 14 I had developed a lone wolf personality from always trying to keep my symptoms in stealth mode. I had also by this time developed my own symptoms coping techniques. A combination of of this and that, to get me thru any situation that challenged my sensitivities. Whether it was always wearing sunglasses and earplugs, not going outside on real hot or real cold days, being particular about what and where I ate, keeping my distance from those wearing cologne or perfume, avoiding loud places & loud people, or keeping my own special food with me at all times. In my 20s and 30s I did pretty good controlling my symptoms and living a normal life, as long as I stayed within my well defined energy boundaries. But, if I tried to freely function in any situation, without staying aware of my limitations, well…. I paid for it dearly. It could take me 7 days to recover from an energy burnout, or symptoms flare up. Back in the summer of ’99 when I turned 44, all my Fibromyalgia symptoms really began to express themselves. By 2003, my health began to unravel at light speed. By 2004 I was so weak all the time that I couldn’t participate in hardly any family activities or correctly fulfill my role as husband to my wife, or father to my two young boys. Simultaneously in 2004, because of my declining energy and declining ability to deal with hotter weather temperatures, my income was decreasing because I couldn’t correctly manage My Concrete Construction Company. By early 2005 we had lost our 30 year old Concrete Construction Company. We then lost our house, cars, trucks, motorcycles, and all the toys. We then filed for bankruptcy and moved into an older mobile home. We were devastated. By early 2006 I was bedridden 24/7, stuck in the fetal position and barely able to speak. The Fibromyalgia had finally gripped every square inch of my body with unrelenting fervor. Laying in the fetal position on my bed curled up in pain and completely exhausted was the entirety of my existence for the next several years. I could do nothing for myself. My wife did everything else for me. It was insanely humiliating for me, completely overloaded her and really began to strain our relationship since she was already doing everything else for our family. By late 2006 I applied and qualified for Federal Disability. I got it on my first try without an attorney. Probably because along with my application, I submitted copies of about $150k worth of doctor bills that had been paid for from the previous 7 years of us looking for a cure. You see, living here in the Silicon Valley, I had easy access to every type of mainstream and alternative medicine doctor. So in an effort to get well, from 1999 to 2006 I met with and was treated by 12 different alternative medicine doctors, 5 different mainstream doctors and 3 different Rheumatologists. The 3 Rheumatologists I saw all told me the same thing. “Larry, you have the worst case of Fibromyalgia I’ve ever seen”. Ultimately, all the Rheumatologists and mainstream doctors did nothing for me except offer to refill my Vicodin prescription. However, it was with the 12 alternative medicine doctors where my real education about my disorder began. Over those years I did discover one consistency from all the doctors I saw, clinic visits I made, tests I had done and discussions with fellow fibromyalgia patients. That consistency being: There are 8 different primary causes of “Fibromyalgia Like” symptoms in all people. These 8 causes kept repeating themselves over and over. Some people had just one cause, some had a few, I had 6. All of the 20 different doctors I saw over the past 18 years all claimed that their single particular method, treatment, medicine, system or modality was the end all cure all for Fibromyalgia. THAT WAS JUST NEVER TRUE. I observed some of their patients experience somewhat positive results after their particular treatment, medicine or modality while other patients experienced no change at all. I’m sure this was in part due to the fact that many patients are falsely diagnosed with fibromyalgia. So the 8 primary causes of “Fibromyalgia Like” symptoms I observed being repeated over and over are:

PLEASE NOTE: Misdiagnosis is a huge problem within the Fibromyalgia community. The following list could be in whole or part of other disorders or diseases that present in similar fashion to Fibromyalgia. Also, I’m not pretending to be a doctor here and saying this list is fact, is complete or widely accepted by all medical communities. I’m simply saying this has been my own personal “In the trenches with Fibromyalgia for 50 years” findings.

1.Inherited genetic defect in protein synthesis: This results in a cascade of metabolic problems.
2.Inherited genetic defect in renal excretion: Coupled with varying degrees of intolerance to salicylates, both topical and ingested. This also results in a cascade of metabolic problems.
3.Demyelination: A defect in the myelin sheath insulating the nerves (Demyelination to varying degrees and for various reasons).
4.Emotional: Completely blocked past or present negative emotions (The two most prevalent I observed were: Severe Childhood Emotional Trauma & Profound Bitterness over past and or current issues).
5.Heavy metals toxicity: From many sources, but mostly from the mercury in Amalgam dental fillings and from the Thimeroseal (mercury based preservative) we all had in our childhood vaccines.
6.Severe Hormone imbalances: In both men and women.
7.Lyme disease: Over the years, I’ve seen and heard of this being misdiagnosed many times as Fibromyalgia.
8.Severe toxicity: Most metabolic functions are severely diminished from an over load of toxins throughout the body. Total metabolic toxicity is very common in Fibromyalgics. On with my story….. By 2012 I had been bedridden with unending pain and exhaustion in the fetal position for 6 years. Being stuck in that physical position for that long in it self had brought on another problem for me. The tendons in my legs had frozen in that folded up fetal position. So I couldn’t straighten my legs, neck or back at all. My other fibro symptoms had not receded at all, but I still insisted on pushing through those so I could go see a physical therapist to get me straightened out. After visiting several different therapists I eventually got hooked up with one who would believe with me that it was possible to straighten me out. The problem was, he said I needed very painful and exhausting physical therapy twice a day, every day, for 10 months. So I did the first 4 months at his facility. I couldn't afford to do the final 6 months at his facility. So a friend of mine got trained by the therapist and did the therapy on me twice a day for the 6 months at my home. 180 days later I stood up straight in my room for the first time in years! All thanks to my friend who actually made 362 trips to my room during those 6 months to do what the therapist taught him. For me, enduring those 10 months of therapy while also dealing with all my other non-stop fibro symptoms was a nightmare. At the end of those 6 months, I was still profoundly weak, in non-stop pain, bedridden and at 6’1” tall, weighed only 116 lbs. I was so weak I couldn’t speak at all. So I would just write little post-it notes to people. As much as my body wanted to curl up in pain again, I knew I couldn’t let it, for fear of getting stuck in that fetal position again. During those years I laid there shaking internally through each night (if you have severe Fibro, you know exactly what I mean when I say, shaking internally) I pleaded with God to just take me, so I wouldn't have to wake up to another day. But, he never did. So, I laid there, month after month, praying for direction from God on how to walk out of this living nightmare I was in. In early 2013 as my energy would allow, I laid in bed and re-read all my notes I had taken over the years. I also did extensive research on the 8 primary causes I listed above, and did more research into how I could strengthen my body without the use of Pharmaceuticals. My mission was simple, stop looking for a miracle "silver bullet" and find the highest caliber Fibromyalgia savy doctors, labs, symptoms management tools, and Fibromyalgia specific life skills to strengthen my mind & body so I could rise above all my symptoms. I later named all these body and mind supportive tools I had compiled, "The 3 Elements". Finally… in June 2014 I began to implement The 3 Elements into my daily life & started making immediate progress towards recovering my health. By December 2014 I could walk about 4-10 steps a day & talk a few sentences. By June of 2015 I was up to 100 steps a day, could talk for half an hour and wasn’t bed ridden any more. By June of 2016 I was partially out of my power wheelchair, walking an average of 2,000 steps a day, could talk for an hour and no longer needed a care giver. So I’m on my way back, living at about 80% capacity and getting stronger each day! If you are new to the FMS or CFS journeys, or have never successfully managed your symptoms, there’s a good possibility I’ve already been where you're going and could assist you on your journey. “Smooth seas never made a skilled sailor”.