Many of the top online nursing schools are beginning to realize the challenges of treating fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome. They are teaching students about a variety of options, including the SHINE program. SHINE stands for sleep, hormones, infections, nutritional supplements and exercise. Well-trained nurses are an essential part of administering any FMS/CFS treatment program.
I just read this interesting article about the “SHINE” 5 part treatment plan for FMS/CFS. I’ve only really worked (and my Drs have only suggested I work) on 3 of these 5 areas. Most of our treatments typically focus on Sleep, Nutritional Supplements & Exercise. This treatment plan also includes treating with Hormone therapies even when blood tests may show no deficiencies, and treating underlying Infections.
I’ve often wondered about the potential for hormone / thyroid imbalances even with normal tests, as many of the symptoms related to FMS also appear in thyroid disorders. In talking to a couple of my doctors, it seems that some doctors do believe that more aggressive treatment is necessary for those of us with Fibro, and that perhaps just because our tests may be “clear” doesn’t mean that we don’t need treatment for something. Sometimes the symptoms speak more than the tests. Thinking about this, it reminds me of the issues I had with my gall bladder several years ago. Test after test showed it was fine, but the symptoms were definitely there. Had this been 20 years ago a doctor would have taken my gall bladder out on symptoms alone. 20 years ago doctors were able to treat symptoms, now thanks to insurance regulations they have to run a test to have something on paper to show why they are treating us. I think we rely too much on tests that may or may not be correct, especially when most of them are known to be fallible.
I can’t help but wonder if those of us who have doctors who are a little more aggressive in our treatments are also the ones who are seeing the most improvement. Then again, if you keep doing the same old thing, you are going to keep getting what you’ve always gotten.
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