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Upcoming Events
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Every Thursday (Except for Apr 26th) 7-8 PM (PDT): "Chat" Night on Ning!
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Sensory Overload: Sources and Strategies
Do you experience confusion, fatigue or pain that you can't explain? One possible cause is sensory overload: Receiving more sensory information than your body can process.
Sensory overload is a significant part of many people's experience of chronic fatigue syndrome and fibromyalgia.
When we ask our groups to tell us what things make their symptoms worse, sense overload usually ranks in the top four, sometimes as high as number two. (Being overactive is the perennial number one; other common answers include poor sleep and stress.)
Keep Reading...
Article by Dr. Bruce Campbell director of the educational CFIDS and Fibromyalgia Self-Help website (www.cfidsselfhelp.org)
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Special Opportunity:
Fibro Research
One of our group leaders, Tami Stackelhouse, has recently met a postgraduate student who is doing a research project on fibromyalgia.
Alexandra Felce is a student at City University in London studying the effects of fibromyalgia.
Alex currently has about 100 people signed up for her study, but needs many, many more! If you would like to help build fibromyalgia awareness, and participate by taking a short survey, simply email Alex at: afelce84@googlemail.com.
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Our Sponsors
![](http://portlandfibrocfs.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/WIP-Logo.jpg?width=300")
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The Thriving Fibromite
APRIL 2012 |
Greetings!
Spring is finally here even if the rains haven't yet stopped. Next month we honor Fibromyalgia Awareness Day on May 12th, and in our group, we have special plans brewing for the meeting on May 19th! Stay tuned as we hope to make an announcement very soon. PS... Think of one person with fibromyalgia or ME/CFS who has told you, "I wish there was some support for people like us!" and to him/her. |
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Webinar: How To Go From Taking One Vitamin a Day To Managing Twelve Prescriptions
 THURSDAY, April 26th 6:30-8 PM (PDT) Register here to attend!
Does the sheer number of supplements and prescriptions you are taking seem unmanageable? Do you have trouble remembering to take your meds? What about those times that you just aren't sure whether you took them or not and you have no idea what to do?
Many of us have gone almost overnight from taking not much more than aspirin to managing a plethora of vitamins, supplements and medications. Mike Farley, a Pharmacist with Safeway, will be our April webinar speaker and will answer many of the questions that have arisen because of this.
He will speak about safety information on combining over-the-counter medications with prescription drugs (especially opioid painkillers) as well as whether it is safe to take another pill if the first doesn't work.
He will provide resources for finding drug interaction information and will let us know when we should speak to our pharmacist about a medication question vs. when to speak to our doctor.
So, bring your medication related questions and join us for the April webinar!
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How to "Ask for What You Need" and "Be Heard" with an Invisible Illness  Saturday, April 21st, 1-4 PM
Do you wonder how to communicate with those around you when you have an invisible illness? Or how to deal with those who don't believe your illness is even real?
What about getting family and friends to help you or respect you when you "look" fine - when you are basically handicapped yet have no visible sign of that handicap?
Our speaker for April's meeting is counselor, David Anderson, from ProVisions. David believes that good communication is essential to a healthy and happy life - but knows from personal experience how difficult that communication can be.
David has a humorous presentation that will go over the differences in communication styles for men and women so that we can understand each other a little better - after we pick ourselves up off the floor from laughing!
We encourage you to bring your "support team" - family, friends, neighbors - and let David explain to them why it can be difficult, and exhausting!, for you to communicate each and every day what you need.
We will also have a special presentation that will help your support team experience a day in the life of someone with chronic illness. (Details will be a surprise, but this is a very powerful presentation!)
This will be a very dymanic event and we encourage you participate in this one in person!
To read David Anderson's bio, click here.
To RSVP on Facebook, click here.
To RSVP on Ning, click here.
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New "RSVP Policy" for Local Meetings
We are implementing an RSVP system for our local meetings to aid us in determining how many members plan to attend each meeting. This will allow us to prepare the proper number of handouts and set up the appropriate number of chairs.
We will begin using "Facebook Events" on our group Facebook Page as our main RSVP vehicle. Please don't worry if you are not on Facebook. You may just show up for a meeting if you like or you also have the option of RSVPing on the Ning site. If you are on Facebook, there will be a link with each meeting announcement (and with follow-up reminders) so that you can easily find the "events" page and RSVP.
Also, don't forget that Paym Weaver, The Time Fairy, is our permanent sponsor and offers FREE rides to/from meetings for those that need transportation.
Tami on Facebook...
Tamara on Facebook...
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 March Recordings Available
Dr. Melissa Congdon Talks About the Guaifenesin Protocol for Fibromyalgia Dr. Congdon explained that the guaifenesin protocol is a fibromyalgia treatment pioneered by fibromyalgia specialist Dr. Paul St. Amand and that while there is no medication (yet) that has been shown to make the syndrome disappear, Dr. St. Amand, an 84 year-old fibromyalgia specialist (who himself has fibromyalgia), may have found a way to reverse the illness. Dr. Congdon explained how guaifenesin works to eliminate excess phosphate from the body which is thought to build up and create "nodules." This overload of phosphate in the body, and in the nodules, is what is believed to cause the symptoms of the illness. Since phosphate overload can occur in the cells throughout our body, this can explain why so many different organs are effected in FMS. This is why patients can have irritable bowel syndrome, body pain, and dizziness all within the same illness. And since the right amount of phosphate is crucial to the production of energy, this can explain why FMS patients can feel so tired. She explained that when treated by Dr. St. Amand, or someone trained by him, the success rate with this protocol is 95%. She also told us that Dr. St. Amand has also found that 40% of fibromyalgia patients have a tendency towards low blood sugar or carbohydrate intolerance. This is why eating a high-protein, low-carb diet can help you feel so much better. This was a very interesting talk with a lively question and answer session at the end. The Guaifenesin for Fibromyalgia Webinar Recording
Gluten-Free/Allergen-Free Roundtable
Our March meeting feature experts on GF/AF living sharing their knowledge and personal experience on living with food allergies and sensitivities.
The panelists had a lively and fun discussion and answered many questions about everything from allergy testing to flour blends to the best places to safely eat out.
Another topic of discussion was creating a safe kitchen environment, how to avoid cross-contamination at home and how to stand up for yourself when you are not able to eat at home.
This is a video worth viewing. Handouts shared by the panelists are included with the video. So, join Angela Hermes, Tracy Rempel, Marilyn Woodbury and Tami Stackelhouse as they discuss this important topic.
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 Join our Private Web Group
The Portland Area Fibromyalgia - ME/CFS Group provides a support system and social network for those dealing with fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome and other chronic illness and pain conditions. Our primary purpose is to encourage each other in thriving despite our illnesses.
By joining our private group, you'll have access to:
- Videos of our monthly group meetings featuring knowledgable speakers on various aspects of coping with and healing from chronic illness.
- Audio recordings of our monthly webinars featuring authors, doctors, naturopaths and other experts on fibromyalgia and ME/CFS from around the country.
- A compassionate online community where we share our stories and offer one another support.
- A library of articles on fibromyalgia and ME/CFS.
There are no membership dues and it is free to join. We hope that you will find exactly what you need in our group and look forward to meeting you!
Join the Portland Fibromyalgia-ME/CFS Group...
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Thanks for reading our March 2012 issue! We'd love your feedback on what you thought.
It would really help us if you would:
To thriving, not just surviving,
 
Tamara Staples Tami Stackelhouse
tamara@portlandfibrocfs.com tami@myrestoredhealth.com
(503) 476-9520 (971) 832-9322
Group Leader Co-Leader
Portland Fibromyalgia-ME/CFS Group |
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