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What makes FM worse

There were several answers to this question. Dr. Hyde started by explaining that a patient can expand his/her vascular system simply by eating salty potato chips and drinking beer. If the patient feels worse, it is a good chance they have FM. That is because as the vascular system expands in the arms and legs, it causes increased pain to the patient.

If, however, the patient feels better after ingesting the chips and beer, Dr. Hyde said they may have dysautonomia. Dysautonomia (autonomic dysfunction) is a broad term that describes any disease or malfunction of the autonomic nervous system.

This condition is common in ME/CFS patients resulting in Neurally Mediated Hypotension (NMH), Orthostatic Intolerance (OI), or Postural Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS) diagnoses.

Most FM patients do not drink alcohol because of their negative response to it.

Dr.  Hyde suggested an even better way to worsen Fibromyalgia is to do a Persantine Myoview Stress test. This is a chemical stress test which instantly expands the blood vessels causing significant, even intolerable pain in FM patients.

A physician who administers this test has a drug that reverses its effect. Sometimes the patient has immediate relief, and sometimes it might take a week or so for the patient to get back to pre-test baseline.