Cpnhelp.org

I still can't believe what happened to me.  Once I was ill with fibromyalgia and chronic myofascial pain syndrome.  Then I went through a long period of treatment by Dr Powell, and towards the end of 2009 emerged feeling quite well.   I took a break from antibiotics over Christmas 2009 and glimpsed wellness and freedom from pain.   Now I could start painting again and reclaim the life that I had put on hold ten years ago.  I would become an artist, not just yearn to be one!  I did not know that I was teetering on a cliff edge.  I flew off into the sunlight and, like Icarus on a very hot day, I fell.  Down I plummeted, back into the ghastly world of pain and tension.  By the time my children returned to school at the end of January 2010 (they have their long summer vacation at Christmas time) I was in a very bad state, with chronic headaches, anxiety and panic attacks.  I found a good osteopath and remedial massage therapist and started weekly treatments with both of them.  My sympathetic nervous system was at breaking point. [img_assist|nid=7615|title=On the Cliff Edge|desc=|link=none|align=left|width=330|height=400]I had not only got my knickers in a twist, but my muscles, tendons and ligaments too.  I had many areas of irritable, ropey muscle tissue, or myofascial trigger points, all over my body.   I felt fraught, strung out and helpless against the rising tide of tension, tightening muscles and panic which assailed me each day.  I practised stretching exercises, meditated as often as possible and tried to immerse myself in painting.  However, every time I picked up a paintbrush, I found myself getting tense and would end up in severe pain.  I found the mindless grind of domestic chores almost unbearable.     I had been making such good progress; what on earth had gone wrong?  There were a number of possibilities: 1.  Re-emergence of cpn infection.2.  Dissolving of gut biofilm causing more intense die-off.3.  Worsening of myofascial pain syndrome due to psychological frustration.4.  A combination of any or all of the above.  Then came several  highly stressful incidents, one on top of the other, and I plummeted into freefall with my fear, tension, pain and anxiety.  By now, not only did I have the Eiffel Tower for a neck, but the Sydney Harbour Bridge for shoulders, the Golden Gate Bridge for hips, and the bells of Cologne Cathedral for glutei maximi.   My pitiful state reminded me very much of how I was when I first fell ill.  Dr Powell told me about the theory of "illness retracing"  – as the physical body heals, it retraces symptoms in reverse order  –  and it seemed to ring true.  Except for one thing: the pain felt different.  It was not the intense, electrically-charged pain that I had had with chronic fibromyalgia.  Back then, there seemed to be some kind of negative energy flowing through me, and I could feel a strange buzzing sensation when I put my finger on the painful muscle tissue.  Then, I felt like a disintegrating, short circuiting cyberman with faulty wiring.  This time, it felt merely like high-tensile, overstressed muscles.  Could it be that my problem was merely psychological – that I was trying too hard to produce good paintings because my self-esteem and self-worth were bound up with it?  Was I making myself ill by my own endeavours?I finally reached the bottom.  Like Icarus, I had a soft landing, but at least I didn't drown.  My doctor prescribed Cymbalta, Rivotril and Panadol Osteo.  My osteopath pep talked me, stretched my muscles and mobilised my joints and soft tissues.  My remedial massage therapist repeatedly bashed and pummelled my muscles, tendons, ligaments and other connective tissues.  The cpn infection did not appear to be making a come-back.  On the contrary, it seemed to be on the way out.  By the time I had  worked my way up to the full flagyl pulse after my antibiotic break, I was experiencing very little in the way of die-off.   This was quite a contrast to the start of my CAP treatment, when I had all sorts of weird mental and physical reactions.  I no longer had the feelings of disconnectedness and unreality which assailed me in the first half of 2009.  In fact, it felt as though I was getting my brain back.  I started going uphill again.  The pills, pep talking and pummelling were working.  I did my homework, too.  I regularly leaned into a doorframe to stretch out my thoracic muscles and rolled around on a tennis ball to tenderise my gluts.  I kneaded my jaw muscles and squeezed my sternocleidomastoids.  Slowly but surely, my sympathetic nervous system calmed down.  A couple of months later, I was home free.     Now, I'm not a doctor, bio-chemist, scientist or micro-biologist.  But I have one extremely valuable credential:  I am the world's leading expert on Ladybug and Ladybug's body sensations.  So, let me postulate my theory of the fall, rise, fall and rise of Ladybug.  The hallowed shrine of my body was invaded by ugly bugs.  They put on their own ugly bug ball in my central nervous system and invited all their friends and relatives.  They feasted and made merry and committed unspeakably rude acts wherever and whenever they wanted.  They poured waste matter down the drains and left rubbish lying about all over the place.  When the hostess had finally had enough and called in Dr Powell's Pest Control, the bugs departed.  And when they finally vacated the house, the house fell down.  As my remedial massage therapist has noticed, I have very fibrotic muscle tissue.  Sometimes it's hard to get going in the morning when your muscles feel like dried pigs' ears.  Early mummification, perhaps, or just premature rigor mortis?  Ladybug's theory postulates that after so much wild partying by microscopic miscreants, a lot of residual waste matter had accumulated inside my muscles.  So that's why my house fell down: my collapse was triggered by trigger points, which were themselves triggered by chronic tension and the toxic debris of a decade of jitterbugging litter louts!    Dr Devin Starlanyl puts it thus: "Chronic muscle tension and contracture creates an area of heightened metabolism and ischemia and buildup of toxic waste - a trigger point.  The contracting muscles produce increased waste products and demand increased nutrients from capillaries that are less and less able to handle them.  This causes more contraction..."  The pressure I was placing on myself to fulfil my artistic destiny led to a frightful case of myofascial mayhem.  I only had two massages last year and they were both dreadful.  I do hate it when people wipe their hands all over your body and then present you with a bill.  There is no comparison between those dreadful hand-wringing sessions and the expert trigger point massage, osteopathic and dry needling therapy I get from my current fabulous physical therapy team.  Three months after my ghastly little breakdown I have surpassed my previous "high" and feel back to normal.  I stopped taking antibiotics in mid May and have continued with all other medications and supplements.   And I'm not about to stop remedial massage any time soon.  Last but not least, the best art school in Queensland has just opened up virtually on my doorstep!  I guess those big guys in togas up in the clouds finally decided "She's had enough, let's send something nice her way for a change."    Is this really a happy ending?  Have I really overcome the scourge of fibromyalgia, despite the rhetoric carved into the stone walls of western medicine:

Australian Association of Musculoskeletal Medicine (AAMM):  "What is fibromyalgia?  Pathology: not identified."Australian Rheumatology Association:  "Currently there is no cure for fibromyalgia."American National Fibromyalgia Association:  "The underlying cause or causes of FM still remain a mystery."

No cure, eh?  Mystery, eh?  Pigs' ears!     On so many websites, in so many pain books, have I read the same tired old line: we don't know what causes fibromyalgia, you need to learn to self-manage your symptoms, go hop on an exercise bike, chill out and take some pain or sleep meds.  "Living Well With Fibromyalgia" my foot.  I'd just as soon live well without fibromyalgia, thank you very much.  To which captain of the medical establishment ship may I address a rather irate letter?  Dear Sir/Madam,Please stop throwing anchors at your fibromyalgia patients!  It will not necessarily help them get well.  Instead, may I suggest that you consider using a lifesaving device as used by Drs Wheldon, Stratton, Powell et al.  It will actually stop your patients drowning and enable you to haul them back on board.  And don't even think about shooting the messenger.  We coleoptera have bulletproof shells, particularly after what I have been through.Yours sincerely, etc.  I, Ladybug, fell ill in 2000 and was diagnosed with fibromyalgia in mid 2005.  I had so much pain and confusion, I was barely crawling through the day.  Five years on, thanks to Dr Powell's antibacterial, antiviral and detoxification therapy, I am leading a pain-free existence.  I am going to a wonderful art school and I am so, so happy with my life.  I wake up every morning feeling joyous and euphoric, I go on outings with my  friends, I sing ridiculous ditties to my children, I bustle around in my kitchen, I laugh, I smile, I tell silly jokes.  Five years ago, enmeshed and enslaved by severe pain, debilitating tension and cognitive dysfunction, I could not have done any of these things. [img_assist|nid=7616|title=On Top of the Hill|desc=|link=none|align=right|width=399|height=299] To Dr Powell, Dr Wheldon,  Dr Stratton et al, Jim K, Bleu, Marie R, Sarah and all those who have contributed to the running of this website:  how can I express the inexpressible?  How can I ever thank you enough?  If you look hard enough, somewhere in that blue sky is a little ladybug flying free and chasing aphids.  It has been a long, hard slog, but the view from the top of the hill is just unbelievable.  Ladybug          FM & chronic myofascial pain 2000; Cpni; EBVii; lead poisoning; Powell protocol since Jan 2009; Flagyli pulses & Azi M/W/F from Mar2009 to May2010; methylation; FIRi sauna; Cymbalta 60mg; Rivotril 500mcg.  Feeling well and flying high. »

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Hi LadybugThanks for sharing

Submitted by Shahbah on Sun, 2010-06-20 21:43.Hi LadybugThanks for sharing this great experience. I was just curious to know what abxi and antivirals you were on and also what are your methylation supps. In other words, what is the Dr Powell protocol? Thank you very much___________________________________________________________ Diagnosed with MSi on March 2009, started CAPi on Jan 2010. Doxyi 200mg- Roxyi 300mg- NACi and all major supplementsi. »

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Thank you for sharing your

Submitted by Janice C on Sun, 2010-06-20 23:41.Thank you for sharing your inspiring story. I am glad you are doing so much better. I want to fly away in your painting! I am also a patient of Dr. Powell. ___________________________________________________________ minocycline, azithromycine, metronidazolei 2007-2009, chelation for lead poisoning, Lauricidin: muscle pain, insomnia, interstitial cystitisi (almost well), sinus, dry eyes, stiff neck, veins, hypothyroid, TMJ, hip joints (all well now) »

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Had a very nice read

Submitted by Eirik GT on Sun, 2010-06-20 23:52.Had a very nice read here Ladybug.. Thanks for sharing this.. I'm myself on the 5th year of dissability, due to FMSi and a little CFSi (If there is such a thing as "little CFS" ? )Just ended my second week of Azithromycin, and have daily heavy headaches. Along with more than one discouraging comment from people I know and have told this to.loulou: What do you mean by wrong posting ? And wanting to delete .... (Do you say that it should have been a blog-post instead of a forum-topic, or ? )___________________________________________________________ Eirik »

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Yes Eirik , this for sure

Submitted by loulou on Mon, 2010-06-21 01:50.Yes Eirik , this for sure should have been a blog'post.I, too am still learning my way on the website. Don't delete, just correct was my original intention -that's all.Hope the headaches are diminishing for you.___________________________________________________________ diagnosed MSi Jan.2000 ,  chronic neurological lyme disease Nov.2002.doxyi 100 mg. 1BID. roxyi.150 mg.? BIDi,adding rifampin soon, pulsed tinii. every 3 weeks, as of oct.17/08, rifampin,naltrexone (LDNi),NACi, nystatin, major wheldon supplemrnts daily, »

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Eirik, There were errors in

Submitted by MacKintosh on Mon, 2010-06-21 01:51.Eirik, There were errors in posting the pictures (now elsewhere), which have been corrected. ___________________________________________________________ The difference between what we do and what we are capable of doing would suffice to solve most of the world’s problems. Mohandas Gandhi »

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Shahbah, Jim K gives

Submitted by Ladybug on Mon, 2010-06-21 13:32.Shahbah, Jim K gives information about Dr Powell in the Cpni Handbook on this website at: http://www.cpnhelp.org/a_rheumatologist_treating_cpn_in_chronic_fatigue_fibromyalgia_and_other_auto_immune_disorders  Dr Powell also gives some treatment information on his own website at:http://www.fmtlc.com/treatment.html  I would urge anyone who is in the position to do so to pay Dr Powell a visit.  I flew over to see him at the Fibromyalgia Treatment & Learning Center in Sacramento one time and since then have telephone consultations every two months or so from Australia.  I also have a kind and cooperative local doctor.  It is no problem to have any lab work required by Dr Powell carried out here or sent by courier to a US lab.  My local GP writes me any scripts that Dr Powell directs and I can get many of the supplementsi more cheaply by post from the US (I recommend than from my local pharmacy.  Thanks to the phone and the internet, it is entirely possible to do CAPi whilst being medically supervised by a physician in another country.  Many of Dr Powell's patients are members of cpnhelp and each treatment is geared towards the needs of the individual.  My own treatment includes (or has included) flagyli, azithromycin, nitric oxide, T3 slow release, ATP cofactors, chlorella, coQ10, digestive enzymes, folapro, lugol's solution, magnesium, methylcobalamin B12, molybdenum, NACi, omega 3 oil, tocotrienol, trimethylglycine, vitaminsi A, C, D, E and K, zinc, black cumin seed oil, diatomaceous earth, far infrared sauna, glutathione cream, OSR #1, lauricidin, acetyl l-carnitine, alpha lipoic acidi, apple cider vinegar, EDTA, saccharomyces boulardii, probiotics and fluconazole.  Dr Powell is extremely thorough and professional in his approach and I hold him in the highest regard.  Ladybug   ___________________________________________________________ FM & chronic myofascial pain 2000; Cpni; EBVi; lead poisoning; Powell protocol since Jan 2009; Flagyli pulses & Azi M/W/F from Mar2009 to May2010; methylation; FIRi sauna; Cymbalta 60mg; Rivotril 500mcg.  Feeling well and flying high. »

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Thanks a lot ladybug. Do you

Submitted by Shahbah on Mon, 2010-06-21 19:06.Thanks a lot ladybug. Do you know if it is possible to contact Dr Powell by email, i am now in France and would really consider flying to California. However I would like to know how to prepare myself... If you want you can PM me...? Thank you so much again for your inspiring recovery! ___________________________________________________________ Diagnosed with MSi on March 2009, started CAPi on Jan 2010. Doxyi 200mg- Roxyi 300mg- NACi and all major supplementsi. »

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OMG... That the longest

Submitted by Eirik GT on Mon, 2010-06-21 19:08.OMG... That the longest shoppinglist of supplementsi I've seen to date.. Would be a nice thing to take a consult at his office, yes.. But thinking of the cost, and fatigue from such a journey is quite exhausting...___________________________________________________________ Eirik »

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Yes cost is another story

Submitted by Shahbah on Mon, 2010-06-21 19:11.Yes cost is another story but how much do you think a life worths?... ___________________________________________________________ Diagnosed with MSi on March 2009, started CAPi on Jan 2010. Doxyi 200mg- Roxyi 300mg- NACi and all major supplementsi. »

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Lady Bug, I would enjoy

Submitted by horses12 on Mon, 2010-06-21 23:43.Lady Bug, I would enjoy reading your treatment journey on the cpni story page. You are so expressive with your own struggles and an inspiration to many who are learning the battle.  It reveals what we all desire, health and hope. I, too, have the fibromalgia bug. There is a treatment, a hope and a cure. It's called, capi and it is working. Many here who take the time to post and encourage others are the heros.   Our bugs might not all be lady bugs.....they could be butterflies. We are coming out for the challenge, to take the test and win. Thank you. ___________________________________________________________ started Wheldon capi 4/21/08 for Cpni, CMV, EBVi, CFSi. Cap hold 4/09vascultis. Restart 9/09 with Dr.Powell. Nitro patch, restore gut, 6000 D3, supplementsi, T3, , 1/13/10 biofilm protocol, 1/10 Amoxicillini 500mgs. 1/23 Azith. MWF. Chelation for heavy metal »

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Ladybug, your paintings are

Submitted by raven on Tue, 2010-06-22 01:27.Ladybug, your paintings are beautiful. You will truly bloom in art school! I am also grateful to Dr. Powell. His treatment gave me my life back. I was so fatigued that when I walked into my studio I could only lay on the couch and cry because I had no energy to work. Last summer I was able to do a 3 hour life painting class standing at an easel the entire time. Shabbah, the doctor's office phone number is on his web site: http://www.fmtlc.com As well as the details of the treatment. Fly free Ladybug! We are all happy for your success!Raven ___________________________________________________________ Feeling 95% well-going for 100. Still testing + for Cpni. CAPi since 8-05 for Cpn/Mycoplasma P.for MSi and/or CFSi. Also EBVi and HHV6. Doxyi, Azith, Tinii pulses. NACi, Iodoral, T3, BHRT, MethyB12 injections, Nitro patch, LDNi, FIRsauna, methylation supps »

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Simply ... Marvelous! 

Submitted by Miying Meng on Tue, 2010-06-22 06:18.Simply ... Marvelous!  Thanks for sharing your story & beautiful paintings Ladybug. ___________________________________________________________ 2002:CFSi. 2008-2009:CPNi - CAPi/5 pulses. 2010: BB - Restart CAP: 3 pulse. 400Doxy/250Zith-MWF. Lauricidin/Yaeyama/all supplementsi recommended/firi sauna/2,000 IU vit D. Stopped charcoal/allergy. »

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