Fibromyalgia Resource

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If you are having a major surgical procedure there are some issues that you may wish to discuss with your surgeon and anesthesiologist that could reduce the “fibro-flare” that often occurs after surgery in Fibromyalgia patients.

1. Request that you wear a soft neck collar and minimize neck hyperextension (if an endotracheal tube is anticipated).

2. Request that your arm with the intravenous line be kept near your body, not away from your body or over your head.

3. Request that you be given a pre-operative opioid pain medication – about 90 minutes prior to surgery. Opioids are morphine or morphine related drugs. The rationale for the pre-operative use of opioids is to minimize “central sensitization” – as this inevitably worsens the widespread body pain that you are already experiencing.

4. Ask to have a long-acting local anesthetic infiltrated into your incision – even though you will be asleep during the procedure. The rationale for this is to minimize pain impulses reaching the spinal cord and brain, which in turn drive central sensitization.

5. As a Fibromyalgia patient you will need more, a usually longer duration, of post-operative pain medication. In most cases opioids should be regularly administered or self administered with a PCA pump (patient controlled analgesia).

6. Most Fibromyalgia patients require a longer duration of post-operative convalescence, including physical therapy in many cases.

[ImmuneSupport adds: Many patients have reported that following Dr. Robert Bennett’s recommendations in this article made a big difference in their post-surgical pain and recovery time. They advise printing several copies of the article and giving it to all doctors, surgeons, and anesthesiologists involved. And don’t just assume they’ve read it. Make sure they explain to you in detail what steps they’re going to take to reduce the intensity of any post-surgical flare-up.

Also talk with your doctors about your immune system concerns to see if there are additional preventative measures you can take. Even under the best of circumstances, people with FM and ME/CFS generally have a longer post-operative convalescence period than most. So allow yourself plenty of extra time to recuperate and don’t push yourself too soon. We wish you the best in your upcoming surgery.]

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This article is reproduced with permission from the Oregon Health & Science Fibromyalgia Research and Treatment Team, headed by Robert Bennett, MD. For information on the team’s frequently scheduled speaking engagements in the states of Washington and Oregon and elsewhere, go to their Web site at www.myalgia.com