Fibromyalgia and Autism Connected?

Every once in awhile I go through a phase where I find myself blaming myself for my children being autistic. Trust me, I know this is pointless and silly, but I think every parent goes through something similar when their children are either disabled, ill or otherwise "special". It's just natural human nature.

I often find myself thinking, is this something I did during my rebellious years as a teen and young adult, is this something I did wrong when I was pregnant, did I eat too much tuna fish, did I not take enough vitamins, was I too trusting in the doctors when it came time to giving them their vaccines (something I still firmly believe played a contributing factor), did I stay in my marriage too long and many other self-deprecating thoughts.

This time, however, is different. This isn't about blaming myself for something. This is simple curiosity about a link between my chronic, painful disorder and Autism and the fact that both disorders are still inundated with mystery and puzzles. Could the mystery lie in a connection?

Well, as I started to pay more attention I started to notice that it seemed like not only could I not go anywhere without meeting at least one person who had either a child or family member who was autistic, but I also couldn't go anywhere without meeting someone who either had, or knew someone who had fibromyalgia (FMS). Is it just me or are both disorders becoming more prevalent at an alarming rate?

Then I started looking at some of the similarities in physical symptoms. Now, I know I may be alone here but my children are always complaining of one ache or pain and sometimes it seems like it is more so than others. At times Justin even seems like he is oversensitive to pain and both children are over sensitive to certain textures, smells, etc. Something I also struggle with myself. In fibromyalgia there is a definite oversensitivity to pain. Children on the Autism spectrum are known to have many sensory processing problems causing many of these children to be hypersensitive to things like touch, taste, smell, etc.

Then there are the gastrointestinal problems. Many children with autism suffer from multiple gastrointestinal issues, including, but not limited to, IBS (irritable bowel syndrome). IBS is one of the most common conditions associated with Fibromyalgia as well and I am certainly one of those who suffer from this condition as are both of my children.

On top of that there is the possible oversensitivity or vulnerability to the effects of toxins and medications. I, myself, am extremely sensitive to any medication. I found out that many people with FMS are also very oversensitive and this is one of the reasons this disorder is so difficult to treat. FMS is not curable but with certain medications some sufferers have found relief from some of the symptoms. I, unfortunately, am not one of them. I cant take anything without either getting violently ill or suffering any number of strange side effects. Both of my children are the same although their side effects seem to be more with the mind (hallucinations, irritability, suicidal thoughts, etc).

In doing an online search on a connection between autism and FMS I actually found an article that discusses how one clinic in Atlanta that specializes in FMS treatment was NOT recommending the H1N1 vaccine for their patients because of this sensitivity to toxins and the fact that the H1N1 vaccine contains the preservative Thimerisol which contains mercury. Thimerisol is one of the factors that many people, myself included, blame in the HUGE increase in the prevalence of autism. Many parents of autistic children have become more careful about vaccines because of their belief that Thimerisol contributed to their child's autism. There is a whole movement based on this premise.

I found many interesting articles while doing a search for a connection between the two and I found many articles (links that I will try and post below) that talk about this connection and some that even point to the XMRV retrovirus that has recently been found to be in blood samples taken from BOTH patients who are autistic and in those with FMS or CFS (Chronic Fatigue Syndrome) and more research is being done to further investigate this connection.

So, again, I wonder, if for no other reason than simple curiosity, could there be a link? I am wondering how many other people out there have a family history of BOTH autism and Fibromyalgia and if there is any benefit to doing more research to see.

Just food for thought. Please don't read any deep, dark meaning behind this post. This isn't another crusade to FIND A CURE for my children's autism because I have jumped OFF that bandwagon a long time ago. My goal is acceptance and awareness for my children, not a CURE. But I do find this hint of a connection, at the least, interesting. Make sure you check out the poll I have in the right hand column and let me know if you have a family history of both FMS and Autism.

Here are a list of some interesting articles I found and there are many more out there:


Fibromyalgia/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and the H1N1 Vaccine

Doc who worked for CDC theorizes relation between Fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome and Autism

Retrovirus Implicated in Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and Fibromyalgia

Is Autism Associated With a Viral Infection?

What is an Autism Warrior Mom?

Well, I guess that can mean something different to everyone but for me, being an autism warrior mom means that I am not content to just sit back and let things just happen whether right or wrong. It means doing everything I can to make sure that my children have the best chance possible of living a healthy, happy and successful life and that they aren't discriminated against, abused, forgotten or judged not by who they are and what they are capable of, but what disorder they have or how much they can or can't do. It means fighting for my children's rights and for their education and helping to make the world a better, more accepting place for them.

That doesn't mean that in order to be a warrior mom you have to be relentless every second of every day banging down doors of politicians and running all sorts of groups and making sure that everyone knows your name and who you are. You can be a warrior mom and still be quiet and unknown. Maybe you aren't beating down the doors of the politicians up at the capital but you are storming into the school and demanding that your child never be put in another restraint again. Maybe you are online talking to friends and supporting them and offering advice to them about what has worked for you and doing what little you can to spread the news about how prevalent autism is and what changes need to be made to make our community a safer place for our children. You don't have to be in every newspaper and on every TV show and have your name known by every state representative and senator in order to be a warrior mom. You just have to be a mom fighting for your kids against the wrongs and injustices that our kids face on a daily basis. That's what it means to me, but you might disagree.

Let me just clarify something. I am not talking about the same WARRIOR MOM that Jenny McCarthy talks about. The mom that tries anything and everything out there to help their child, which trust me, I have no problems with or want to offend in any way. I am talking about a different kind of warrior mom. A mom who loves her child just as much and will be a warrior when it comes to fighting for her children's rights. And for the record, I have tried just about everything, including the diets and maybe, someday, I will talk about that. So I hope I don't offend anyone or break any rules by calling my blog Life of an Autism Warrior Mom because that isnt my intent. I am not comparing myself to anyone else and I am not trying to steal anything.

Let me introduce myself. My name is Phyllis Parmelee and I am a mom to two wonderful, loving, extremely smart boys who just happen to also be autistic. They are Justin, age 15, and Tyler, age 10 and while they have many similarities they are also completely different. The saying goes, "if you have met one child with autism, you have met one child with autism." Everyone is different with different strength's, weaknesses and needs. My children are no different.

I am a stay at home mom who also happens to have fibromyalgia, a non-curable, chronic condition characterized by widespread pain in your muscles, ligaments and tendons, as well as fatigue and multiple tender points — places on your body where slight pressure causes pain. I also am recently a single mom, an Avon representative, and an autism warrior mom.

I don't think there is an administrator in our school district who hasn't heard my name, most likely with the terms hysterical, over-protective or some other negative term attached to it but that's good because they know, I am not one of those mom's who just sit back, accept whatever they tell me and let them do whatever they want if it isn't what's best for my child. They know that they need to stop, sit back and think about how I am going to react to something that may or may not be in my child's best interest.

For example, having your child in 39 restraints in one school year is not what is best for my child. Having a behavior plan that utilizes the child's strength's and interests and rewards rather than punishes is best for my child. Making changes to my child's program and behavior plans without informing me first is not what is best for my child. Discussing those changes with me and allowing me to have some input into the plan since I am the one who knows my child best, is what's best for my child. See? A warrior mom. Not someone who is quiet and doesn't want to know because I don't want to deal or because I just accept that the professionals know more than I do. Someone who learns, who acts and who fights when a fight needs to be fought. Anyone can do it. Give it a try.

What do I hope to accomplish by creating this blog? Absolutely nothing. It's one more tool for me to reach my goal of being an autism warrior mom. Its a way for me to record my thoughts to help me deal with the stresses of being a mom to two autistic children, while going through a divorce, dealing with a chronic illness and being an Avon representative. Maybe in the process I will jot something down that might help someone else and that would be awesome. But mostly, this is for me.

And while the title is "Life of an Autism Warrior Mom" that doesn't mean that all of my posts will be about being an autism warrior mom. I will post about whatever I feel like posting that day whether its autism, fibromyalgia, my kids accomplishments that day, my avon business, being a single mom or the weather or anything else that comes to mind. It's just a title.

I don't mind peekers, lurkers, or anyone else who wants to share in my trials and tribulations. All are welcome to take a trip with me through this thing called life and while mine might be more hectic and stressful than most, I know there are always people out there who have it harder so this isn't about bragging about how hard my life is. This is just my life. I hope you will stay tuned and find something helpful but if not, that's cool too.