ACV Really Helps Fibromyalgia

by Diana
(Hartford, WI)

I have been struggling with the overall pain my entire adult life. At first it waxed and waned, but gradually grew worse.

First I was told I was out of shape. I am not, nor have I ever been out of shape, until the last three years which is explained below.

I am 5'9" and weigh 137. No one ever suggested fibromyalgia. Then it started to affect my ability to do certain things, like gardening, any heavy lifting, bending or moving in certain positions, headaches started and my sleep was disturbed.

It continued to get worse so at some time in the 1990's I went to see a pain specialist. The first thing he checked for was fibromyalgia, but because I only had 8 out of the 18 trigger points, he dismissed it, but did say that he thought I had a lot of anxiety. I didn't feel that was true, but I do now.

Anyway, the dr. put me on clonazepam, saying there were no side effects, etc. It did help me sleep better, but did not take away the pain. All other drs. I saw about it, poo-pooed it and said it wasn't even really a disease and hard to prove. Another dead end.

In 10/13 I got very sick and have had 4 hospitalizations since and three surgeries (within 12 days no less). That was a completely different problem, but the surgeries didn't work and I kept getting sicker and sicker. I had so many symptoms, but the worst were my legs. Constant cramping, especially at night, and if they weren't cramping they were just killing me. I lost 53 lbs. in 4 months.

One night I was reading and I actually felt like I was dying. I knew I had to go to the ER. When I stood up from the chair I immediately fell to the floor and when I tried to walk, I could not, so I crawled to the phone about 20 feet away.

They diagnosed Addison's Disease, I was in an Addisonian crisis and about an hour away from death (no wonder I felt like I was dying!) and I was inpatient for 5 days. They started giving me prescription magnesium for my legs and it worked. I also had to go on 2 different cortisones to treat the Addisons. But, I was still battling with the original illness from 10/13. That's too long to get into. I asked to see a specialist at Froedtert Hospital (the best in WI) in Milwaukee. I got in and he ran a bunch of tests, biopsies, etc. Found I had a virus in my liver, which they cannot identify so cannot treat, but they are treating the symptoms. This liver virus is also the cause of my original, ongoing problems since 10/13. And, I still have all the symptoms I had before, except for my legs. I lost all my muscle mass and needed a lot of in-home care.

I brought the fibromyalgia up with my GP at the time and, again, he poo-pooed it. I didn't like him anyway and I really was sick of all the fatigue, pain, etc., so I decided to switch to a new GP at Froedtert. Saw him for the first time on 12/5/16. Younger dr., but very thorough and spent a lot of time with me. At the end of our visit he said "you have fibromyalgia, I'm sure of it."

We talked about the trigger points and he said you don't need all 18 of them to have the disease. He ordered an ESR blood test and sure enough, it showed the rheumatic levels in my blood were very high. He wants to put me on a drug called Savella, but said to go home and study it on the web and let him know how I feel about it. I also had to see a neurologist for another problem and he diagnosed that issue and also said "you have fibromyalgia."

A friend of mine, an RN, just recently told me about Apple Cider Vinegar - the pure stuff. I studied that and bought a bottle of Bragg's, but consulted with my hepatologit first. I started taking 2 tbls. a day with green tea (it's really good!) and within a week slowly the symptoms started to diminish. Now, they are almost completely gone. I actually feel normal again.

It's nice to have no more overall pain, energy, etc. I'll tell my new GP about it and we'll discuss the Savella again to see if I really need to start that.

Long and short, ACV has made a world of difference.

Diana