Okay, so I think I have this figured out on a very, very elementary basis.

• Research indicates that people with fibro have too many or dysfunctional arteriole-venule shunts in their hands.
• This means that blood flow in people with fibro is not top notch.
• A diminished blood flow and faulty shunts cause problems with maintaining body temperature.

These things I understand. Basically shunts open and close to increase or decrease blood flow in the epidermis to warm up or cool off. It’s why people have cold hands or warm hands.

However, when I look at blood flow and fibromyalgia together, what comes up the most is in relation to blood flow in the brain. So that got my possibly non-perfused brain thinking.

• If the defective shunts in the hands of fibro patients carry through the rest of the epidermis and the rest of the body, then the theory is this is what causes the chronic pain of fibromyalgia.
• Blood flow definitely can be the cause for the lack of body temperature regulation.
• There are a bunch of chemicals and hormones that are transported in the vasculature system and many of them are out of balance in fibro patients.
• Maybe, then, the chemicals and hormones that are out of balance in fibro patients are just not circulating. I’ve thought about the idea of different “normal” levels for different people, but maybe the levels are okay – they’re just not getting to the right place?
• Also, could faulty shunts cause the swelling I’m constantly fighting in my hands and feet? Could it be why when my hands get cold they don’t warm up? Or why I can’t cool down if my hands and feet are swollen?
• Could brain fog be connected to blood flow? There are several studies I found that may relate to this. Have to get reading.
• Eyesight is an issue, but my poor eyesight varies from day to day. Could the inconsistencies I struggle with in my eyesight relate to how well my blood is circulating?
• Could this explain why exercise – in particular vigorous exercise – helps with pain? Not necessarily because levels of these critical hormones and chemicals are raising, but maybe because they’re actually circulating?

It’s something to read more about, and I have a new pile of research to read through. In the meantime, I have to start exercising again. I’ve been off for a couple months, and my pain levels are beyond high, my fatigue levels are to the point of nodding off at my desk, and my sleep is completely disrupted. So next week, I get back down to work. Summer is over. I am entirely responsible for how I feel. Time to get back to some semblance of responsibility.

As for Avacen 100 (Advanced Vascular Circulation Enhancement), if I had $2000 to burn, I’d try it, even though it reminds me of the “miracle cures” of the 1800s. Instead, I need to stick to the tried and true, exercise, diet, and sleep.