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Giant Drag Singer Overcomes Muscle Disorder to Release 'Swan Song' EP
- Posted on Feb 17th 2010 2:00PM by Linda Laban
Giant Drag's 'Swan Song' EP, which was released this week, has been a long time coming. After all, it's been five years since the band's debut album, 'Hearts & Unicorns,' elevated the Los Angeles-based indie blues rock duo to buzz-band status. Despite the praise that Giant Drag -- singer/guitarist Annie Hardy and drummer/key bass whiz Micah Calabrese -- caught on that one, the pair lost their deal with Interscope Records. That, however, is small potatoes to 28-year-old Hardy, who suffers constant wearying pain from a muscle disorder called fibromyalgia. "Fibromywhat?" is a common reaction when she mentions this little known condition. "I hate when people say this," Hardy tells Spinner. "For me, it's a dull pain that's always going through my body, but mostly in my shoulders and neck. I also have scoliosis, which could be why it's centered there. I feel like I'm 80 years old. Every time it's going to rain, the pain gets worse. It's really brutal. Another symptom of fybromyalgia is chronic fatigue and feeling tired all the time. It makes doing things a lot slower."
The condition was often exacerbated by experimental medication that had her "walking into walls," she says, and recording was difficult even on a low-grade narcotic. "Even just sitting upright in a chair is painful after 15 minutes. Standing up and playing the guitar is brutal. I have to have a chair, but I don't want to look like that kind of person at shows, so I stand up. Behind the scenes there's a lot of sitting down."
Despite the pain, Hardy remains calm and pleasant, though. But, then, she has no choice: Stress and anxiety exacerbate the condition. "If I get anxious I get crazy muscle spasms," she says. "It's really weird."
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ADT, just because you didn't have fibromyalgia doesn't mean it isn't real. I'm sorry you had such a bad experience, and hope you continue to feel better. Please hope the same for those of us who have the very real disease of fibromyalgia.
February 22 2010 at 12:05 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down ReplyBetyyr. ROFLOL. Now what do you really think? You are absolutely right. Loved it.
February 21 2010 at 6:09 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down ReplyOh and Dani, your an idiot... only one sentence, I do not take 1 pharm drug and I have proof of severe infections in my body resistant to antibiotics and adrenal issues with 2 viruses.. and an MD found these after 13 years. You need to get off this forum and get a life and STOP harassing people on here who deserve REAL answers, go harass someone on the street ok? not here. BYE!
February 18 2010 at 11:01 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down ReplyYES, people I agree with YOU! I was a professional dancer, model, singer and makeup artist, a basic prodigy and on my way to stardom and woke up with my eyes rolling back in my head and could barely walk and my entire fat rolodex starting emptying from complaint #1 about how I do not know what this is... what the hell happened to me? Then I get family and friends think I choose to lose all my money and career to FAKE an illness, NICE....Not so, but in the case of "we don't understand" ignorance is bliss in our political world of money and power and so and so is doing better than YOU attitude, so now my bitchy evil cousin lives in a HUGE posh house and has a great life and I am dirt poor, with a family that thinks I am crazy and no career and severe sadness because I have fought so hard to get the answers and even though I have proof now, my family still does not care, how sad and pathetic is this world coming to? that people think we fake this shit? What the hell is going on here? All I can say is this, be careful who you do not believe, because what comes around really does go around-
February 18 2010 at 10:55 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down ReplyThis girl is my new hero. I am 20 yrs old and have had fibromyalgia since I was 18. I'm in college right now and the pain makes everything extremely difficult, especially since I can't be on any pain killers while I'm in class. I've found though that most teachers are very understanding, even more than my friends. So amazing work Annie!
February 18 2010 at 9:36 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down ReplyDr. Ann Blake Tracy - the second post is an idiot. It's LOW levels of serotonin that cause FM. That's Doctors for you.
February 18 2010 at 8:31 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down ReplyLonely! that is definitely what it is. If anyone knows of a good message board, please let me know.
February 18 2010 at 5:20 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down ReplyI was diagnosed with fibromyalgia in 1996 after suffering for 2 years and devoping several auto-immune problems. I was living in Michigan at the time and had just given up my job due to the pain and fibro fog. Less than 3 months later I was living in Arizona which has helped due to the more stable barometric pressure. But I still suffer a lot of pain and the fibro fog and chronic fatigue stole more 17 years of my life. The last 3 months the fog and fatigue have lifted but the pain is much worse. I'll take the pain.
What helped me the most was massive doses of B12 (more than 1000 mcg daily) and vitamins. B12 can't hurt you, excess goes out in the urine. I live on Vicoden-Motrin formula. Don't take the Vicoden-Tylenol formula or Tylenol at all. Tylenol put me in a coma for 10 days (I was found on the floor of my apt. after 4 days) and caused kidney and brain damage. This was 5 years ago and a lot of the brain damage has healed this past year but not all. Tylenol will damage your liver and/or your kidneys.
My rheumatologist was wonderful and she had fibromyalgia too and put me on the B12. She finally had to give up her practice due to the fibro.
Go luck to everyone. I know how you feel.
just so you people know everyone is entitled to their own opinion....... You don't know my mother in laws doctor, and you don't know where the hell i come from, so how the hell can you tell me that people cant get narcotics from their docs for stupid things. I can go right now to the er and get vicodin and percosets for saying that i have a muscle spasm in my leg, they will more than likely give me valum as well. I know this because i did suffer from an "invisible" disease, that is until it took the right doctor to find it. Every time i went which was like 2 times a week they would give me the same thing. now i went for like 6 months straight.....later to find out i was having major gal bladder attacks. But i thought it was a muscle spasm and they NEVER questioned me, and ALWAYS gave me narcotics, and narcotic injections.... Maybe where you live they are more tight wadded about them... but not here.
February 18 2010 at 12:15 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Replyokay first of all, don't evaluate my thinking. and second yes they do give you the same HIGH!!!!!! I never said that everyone is out to get the drugs. and i said that people would be more willing to accept it if there was a test to prove it. Think about it...... there is a test to prove almost every kind of disease there is, except this one and a few others and also i think that people would be more willing to accept it if they didn't give narcotics to the paients that have it. tylenol is fine.
People who take insulin....do not take HERION. did you guys know that is what oxys are????? yeah it's herion. a highly illegal and MIND altering DRUG. take your lyrica, and your tylenol fine i dont have a problem with you saying you have fm. if you are taking narcotics for a disease that can not be proven, for pain that can not be prove, go see a psychologist..... you dont NEED them you WANT them
Dani, WHOAAA! You have no idea what you are talking about. Research WebMD about Fibro or another reputable web site. I use hydrocodone AS PRESCRIBED ONLY and get no "high." You get high if you abuse it. I take 4 pills a day and would no longer be on this earth if I didn't. I am not calling you stupid, just ignorant. I mean this in all due respect. You need to educate yourself before you judge others. I am sad for you.
February 18 2010 at 5:29 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply











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