All Posts tagged fibromyalgia

There’s an aching, radiating pain throughout your body that won’t go away. And you’re tired. So tired that you feel like you could sleep for days. Between the pain and the exhaustion, the idea of dragging yourself out of bed to go to work feels unbearable. Plus, you know that once you get there, things will only get worse. You’ve been forgetting about important work tasks lately, and your co-workers have been whispering about your mood swings, but you’re just so tired that you don’t care.

If this sounds like you, then you may be experiencing fibromyalgia, a painful medical condition that affects approximately three to six percent of Americans, or about 10 million people like you living with constant pain and fatigue.

What is Fibromyalgia?

Fibromyalgia is a medical disorder that causes body-wide musculoskeletal pain, fatigue, memory issues, and mood swings.

Causes

Fibromyalgia is a frustrating condition in which patients feel extreme pain, even though their body is in no way “broken.” While there is much that scientists still don’t understand about this painful condition, researchers believe that fibromyalgia affects the way your brain processes pain signals, resulting in amplified pain sensations. Some researchers theorize that patients with fibromyalgia may have more cells that carry pain signals and fewer cells that slow pain signals down compared to the average person.

Women are more likely to be diagnosed with fibromyalgia than men. Further complicating the pain associated with this disorder, many individuals diagnosed with fibromyalgia also experience tension headaches, temporomandibular joint (TMJ) disorders, irritable bowel syndrome, anxiety, and depression.

Symptoms

For some, symptoms gradually appear over time. For others, symptoms are triggered by a specific event such as surgery, an infection, a physical trauma, or significant psychological stress. Symptoms of fibromyalgia may include:

• Widespread pain that occurs on both sides of the body and above and below the waist that is often described as a constant, dull ache that lasts at least three months.
• Fatigue, characterized by feeling tired upon waking up, regardless of how much sleep is obtained.
• Sleep often disrupted by pain and sometimes complicated by such sleep disorders as restless legs syndrome or sleep apnea.
• Cognitive difficulties commonly referred to as a “fibro fog” that impairs the ability to focus or concentrate on mental tasks.

Treatment

While there is no cure for fibromyalgia, medications such as pain relievers, antidepressants, and anti-seizure medications can help control symptoms. Some patients have also reported improvement in their symptoms with regular exercise, relaxation, and stress-reduction efforts. For some, physical or occupational therapy may help improve strength, flexibility, and stamina to help mitigate pain and fatigue symptoms. Also, due to the emotional toll that living with fibromyalgia can have on many whose day-to-day lives are disrupted by pain, talking with a counselor can help individuals identify coping mechanisms and learn to mitigate symptoms through self-care.

Hope

Talk to your doctor if you think you may be suffering from fibromyalgia. A blood test may be able to confirm a diagnosis. Most importantly, do not accept living with constant pain. Your physician can help you identify the underlying causes of your discomfort and help you build a treatment plan to regain optimal health.