Fibromyalgia affects around 1 in 20 people. Although most people have no idea what fibromyalgia is; let alone what it’s like to live with.
So, here’s a brief guide for anyone who doesn’t know anything about fibromyalgia.
What is fibromyalgia?
Its a long term chronic health condition characterised by pain. The pain ranges in severity on a daily basis from mild symptoms to severe pain in changing areas of the body.
The main symptoms are:
Pain throughout the whole body
Joints and muscles feel stiff
Quality of sleep can be poor
Feeling tired and fatigued
Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)
Extreme Sensitivity
Cognitive problems, feeling confused, or dazed, sometimes called Fibro fog
Headaches
Depression
Anxiety
Painful periods in women
The symptoms can vary from person to person.
Symptoms can get better or worse from time to time.
Factors that influence this are:
- the amount of stress you are experiencing
- how much daily exercise you have
- and changes in climate and temperature
Further information is available on the NHS website.
If you think you may be suffering from fibromyalgia, consult your doctor or health professional. They will run a variety of tests to get an accurate diagnosis of your condition.
There’s no cure….Yes you did read that correctly; there’s no cure, but…
I’ve lived with fibromyalgia for 15 years and found some times are really tough.
The single most upsetting factor for me has been other people’s perception of ‘living with fibromyalgia’. They almost always get it wrong. So, if you meet someone who has fibromyalgia, tread carefully. Don’t jump to conclusions about how they feel. Listen to them. After all they are living with it on a daily basis.
The positives are my symptoms are still there, but have improved greatly since I was first diagnosed.
I have been able to boost my general health through diet, exercise and meditation .
This is a short post about symptoms, living with fibromyalgia is another story…
If you would like to read more about what helped me, follow my blog and have a look at my Fibromyalgia Self Help Pages.
