Fibromyalgia and Chronic Pain
Published 18 Oct 2018 • By Louise Bollecker
Fibromyalgia and Chronic Pain
On the occasion of the World Day Against Pain on the 15th October, Carenity offers a week of publications dedicated to the fight against chronic pain. Today, we are interested in fibromyalgia, a painful and unknown disease.
What is fibromyalgia?
Fibromyalgia is a chronic disease whose symptoms are mostly composed of intense muscle pain. These pains mainly affect the symmetrical muscle areas near the spine, such as the neck, shoulders, inter-scapular region (between the shoulders), shoulder blades, lower back and hips. The American College of Rheumatology states that fibromyalgia is characterised by at least three months of pain on at least 11 of the 18 characteristic body points of the disease, some of which are listed above. This definition can help diagnosis but is not satisfactory because it does not cover the reality for all patients.
>> Discover the symptoms of fibromyalgia <<
An illness difficult to diagnose
Fibromyalgia is not easily diagnosed: it looks like other diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, chronic fatigue, irritable bowel syndrome, migraines or even psychological difficulties. Many people find themselves in a situation of not even knowing if they are affected or being diagnosed with a different condition.
Difficulties to maintain a fulfilling professional life
The patients know it only too well: it is often very complicated for your work colleagues to understand why you are missing work at times. We asked some members of Carenity and @Juliejools34 has stated that they feel, “the real struggle is to get others to understand the condition and the consequences it has for me.” The questioning from colleagues is also exhausting, “Some days I am on crutches, and I feel I have to justify why I need them and it’s exhausting dealing with the onslaught of questions that come with using them”
A lack of understanding exists around fibromyalgia which can impact patients mentally as they feel people don’t believe them.
Various symptoms and multiple treatments
In addition to the muscular pains associated with the disease, some members of Carenity have also shared symptoms such as @frannygee, “acid reflux, migraines and hiatus hernia”. This is one of the reasons that it is so hard to diagnose and pinpoint, the symptoms can differ from patient to patient and can have a fluctuating severity.
Check out our discussions on the forum dedicated to fibromyalgia, including the group on the daily realities of our members.
And most importantly, share your experience!
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9 comments
Iv been diagnosed by a rheumatologist about 5/6 years ago now,It really hasn’t got any better ,I use matrifin 3 day patches ,take amatriptaline 2 at night ,I’m really struggling with sleep as many others do but I don’t sleep all night ever then every few weeks I have to sleep for 48 hours on and off can not do any thing at all I’m so so tired my gp says he’s baffled and sending me to a neurologist,but there’s a 13 weeks waiting list ,has any body else seen a neurologist ?has any body else been or going threw this,?its doing my head in now,I’m either tired that much I’m in bed 48 hrs or stiff I carnt move.sorry for going on regards kaz xxx
Hi kaz x are you not sleeping because your in to much pain x
My opinion is that LDN is the best treatment for Fibro. On average it reduces pain by 30% but it varies from no response to very good response. Look at the American website at www.lowdosenaltrexone.org. for a lot of information. It works for over 200 conditions.
I have been wondering about the way I think others perceive me. While I will be the first to admit that most people don't understand Fibromyalgia especially as I look fine. I do sometimes think that my own attitude and thought process towards Fibro make me see judgement where, perhaps there is none. I have trouble accepting that I have Fibromyalgia especially on a good day and I sometimes feel that I'm lazy, even though there is no way I can do more than I do, I still feel that I should be pushing myself harder. If I think that how can others not?
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