Fibromyalgia & Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

As many as 10 million Americans may have fibromyalgia, according to The National Fibromyalgia Association. I have had fibromyalgia for ten years, talked to doctors in four states and been doing research on it for five years. You hurt all over, and you frequently feel exhausted.  A more specific sign of fibromyalgia is the presence of up to 18 specific tender points on the body. These are painful only when you press directly on them. Even after countless tests, your doctor cannot find anything specifically wrong with you. If this sounds familiar, you may have fibromyalgia.

Fibromyalgia is a chronic condition mostly known for its widespread pain in your muscles, ligaments and tendons, as well as fatigue and multiple tender points on your body, where slight pressure causes pain, burning and even sometimes can make it bruise and itch. ( Find out more by looking up fibromyalgia symptoms on yahoo or google )   Its more common in woman then in men, but not unheard of. Fibromyalgia in the past was also known as fibrositis, chronic muscle pain syndrome, psychogenic rheumatism and tension myalgias, just to name a few.

Although you may feel your symptoms more intensity on somedays, like one day you hurt a little but can go on with your day, other days you may feel as if you have been hit by a truck. Flu like symptoms are common with this, upset stomach, hurting all over, tired even if you know you got at least eight hours of sleep, ( being drained and tired is very common with Fibro ) and just an altogether not right feeling. Fibro or FMS short for fibromyalgia will most likely never disappear completely. It may be reassuring to know, however, that fibromyalgia is not progressive or life-threatening and does no permanent damage to your muscles, joints, or organs. Treatments and self-care steps can improve fibromyalgia symptoms so it's important to talk to your health care provider about steps you can take to improve you are over all health.

Fibromyalgia is a syndrome, a set of symptoms that occur but do not have a known cause. Flare-ups are common and can be do to physical or emotional stress, many people with fibromyalgia report that cold or damp weather, poor sleep, fatigue, stress, or overexertion makes their pain worse. Some common symptoms of fibromyalgia include migraine and tension headaches, numbness or tingling of different parts of the body, abdominal pain related to irritable bowel syndrome ("spastic colon"),  irritable bladder, ( causing painful and frequent urination.)  Musculoskeletal pain, muscle spasms, muscle pain, fatigue, tender points, ( such as neck, spine, shoulders, or hips ) sleep disturbances, hard time getting to sleep or waking up, morning stiffness, anxiety, depression and short term memory loss ( Often referred to as Fibrofog. )

With a study at the University of Michigan, they have indicated that fibromyalgia patients have abnormalities within their central brain structures, It is a problem within the pain-processing center of the central nervous system. The use of medications such as antidepressants can help some patients with fibromyalgia.

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, (CFS) Sometimes called chronic Epstein-Barr virus, or myalgic encephalomyelitis is a very common thing to have. 90% of people with fibro will also have CFS. This is also not deadly but can be just as big a pain in the butt as fibro, The early sign of this illness is a strong fatigue that comes on suddenly and often comes and goes or it may just never stop. You may feel too tired to do your everyday activities or are easily exhausted with no apparent reason. CFS does not go away with a few good nights of sleep. Instead, it mostly steals your energy and vigor over months and sometimes years.

Some doctors think that Fibro and CFS are the same thing, it's a debait that no one seems to be winning. There is no cure but we can find solace in the fact that it's not deadly and does not get worse. You may have a flare-up so it seems like you are getting worse when in fact you really are not. It can come on so sudden, after weeks or even months of feeling like your oldself again that it feels as if its really getting worse. Take to keep stress low and walk as much as you think your body will allow to keep your Fibro/CFS symptoms from going into a flare up. If you are in the middle of a flare up the best thing to do is try again to keep stress low and take it easy till the symptoms easy up again.

Because symptoms of fibromyalgia are similar to so many other disorders, your doctor may try to rule out other conditions with similar symptoms before he or she can properly diagnose fibromyalgia. In some cases, you may have another condition in addition to fibromyalgia, so it's best to see a doctor right away to rule anything else out. This is not meant to be a self diagnose, no one but your doctor can tell you if you have this. This is just information gather up from medical sites and doctors I have talked to over the years. To find out more please look up fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome on your favorite search engine. Some great support forums to go to and talk about fibromyalgia, people there are very understanding of your pain and are there to help you through a bad day, week, month or year. If you are in pain and need someone to talk to please click on the link below and find a fibro friend.



Fibromyalgia & Chronic Fatigue Syndrome