If you have or know someone with Fibromyalgia could you please answer my question about the symptoms?
It's very difficult to find more than "widespread pain" on the internet. And I'm looking for specifics.
What symptoms do you have or have you heard of with Fibro?
Public Comments
1. I have it, bad. And it's ruined my life. In my early thru mid 20's I took martial arts & worked as a horse groom - I got to the barn at 7am, cleaned & bedded 22 stalls, cleaned water buckets, fed lunch. Afternoon I worked other horses then took my training in the evening. My husband was in a wreck and needed 24/7 care, had to quit, take care of him for 6 months and then get a real job. (I'm wanting to give you background to help understand & it's going to be a long answer.)A few years went by and things were pretty good. And then: One October a.m. I woke up crying, my knees hurt so bad I couldn't get out of bed, waited a few days and went to Dr, was put on meds and sent home. Knee pain faded, back pain started, back to the Dr, more meds. The pain kept moving around, I was exhausted, walked into walls from balance problems, no short term memory. It was like severe flu that would not go away.
The insomnia was awful, then I started having nightmares about being beaten! That's how bad the pain was. I'd go to work with my scrub shirt on backwards until someone told me. Friends started forgetting about me cause I had to cancel plans so often.
I was diagnosed January 2004 from tender points (try searching "fms tender points"). No treatment was given. After 2 serious suicide attempts, I'm on a cocktail of meds, can only work a few hours a week, & still really angry.
One book I would recomend is "Fibromyalgia & Chronic Myofascial Pain, A Survival Manual," by Devon Starlanyl & Mary Ellen Copeland. And try fibrocenter.com I think that's the name.
Hope i helped.
2. it s not difficutklt to find more tahn wide spread pain
have you tried
www.fmaware.org
webmd
mayo clinic
there are many quack sites out there--but the legit sites are infomrative
the otehr main symtpoms are fatigue, numbness/tiungling/sogntive difficulties
3. Oh boy is that ever a loaded question? : ) I am Founder and owner of Fibromyalgia/Chronic Pain Support Group Ministry. Yes wide spread pain is one of the main issues.
Tender points in at least 18 spots in your body
Chronic Fatigue.
All over muscle achiness & pain
Numbness & tingling
Headaches
Pain in the bones in the back of your head
TMJ
Irritable Bowel & Bladder
Mild to severe muscle spasms
Burning, stinging and gouging pains especially in feet
Unsteadiness on feet and weakness in limbs
Loss of REM sleep (Nonrestorative sleep)
Sensitivity to heat and cold,(weather changes)
Bruised feelings in different parts of your body especially
in feet, where there is no actual bruising
Mild to extreme stiffness
Memory and concentration difficulties
Skin sensitivities,
Sensitivity to stress and physical activities
Twitching and jumping in the flesh and in the muscles
Also... CONDITIONS THAT COMMONLY OCCUR WITH FMS:
Osteoarthritis
Cervical & low back degenerative diseases
Rheumatoid Arthritis
Lupus
Ankylosing Spondylitis
Hypothyroidism
Thoracic Outlet Syndrome
Polymyalgia Rheumatica
Lyme Disease
Prolapsed Mitral Valve
Myofascial Pain Syndrome
Sjogren's Syndrome & Many Other illnesses
(In my own experiece and in many of my clients I have found
Neuropathy to be a symptom, even without being diagnosed with Diabetes)
4. Here's one that is common, but seldom mentioned. You can have horrible pain in an area, and a little while later it will be gone. You never know what it is going to be like on a day to day basis, and it is different for everybody. It is really a syndrome (collection of maladies), rather than a "disease." It is not fatal (though you sometimes wish it were), and supposedly not progressive, but I would beg to differ on the progressive part of that.
If you want a summary, go to the Mayo Clinic website.
5. There are lots of fibromyalgia symptoms which everyone seems to have different and vary degrees. Lots of info on the net but if you start out at about.com and look under fibromyalgia you will find heaps. Take a look at the monster symptom list, a real eye opener. best of luck
