The Evidence: Fibromyalgia may be an autoimmune condition In a paradigm shifting new study, researchers were able to trigger fibromyalgia symptoms in healthy mice by injecting them with blood from …
Meet Hilary, a fibromyalgia warrior. She tells us her story on living with fibromyalgia and how to power through with a fibromyalgia diagnosis.
Fibromyalgia affects everything Graphic by The Fibromyalgia Pain Chronicles
Here Is Everything You Should Know About Fibromyalgia
Understanding how you get fibromyalgia is key to understanding how to recover from fibromyalgia. Once diagnosed, many fibro sufferers ask themselves :
How fibromyalgia is diagnosed? What symptoms to look out for? Find out here how fibromyalgia is diagnosed.
The symptoms of fibromyalgia are found in so many other illnesses. That's why diagnosis is problematic. Here are 14 reasons why it may NOT be Fibromyalgia... Fibromyalgia has many, varied and fluctuating symptoms. It should be considered when a patient describes a history of widespread pain, with no evident cause, that lasts three months or more. As well as this chronic musculoskeletal pain, whichaffects the bones, ligaments, muscles, nerves and tendons they have fatigue and sleep problems and stiffness. These symptoms are usually accompanied by a number of other conditions such as sensitivity to chemicals, irritable bowel or restless legs and depression or anxiety. The symptoms can often start, or worsen, during a period of severe psychosocial or physical stress. Fibromyalgia presents a unique medical problem: Its symptoms are so common, that it is both underdiagnosed and misdiagnosed. Because there are no blood tests or scans to easily diagnose it, many physicians have trouble detecting the disorder. It can NOT be easily confirmed or ruled out with a simple blood test. It can't be seen on an X-ray or MRI. Instead, fibromyalgia appears to be linked to changes in how the brain and spinal cord process pain signals. Because there is no test for fibromyalgia, your doctor must rely solely on your group of symptoms to make a diagnosis and rule out other conditions. The key symptoms of fibromyalgia are also commonly found in many other illnesses, and a thorough examination and investigation needs to be undertaken in order to ensure there is not another pathological cause for the symptoms – particularly if there are any ‘red flags’ in the patient’s history suggestive of another serious pathology (Table 1). Table 1. Red flags Older age at new symptom onset Weight loss Night pain Focal pain Fever or sweats Neurological features History of malignancy Doctors need to rule out: arthritis lupus multiple sclerosis chronic fatigue syndrome polymyalgia rheumatica hypothyroidism depression polymyositis hyperparathyroidism adrenal insufficiency myasthenia gravis cushing’s syndrome sjogren's syndrome Infection: chronic viral infection, HIV, hepatitis, Lyme disease So if a doctor asks you about your mood, or skin rashes, or sends you for a blood test of your antibodies or an MRI they are just doing their job. They are ruling out these 14 conditions which have similar symptoms to Fibromyalgia. It is important to do so because these 14 conditions have specific treatments. Symptoms NOT usually found in Fibromyalgia include: arthritis: swelling and redness, loss of motion in joints lupus: butterfly-shaped rash across cheeks and nose, anemia, abnormal blood clotting multiple sclerosis: brain lesions on an MRI chronic fatigue syndrome: profound fatigue that is more intense than pain, sore thoat polymyalgia rheumatica: average age of onset is 70, elevated levels of inflammatory proteins in blood. hypothyroidism: thyroid autoantibodies are common depression: polymyositis: muscle weakness in proximal muscles: upper arms, thighs. hyperparathyroidism: presence of hypercalcemia adrenal insufficiency: severe exhaustion, not typically associated with chronic widespread pain. myasthenia gravis: neurologic signs characteristic of specific disease. cushing’s syndrome: characteristic facial and skin signs of Cushing’s syndrome sjogren's syndrome: dry eyes and dry mouth, presence of anti bodies specific to Sjogren's Infection: chronic viral infection, HIV, hepatitis, Lyme disease Getting a Diagnosis I suggest that you keep a diary of your symptoms. This should make it easier to talk to your doctor or specialist. Especially if you have memory problems, writing things down will provide the doctor with the information that they need to make a correct diagnosis. When you go to a consultation go with: a list of questions a list of current medications a brief medical history including your parents main conditions a list of your symptoms When writing the list of your symptoms try and remember what were your first symptoms and what year they started and then the next symptoms and the year etc. as many doctors ask these questions. More clues for fibromyalgia diagnosis (from MayoClinic) People who have fibromyalgia also often wake up tired, even after they've slept continuously for more than eight hours. Brief periods of physical or mental exertion may leave them exhausted. They may also have problems with short-term memory and the ability to concentrate. If you have these problems, your doctor may ask you to rank how severely they affect your day-to-day activities. Fibromyalgia often coexists with other health problems, so your doctor may also ask if you experience: Irritable bowel syndrome Headaches Jaw pain Anxiety or depression Frequent or painful urination Remember that all ongoing pain should be evaluated. I am saying this because after a while of not getting a diagnosis you may start to question whether the pain is all in your head. Lee Good has 20+ years of experience helping people with chronic illness to understand research information and is recognized as a leader in patient advocacy. She is the WEGO winner, 2018/19 for building the best patient community around Fibromyalgia and editor at Fibro Blogger Directory, which is a community of fibromyalgia bloggers. RESOURCES: Fibromyalgia: Understand the diagnosis process MayoClinic Diagnostic challenges: Australian Family Physician Musculoskeletal Pain: Cleveland Clinic
Here Is Everything You Should Know About Fibromyalgia
Getting a fibromyalgia diagnosis can be a long process. Read about current diagnostic criteria and how to avoid being misdiagnosed.
Here Is Everything You Should Know About Fibromyalgia
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The Evidence: Fibromyalgia may be an autoimmune condition In a paradigm shifting new study, researchers were able to trigger fibromyalgia symptoms in healthy mice by injecting them with blood from …
Pain is not the sole symptom of fibromyalgia. Beyond pain many experience fatigue, sleep disturbance, cognitive impairment, and a long list of symptoms.
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If you're living with fibromyalgia, you know that every day is a new challenge. On the outside, you may look healthy and as if you're living well. But in reality, you might be suffering from severe pain, chronic fatigue, and emotional anguish. There's so much to think about – from managing your symptoms to finding ways to cope to simply getting through the day. I've put together this list of 12 essential tips for living with fibromyalgia. I hope these tips will help make your life a little bit e
We are raising awareness of fibromyalgia in May and some of the fibro bloggers, in our facebook group, are sharing their quotes about fibromyalgia so that others can understand more about what is it like living with it. Bethan Catherine Jones 'Just because I'm smiling doesn't mean I'm pain free. I live in pain 24/7 but I refuse to let it stop me' Manage Bettina Bier 'Just because I don't look sick doesn't mean i'm not. I still have all my fifty shades of fibro. If you would risk to take a closer look you would see it.' Manage Julie Ryan That I hate missing out on things. So, when I cancel, know that I really didn't want to. I really want to be there with my friends and family. Sue Ingebretson A fibromyalgia diagnosis isn't the finish line, it's the starting gate. Once you know you have it, the journey begins to figure out what's the best way to approach healing for YOU. Rachel Barclift Living with Fibromyalgia is challenging, however I would rather spend my life in positivity and light than negativity and darkness. Manage Lynne Said Fibromyalgia doesn't sit comfortably on the conventional medical path, so when my doctor didn't have the answers my mistake was believing there was nothing else I could do, I was stuck, until I realised that there were many other paths back to health and I took them and so can you. Manage Carol Homer "Focus on what you can do, not what you can't. Forget about the unwritten social rules that dictate how your life should look. Adjust your perspective, be your own advocate and write your own story. You owe it to yourself to keep going for those brighter days." Manage Jennifer Passmore "Life, even without a chronic illness, is simply a constant learning process, and with chronic pain, we are always learning what we can do to improve our quality of life. We’re not going to let the pain defeat us, because we’re going to come out the other side of this, fighting. Not one person’s battle is the same as another, and we’re all fighting something different. Because, that is truly what we are, fighters, each and every one of us." Manage Terri Sutula "I realized early on in this process that I have a choice; I can be bitter about my circumstances, or I can let it make me a better person. I choose better." Manage Mandy Farmer "Don't leave me out of your plans. I may have to say 'no' but please don't give up on me." Manage Alisha Nurse When I say I’m okay, it doesn’t mean I’m not in pain. It just means I’m managing. I’m rarely pain free. Manage Active Now Nikki Albert Pace when you're having a good day and a bad day. Remember coping is a process, not an end game. And remember we can have a life it is just a different looking one; perhaps more mellow and a slower pace but a life nevertheless.
Whether you have been recently diagnosed or have suffered from fibromyalgia for years -it is important to learn about your condition. This article
