Fibromyalgia Awareness Day May 12

Fibromyalgia Awareness Day May 12
When I was diagnosed, I made a vow to myself that I may have fibromyalgia, but fibromyalgia will never have me. There is really no definitive cause and there’s no cure. Simply put, Fibromyalgia won’t kill you but you will die with it.

What is fibromyalgia?

• Fibromyalgia (pronounced fy-bro-my-al-ja) is widespread pain in the muscles, ligaments and tendons. Ligaments and tendons connect muscles to bones.
• Fibromyalgia also causes people to have trouble sleeping and feel very tired all the time.

Although fibromyalgia is a relatively recent term, this syndrome has been known by several other names over the past years, including soft tissue rheumatism, fibrositis and non-articular rheumatism.

How common is fibromyalgia?

• It affects 900,000 (3 in 100) Canadians.
• Women are at least four times more likely than men to develop fibromyalgia.
• It usually occurs in people over age 50.

Fibromyalgia affects from 2% to almost 6% of all people. The incidence of it increases with age, and it is most common in women 50 years of age or older.

What are the warning signs of fibromyalgia?

• Stiffness, especially in the morning, and pain in muscles and joints all over the body.
• Trouble sleeping at night and a feeling of being very tired all the time.
• Numbness in muscles and joints.
• Poor memory and concentration.
• Other warning signs may include depression, tension and migraine (pronounced my-grane) headaches, and pain in the jaw.

Most of us have sleep disorders, numbness and tingling in our hands and feet, and have trouble concentrating or have short-term memory loss, and experience severe pain that “travels” to other parts of the body, and it is very often adversely affected by weather conditions, sleep patterns, activity levels, and stress.

What causes fibromyalgia?

• The exact cause of fibromyalgia is not known.
• A number of factors might be involved with causing fibromyalgia. These include accidents and injuries, surgery, other illnesses or infections, emotional trauma and stress.

How is fibromyalgia diagnosed?

Fibromyalgia syndrome is not easily diagnosed, and compounded with chronic fatigue syndrome, migraine headaches, TMJ, carpal tunnel. The person with it has pain that affects the muscles, ligaments, and tendons all over their body, with known “trigger points”, where the pain may be the most intense.

To be diagnosed with fibromyalgia, you must have experienced widespread pain for a period of three months or longer. The pain must be above and below the waist, and on both the left and right sides of the body. Another characteristic feature of fibromyalgia is the existence of at least 11 (of a possible 18) distinct sites of deep muscle tenderness that hurt when touched firmly; these include the side of the neck, the top of the shoulder blade, the outside of the upper buttock and hip joint, and the inside of the knee.

In addition to widespread pain and specific tenderness in 11 of the 18 points, many people with fibromyalgia experience a wide variety of other symptoms. Because some of these symptoms are also common in other types of arthritis, your doctor may order blood tests, X-rays and other laboratory tests. These tests are done to find out if other diseases are present, and they do not specifically diagnose fibromyalgia.

Can medications help?

• Low dose tricyclics and tetracyclics are often used to treat fibromyalgia. These medicines are also used to treat depression.

Some are helpful and in only a minority of patients. They increase a person’s serotonin levels. Serotonin is a chemical that naturally occurs in the brain. Research has shown that low levels of serotonin are associated with depression and other symptoms of fibromyalgia, including bowel problems, migraine headaches and anxiety.

Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS – pronounced en-seds) and corticosteroids are two types of medications often used to treat many forms of arthritis. However, neither has been shown to be useful in treating fibromyalgia.

Exercise

• Exercise may help reduce pain and will keep muscles from becoming weak.
• If you have fibromyalgia you should start exercising slowly. The best time to exercise is when you feel you have energy.
• The key is to strike a balance between too much activity (which can strain and tire muscles), and too little activity (which can increase pain and stiffness and lead to further weakness).
• Endurance exercises can strengthen your body and give you energy. These exercises include walking, water exercises and cycling. Stretching exercises can help you warm up your muscles before doing other exercise.

It is very important that anyone that has fibromyalgia stay active–walk, swim, exercise, and stretch the muscles, ligaments, and tendons involved. We have to get plenty of “restorative” sleep, and avoid stressful situations.

References:
Fibromyalgia
Fibromyalgia
Fibromyalgia Awareness Day May 12
National Fibromyalgia Association