| When diagnosed with fibromyalgia, the chronic pain a | | | | fibromyalgia symptoms or other medical problems. Is |
| patient experiences has no boundaries. The aches | | | | an eye twitching because of fibromyalgia, or is there |
| can be deep and muscular, or provoke a throbbing, | | | | actually something physically wrong and should an |
| shooting, stabbing feeling, with occasional intense | | | | ophthalmologist be consulted? Only a doctor's visit |
| burning or numbness. Fibromyalgia patients feel | | | | can tell. |
| stiffness, and some muscle groups that are used | | | | The trouble with an "invisible" disease is that not |
| repetitively may hurt more severely than others. A | | | | everyone understands the effects it can have on a |
| fibromyalgia patient often feels tired and lacks | | | | patient. Pain management is one thing, dealing with |
| energy, physically as well as mentally. It often seems | | | | family, friends and co-workers another. Fibromyalgia |
| as if they are thrown into a different dimension | | | | patients often feel guilty, try to explain and apologize |
| where everything runs in slow-motion. The slower | | | | for their lack of participation in activities, or are |
| they move the less pain they experience. | | | | frustrated when they are young and can't get up to |
| Fibromyalgia, a chronic and disabling condition | | | | offer their seat to a senior on the bus. They have to |
| characterized primarily by widespread pain throughout | | | | learn to ignore the annoyed looks and constantly tell |
| the body, is often associated with some type of | | | | themselves it is not their fault. |
| sleep disorder. It seems sufferers often do not reach | | | | The intensity of symptoms are different for each |
| a "slow-wave sleep" stage, which means their rest | | | | patient, ranging from mildly annoying to highly |
| gets constantly interrupted by bursts of conscious | | | | debilitating, making it impossible to function properly in |
| brain activity, leaving them tired after waking up. This | | | | society. Exercise and medication can help to control |
| can lead to frustration and stress, disturbing | | | | some of the symptoms, including chronic fatigue |
| psychological and physiological reactions, aggravating | | | | problems, and eventually can force the disorder into |
| the fibromyalgia patient's condition even more. | | | | remission. If fibromyalgia can be completely cured is |
| Medical experts have classified fibromyalgia as a | | | | still an unanswered question. Indeed, how can one |
| disease, as well as a syndrome, which means it has a | | | | cure a disease when its cause is still unknown and so |
| group of symptoms and characteristics that occur | | | | many aspects are still not understood? |
| together. Research has determined it is not | | | | People coping with fibromyalgia can get better, or |
| contagious and will not cause death. These facts are | | | | even feel cured. They can slowly be taken off the |
| no consolation to those experiencing the typical | | | | medication and continue on living normal lives. As a |
| fibromyalgia aches and pains. | | | | "recovered" fibro patient myself, I have been clear |
| Fibromyalgia patients never know with certainty if | | | | for over seven years now. At least I think I am, but |
| the pain they are experiencing is related to their | | | | once in a while, whenever I feel a twitch I cannot |
| condition, or if they have developed another illness. If | | | | explain, somewhere in the back of my head a little |
| a person suffers for months, or years it becomes | | | | voice wakes up and raises some doubt, always |
| very difficult to distinguish between actual | | | | wondering if the condition would return. |