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What is Fibromyalgia?
I remember how I discovered I had Fibromyalgia and all I had to go through to be sure that was what it actually was. While working at Cameron County Physical Therapy as a typist, one of the patients came in with a book on Fibromyalgia and what it was. One afternoon, not having much to do and all caught up, I saw the book laying in the office and decided to find out what it was. Oh you know.....when you read things like that you tend to think you have the symptoms and the condition, but this was so different. I did have the symptoms and I did have the cause they thought might be associated with it and as time went by, I also had the other problems associated with Fibromyalgia.
As I read the book, I started finding out reasons why I had pain in various areas that were tender to touch. Why I was in pain quite a lot and also why I was having problems sleeping. I made an appointment with the health care center that was located in the front of Physical Therapy and I also was part time cleaner for them at the time. The doctor asked for the book I read so he could find out where the tenderpoints were located. The following week he scheduled another appointment and checked the tenderpoints. There are 11 places all over the body that have these tenderpoints. If you have at least 8 you have the condition, ruling out of course testing for Lupus, Lymes Disease and Arthritis all which are tested before the consideration of Fibromyalgia. I was tested for all of them and all tests came back normal for them. I remember the doctor telling me that he was surprised that I could tolerate as much pain as I actually had. When he touched the spots, there was no pain anything like that. How did I get it? Well they believe its associated with a whiplash type injury or a trauma such as a bad infection that could bring it on. In my case, prior to my reading the book, I was involved in a one car accident where I was backing from a parking space in a grocery store parking lot and it was raining. I went straight back to let the lady waiting have my spot as it was closer to the door. I knew there was a huge cement pillar with a light pole on it behind me, but I thought it was way behind me. When I looked in the rear view mirror it was there and now....I hit it. At that time, my whole body was thrown forward, my glasses went off my face and landed under my seat and I heard my neck crack but felt no pain. My daughter, Kaleena was with me and she hit her head on the dash board but only escaped a bruise. As I crossed the parking lot to call my ex husband who shared the car with me at the time, my vision was split, but no pain. I filed an accident report because I knew I needed to seek some help for this. I was under chiropractic care for 4 years for low back and fused vertebrae in my right side neck areas. When I asked him if I could have Fibromyalgia his answer was quick, definitely. What I suffered was a whiplash type injury and trauma. It was then I started reading about it and found that I also suffered the sleep disorder which only allows most patients with Fibromyalgia to sleep light, hearing every little noise and woken up in the night several times and not being able to go back to sleep. Restless leg syndrome is associated with it, migranes, TMJ and so many other associations with it. Shortly after, I was diagnosed with slight high blood pressure too so they started me on a course of blood pressure medications and Zoloft which didn't help me. Then Amitriptyline which the dye gave me a reaction so I took nothing. I moved to England in 1998, I was still on the blood pressure medications which controlled that and then a UK lady doctor prescribed Motrin 800mg for the Fibro pain. A few years later having problems with my stomach found that because I took the Motrin 800mg I ended up with Acid Reflux and am now also taking pills for the Acid Reflux. I also agreed to start taking a lower dose (10mg) Amitriptyline, which is an Anti-Depressant which is known to help with pain and sleep in Fibromyalgia patients. It works. In 2004, I was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. Right now in 2007, I am borderline Type 1/2 diabetes, still controlling with pills at the present. I take blood pressure medication, Amitriptyline for the Fibro, Acid Reflux medication and also preventative medication for Cholestrol and Aspirin for blood thinning to prevent complications. 16 pills a day. So you ask, how do I know I have it.....
What Are the Symptoms?
Although no two people with fibromyalgia experience the same symptoms the exact same way, people with fibromyalgia do experience similar symptoms.
Pain is the most prominent symptom. It usually involves "tender points" on the body where pain seems the greatest.
Fatigue and sleep disturbances occur in about 90% of people who have fibromyalgia.
Depression and anxiety is common in many people with fibromyalgia.
Cognitive difficulties or fibro fog can occur, characterized by feelings of confusion, lapses in memory, word mix-ups and difficulty concentrating.
Migraine headaches, abdominal pain, bloating or alternating constipation and diarrhea (irritable bowel syndrome), skin color changes, tingling limbs, jaw pain (temporomandibular joint (TMJ) disorder), and restless leg syndrome are common.
How Is It Diagnosed?
The difficulty with diagnosing someone with fibromyalgia is that there is no clear-cut test to determine fibromyalgia. No evidence of it appears on X-rays or in laboratory test results. There is no diagnostic marker in the blood. People with fibromyalgia often look healthy and have no outward signs of pain or fatigue.
Instead fibromyalgia is diagnosed by the identification of symptoms - the presence of widespread pain in combination with tenderness at specific locations, and chronic fatigue - and the exclusion of other conditions. Doctors use laboratory tests to rule out other conditions with similar symptoms, such as thyroid conditions.
The diagnostic process can take years, partly due to the fact that fibromyalgia remains unfamiliar to many people, including doctors. Fortunately, a greater understanding of fibromyalgia now exists within the medical community. Finding the right doctor can help expedite diagnosis. A rheumatologist or other doctor who is very familiar with this condition is important.
What Causes It?
No one knows what causes fibromyalgia. Researchers speculate that many different factors, alone or in ombination, may cause fibromyalgia. For example, factors such as
An infectious illness
Physical trauma
Emotional trauma
Hormonal changes
Muscle abnormalities
Neurotansmitters
Studies have suggested that people with fibromyalgia have abnormal levels of several of the different chemicals that help transmit and amplify pain signals to and from the brain. Whether these abnormalities are a cause or a result of fibromyalgia is unknown.
Where do I go from here? Well it's taken me a long time (over 15 years now) to get where I am today. I've been through the "it's all in your head" stage. My ex husband when we were married didn't believe me and neither did my mother. It was hard trying to tell others what I had, they never heard of it. In fact a few ladies I knew had told me of their symptoms and I urged them to go see a doctor and they too have found help. I won't let it get to me and thank goodness I don't feel the pain as bad as I do have it (oh I know that because if anyone touches me in certain tenderspot areas, I most likely will go through the ceiling literally). The treatments I'm on luckily seem to let me get the sleep and keeps my system feel as good as I can get. I do have problem areas from time to time and it moves from place to place. My mother has seen it now in people she knows and now understands it more and my husband is trained in massage and thanks to him, I can get through some of the painful times. He has read up on the condition and understands so many things where Im concerned. If you'd like to read more about the subject or might suspect you could have it, I've put some links on my page to check on for you.
Fibromyalgia Network
National Fibromyalgia Association
Fibromyalgia Association UK
Nottingham & East Midlands Fibromyalgia Support
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