Saturday, August 9, 2008

Fibromyalgia - what is it?

I read a great article yesterday, in Women's Day, about fibromyalgia, and they had a section in it called "Defining Fibromyalgia." I know a lot of people still aren't familiar with this disease, though it wrecks havoc on many lives, so thought I'd share from it.

  • What are the symptoms of fibromyalgia? They vary but may include allover achiness, pain, stiffness and tenderness in muscles and joints, fatigue, chronic headaches, difficulty sleeping, trouble concentrating, disorganized thinking and forgetfulness, and depression or anxiety.
  • What causes it? No one knows for sure, but research continues.
  • How is it diagnosed? If you have symptoms for more than 3 months, talk to your primary care doctor. He may administer a tender point test or refer you to a specialist.

For more info visit the National Fibromyalgia Association at http://fmaware.org.

3 comments:

Susan at Stony River said...

Thanks for this! I was diagnosed earlier this year; the fatigue and foggy thinking were scaring me witless. I thought I had a brain tumour or early onset Alzheimer's; my imagination was not my friend.

I'm on medication now, a first in my life, but it has made a huge difference.

Glad to find your blog!

Kathie Graham said...

Can I be nosey and ask what you're taking? I was originally diagnosed with this, but then changed to RA, but I still wonder...

Susan at Stony River said...

Well, typical for me, I'd completely forgotten what it was called, so had to go get it LOL.

It's 'Amitryptiline', one at night to help get a real sleep. Then I have an anti-inflammatory to take on bad days, which has also been much more helpful than the OTC paid medication I'd been taking.

I'm in Ireland, and don't know if it's called something else in other parts of the world.

My rheumatologist considered "RA...FMS...RA" for a while until all the tests were in. When I first went to see him, I was sleeping over 12 hours a day and still tired every waking moment.

Weird coincidence btw...I edit the newsletter for the local carer's group, and this month I sent out one with THAT SAME Helen Keller quote you've got in the right hand column. I love it; keeps me in line!

 
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