Fibro fit club!!!!
Fibromyalgia, also called fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS), is a long-term condition that causes pain all over the body.
Anyone can develop fibromyalgia, although it affects around 7 times as many women as men.
The condition typically develops between the ages of 30 and 50, but can occur in people of any age, including children and the elderly.
It's not clear exactly how many people are affected by fibromyalgia, although research has suggested it could be a relatively common condition.
Some estimates suggest nearly 1 in 20 people may be affected by fibromyalgia to some degree.
As well as widespread pain, people with fibromyalgia may also have:
increased sensitivity to pain
fatigue (extreme tiredness)
muscle stiffness
difficulty sleeping
problems with mental processes (known as "fibro-fog") – such as problems with memory and concentration
headaches
IBS– a digestive condition that causes stomach pain and bloating
I was diagnosed with Fibro aged 22 and along with aunt and 2 of my cousins we all have varifying intensities of it. I am medicated and have lots of exerciese to do to keep me going.
When were you diagnosed? How does your Fibro affect your life? Today a good day or a bad day? ANy tips or hints you could share with us?
@Kallie112358
I have Ehlers Danlos Syndrome which causes widespread pain and people with EDS often get misdiagnosed with fibromyalgia. I was convinced I also had fibromyalgia and people told me it sounded a lot like it, but I read a paper by a doctor which said that people with EDS can get widespread pain in general, as well as joint pain and he seemed to believe that it is likely EDS causing the pain and not fibromyalgia, though I think I will speak to a doctor about it. Either way, whatever is causing the pain, there isn't much that can be done other than pain management. I prefer to have the EDS diagnosis over a fibro one though because EDS can cause multi-systemic problems and can cause a resistance to anaesthesia so it's an important diagnosis to have in general.
I have had a good week up until yesterday and particularly today. It seems if I have a small area of pain, it will eventually cause my whole body to hurt. :( I pulled my back yesterday and now my entire body hurts today so I'm going to have a hot bath this evening (though that plays up my POTS). My tips for pain would be to have hot baths to relax the muscles, always bring medication everywhere you go and learn to accept that you're not a healthy person so you don't have to live up to other healthy people and pretend you're okay if you're not! Though I should probably take my own advice on that last one.
@SilentSerenityy
Im glad you had a good week - I am very up and down as well
I have heard EDS is very close to Fibro
Your tips are great ones - it took me ages to realise that I couldn't do everything I thought I should be doing and whilst hot baths help i also find heat pads and hot water bottles a bit more handy otherwise i would be living in my bathroom lol
@Kallie112358 i dont have fibromyalgia but i didnt know many of these things! thank you for enducating me
