Fibromyalgia

You have likely heard the term fibromyalgia before. But do you know what it is? Fibromyalgia or fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS) is basically widespread musculoskeletal pain and fatigue disorder of unknown causes. You might also hear chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) being mentioned in addition or in the same conversation as fibromyalgia. Basically, fibromyalgia refers to pain in the muscles, ligaments and tendons. People with fibromyalgia describe feelings of being sore all over. The best way to describe it is to think of when you have had a really bad flu and your entire body is sore and achy. This is what people with fibromyalgia feel like. You may also feel drained or like you have no energy. The severity of the symptoms varies from person to person and can even vary from time to time but this is the best way to describe it. There is really no cure for fibromyalgia since it is uncertain what actually causes it. There are some treatment options that people find helpful but a common approach is just to treat the pain. Many people also have problems such as sleep disorder and fatigue along with fibromyalgia and this will need to be treated as well. You might also experience “brain fatigue”. People with fibromyalgia

often feel like they are having a hard time concentrating, remembering and thinking. There is a kind of “brain fog” that occurs and this may make it hard for you to carry on normal daily activities. Some other symptoms may even include irritable bowel syndrome, chest pain, morning stiffness, sore and stiff joints, PMS, painful periods, dizziness, sensitivity to light, odor and more. There are certain conditions that may aggravate your fibromyalgia and make the symptoms worse such as cold weather, stress, depression, anxiety, infections and other. If you can avoid things that make your fibromyalgia worse or trigger it, it will help but there are some things that you just can not avoid.