The usually and often misunderstood symptoms of fibromyalgia have lead to many myths and misconceptions. Fibromyalgia is real condition and the pain and fatigue you are experiencing is very real as well.
Finding proper treatments and learning to cope with fibromyalgia can be difficult, but not being fully informed, and believing untruths, can lead to unnecessary emotional pain as well.
Fibromyalgia Myths
Let’s take a look at seven common myths that surround fibromyalgia syndrome, and dig down deeper to uncover the truths.
#1) Myth: Fibromyalgia is not a real condition, and most doctors believe this to be true.
The Truth: Most doctors do believe that Fibromyalgia syndrome is real. However, can be difficult to assess, and this myth cropped up due to the misunderstanding between doctors who are not familiar with fibromyalgia, patients who are desperate for answers to a very painful condition, and the medical community which is trying to set standards for patient care.
The other complexity involves the disparity of symptoms that each patient can present, which can make a diagnosis more difficult. The American College of Rheumatology helped develop a set of criteria to help doctors diagnose fibromyalgia.
These guidelines are followed by doctors familiar with fibromyalgia syndrome collection of symptoms which include:
Fibromyalgia Syndrome:
Widespread, prevalent body pain that is above and below the waist
Pain For Three months or more
Have at least 11 out of 18 Tender points found in noted locations of the body
Can include: Extreme fatigue, Difficulty sleeping, disturbed sleep, inability to exercise due to exacerbation of symptoms
Your symptoms are real, and many doctors believe your symptoms are real, and will try to provide the best care possible.
#2) Myths: Fibromyalgia can damage your joints.
The Truth: The pain you are associating with fibromyalgia can be an aching discomfort, and it can also be very brutal at times, but it is not doing damaging your bones, joints or muscles. As well, you should understand that the severity of the pain you are experiencing does not reflect a deterioration or progression of the disease, or condition.
#3) Myths: Doctors diagnose patients with Fibromyalgia when they can’t find anything else wrong with them.
Truth: Doctors diagnose Fibromyalgia based on the symptoms you present on exam. They will not pin a fibromyalgia label on you when your symptoms don’t fit a certain criteria for any other disease or conditions.
Getting a fibromyalgia diagnosis can take time, as there is no single blood test, no x-ray or CT scan that will confirm your diagnosis. It becomes a medial puzzle of running tests, and ruling out other symptoms to determine the cause of your symptoms, and it can be frustrating to both you and your doctor as well.
#4) Myths: If there is no cure or treatments for fibromyalgia then going to the doctor is a waste of time and money
The Truth: There is no one size fits all treatment that fits all patients, but the Food and Drug Administration has approved one drug for treating fibromyalgia, and other treatments are the pipeline.
Learning to live with your condition can include: medications, changes to your lifestyle, alternative treatment, complementary treatments, changes to your diet, and staying active with low impact exercise.
Fibromyalgia is a chronic disease where symptoms can diminish, and become more sever, but it is not life threatening, but it very likely a lifelong chronic condition.
#5) Myths: If Fibromyalgia causes pain, and then there must be something more wrong with me. I have lots of other unexplainable symptoms.
The Truth: No one knows why there is such a wide array of symptoms that can be found Fibromyalgia patient beside pain.
Fatigue, depression, mood disorders, headaches, dizziness, sensitivity to light, sensitivity to sound, memory problems “fibro fog” , sleep problems, cold fingers and toes, numbness fingers and toes, restless leg syndrome, tingling in fingers and toes. Abdominal problems: Weight gain, abdomen pain, IBS, bladder control problems, and nausea.
#6) Myths: Fibromyalgia is so debilitating that you can’t live a productive life.
The Truth: It is true that learning to live with this chronic disease takes time, and patience. You may find the your pain never completely goes away, but there are millions of people living in chronic pain from other disorders, and they put one foot in front of the other every day.
There are many approaches to living, and strategies that may mean altering your life style, but by setting goals, surrounding yourself with supportive people, and learning to pace your day you can get by, and you will.
#7) Myths: If you look fine, then there’s nothing wrong with you.
The Truth: It can be easy to feel angry with your family, friend, and co-workers who do not understand this condition, and withdraw. However you need to be honest, and explain your symptoms so that they have a clear understanding of the physical and emotional toll you are under.
Joining a support group can be very helpful, and just having an outlet to share your feelings, your frustrations, and to discuss what treatment options that are works for others can be very beneficial. Finding people who really understand what a really bad day is who are suffering and going through similar circumstances can make coping and managing your condition much more tolerable.
Do not underestimate the power of friendship and compassion, it is very powerful medicine, and that is not a myth that is the truth!
Pregnancy for many women is no walk in the park, but when you suffer with fibromyalgia studies show that you can experience considerable pain, fatigue, low energy, and psychological stress along with the other symptoms of pregnancy. Many times women who are pregnant are misdiagnosed, and under treated for their pain and discomfort.
This is according to a pilot study that was done by Karen M. Schaefer, D.N.Sc., R.N., assistant professor of nursing at Temple University’s College of Health Professions, and studied women who were between the ages of 29-31 in their 3rd trimester of pregnancy. Ms. Schaefer’s research was the first of its kind to breach the subject of women who are pregnant, and suffering from the chronic illness fibromyalgia.
The data up until this study had been anecdotal suggesting that pregnant women with the chronic disease did have a more difficult time during their 9 month gestation. The symptoms that the study participants listed as difficult involved feeling more stiff, tired, and having more areas of pain and tenderness.
The outcome of the Schaefer’s study revealed that the pregnant women suffering with fibromyalgia were more prone to exaggerated pain symptoms than women under normal pregnancy conditions.
Many Doctors Don’t Agree
However, many doctors are in disagreement and feel that pregnancy can be a benefit, and send the chronic disease into remission until after the baby is born.
If this is the case, the thousands of online forums must be wrong. A quick search shows a pattern were many women around 7-8th month start to complain of swelling, pain, and tingling in their hands and feet. Back pain becomes more of an issue around this same time period that can be excruciating for many pregnant women too, make sleeping even more difficult.
Fibromyalgia has no negative effect on carrying a pregnancy to term, or the harming the infant. The main concern will be your ability to handle a pregnancy if your fibromyalgia does become more pronounced due to your pregnant condition.
What You Need To Do:
Resting, proper diet, decreased stress, and adequate sleep are important factors in any pregnancy, but if you suffer from fibromyalgia it become even more so.
Follow proper diet, walk, water exercise, stretching, and rest . Do not take any herbs, supplements, or treatment plans recommended for fibromyalgia without first speaking with your doctor.
Source:
Temple University (2006, July 5). Fibromyalgia Increases Pain and Fatigue For Pregnant
Living with Fibromyalgia can be difficult enough, the flu like symptoms can keep you down, but toss in a migraine headache, and you can add even more pain, nausea, vomiting, dizziness, and an even longer list of debilitating symptoms.
Migraines are very debilitating and can be triggered by many of the same things that trigger fibromyalgia: smells, food sensitivities, weather, light, sounds, and more. Migraines can be especially scary if they cause paralysis on one side of the body. These types of migraines are call hemi plegic, and should not be considered a normal migraine. If you suffer from this type make sure to speak with your Doctor.
Migraines, Fibromyalgia, IBS, Neck Pain, TMJ, or Panic Attacks Out of Control? Make Lifestyle Chang
Migraines, Fibromyalgia, IBS, Neck Pain, TMJ, or Panic Attacks Out of Control?
How can you take control of what is out of control? Begin with the basics. The basics mean making healthy lifestyle choices. Migraines, fibromyalgia, IBS, frequently neck pain, TMJ, and panic attacks are interrelated. The common denominator is migraine. I have chosen the phrase migraine syndrome to group the above symptoms together, because when you control migraines, then the migraine syndrome will improve. Successful migraine prevention depends greatly on understanding how lifestyle impacts the frequency and severity of migraine attacks.
People that are subject to the migraine syndrome have what I call the sensitive body. The body is more sensitive to light, sound, smell, food, and/or stress. It is important to remember that your body is sensitive. Avoid triggers. Triggers can be additive and total up to big trouble. The more trouble you have, the lower your threshold for developing symptoms. If your body is over-stimulated by triggers for a sufficient time period, then transformation of migraines occurs (migraine become more chronic) and more of the migraine syndrome is revealed. Transformation can ultimately lead to fibromyalgia. It is impossible to totally avoid triggers. Triggers are risk factors. Activities done to normalize the nervous system are protective factors. Lifestyle changes promoting protective factors and avoiding risk factors lead to good health.
Lifestyle changes markedly reduced the frequency of headache in studies that I have conducted. Let me prove my point. I have been the investigator in many medical research studies. In the late 1990’s, I did two studies that I found extremely revealing about the importance of lifestyle changes. They were simple preference studies. The patients would try the study drug and determine if the study drug was preferable over whatever over-the-counter medicine they were taking for migraine. In one study Imitrex was the medication studied, and in the other Amerge was the study medicine. Imitrex and Amerge are triptans. Triptans are drugs that help stop a migraine attack. In one study Imitrex was taken for three headaches and in the other study Amerge was taken for four headaches. The study patients were required to have five or six headaches a month in order to be enrolled into the study. In other words, these study patients’ lives were significantly impacted by having too many migraines. The patients had three months to complete the study. Assuming five to six headaches a month, then the study should only take a month. Nevertheless, they had three months. In both studies combined there were about seventy patients. My office treated these patients like regular migraine patients. We made the “mistake” of teaching the usual lifestyle changes-the changes I am about to teach you. Over half the study patients were unable to complete the study in three months! One patient did not have another headache in three months. Needless to say, we did not make that “mistake” again while conducting a study. We taught them lifestyle changes after the research projects were completed.
One of the basic needs is a consistent life. Everything needs to be done in a methodical way. Maintain adequate sleep-not too much and not too little. You need to go to bed at night and awaken in the morning at approximately the same time each and every day including weekends, holidays, and vacations. If you oversleep by more than one hour, you may feel hungover or tired, and you are definitely aggravating the migraine syndrome. Did you ever wonder why jet lag bothered you so much? Imagine awakening by 6:00 am weekdays and 8:30 or 9:00 am on weekends. That may explain weekend or Monday morning headaches or cricks in the neck. The fatigue is felt when you go on vacations and/or come home to reality. The variable sleep-patterns problems adversely affect high school and college students and night shift workers.
Eat regular meals. You need to eat breakfast! Commonly, I find migraineurs who just do not feel like eating early in the morning. Eat anyway. It does not have to be eggs and biscuits. A bowl of cereal or even a breakfast bar will work. Do not skip meals. If you do not eat, or if you eat junk food, you are setting yourself up for reactive hypoglycemia among a host of other problems. Consistent sleep and meals are very important. In other words, your life must be dull and boring-oops. What I meant to say is, the more regular your lifestyle is, the more protected you are from risk factors.
I will cover more lifestyle changes in subsequent articles. The subjects will include emotions, dietary triggers, medications, posture, physical activity, trauma, and environment. For more information, go to http://www.migrainesyndrome.net.
Fibromyalgia How Do You Cope?