Many Doctors have done research into whether Fibromyalgia is a progressive illness like it’s sister illnesses MS and Lupus. However the jury is still out on this and many doctors will tell you that Fibro is not progressive. So if this is the case how come many of us, seem to go through six very different stages that Angela Wise wrote a post about. She believes there are stages of Fibromyalgia.

Stage 1

You have started to experience more pain and fatigue then you have had before and you’re not sure what is going on. You can hold a job and make it through the day but you know something isn’t right, you start researching and going to the doctor.

Stage 2

You are in pain a lot and taking anti-inflammatory drugs and/or other pain killers however you do not get much relief. You now start to accept the fact that this is something you are going to have for a while. You feel a lot of pain and are exhausted almost every day but you keep going and manage to hold down a job, still spend time with your friends and loved ones and have some good times here and there.

Stage 3

You’re in constant pain and you’re constantly tired. You wonder whether you will be ever able to function normal again. You are considering not working because you no longer have the energy you once had. You come home from work and all you can do is rest. You start to turn down invitations from friends and family just so you can rest to go back to work tomorrow. You start to feel more alone. More people are beginning to think you whine too much. This stage can last a long time, perhaps years.

Stage 4

You are unrelenting pain all the time, good days are now few and far between. You are calling into work more then you can make it in. You’re in bed a good portion of your day. When you do have a good day you take full advantage of it and do as much as you can, knowing you will pay for it tomorrow. By this time your friends start to make plans without you, they already know your excuses and are nearly certain you will not join in. People start to thing you are using Fibromyalgia as a reason not to do things as in stages 1-3 you were able to do a lot more then you can now. You feel alone, isolated, worried, emotional, sad. This stage can last years.

Stage 5

 

You have already quit your job or been let go due to ill health. You are asking loads of questions about permanent disability and how long it takes to get it. You may have a person who takes care of you and spend a lot of your day in bed although you still take full advantage of that one good day once in a while. You’re very sore, you cry a lot and feel like a prisoner in your own body. By this time you have already explained to your friends that it still feels food to be invited even if you don’t go. You find the only people that can relate are those in the same predicament however you wish your friends and family could understand.

 

Stage 6 (The Final Stage)

 

You may or may not still be waiting for your disability pension. You cannot hold down a job. Fibromyalgia is now your lifestyle, most of your friends are those living with fibromyalgia themselves. Everything you do takes all your precious energy including simple daily tasks you took for granted in earlier stages like; going to the bathroom, washing your hair, taking a shower, getting dressed, tying your shoes. You get irritated by your hair or clothes touching your skin, you have no energy or desire to put on “your face” before going out and no energy to keep a neat home. With all the medication you are on now or have tried, you are dealing with loads of  side effects and constant pain.

You are a human and still enjoy some things, like watching TV so you try to stay current on any news regarding Fibromyalgia, in hopes they are closer to finding a cure. Most of your old friends are not around anymore, as they have things to do and families. However you need to rest a lot. It’s easy to feel overwhelmed in this stage, because things are piling up around you: bills, laundry, dishes. You do a little everyday, you push yourself so you don’t feel like your day was wasted in bed, you feel guilty that you no longer pull your own weight in the house. Your kids, spouse or family do things for you more than ever. They try to do it in a nice manner but you still feel like a burden. You can’t remember anything, cannot recall names or dates and you lose your train of thought mid-sentence. Also you know more about Fibromyalgia in this stage then your own doctor and basically laugh when trying a new medication. You are without hope, same drill as before, same results, nothing helps much.

6 Aspects of Fibromyalgia Doctors Don’t Share

Chronic, widespread pain, muscle spasms and weakness, migraines, morning stiffness, sensitivity to touch, insomnia, and brain fog are recognizable symptoms of fibromyalgia. But these are not the only struggles associated with the syndrome. Here are 6 aspects of chronic illness the doctors don’t share with you.

Shame

Being diagnosed with a chronic illness is nothing to be ashamed about, yet many patients hang their heads when discussing it. How often do you visit the specialist and hear, “Have you been doing your yoga?” or “Are you still eating gluten?” This affects our brain as though we have done something wrong and are being punished.

Loss of Friends

Unfortunately, those with chronic illness find themselves losing more than just their normality of life. Most people only accept excuses for ditching events a few times before they stop asking. I have found that tolerances last from one to three days before people expect you to function “normally.” When you don’t meet those expectations, their frustration grows. Eventually, those friendships fall away, and you find yourself struggling alone. It’s not that your friends are bad people. People just struggle to understand what they’ve not experienced personally.

Medication is a Crap Shoot

Realistically, fibromyalgia has such varied symptoms which affect each person differently. This makes it difficult for doctors to prescribe a magic cocktail of drugs. For the human test dummies, finding a good mix of medication can take years of trial and error. Each medication is wrought with its own set of fabulous side effects: dizziness, dry mouth, weight gain, depression, nausea, vomiting, fatigue. In my experience, any symptom I didn’t already have I gained through the medication. I started Savella in 2009. For six weeks I vomited anything besides Saltine crackers. It was a great way to lose the Prednisone weight, but ended up exacerbating my fibromyalgia symptoms. To be honest, I have been prescribed all three FDA approved drugs. None of them have made a significant difference for me.

Too functional to be disabled but too disabled to function.

Depression

The big D that we hate to talk about: depression. Depression is normal with any chronic illness. Rearranging your world after your auto-immune diagnosis is hard on the ego. Ego demands constant affirmation and appeasement, which most of us get from our families and our work. Chronic illness systematically removes our ability to feed our ego in those spaces. Add in the struggle to maintain housework, cleanliness, relationships, and hobbies and you have fruit ripe for developing depression. I’m not referring to typical sadness- I’m talking about the crying-for-days, can’t-get-out-of-bed, want-to-stay-in-a-dark-hole-forever kind of depression. You know this illness isn’t going to magically disappear. You know the physical symptoms aren’t going to get better or go away. And, quite frankly, it blows.

Discrimination

The other big D we pretend doesn’t exist: discrimination. I once had a boss who, when I shared my disability (and most chronic illnesses are disabilities recognized by the ADA) and asked for reasonable accommodations responded, “You’ll be fine.” Wow! Thanks for letting me know that walking an extra 700 feet won’t put me in bed for three days. How awesome are you?! That, my friends, is discrimination. And it happens. All. The. Time. That same boss proceeded to call out my unpredictable inability to walk quickly, hold a pen, type, or think in team meetings, which was embarrassing and humiliating (hello, shame).

Disability

And finally the third big D: disability. Many chronic illnesses are recognized as disabilities under the ADA. But it is still difficult for many to receive social security disability. Most who do eventually win do so because of a mental health disability, rather than just a physical disability. Fibromyalgia has gained recognition in recent years. Social Security published criteria in 2012, but is still largely difficult to win a disability claim. The symptoms are not consistent across patients, and are largely subjective, which makes them hard to measure and diagnose. This is one of the most frustrating aspects of these illnesses. We are too functional to be disabled, but too disabled to be functional.

Whether you have been diagnosed weeks or decades ago, know that you are not alone in your struggle. More than 125 million Americans are currently living with a chronic illness (5 million with Fibromyalgia). As people continue to shine a light on the after-effects of these illnesses, the aspects of shame and stigma will continue to decrease.

Source: myplaceofserenity.com

43 Symptoms of Fibromyalgia – Anyone With Muscle Pain Should Read This

Fibromyalgia is, unfortunately, a common issue which affects 3-5 million people, or 1 in every five people.

This syndrome is characterized by debilitating pain in the entire body. Yet, chronic muscle pain does not necessarily mean that you suffer from fibromyalgia, as this condition leads to other symptoms as well.

Yet, if your muscles ache all of the time, you need to check the list of fibromyalgia symptoms and see if you need to find a proper treatment or you can rule out fibromyalgia as a potential cause.

Fibromyalgia symptoms:

Muscle and Body Tissues

• Mild to severe pain in different body parts
• Morning stiffness
• Muscle Twitching
• Swelling
• Tender and lumpy breasts (Fibrocystic breasts, as an overlapping condition)

Stomach and Digestion Issues

• Bloating, nausea, abdominal cramps, and pelvic pain
• IBS
• Frequent urination

Allergy and Sinus Issues

• Shortness of breath
• Itchy ears and earaches
• Ringing ears
• Thick mucus
• Allergies, sensitivity to molds and yeasts
• A runny nose and post nasal drip

Heart Problems

• Valve issues
• Pain similar to the one during a heart attack
• Irregular heartbeat

Sensory Problems and Sensitivity

• Difficulty with night driving and seeing in low lighting
• Sensitive to smells, light, noise, temperature, climate, and pressure changes.

Sleep issues

• Fatigue
• Feeling like falling while sleeping
• Muscle twitching even while sleeping
• Difficulty sleeping/broken sleeping pattern, feeling tired and lethargic each morning
• Grinding teeth

Cognitive Difficulties

• Language impairments and difficulty pronouncing familiar words
• Directional difficulties and recognizing familiar surroundings
• Poor coordination and balance
• Zone out often, concentration issues, inability to differentiate color shades, and short-term memory.
• Burning or tingling in the upper limbs

Hair, Skin, and Nails

 

• Hair loss
• Overly-ridged nails or curved nails
• Skin that bruises or scars easily or appears mottled

 

Mental Health issues

 

• Mood swings, irritability without a reason
• Anxiety, depression, panic attacks

 

Reproductive Problems

 

• Loss of libido
• PMS and other menstrual problems
• Impotence

 

Other Symptoms

 

• Unexplained weight gain or weight loss
• Headaches and migraines
• Vision changes
• Family history
• The sweats
• Carbohydrate and chocolate cravings

These symptoms are non-specific, meaning that they can result from other health issues too, so you should not jump to any conclusions yet.

This condition is not easy to diagnose either, as it can be mistaken for other issues, and there are no specific fibromyalgia tests that are 100% accurate.

 

A fibromyalgia diagnosis requires one to meet the following criteria set by The American College of Rheumatology:

 

• Widespread pain felt for at least 3 months in all four body quadrants
• 11 out of 18 tender points, with pain felt when palpated
• Negative findings for any other diseases on the diagnostic tests

 

To rule out other conditions and diagnose fibromyalgia, doctors use a set of diagnostic tests, like:

 

• Complete blood count
• Antinuclear Antibody (ANA)
• Rheumatoid factor
• Erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR)
• X-rays
• MRI
• Thyroid tests

 

Source: www.healthy-holistic-living.com