What Is It Like To Have Fibromyalgia?
Do you ever wonder what it is like to have fibromyalgia? If you know of someone who has the condition and would like to understand the condition better so you can be more compassionate toward the person, read on because this article should give you a pretty good idea of what it is like to have Fibromyalgia.
Fibromyalgia is a medical condition that carries with it the major symptoms of debilitating fatigue and tremendous pain in all parts of the body. Those two symptoms are the most common ones to be experienced by those with fibromyalgia. They are not the only symptoms however.
The pain can be experienced in the ligaments, muscles and tendons throughout the entire body. It is quite common for those with fibromyalgia to feel achy all over on a daily basis, as if they had constant flu. They may also feel sore, or stiff, especially when they first wake up in the morning. It is also quite common for individuals with fibromyalgia to experience muscle twitches. These muscle twitches can add to the discomfort of the condition.
There are other medical conditions that often plaque fibromyalgia sufferers adding to the misery. Restorative sleep is vital to healing for anyone; individuals with fibromyalgia have a difficult time sleeping and may even suffer from sleep disorders including sleep apnea. This is particularly disturbing since fatigue is one of the major symptoms of fibromyalgia and being that they often feel so tired but are unable to fall asleep just compounds the misery.
Chances are that, that person you know, the one with fibromyalgia is a female because women are more affected by fibromyalgia then men. Fibromyalgia can occur in all age groups and all races not just in women and not just in the Caucasian race. Children can be diagnosed with the condition and so can the elderly although these two age groups often wait longer for the diagnosis to be made because doctors usually try to rule out all other possible reasons for the symptoms because it is difficult for them to believe that anyone other than a woman would suffer from fibromyalgia because with so many of the sufferers being woman, it has begun to be known as a “woman’s disease”.
It is very frustrating to have fibromyalgia because so few individuals and even medical personnel find it difficult to believe that the person really is sick and not just being a really good “complainer”. Fibromyalgia is a real medical condition that can be diagnosed and treated. There is no cure for the condition though, so individuals diagnosed with fibromyalgia must face the fact that this is a lifelong sentence and there is no getting away from the constant pain or fatigue, which are the hallmarks of the condition.
The individual must learn to live with the condition, anticipating all the activities that they need to accomplish in a day so that they can pace themselves and plan the day accordingly. Medications, therapy and treatments are a way of life. These things bring relief to the symptoms that are present everyday. The symptoms may change regarding intensity but they are there day after day. The symptoms themselves may wan or change but symptoms will always be present. Fibromyalgia makes it difficult to hold down a steady job so income and benefits are difficult to come by. It is difficult to participate in the lives of your children because of the constant fatigue. Chronic conditions such as fibromyalgia can devastate relationship with children, and spouses. There isn’t any part of life not touched by the condition.
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Tagged with: fatigue • Fibromyalgia • pain
Filed under: Fibromyalgia
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