Fibromyalgia Education and Awareness Month

My journey with Fibromyalgia started after I was diagnosed with Lyme Disease, Lyme recks havoc on your entire system. I have many other Immune Disorders caused by Lyme. At first, I didn’t know the symptoms because I was constantly in pain. Now I know what life is like living with Fibromyalgia.

Fibromyalgia is a medical syndrome which commonly presents as chronic widespread pain, accompanied by fatigue, waking unrefreshed, and cognitive symptoms. Other symptoms include headaches, lower abdominal pain or cramps, and depression.^[9] People with fibromyalgia can also experience insomnia^[10]and a general hypersensitivity.^[11][12] The cause of fibromyalgia is unknown, but is believed to involve a combination of genetic and environmental factors.^[4]Environmental factors may include psychological stress, trauma, and certain infections.^[4] Since the pain appears to result from processes in the central nervous system, the condition is referred to as a “central sensitization syndrome”.

Fibromyalgia is estimated to affect 2–4% of the population.^[15] Women are affected about twice as often as men.^[4][15] Rates appear similar in different areas of the world and among different cultures.^[4]

With so many people diagnosed with Fibromyalgia, you would think getting a diagnosis was a simple process but it is not. There is no telling how many doctors you will have to see before getting the right diagnosis. Hang in there, this is a common issue among the Fibromyalgia community. Spend more time reading the Rheumatologist’s background to see what their specialty is before making an appointment.

Melinda

References:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fibromyalgia#Classification