Fibromyalgia (FM) has proven to be a very disabling disorder affecting up to 2 to 4% of the world’s population.  Women seem to be much more affected than men.  Fibromyalgia isn’t progressive, but some symptoms can get worse as time goes by.  It is characterized by chronic fatigue, intense muscle pain, sleeping problems, stomach problems, headaches - whatever is associated with the nerves and muscles. 

Many people with fibromyalgia also experience additional symptoms such as fatigue, headaches, irritable bowel syndrome, irritable bladder, cognitive and memory problems (often called “fibro fog”), TMJ (jaw) disorder, pelvic pain, restless leg syndrome, sensitivity to noise and temperature, and anxiety and depression. A person cannot die from this illness, but it can be very debilitating and is lifelong. 

Fibromyalgia is also difficult to diagnose because its symptoms of fatigue and disturbed sleep describe several medical conditions.  It is often referred to as an "invisible" illness or disability due to the fact that generally there are no outward indications of the illness or its resulting disabilities.  The invisible nature of the illness, as well as its relative rarity and the lack of understanding about its pathology, often has psychosocial complications for those that have the syndrome.  FM is not well understood by the medical community.  It is known, though, that certain people are more at risk of developing Fibromyalgia than others.

Fibromyalgia can affect every aspect of a person's life.  FM causes pain all over the sufferer's body, and it has no known cure.  The cause of the condition is unknown, although recent research shows that an oversensitivity located in the pain center of the brain may be the culprit.  The pain is a wandering pain.  One day it may present in the back and the next day in the shoulders. 

Pain and fatigue are usually the most debilitating factors of Fibromyalgia.  The majority of people with the illness have been demonstrated to have a sleep disorder and researchers have found that most patients fall asleep fairly easily but their stage 4 sleep (deep sleep) is continually interrupted by brain activity normally only demonstrated by an awake brain.

Fibromyalgia sufferers must recharge and recoup the tremendous amount of energy used daily just living with this disease.  This takes much more sleep than a well person, and is the number one key to storing enough energy just to get through another day.  The next step involves visiting a reputable rheumatologist for help with managing the syndrome.

Fibromyalgia is real, it hurts in a bad way and it intrudes into your life and relationships.  Support groups, whether online or in person, are a good place to communicate with others who understand, and expanding your knowledge of fibromyalgia is easy, thanks to numerous online resources. 

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