Truths that other would understand regarding the fibromyalgia!
Fibromyalgia is all about the unpredictable, varying and unusual symptoms, lasting from days to months to years. More than 10 million people are suffering from Fibromyalgia in the United States.
The interesting fact about fibromyalgia is every person living with fibromyalgia has their own set of unique symptoms. Due to the different signs, it is often misdiagnosed with other conditions.
There is no lab test available to rule out the fibromyalgia, but, your doctor may prescribe you lab tests to screen any systemic disease contributing and triggering the fibromyalgia.
Most common symptoms of the fibromyalgia are
- Sleep disturbance
- Fatigue episodes
- Widespread pain
- Irritable bowel syndrome
- Depression and anxiety
- Difficulty in concentration
- Headaches and migraine
- Over-sensitivity to the pain, light, touch or even fragrance
- stress
Symptoms can come and go. In fact, this disease has a relapse and remission phases as well. Some people may not experience the symptoms even for years, but suddenly, the fibro flares ups due to any potential trigger.
As compared to men, women are more commonly affected by the fibromyalgia. However, men and children can also get affected from the fibromyalgia.
Triggers can make the condition of person living with fibromyalgia worse. Weather changes, physical or psychological stress, hormonal changes, poor sleep, traveling or change in the traveling schedule, change in the treatment and poor diet are the popular triggers, making the condition of a person with fibromyalgia deliberately excruciating.
The secret to prevent the fibro flare ups is you should know about your potential trigger. Hence, if you know which thing is going to make your condition even terrible, you can manage your condition smartly.
The treatment and management of the fibromyalgia are a bit tricky. Besides with medicines, the alternative therapies, including exercise, meditation, and yoga, acupuncture, and relaxation techniques can improve your overall functionality.
Why awareness of fibromyalgia is significant?
Understanding the fibromyalgia is difficult though, not only for the person who is combating with the disease, in fact, sometimes, the family members and friends won’t understand what is happening with the person. Lack of awareness leads to lack of support.
If people around you don’t know about the hidden cause of your fluctuating moods or even fatigue, they won’t give you the support that you actually need it whenever the fibro hits you.
Despite that fibromyalgia’s incidence is increasing worldwide; on average, the people with fibro (and their family members and friends) have little knowledge about the fibromyalgia.
Support from the people around you is extremely important for boosting the self-confidence and self-esteem. Also, the strong support motivates you when fibromyalgia spikes up.
What truths do people with fibromyalgia desires that others would understand?
Those suffering from fibromyalgia could better know that how does it feel when the concentration is not possible? When fatigue and pain episodes wax and wane more frequently?
Surely, living with fibromyalgia is not easier and it is extremely necessary that other would know that the person with fibro is undergoing through the terrible period of his life.
Here, we’ve summed up the truths that people with fibromyalgia wishes that other would understand their condition.
1- ‘It is real’
It is often believed that fibromyalgia is imagined and the person with fibro has the symptoms due to the psychological problem, but actually, it’s the biggest misconception of fibromyalgia.
Undoubtedly, it is real and a person with fibromyalgia won’t fake their symptoms. They actually feel the symptoms, regardless, how severe it is and how frequent it is.
2- ‘It’s always there. I may act normal, I still hurt’
Fibromyalgia symptoms can aggravate and subside anytime and anywhere. The potential triggers could be a hidden reason for fibro flare ups, but, it is possible that fibro hits you without any trigger.
Just remember, no two patients living with fibromyalgia can experience the similar symptoms.
3- ‘I wish we could wear a traffic light device that would allow others to know that what kind of day that we had’
Others couldn’t estimate that how much difficult is it to carry out the day-to-day tasks efficiently even battling with fibromyalgia.
If the person is complaining about the pain, fatigue, decreased concentration, and mood issues, others should consider it seriously.
Managing the symptoms parallel to performing the activities of every day is a very tough task for the people with fibromyalgia. So, instead of arguing with the sufferer, try to encourage him!
4- It’s not fun to stay home instead of going to work
A review has been published in Arthritis research & Therapy in 2013 revealed that fatigue is a stubborn, disabling and persistent symptom of fibromyalgia. Also, it has been concluded that fatigue doesn’t occur alone, it is intertwined with other symptoms as well.
No one wants to be sick and get the long bed rest for days or even weeks. In the case of fibromyalgia people, other would misjudge their disease and label the bed rest as fun.
5- Everyday activities are utterly exhausting
Can you do your activities with extreme low back pain? Can you work profoundly with poor concentration power? It’s actually very tough to accomplish the task with any severe illness.
Since, fibromyalgia is all about the combination of the symptoms, the everyday activities for the people with fibro is actually like climbing up the peak of a mountain.
Also, when the everyday activities can’t be completed properly, people with fibro would feel more excruciated and exhausted.
6- We’re not making this up, and it’s not ‘all in our heads’
Absolutely true! Fibromyalgia symptoms are not assumed; they actually occur and interfere with the person’s activities of daily living.
However, when doctors don’t detect the fibromyalgia initially, the person with fibromyalgia would think that all this is just an assumption.
But, when the person finds any doctor suspecting fibromyalgia, then, the physician would convince and tell him about the symptoms.
People with fibro are not faking being ill. What they feel, they actually mean it. Other should give them extra support so that they can combat with the disease and recover soon.
REFERENCES:
- https://themighty.com/2015/11/what-to-know-about-fibromyalgia/
- http://dailymedicalinformatics.info/23-truths-people-with-fibromyalgia-wish-others-understood/
- http://blog.arthritis.org/living-with-arthritis/symptoms-fibromyalgia-triggers-treatment/
- http://www.healthline.com/health/fibromyalgia-real-or-imagined#Overview1
- http://theness.com/neurologicablog/index.php/is-fibromyalgia-real/
- http://www.everydayhealth.com/news/myths-facts-about-fibromyalgia/
- http://www.fibrocenter.com/fibromyalgia-facts
- http://www.lifescript.com/health/centers/fibromyalgia/articles/5_fibromyalgia_myths_and_facts.aspx
- https://themighty.com/2015/11/what-to-know-about-fibromyalgia/
Fibromyalgia is sure a deadly disease with all the symptoms you listed but what makes it different from other diseases is the type os symptoms. It varies from one individual to another so we cannot really list the types.keep uo the good work in the campaign against fibromyalgia.
I’m not at all that familiar with fibromyalgia, so I think it’s great that you have so much useful information about it. Like with all diseases it’s important to raise awareness and education people on the disease and side effects.
I had a really good friend with fibromyalgia, and it was a constant problem. Each and every day was horrible for him, but he had to go to work and support the family, and he wanted to do things with his wife and kids, so he did, even when he felt terrible. It was really hard for him to make friends, and I think it was just too much of a strain. He could barely take care of his other responsibilities. To make matters worse, he’d been going to doctors for years and at first, none of the doctors believed him. It was like adding insult to injury.
Now, most doctors know what it was, but when he got it, nobody knew.
I have another friend who spends a lot of time indoors in her apartment because she has fibro too. She’d love to go out and have fun, and she’s very sociable by nature, but the constant symptoms make it really hard. As your article states, it is NO FUN to “be able” to stay at home. It gets really boring and demoralizing. I really feel for people who suffer from this disease.
I think the fact that the symptoms of fibromyalgia vary from one individual to the other is the more reason for the need of proper awareness to the populace about disease
This is such a scary disease. It really just seems like nobody quite understands it. Chronic pain is no joke — my heart goes out to people who have it. And YES don’t ever tell someone their pain is in their heads. People can be such jerks.