Like other chronic pain conditions, fibromyalgia has no cure. What Are the Treatments for Fibromyalgia? Furthermore, a growing number of fibromyalgia patients are successfully managing their symptoms without prescription drugs or over-the-counter painkillers. The good news is that relief and recovery are possible. When you feel constantly tired and achy, it’s often hard to enjoy hobbies and time with loved ones.
īecause it’s primarily a pain disease, fibromyalgia can take a toll on a sufferer’s life. Doctors can also diagnose fibromyalgia when a patient feels pain at 11 or more of 18 identified fibromyalgia pain points. Doctors also “use a two-part scoring system to measure how widespread your pain has been and how much your symptoms affect your daily life.” Many patients experience intense discomfort at various “pain points” throughout the body. Rather, arriving at a diagnosis usually involves a process of elimination to rule out other conditions. There is no single test doctors can use to diagnose fibromyalgia.
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Additionally, fibromyalgia and fatigue tend to go hand in hand, with many sufferers reporting chronic tiredness and insomnia - even after a full night’s sleep. It’s also common for sufferers to experience various mental health symptoms, including brain fog (sometimes called “fibro fog”) as well as anxiety and depression. Additionally, it takes an average of five years from the onset of symptoms for patients to receive a fibromyalgia diagnosis.Ĭommon symptoms of fibromyalgia include gastrointestinal issues, headaches, sensitivity to hot and cold, frequent urination, numbness or tingling in the extremities, and a dry mouth, nose and eyes. Sadly, almost 70 percent of people with fibromyalgia remain undiagnosed. However, these conditions tend to affect a specific area of the body, whereas fibromyalgia is characterized by widespread pain and stiffness. It doesn’t help that fibromyalgia is inherently difficult to diagnose.Īccording to WebMD, part of what makes fibromyalgia so challenging to diagnose is its similarity to several other related conditions, including osteoarthritis, bursitis, and tendinitis.
Some health experts refer to this phenomenon as a “gender pain gap.” Tiffany Vance-Huffman at Fibromyalgia Treating quotes Siobhan Fenton at The Independent : “This gender pain gap has a number of serious and far-reaching implications including that women in acute pain are left to suffer for longer in hospitals, they are more likely to be misdiagnosed with mental health problems due to misogynistic stereotypes that women are ‘emotional’ even when clinical results show their pain is real and they are consistently allocated less time than male patients by hospital staff…” How Fibromyalgia Impacts Daily Lifeįor many fibromyalgia patients - particularly women - being doubted or disbelieved simply adds insult to injury when dealing with the life-changing symptoms of a chronic pain disease. The American Chronic Pain Association (ACPA) reports that 90 percent of fibromyalgia sufferers are women.īecause the disease disproportionately affects women, many fibromyalgia patients report being dismissed or ignored by their medical providers. Unfortunately, it’s common for those with fibromyalgia to suffer for years before receiving a diagnosis. If you suffer from fibromyalgia, there are ways to ease your symptoms and reclaim your health.ĭespite being the second most common health condition affecting the bones and muscles, fibromyalgia is still widely misunderstood - even in the medical community. If you or a loved one suffers from fibromyalgia, a weighted blanket may help ease your symptoms, reduce anxiety and depression, and help you enjoy an active lifestyle again. The symptoms, which include widespread chronic pain, can be debilitating. Fibromyalgia affects up to 10 million Americans.
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