What is Fibromyalgia

Fibromyalgia affects millions of people in the United States, but is an invisible condition. Only through education and understanding will we begin to breakthrough the the stigma that follows those who live daily with fibromyalgia.

Fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS) is not a disease, but a chronic condition that causes a myriad of symptoms. Fibromyalgia can affect anyone, regardless of age, gender or heritage. The most common and widespread symptom of FMS is pain. The pain is not caused by any inflammation but it is real. The body of someone with fibromyalgia is more sensitive to sensations that that of someone without the condition. It occurs over the entire body to varying degrees. Approximately 90% people with fibromyalgia also experience fatigue. It is believed this is caused due to difficulty for someone with FMS to reach and maintain the restorative sleep cycles. Someone with fibromyalgia may wake up feeling as if they have been exercising all night or that they have been "hit by a mac truck."

Other symptoms that are common with fibromyalgia are headaches (including migraines), sensitivity to sound, light, smells, and touch, dizziness, confusion, impaired memory and concentration, muscle spasms and cramps, muscle stiffness, numbness in a variety of locations on the body, restless legs and arms, a feeling of weakness or poor stamina, Irritable Bowl Syndrome, nausea, crampy abdominal pain that is intense and unpredictable, bladder pain, crawling skin feelings, itching, Raynaud's phenomena, eye irritation including increased or decreased tear production, vertigo, and temporomandibular joint pain. These symptoms may come and go, may never occur in some people with the condition, or may be continual.

There is no known cause for fibromyalgia. It mimics the other conditions including lyme disease, lupus, hypothyroidism, Parkinson's disease, Myasthenia gravis, rheumatoid arthritis, Reiter's syndrome, multiple sclerosis, and others. Depression, anxiety and other psychological conditions often present with fibromyalgia as well.

There is no single treatment that will work for every person with fibromyalgia and a treatment that once worked my stop working. Each person with fibromyalgia not only experiences a different set of symptoms, but also must be treated individually to determine the best treatment. Common treatments include stress reduction, medication, education, and regular exercise. A change in environmental stimuli may assist in decreasing symptoms as well.

Fibromyalgia syndrome exists. The person is not lazy, not a hypochondriac, not faking it. A person with fibromyalgia is dealing with daily hurdles just to make it through the day. With support and caring from people around them as well as an individualized treatment plan, a person living with fibromyalgia doesn't have to feel alone.






click here for http://www.fmaware.org

click here for http://www.fmpartnership.org/
____________________________

"ode to fibro fog"

By unknown author -
- from Annetti (Bluespirits) local support group

jUST A NOTE TO SAY i'M LIVING
tHAT i'M NOT AMONG THE DEAD
tHOUGH i'M GETTING MORE FORGETFUL
aND MIXED UP IN MY HEAD,

i'VE GOT USED TO BEING TIRED
i GET IT ALL THE TIME
i CAN MANAGE MY FRUSTRATION
bUT, oH i MISS MY MIND,

fOR SOMETIMES I CANT REMEMBER

when I stand at the foot of the stairs
If I must go up for something
Or have I just come down from there,

And before the fridge so often
My poor mind is filled with doubt
I have just put food away
Or have I come to take it out,

And there are many times when its dark
With my nightcap on my head
I dont know if I'm retiring
Or just getting out of bed,

So, if it's my turn to write to you
There's no need for getting sore
I may think that I have written
And don't want to be a bore,

So, remember I'm always thinking of you
And wish that you lived near
But its nearly mail time
So, I must say goodbye my dear,

There I stand before the mail box
With my face so very red
Instead of mailing my letter to you
I opened it instead...........
____________________________


FIBROMYALGIA POEM - by Dale's Honey


WHEN YOU SEE ME ON A "GOOD DAY" I MAY LOOK AS IF NOTHING'S WRONG,

BUT I, MYSELF, AM VERY AWARE THAT THE ENERGY WON'T LAST LONG.

YOU MAY THINK THAT I AM LAZY, OR JUST DON'T LIKE TO TRY,

OR MAYBE I AM JUST DEPRESSED, WHEN SOMETIMES YOU SEE ME CRY.

YOU MAY NOT UNDERSTAND ME, IT'S NOT EASY TO EXPLAIN,

THE STRUGGLES THAT I SO OFTEN ENDURE, AS I LIVE EACH DAY WITH PAIN.

PEOPLE MAY OFFER THEIR OPINIONS, THINKING THAT I JUST NEED SOME ADVISE,

YET THEY DON'T REALLY COMPREHAND, ALTHOUGH THEY ARE TRYING TO BE NICE.

WHAT FOR SOME MAY BE SO EASY, IS ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE TO ME.

BUT BECAUSE I MAY LOOK HEALTHY, MANY AROUND ME FAIL TO SEE.

PERHAPS IT SEEMS THAT I'M SLOPPY, IF I WOULD ONLY TAKE MORE PRIDE,

IT'S SAD THAT MANY DON'T STOP TO SEE THE PERSON WHO IS INSIDE.

PLANNING THINGS IS SO HARD TO DO, WITH EACH DAY UNCERTAIN FATE,

THE BEST THAT I CAN DO IS TRY, AND OFTENTIMES I HAVE TO WAIT,

LIFE CAN BE SO STRESSFUL. EVEN WHEN YOU HAVE YOUR HEALTH,

MANY PEOPLE CAN'T EVEN IMAGINE GIVING UP THEIR DREAMS AND WEALTH.

WHILE SOME PEOPLE MAY WORRY HOW TO FIT EVERYTHING INTO EACH DAY

OTHERS OF US MUST STRUGGLE TO EVEN FIND A WAY.

SO OFTEN MISUNDERSTOOD, SOME SAY THAT IT MUST BE IN MY HEAD,

YET THERE ARE DAYS THAT IS TAKES ALL I HAVE TO EVEN GET OUT OF BED,

YOU'D THINK THAT IF ONE IS WEARY, THEN WHY NOT JUST TAKE A NAP,

BUT THE FATIGUE AT TIMES IS SO SEVERE, THAT NOTHING SEEMS TO HELP.

IF EXERCISE WERE THE ANSWER, I WOULD JUST MOVE INTO A GYM,

BUT INTOLERANCE AND UNBEARABLE PAIN MAKES IT DIFFICULT TO STAY TRIM.

THAT'S ALRIGHT JUST TAKE A PILL, MEDS CAN ALWAYS DO SOME GOOD,

HOWEVER, SOMETIMES THE EFFECTS ARE FAR WORSE, OH, BUT HOW WONDERFUL IT WOULD BE IF I COULD!

LIVING EACH DAY FIGHTING DEFEAT, KNOWING THAT YOU CAN'T GIVE UP AND QUIT,

EVEN THOUGH IT GETS HARD TO DO, JUST TO FIND WAYS OF ACCEPTING IT,

I GUESS IT WOULD BE A BETTER THING, IF THERE WERE A LITTLE MORE SUPPORT,

EVERYONE LONGS FOR ACCEPTANCE AND LOVE AS THEY KEEP THEIR LIFE IN SORT.

IF I COULD MAKE THE WORLD AWARE, HELP THEM TO SEE THINGS IN A NEW LIGHT,

BE CAREFUL ON WHAT THEY BASE THEIR VIEW, THAT THEY MAY RECEIVE A NEW INSIGHT.

THEN MAYBE WHEN SOMEONE ELSE COMES ALONG WHO IS GOING THROUGH SOMETHING UNKNOWN,

THEY MAY NOT FEEL SO HOPELESS AND SCARED AND WILL KNOW THAT THEY'RE NOT ALONE.

WHETHER IT BE A TERMINAL THING OR SOMETHING CHRONIC WITH NO KNOWN CURE,

THERE ARE MANY PROCESSES THAT WILL BE FACED IN THIS WE CAN REST ASSURED.

THE GRIEVING OVER LOSS IS HARD, WHATEVER THE LOSS MAY BE,

WHAT MAY BE JUST A BUMP FOR YOU, COULD SEEM LIKE A MOUNTAIN TO ME.

EVERYONE RESPONDS SO DIFFERENTLY, WE ALL HAVE OUR OWN WAYS TO COPE,

BUT THE ONE THING THAT WE MUST NEVER DO IS BELIEVE THERE'S NO HOPE!

Three out of three. Good job, Kell! I feel like parts of it were written straight to me!

Great poem.
Anything that gets a laugh out of me gets an A+++++++++.
I sent it on to some friends.