Today more and more doctors are diagnosing people with this disorder called fibromyalgia. However, nobody knows the true cause of fibromyalgia. There is no routine laboratory testing or any X-rays that can be used to reveal anything about this condition. For this reason, many doctors initially thought that the problems suffered by FMS patients were all "in their heads" or that patients who had ibromyalgia actually had a form of masked depression or hypochondria. These doctors then thought that they should run extensive psychological tests on their patients.
FMS Is NOT All In Your Head!
However, after years of research, doctors have learned that fibromyalgia is a real condition. Physicians have found they have to take a careful history in order to look at the many different signs that may indicate that a patient has fibromyalgia. The basic symptoms checklist for fibromyalgia include…
PAIN!
A person with fbromyalgia has pain in the upper chest, neck, back, shoulders, joints or overall pain and achiness, which is similar to a bad case of flu. The pain is often described as burning or gnawing and feeling achy and stiff in the morning. In fact, some level of pain is constant, but its severity may vary from day to day.
The pain's intensity may be increased by exercise, stress, poor sleep or bad weather. A person must have this feeling in at least eleven of eighteen points for a period of three or more months for the ifbromyalgia diagnosis to be made. This pain must also be located on both sides of the body, both above and below the waist.
Trigger Points
There is often a trigger point for the pain that a person with fibromyalgia suffers. This is a tender, painful place, which is sensitive to touch. These points are tender to palpation and they may feel somewhat hardened whenever that muscle is stroked. Frequently, pressure over this one area (you may have more than one area) will cause pain to radiate outwards, hence the term trigger point. In some people, a trigger point may form from an injury to the upper spine or a viral or bacterial infection.
Fatigue
A diagnosis of ffibromyalgia also includes fatigue, which fluctuates from moderate to severe and lasts for at least six months. This may be due to non-restorative or non-refreshing sleep because of either insomnia or multiple awakenings throughout the night. This means that you often wake up tired and un-refreshed even though you've seemingly gotten enough sleep. Therefore you have an extreme lack of energy. A person with fibromyalgia may also suffer from night sweats and drooling in their sleep.
Depression
The combination of pain and fatigue can lead to depression. It is not yet clear whether depression causes firomyalgia or if it is a consequence of it. Nevertheless, numerous people with fibromyalgia are clinically depressed at some point in time. This may turn into a major bout with depression at some point.
Weight Gain or Loss
Many people with fibromyalgia have a history of extreme weight gain or weight loss. This may be due to irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) which is yet another symptom of fibromyalgia. Irritable bowel syndrome is a gastrointestinal disorder of unknown cause. It consists of any of the following symptoms: diarrhea, gas pains, bloating, and constipation.
Of course, there are many more symptoms, which go hand-in-hand with this disease. Some of these other symptoms may include: a history of multiple ailments (i.e. hypoglycemia, seizures, headaches, migraines, toothaches, mouth ulcers, allergies, asthma, restless leg syndrome, muscle twitching, tendonitis, numbness, tingling or swelling in hands or feet, carpal tunnel syndrome); heightened sensitivity to odors, noises, bright lights, various foods and changes in weather; trouble concentrating; short-term memory problems; and problems with vision.
However, those symptoms that have been listed in detail above are the main points that your doctor will consider when diagnosing you with fibromyalgia. More symptoms are being discovered all of the time since doctors and specialists are still working to perfect what the definition of fibromyalgia should truly be. Nevertheless, if you feel that you may have this disability, you are encouraged to seek out more information from your doctor to help live with this disability.
