Q and A

                         For the Families of People with Fibromyalgia:

     This is for you dear reader. To answer questions you may have about the confusing ailment your loved one is going through each and every day.

    The first thing you need to know is there is no such thing as a typical day, or a good day. Some days may be better than others, but always we are fighting just to make it through another day.

      The following questions and answers were found on the website WebMD.

      What is Fibromyalgia? Fibromyalgia is widespread pain in the muscles and soft tissues above and below the waist and on both sides of the body. Fibromyalgia is a syndrome-a set of symptoms that happen together but do not have a known cause. In this syndrome, the nervous system (nerves, spinal cord, and brain) is not able to control what it feels, so ordinary feelings from your muscles, joints, and soft tissues are experienced as pain. People with fibromyalgia feel pain and/or tenderness even when there is no injury or inflammation.

Fibromyalgia does not harm your muscles, joints, or organs. And there are many things you can do to control it. When it is not controlled, you may not have any energy. Or you may feel depressed or have trouble sleeping. These and other symptoms can be bad enough to cause problems with your work and home life. With treatment, most people with fibromyalgia are able to continue working and participating in daily activities. Some people change their work duties and lifestyle if their symptoms are severe. 
       
What Are the Common Symptoms of Fibromyalgia?

• Pain

• Anxiety

• Concentration and memory problems -- known as "fibro fog"

• Depression

• Fatigue

• Headaches

• Irritable bowel syndrome

• Morning stiffness

• Painful menstrual cramps

• Sleep problems

• Numbness, and tingling in hands, arms, feet, and legs

• Tender points

• Urinary symptoms, such as pain or frequency

Is Pain the Most Common Symptom of Fibromyalgia?
Do Painful Tender Points Accompany Fibromyalgia Pain?
Is Fatigue a Fibromyalgia Symptom?

• Fatigue on arising in the morning

• Fatigue after mild activity such as grocery shopping or cooking dinner

• Too fatigued to start a project such as folding clothes or ironing

• Too fatigued to exercise

• More fatigued after exercise

• Too fatigued for sex

• Too fatigued to function adequately at work

Common symptoms of fibromyalgia -- also known as fibromyalgia syndrome or FMS -- may include:
Yes. Widespread pain is characteristic of more than 97%of patients with fibromyalgia. In fact, pain is usually what forces a person with fibromyalgia to see his or her doctor.
Unlike the joint pain of osteoarthr, fibromyalgia pain is felt over the entire body. The pain can be a deep, sharp, dull, throbbing, or aching and is pain that's felt in the muscles, tendons, and ligaments around the joints. The Arthritis Foundation describes the muscle and tissue pain as tender, aching, throbbing, sore, burning, and gnawing.
For some people with fibromyalgia, the pain comes and goes. The pain also seems to travel throughout the body.
Along with the deep muscle soreness and body aches, people with fibromyalgia may have painful tender points or localized areas of tenderness around their joints that hurt when pressed with a finger. It's the tissue around the joints rather than the joints themselves that hurts. These tender points are often not areas of deep pain. Instead, they are superficial, located under the surface of the skin.
The location of tender points is not random. They are in predictable places on the body. If you apply pressure to tender points on a person without fibromyalgia, he or she would just feel pressure. For a person with fibromyalgia, pressing the tender points can be extremely painful.
Next to pain and tender points, fatigue is a major complaint. Fatigue in fibromyalgia refers to a lingering tiredness that is more constant and limiting than what we would usually expect. Some patients complain of being tired even when they should feel rested, such as when they've had enough sleep. Some patients report the fatigue of fibromyalgia as being similar to . Some compare it to how it feels after working long hours and missing a lot of sleep.
With fibromyalgia, you may feel:

• Fatigue on arising in the morning
• Fatigue after mild activity such as grocery shopping or cooking dinner
• Too fatigued to start a project such as folding clothes or ironing
• Too fatigued to exercise
• More fatigued after exercise
• Too fatigued for sex
• Too fatigued to function adequately at work

    

Are Sleep Disturbances a Common Symptom of Fibromyalgia?

Sleep disturbances are common in the majority of people with fibromyalgia. While people with fibromyalgia may not have difficulty falling asleep, their sleep is light and easily disturbed. Many awaken in the morning feeling exhausted and unrefreshed. These sleep disturbances may help create a constant state of fatigue.
During sleep, individuals with fibromyalgia are constantly interrupted by bursts of brain activity similar to the activity that occurs in the brain when they are awake. Tests in sleep labs done on individuals with fibromyalgia have shown that people with fibromyalgia experience interruptions in deep sleep. These interruptions limit the amount of time they spend in deep sleep. As a result, their body is unable to rejuvenate itself.

Does Morning Stiffness Affect Many Fibromyalgia Patients?

Studies show that more than 75% of people diagnosed with fibromyalgia feel stiffness in the morning when they get up. The stiffness is extensive -- affecting the muscles and joints of the back, arms, and legs. It makes them feel the need to "loosen up" after getting out of bed before beginning their usual activities.
Some people with fibromyalgia report that the morning stiffness may last only a few minutes, but in general, it is usually very noticeable for more than 15 to 20 minutes each day. In some cases, though, the stiffness lasts for hours, and in others it seems to be present all day.
While most people feel stiff when they first wake up, the stiffness associated with fibromyalgia is much more than simply a minor aching. In fact, people with fibromyalgia have the same feeling of stiffness in the morning that people feel with many types of arthritis, especially rheumatoid or inflammatory arthritis.

Is Depression a Fibromyalgia Symptom?

Depression is a key symptom for many people with fibromyalgia. Approximately one out of every four patients with fibromyalgia has current major depression. And one out of every two people with fibromyalgia has a lifetime history of depression.
Stress from the constant pain and fatigue can cause anxiety. Also, chronic pain can result in a person being less active and becoming more withdrawn. This, in turn, can lead to depression.
It is also possible that anxiety and depression may actually be a part of fibromyalgia, just like the pain. Many patients with depression and fibromyalgia tell of having great difficulty concentrating on their work along with impaired short-term memory at times.

What Causes Swelling and Tingling Hands With Fibromyalgia?

Neurological complaints -- such as numbness, tingling, and burning -- are often present with fibromyalgia. While the causes of these feelings is unclear, numbness or tingling sensations in the hands, arms, or legs are felt by more than half of the people with fibromyalgia. The feelings may be especially bothersome when they occur in the mornings along with morning stiffness on arising.
The medical term for these sensations is paresthesia. The sensations usually happen at irregular times. When they do occur, they may last a few minutes or they may be constant. While the sensations can be bothersome, they are not severely limiting.

   

Are Chronic Headaches a Symptom of Fibromyalgia?

Chronic headaches, such as recurrent migraine or tension-type headaches, are common in about 70% of people with fibromyalgia. They can pose a major problem in a person's ability to cope with and self-manage FMS.
The headaches may be a result of pain in the neck and upper part of the back. They are often caused by tightness and contraction of the muscles of the neck, which results in a type of headache called tension-type headaches or muscle-contraction headaches. They may also be caused by tender points over the back of the head and neck. It is important to remember that other medical problems can cause headaches that should be properly diagnosed and treated by your doctor.

Is Irritable Bowel Syndrome a Symptom of Fibromyalgia?

Constipation, diarrhea, frequent abdominal pain, abdominal gas, and nausea represent symptoms frequently found in roughly 40% to 70% of patients with fibromyalgia. Acid reflux or gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) also occurs with the same high frequency.

Is Urinary Frequency a Symptom of Fibromyalgia?

Feeling an urge to urinate, urinary frequency, painful urination, or incontinence can happen in about 25% or more of the cases fibromyalgia. Since these problems can also be caused by other bladder and kidney diseases, such as an infection, check with your doctor to be sure no other problems are present.

Do Menstrual Cramps Affect Women With Fibromyalgia?

Unusually painful menstrual cramps occur in 30% to 40% or more of women with fibromyalgia. These cramps, along with other symptoms, are usually present for years.

What is restless legs syndrome with fibromyalgia?

Restless Leg Syndrome results in discomfort in the legs, especially the areas of the legs below the knees, and the feet. It is especially bothersome at night. The feeling can be painful, but most commonly it is described as the need to move the legs to try to make them comfortable.
Restless legs syndrome often interrupts sleep as the person tries to find a comfortable position for rest. As with other symptoms, restless legs syndrome can be found alone or along with other medical problems.

    I hope this has been helpful for you. If there is anything you would like to see addressed here please feel free to leave me a comment.

                  Until Next time God bless,