Whispering Landscape

WHAT IS FIBROMYALGIA?

Fibromyalgia is a debilitating, serious medical problem where doctors haven't found a cure. Even though it sounds like one has no hope, bare in mind that you can have a fulfilling, long and happy life. It will not be easy but their is light at the end of the tunnel if you are prepared to put in the miles.

Fibromyalgia syndrome or FMS as it's known will not leave permit damage to any of your main organs. For many years, we have been overlooked as being 'out of sorts',  with our flu-like symptoms, a body full of aches and pains which can leave us mentally and emotionally exhausted. 



WHAT ARE SOME OF THE SYMPTOMS OF FIBROMYALGIA?

Each individual has their own series of pains - no two people are alike. Where one person may be able to handle the situation all in their stride, making changes in their lives and moving forward, others will have a hard time even getting out of bed to deal with normal daily activities. So seeking professional help is of the up-most importance. Also some of the symptoms you may be experiencing, can mimic a wide range of other medical problems - so I emphasis again, if you are not quite up to par with your health, see your General Practitioner for further advice.

Some of the primary ailments can be:



​JOINT AND MUSCLE PAIN: The pain in the joints is not actually associated with the joints at all but with the area (including tendons) around the joints. At my specialist appointment I was told that an individual can have at least 18 pressure points over their body which will signify they have FMS. After a long examination I had at least 13 of them. Thirteen is unlucky for some, well I say, I  finally have a name to put with all these months of feeling unwell and that it's not just a cold or exhaustion. Later in my 'ABOUT ME' section, I'll relate how I have come to this point in my life. FMS loves to flair up in the soft tissue areas of the body which include burning pain, pain shooting through parts of your body, tingling and numbness in your hands, feet and legs. The pain is often found in the neck, back, shoulders, hands, feet, ankles, legs, chest wall and even in the hips (my most prominent area, including the shoulders and neck).



​FATIGUE: I have heard that Fibromyalgia is the next step on from Chronic Fatigue. This was the one area where I knew there was something not quite right. Most mornings it was difficult to get out of bed and to rise to cope with another day without a decent sleep the night before. However, if I did get a proper sleep then the mornings were bearable, but then to be running out of steam in the early afternoon. I was beginning to feel like my mother and needed nanna naps every afternoon, which was the only way to make it through the rest of the day. The one thing to look forward too though was yet another restless night, which leads me onto the section on lack of sleep.

SLEEPLESS NIGHTS OR IRREGULAR REM'S:  Those I have talked with have mention their sleepless nights or lack of a deep restful sleep. Each morning I would wake so fatigued and exhausted it often felt like I had run a marathon in the night. I would have difficulty getting to sleep and would wake frequently during the night - most times three or four toilet stops to break up the boredom. I have found that if I happened upon a good nights sleep my muscle pain would be considerably better. So does not having rest have some bearing on my muscle pain? My answer is absolutely...yes! Why do most athletes the night before a big game insist on an early night, I believe its to give their body and muscles a time to heal and to help restore them to better health. If I had overdone myself with some work in the garden, I have found if in the next few days I dosed myself with extra magnesium tablets and tried to get more rest than usual my muscles would hurt less and heal quickly.



​BOWEL PROBLEMS: Up to a year before I was diagnosed with FMS, I had been seeing a local doctor/surgeon about my bowel problems. The pipes were often blocked or flowing to freely, but after two colonscopies showed that all was clear, yet I was still having problems. This same surgeon was the one that finally thought that maybe, with all my other aliments that he would send me to a Rheumatologist Clinic in the city. Later he told me he thought I could have Fibromyalgia. This was not the only problem as four years ago I was told I had Helicobacter, a digestive disorder, which still hasn't been cured. I will cover this another time. A correct diet can be very helpful with controlling this bowel glitch.



​HEADACHES: I have never had  bad headaches until the last few months. Lately they seem to be a regular part of my day. Often starting in my upper neck where the tension can be quite severe, however;  a few panadol fixes the problem quickly. FMS patients are sensitive in this area.



​​SENSITIVE TO THE WEATHER: A patient can be sensitive to the cold or humid weather. I have always loved the summer weather but now it is the one thing that can cause the worst flair-up for my FMS. The change in temperature can lay me up for the day without any difficulty. But talking with others its the cold that does the same thing to them. Either way relieve your symptoms with a cold flannel or a wheat bag from the microwave to ease your joints and muscles.



​'FIBRO FOG': I often laugh with my family that they have to wait a minute until my head comes out of the fog. My concentration and memory are poorer and I quite regularly stop and take a moment to regain my thoughts. Walking into a room and forgetting why I was there is an everyday occurrence for me. The worst part, my deep love for reading and writing has been altered due to trying to remember things which now disappear from my mind. 



These are the main symptoms that I deal with repeatedly but I know that others have such a wide range of other aliments. Here are a few of them:

• Depression and Anxiety

• Chest Wall Pain

• Dry eyes and mouth

• A decrease in eye sight

• Frequent urination

• Painful menstrual cramps

• Stiffness in other parts of the body

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The beginning of each day brings new choices and with this we can either let these horrible aliments ruin our life or we can find joy in knowing Fibromyalgia  may not be curable but manageable. ​If we take a moment to look at the world through positive eyes, we may realize that we could be so much worse off.