Sometimes, IT is NOT in your head...

I wake up with IT.
I go to bed with IT.
What is IT that keeps me company?
Toss and turn at night in agony?
What is the cause of my misery?
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IT is there.

Twenty-four seven, three hundred and sixty five days a year.

Unremitting. Unrelenting. (But you will have your "good" days, when IT isn't so bad.)

Always making ITS presence known.

Interfering with all aspects of your life.

IT determines whether or not today will be a good day or a bad day.

IT determines if I will get a good night's rest or not.

IT ruins relationships, because everything has to revolve around IT and not "us."

IT ruins employment, because IT may not allow me to fully perform my job...I may have overslept, because IT didn't want me to move, I may not be able to do everything my job demands, because IT won't let me.

What is IT? Pain, due to Fibromyalgia (FM).

Fibromyalgia ("fie-broe-my-AL-gee-uh") is a chronic ("long lasting") condition or disorder that causes widespread pain throughout the musculature of the human body, including soft tissue, muscles, tendons, cartilage and connective tissue; it also causes fatigue, and "tender points." Tender points occur in localized (small) areas, and seem to target the neck, spine, shoulders and hips.

Experts don't know why Fibromyalgia affects 3-6 million Americans, or why it seems to affect women more than men. Children and the elderly can also be affected.

They don't know what its causes are; researchers believe that it can be triggered by an injury or trauma, be associated with other conditions, such as rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), an auto-immune disorder, or by conditions affecting the central nervous system, musculature, or perhaps by a virus in susceptible persons.

It is an extrememly difficult condition to diagnose. Many of its symptoms mimic other conditions, such as morning stiffness; this could be a symptom of arthritis or other disorder as well as Fibromyalgia.

Sometimes, after going to doctor after doctor after doctor, trying to find relief for their pain or a diagnosis, many patients are told to "live with it" and that the pain is "all in their head."

What the physician MUST do is review the patient's medical history--how long has the patient been having pain? Is the pain chronic, or has it just suddenly started? Is it localized, or is it widespread?

The physician must also do a physical examination and determine if the pain is widespread (pain in both sides of the body, pain above and below the waist) or not. He will palpate, or feel, certain areas on the body and try to produce the painful sensations; to be diagnosed with Fibromyalgia, the patient must have pain in 11 of 18 trigger points on digital palpation.

Fatigue is a common complaint among Fibromyalgia patients; other problems they may have include sleep disturbances, anxiety, morning stiffness, irritable bowel syndrome, and other difficulties.

Treating Fibromyalgia is not easy. A comprehensive approach is necessary between physician, physical therapist, other medical personnel, and the patient. All must play an active role in managing it.

Patients that are diagnosed with Fibromyalgia need to get plenty of rest, especially during an active "attack" (also called a "flare-up"). Experts also recommend that the patient get plenty of aerobic exercise (such as swimming or walking); this may improve muscle strength and reduce weakness, pain and tenderness.

Heat and massage therapy may also offer short term relief. Medication, in the form of over the counter analgesics (pain relievers) such as Naproxyn Sodium, Acetominophen, or Ibuprofen may help. Some patients are also prescribed antidepressants, to help improve quality of sleep, relax tense muscles, and to elevate the mood.