FIBROMYALGIA . . . WHAT'S  THAT ?

Fibromyalgia Syndrome, pronounced "fie-bro-my-

al-jia" sind-drom", is a chronic pain condition  

which has been around for many years.  The 

word can be broken down into, "fibro" (con-

nective tissue fibers) "my"(muscle) "al"(pain)

and "gia"(condition of).  The American Medical

Association recognized FMS as a major cause of 

disability and true illness in 1987.  The average 

sufferer spends thousands of dollars on medical 

tests and spends up to five years searching for 

a diagnosis. FMS can have flare-ups and times of

remission, so many sufferers "look fine". But 

during a flare-up, they suffer from widespread 

musculoskeletal pain or aching, non-restorative 

sleep, fatigue, stiffness, skin hypersensitivity,

and multiple tender point pain.  In addition, this

syndrome (which means a group of symptoms), can 

include headaches, sinus conditions, vertigo, irritable

bowel/bladder and digestive problems, Reynaud's, short-

term memory impairment, vision changes, heart-attack 

like pain, muscle twitching, numbness, tingling, 

burning sensations, weakness, exercise intolerance, 

cold and heat sensitivity, and the list goes on.  

There are no blood tests for FMS but a Rheumatologist

can diagnose FMS by looking for 11-18 tender points 

located in four quadrants of the body. It has been 

called the "Irritable Everything" illness.  What can

trigger FMS? It is believed that biochemical changes

can activate FMS caused by trauma, surgery, Lyme 

Disease, viral infections, Stage four sleep 

Deprivation, childbirth, accidents causing injury, 

And many other events as reported by sufferers.

It may be hereditary. FMS can co-exist with other

Conditions such as Chronic Fatigue, MS, Multiple

Chemical Sensitivities, Lupus, Thyroid problems,

Myofascial Pain, Rheumatoid and Osteoarthritis,

Hypoglycemia, Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy, and

Others. To put it simply, FMS can cause pain in

specific areas of the body or from head to toe. 

It can affect many different body systems. There

are treatments for FMS from Physical Therapy, mild

exercise, rest medications, vitamins, and alternative

treatments for pain relief.  This can include 

Chiropractic care, bio-feedback and meditation

techniques.  Some people are mildly affected by 

this illness while others can be totally disabled.

At times hospitalization is needed to help with

the severe pain and associated depression and 

medication side-effects of this chronic (recurrent)

condition. Now that you have an idea of what FMS is,

hopefully you will have a better understanding of 

this condition and of the sufferer. This illness 

is seen world-wide and does not discriminate by

age, sex or race. How can you help a friend or

relative with FMS? Encourage them, offer help,

listen, educate yourself about the persons new

lifestyle changes, and just lend a shoulder to

lean on. Good jokes help out a lot and "gentle"

hugs and hand-shakes are always appreciated. FMS

sufferers or maybe better called "survivors", are 

always hoping for better medical treatments, more

research, and of course, a cure. Just by learning 

what the word Fibromyalgia means, is a help to us

all.  This actually is a brief description of FMS.

There are many books and On-line information you 

can read if you would like to become more informed.

THANK-YOU for hanging in there to read this.  Now

One more person knows what Fibromyalgia means. 

Pass the word on...           (c) Candy  Morris

KNOWLEDGE BRINGS HOPE !!