Introduction
Fibromyalgia is a chronic condition that affects millions of people around the world. It is characterized by widespread pain, fatigue, and other symptoms that can make everyday life difficult. While there is no cure for fibromyalgia, there are treatments that can help manage the symptoms. In this article, we will explore what fibromyalgia feels like from the perspective of physicians who have treated patients with the condition. We will also discuss how diet and lifestyle changes can help reduce the severity of symptoms. Finally, we will provide some tips on how to cope with the condition.
Here’s What Fibromyalgia Feels Like, Say Physicians
Fibromyalgia is a chronic condition that affects millions of people around the world. It is characterized by widespread pain, fatigue, and cognitive difficulties. While the exact cause of fibromyalgia is unknown, physicians have identified a number of symptoms that can help diagnose the condition.
The most common symptom of fibromyalgia is widespread pain. This pain can be felt in the muscles, joints, and tendons throughout the body. It is often described as a deep, aching pain that can be worse in certain areas. It can also be accompanied by stiffness and tenderness.
Fatigue is another common symptom of fibromyalgia. People with the condition often feel tired and exhausted, even after a full night’s sleep. This fatigue can be so severe that it interferes with daily activities.
Cognitive difficulties are also common in people with fibromyalgia. This can include difficulty concentrating, memory problems, and difficulty processing information. People with fibromyalgia may also experience depression and anxiety.
If you think you may have fibromyalgia, it is important to talk to your doctor. They can help diagnose the condition and recommend treatments that can help manage your symptoms. Eating a healthy diet, getting regular exercise, and getting enough sleep can also help manage the symptoms of fibromyalgia.
Fibromyalgia is a chronic condition that causes sleep problems and widespread pain throughout the body that can severely interrupt a person’s daily activities and lifestyle. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, fibromyalgia affects roughly four million American adults–an estimated 2 percent of the U.S. population and at times it can be hard to diagnose because its symptoms mimic other diseases. Fibromyalgia is treatable and experts explain to Eat This, Not That! Health what it’s like to have the condition and how to help treat it. Read on—and to ensure your health and the health of others, don’t miss these Sure Signs You’ve Already Had COVID.
Board certified internist Dr. Jacob Teitelbaum, MD, bestselling author of From Fatigued to Fantastic! says, “Fibromyalgia is a pattern of symptoms which include fatigue, widespread pain, insomnia, and brain fog.”
Dr. Jacob Hascalovici, the Chief Medical Officer with Clearing, a telehealth platform for chronic pain patients adds, “Fibromyalgia is a relatively common condition that causes widespread and often disruptive musculoskeletal pain throughout the body. Difficulty sleeping, pronounced fatigue, and memory issues including trouble concentrating frequently characterize fibromyalgia as well. It’s not uncommon for people with a challenging or traumatic background to develop fibromyalgia, and the condition is often accompanied by depression, anxiety, TMJ, and IBS.”
Dr.Teitelbaum shares, “Fibromyalgia represents an ‘energy crisis’ where the body is spending more energy than it is able to make. When this happens, the area using the most energy for its size malfunctions, acting like a circuit breaker that has been overloaded and goes off-line. This is an almond-sized gland in the brain called the hypothalamus. It controls sleep, causing the paradox of being unable to sleep despite being exhausted, which is the hallmark of this condition. The circuit also controls our hormonal system and autonomic system (blood pressure, gut, pulse, and sweating).”
Dr. Teitelbaum states. “Because the process discussed above involves the immune system as well, three quarters of people with fibromyalgia are women. As is the case with most immune and autoimmune illnesses.”
Dr. Hascalovici emphasizes, “Fibromyalgia can affect anyone, including children. However, there are some factors that can increase the likelihood of having the condition. Fibromyalgia more commonly affects women, and tends to be diagnosed in middle age. People with lupus and certain types of arthritis are at a higher risk for fibromyalgia. If a family member has fibromyalgia, your chances of being diagnosed with it also increase.”
“Think of having a toothache,” Dr. Teitelbaum states. “Now think of that toothache spreading throughout your whole body and lasting for years or decades.”
According to Dr. Hascalovici, “Often, people say fibromyalgia is a combination of terribly persistent pain combined with a deep, troubling fatigue that makes it difficult to function well or feel “normal.” The pain can feel deeply embedded in the muscles and may be throbbing or aching. It may stay in one main location or it may also ripple throughout the body, showing up in different places or in multiple locations at once. Tension and migraine headaches are not uncommon; pain related to tight jaw muscles, upset bowels, and from restless legs syndrome can occur, too. Finally, joints may be particularly tender, and the body may feel much more sensitive to temperature variance and to sensations in general than usual. Irritability, stress, and frustration can heighten the body’s perceptions of pain, and the mind and body may also start to handle pain signaling in a different way.”
Dr. Teitelbaum says, “When it is mild, it can allow people to work. But often leaves them unable to do much else. When it is severe, it often leaves people house or bed bound.”
Dr. Hascalovici shares, “Low self-esteem, depression, irritability and stress are common in people who have fibromyalgia. As with many people who have to deal with chronic pain, people with fibromyalgia may start to isolate themselves, feeling lonelier and more abandoned over time, or as though they may be difficult to be around. Parenting or caring for others can feel much more difficult, and even taking care of oneself can feel overwhelming. It can also be difficult to explain unpredictable, ‘invisible’ symptoms to friends, family, and even medical experts, and so people with fibromyalgia may feel as though people do not understand what they are going through or do not know how to offer the right kind of support. Finally, deep fatigue and the ‘fibro-fog’ related to being unable to concentrate well can exacerbate pain, making everyday responsibilities much more taxing, and also making it very difficult to work.”
RELATED: Doing This After Age 60 is “Unhealthy,” Say Physicians
Dr. Teitelbaum reveals, “There are literally dozens of symptoms that can be present. But the key hallmark is the paradox of insomnia despite being exhausted, widespread pain, and brain fog.”
Dr. Hascalovici adds,
- “Widespread muscular pain that has lasted for three months or more
- Chronic fatigue paired with a foggy memory and other cognitive problems
- Experiencing pain in a number of areas of your body on a weekly basis (the pain may shift locations or have an erratic pattern, and may worsen with stress or other triggers).”
RELATED: Signs You Have a Sleep Disorder, According to Neurologist
According to Dr. Teitelbaum, “Diagnosis is based entirely on symptoms, as there is no specific diagnostic test. Once the diagnosis is made however, numerous tests are needed to determine the underlying cause(s) of each individual’s energy crisis. There is a simple free five-minute quiz that can screen for fibromyalgia. In addition to symptomatic treatment for pain, it is especially important to treat the underlying root causes of the low energy, and to optimize energy production. This can be done with what we call the ‘SHINE Protocol.’ This addresses Sleep, Hormones/Hypotension, Infections, Nutrition, and Exercise as possible. Our published randomized double-blind placebo-controlled study showed that using this approach resulted in 91% of people with fibromyalgia improving, with an average 90% increase in quality of life (P < .0001 versus placebo).”
RELATED: Dr. Fauci Says Here’s When New Surge May Happen
Dr. Hascalovici explains, ” The good news about fibromyalgia is that having it doesn’t necessarily decrease life expectancy. With treatment, you can maintain your mobility, manage your symptoms and find ways to change the way your body perceives pain. People with fibromyalgia can experience the best of what life has to offer, with the proper treatment and support. Having a strong support system is important and may be one of the biggest indicators of how successful your treatment may be. You can take control of your pain by educating yourself and building a team of medical professionals who can support you.”
“Fibromyalgia is a very treatable disease,” Dr. Teitelbaum exclaims. “The problem is not lack of effective treatment, but rather lack of effective physician education. This is often the case when a condition’s treatments are low-cost and not patentable, as nobody can pay the very large costs that it takes to effectively get the information to most physicians. Personally, I became interested in the illness when I came down with post-viral fibromyalgia in 1975. It knocked me out of medical school and left me homeless. I was lucky enough to learn how to recover, and have spent the last 45 years researching, teaching about, and treating post-viral chronic fatigue syndrome. As Dr. Fauci has noted, what is being called post- COVID “long haulers syndrome” is largely post-viral chronic fatigue syndrome/fibromyalgia. In most people, chronic fatigue syndrome and fibromyalgia are the same condition. The SHINE Protocol can be very helpful for post- COVID as well.” And to protect your life and the lives of others, don’t visit any of these 35 Places You’re Most Likely to Catch COVID.