Fibromyalgia is a chronic condition. Symptoms may come and go over the years. Pain may flare up during stressful times, when the weather changes or for no obvious reason at all. And widespread pain and other symptoms can interfere with your ability to do everyday activities, go to work, play with your kids or cook a meal. Fibromyalgia can occur by itself or in combination with other diseases, such as arthritis or lupus.
There is no single lab test to diagnose fibromyalgia. Diagnosis is based on your reporting of symptoms and a physical exam. But, a diagnosis may not be clear until months of tests rule out other conditions. Because it's hard to pinpoint, some people spend years battling these mysterious symptoms and seeking relief. But once a diagnosis is made, there is treatment available.
5 Symptoms Of Fibromyalgia
One of the reasons it is hard to diagnose is that the symptoms are so varied. A study of 2,784 patients diagnosed with fibromyalgia showed that over half had several symptoms unrelated to pain, such as fatigue and problems thinking. The symptoms also overlap with many other conditions, such as chronic fatigue syndrome and depression. Here are some common fibromyalgia symptoms:- Muscle pain. A common symptom of fibromyalgia is sore muscles. The pain may be all over your body, or center in one spot. Most often, people with this condition have upper and lower back pain as well as pain above and below the waist. Unlike arthritis, the pain is in the muscles, not the joints. But there may be joint stiffness in the morning (as with arthritis). The American College of Rheumatology has identified 18 standard possible tender points common in people with fibromyalgia. The doctor checks these sites for tenderness by pressing down with his or her finger. To confirm a diagnosis, 11 out of the 18 sites must be tender.
- Sleep problems. You may have trouble falling asleep or you may feel tired even after what seems to be a full night's sleep. Sleep studies show that in people with fibromyalgia, deep sleep is disturbed by bursts of awake-like brain activity. Restless legs syndrome and sleep apnea are sleep disorders that can be linked to fibromyalgia.
- Fatigue. The fatigue of fibromyalgia can be overwhelming. It may seem like all the energy is drained out of you. This can be more debilitating than the pain. Some may lack energy for exercise. It could feel like the flu. For others it can be a challenge to get out of bed.
- Problems thinking. This is also known as "fibro fog." You may have trouble with concentrating, keeping organized or doing simple tasks like adding numbers in your head. You may have trouble remembering things. Studies show that people with fibromyalgia process information more slowly than others, yet use more areas of the brain for thinking. They may also have short- and long-term memory problems.
- Gastrointestinal symptoms. Stomach aches, bloating, alternating constipation with diarrhea may also be symptoms of fibromyalgia.
- Although physical symptoms can be debilitating, fibromyalgia does not cause permanent damage to muscles, joints or other organs.
SOURCES:
- American College of Rheumatology. Fibromyalgia. Accessed: 01/26/2009
- National Fibromyalgia Association. What are fibromyalgia symptoms? Accessed: 01/27/2009
- National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases. Questions and answers about fibromyalgia. Accessed: 01/26/2009
- Wolf F, Rasker JJ. Fibromyalgia definitions and problems. In: Firestein GS, Budd RC, Harris ED, McInnes IB, Ruddy S, eds. Firestein: Kelley's Textbook of Rheumatology, 8th ed. Philadelphia, PA: W.B. Saunders; 2008.