People who suffer from fibromyalgia often deal with the ridicule of having a disease that others consider silent, invisible. They experience pain at various times and they have no idea what may have triggered the symptoms. Some patients do their own studying and discover some of the reasons why they have their episodes but others cannot make sense of the rhythm of the symptoms.
So what exactly is fibromyalgia according to the doctors?
Doctors and researchers really have not found a description for fibromyalgia. Besides comparing its symptoms to chronic fatigue syndrome, the disease itself seems to vary from person to person. Patients are triggered by different outside variables, like the weather, the overall climate, certain foods and ways of eating. So fibromyalgia is still quite a mystery. Many patients who are diagnosed after long periods of pain and illness and many incorrect diagnoses, are treated with antidepressants. There appears to be a thought pattern in the medical community that chronic depression may be one of the most common triggers of this illness.
Some of the latest treatments are very generic and metaphysical; in other words, doctors are instructing patients to get more rest, to listen to their bodies. If they feel tired, then find a way to take in a nap or simply sleep until they feel somewhat better. Patients are also encouraged to try different diets and ways of eating, for example, cutting out sugar, yeast, white products, like white flour and white rice. Patients experiment to see if any of these changes affect the way they feel and how often they must deal with the symptoms.
There is another pattern of thought among doctors and researchers that fibromyalgia patients should engage in activities that lift their spirits. This thought process obviously comes from the feeling that these patients may be also be suffering from some form of depression. Patients are told to find exercises like yoga, that may relieve some of the pain and fatigue. Walking is another suggested form of movement that may lift spirits and reduce fatigue. Sometimes the idea of just getting out and about in nature or socializing with friends even when you may not feel like it, can shift how fibromyalgia patients feel.
Until research gives us more solid knowledge on the causes and definition of fibromyalgia, there are patients that do well on antidepressants and a change of diet. Some fibromyalgia patients even move across country to another climate so that they can eventually feel better, more often. There is no science yet that says that these changes will work and for what reasons, but when you are in chronic pain, sometimes just the act of getting involved with your treatments is at least a great start.
photo credit: Agora Media