Fibromyalgia 101

I run around. A lot. As a mother, administrator, volunteer, and creative mind, I have a lot on my plate. If you asked me eight years ago, I would have thought that my workload was nothing. A former gifted child and perfectionist, I was used to having too much to do. Then around January 2013 my body started to disagree with me. It started off pretty small. I started to have some small pains and aches pretty regularly. I have a family history of premature rheumatoid arthritis and my husband at the time told me I hadn’t gotten used to the New England cold.  I didn’t go see a doctor for several months. I took my ibuprofen regularly and moved on. 

By September ibuprofen stopped working. I had become irritable. I wasn’t working. I was depressed and spent most of my day in bed and in pain. I couldn’t focus and my periodic migraines were coming more and more often. It was actually my OB/GYN at the time who asked me, “Have you been diagnosed with fibromyalgia? I think you need to talk to your primary care provider.” I made an appointment at the next doctor that would take a new patient and that started all the tests and bloodwork that eventually proved my OB/GYN correct. 

I was 20 years old and I had a chronic illness that would set the tone of the rest of my life. 

What is Fibromyalgia?

According to the CDC “Fibromyalgia (fi·bro·my·al·gi·a) is a condition that causes pain all over the body (also referred to as widespread pain), sleep problems, fatigue, and often emotional and mental distress. People with fibromyalgia may be more sensitive to pain than people without fibromyalgia.”

I feel like this is a bit of an understatement. The pins and needles that I feel sometimes can be overwhelming. When you have that much of a sensory overload, it can be hard to process the other things going on in your life. 

Symptoms of Fibromyalgia

• Widespread pain
• Fogginess and forgetfulness
• Anxiety
• Fatigue
• Depression
• Sleep problems
• Muscle twitches or cramps
• Migraines
• Numbness or tingling
• Burning sensation on skin

Coping with Fibromyalgia

It took me several years to develop coping mechanisms for the forgetfulness and the blank states that I enter when the pain and sensations overwhelm me. This is often referred to as Fibro-fog. I now know that I have to keep a written planner on me at all times or else I’ll forget important things. Sometimes, the list that I made the day before of what I have to accomplish today is the only thing keeping me on task. My mind can get extremely foggy and if I don’t have something to reference… well I might as well have stayed in bed. 

I’m lucky to have a husband now who understands the spoon theory and what actions will put me out for the rest of the day. It allows him to flexibly take care of what I can’t for the day. My son has yet to fully comprehend what I go through but he does his best as well to be helpful. I’m very blessed in that. Some people however don’t have a support system at home that understand what fibromyalgia means.

Fibromyalgia is a painful condition. But it doesn’t mean that your entire life will be nothing but pain. Eventually through a lot of trial and error, you’ll find what works for you. We are fortunate in this era of technology to have access to millions of people across the globe who have the same conditions as we do to draw from their experiences as well. I encourage you to find other ‘spoonies’ and share in the journey with someone else.

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