Fibromyalgia Symptoms

Fibromyalgia sufferers experience varied symptoms. Many can be contributed to other diseases and conditions. These have to be ruled out before a diagnosis of fibromyalgia can be confidently given. If you think you have fibromyalgia, here are some of the documented symptoms.

1.      Pain throughout the body – This is the symptom that everyone notices first. The pain is constant and can be unrelenting. There are no outward or explainable causes for the pain. It is felt in the joints, tendons, and muscles. People report pain in the neck, back, buttocks, chest, shoulders, abdomen, knees, and elbows. Stiffness in the joints also goes along with the pain.

2.      Fatigue – It hasn’t been determined if the fatigue is a cause or a symptom. Patients with problems in the part of their nervous system that controls involuntary movement may experience conditions that keep them up at night like restless leg syndrome. They seem to be sleeping well but their sleep isn’t deep enough to be restful. The pain can make it hard to sleep.

3.      Mental changes – When you are in pain, it’s all you can think about. Fibromyalgia is no different. Concentrating on the pain means that you are not concentrating on anything else in your life. Lack of sleep can bring on problems focusing, anxiety, irritability, forgetfulness, mood swings, and even a depressive state.

4.      Headaches – Pain in the head can result from the radiating pain in the neck and back of the head, lack of sleep, and depression. Headaches exhibited can be tension or even migraines brought on by the stress of dealing with fibromyalgia. Some patients experience TMJ also.

5.      Bowel problems – Irritable bowel is a condition that can lead to diarrhea, constipation, bloating from gas and abdominal cramps. The bowel acts up but there is no inflammation present to suggest a cause.

6.      Depression – Dealing with fibromyalgia can be a long and lonely process. Not knowing what disorder you are dealing with wreak havoc on your life. Many sufferers withdraw from others due to uncontrollable symptoms. Those who can’t work have to find other means of financial support for themselves and/or their families.

7.      Sensitivity – Fibromyalgia is also characterized by a heightened sensitivity, mostly to pain in various areas. Those areas are referred to as tender points and cause pain where none typically exists. Patients complain of an overactive sense of smell, touch, and hearing. Weather changes that are typically attributed to the joints of the elderly can also affect fibromyalgia sufferers.

8.      Miscellaneous symptoms – In addition to the above symptoms, patients have reported: painful menstrual periods, dry skin, dizziness, and numbness and tingling in the extremities.

Fibromyalgia has a variety of symptoms. The disorder is often misdiagnosed because the symptoms are common to other conditions as well.