Fibromyalgia Symptoms

There is so much to cover about fibromyalgia, also called FM, that we are going to break it down into small chunks. Today is just about symptoms. You may have a few, or you may have them all. FM is one of the few diseases that can have sudden onset of severe symptoms, or they can gradually build up. Medication and supplements make life easier for those who have it, but there is no cure. It is a disease that many do not understand, even the people who have it, but it changes your whole life. It’s very difficult to make plans as you never know what kind of a day you are going to have. Here are a few symptoms as outlined by WebMD:

• Chronic muscle pain, muscle spasms or tightness
• Moderate or severe fatigue and decreased energy
• Insomnia or waking up feeling just as tired as when you went to sleep
• Stiffness upon waking or after staying in one position for too long
• Difficulty remembering, concentrating, and performing simple mental tasks (“fibro fog”)
• Abdominal pain, bloating, nausea, and constipation alternating with diarrhea (irritable bowel syndrome)
• Tension or migraine headaches
• Jaw and facial tenderness
• Sensitivity to one or more of the following: odors, noise, bright lights, medications, certain foods, and cold
• Feeling anxious or depressed
• Numbness or tingling in the face, arms, hands, legs, or feet
• Increase in urinary urgency or frequency (irritable bladder)
• Reduced tolerance for exercise and muscle pain after exercise
• A feeling of swelling (without actual swelling) in the hands and feet

 

Symptoms may vary during time of day, changes in weather, stress, depression, hormonal fluctuations, and changes in diet. You should call your Dr. if you have chronic pain and fatigue, as they are the most common starter symptoms. Symptoms can be constant or come and go, often people have “flares” when their symptoms make a normal life impossible, these can be brought on by something as simple as cleaning out a closet or a change in weather.