Fibromyalgia Diagnosis: Symptoms, Tests & How It’s Confirmed

Young people report worse fibromyalgia than older patients

It may seem counterintuitive, but young and middle-aged fibromyalgia patients report worse symptoms and poorer quality of life than older patients, a Mayo Clinic study shows. Fibromyalgia most often strikes women. It is characterized by widespread musculoskeletal pain with fatigue, sleep, memory, and mood issues. The research, one of several Mayo studies being presented at the American College of Rheumatology annual meeting, suggests the disorder plays out differently among different age groups. Researchers studied 978…

by chronicillness•09/05/202208/23/2025•0

Fibromyalgia assessments

So it looks like some clinicians have some uncertainty when it comes to diagnosing Fibromyalgia. Remember the criteria for tender points are no longer used. Data from the U.S., Europe, and Asia report that approximately half of providers admit uncertainty in confidently making a diagnosis of [fibromyalgia]. Diagnosing [fibromyalgia] more promptly should reduce unnecessary tests, specialty referrals, health care costs, and patient anxiety,” Kim D. Jones, Ph.D., FNP, FAAN, from Oregon Health and Science University School of Nursing…

by chronicillness•08/31/202208/23/2025•1

When you have fibromyalgia

It is fibromyalgia awareness month once again. Remember fibromyalgia awareness day falls on May 12th. I’d like to start the month with a little fibromyalgia humor. Sadly, it is also all true. When you have fibromyalgia Sleep is the delicious nectar of the gods that is denied you Click Here to Visit the Store and find Much More…. Too much sleep? That’s a flare The last time you had no pain was before the Big Bang Doing…

by chronicillness•08/27/202208/23/2025•0

What did you feel was diagnosed with fibromyalgia?

I can tell you for me it was a relief. I had symptoms for years but being undiagnosed is difficult. You have to deal with it all but have no treatment, no label, and no real understanding of what you should do. I was coping well at the time after having gone through a few years of difficulty coping. I didn’t have chronic migraines yet. I had learned to pace and moderate but I wasn’t…

by chronicillness•08/26/202208/23/2025•0

Realities of Family Planning with Chronic Illness

My husband and I have decided the time is finally right to start family planning – or as right as it ever will be! For most (hetero) couples, this might be as simple as throwing out the birth control pill pack and spending more time in the bedroom. Of course, many otherwise healthy couples face fertility challenges that shouldn’t be minimized. But for anyone living with chronic illness, the starting point for trying to conceive…

by chronicillness•08/24/202208/23/2025•0

Brain Signature in 93% of FM Patients

As most fibromyalgia patients know, there are no approved tests to diagnose this chronic pain condition. A new study has taken science a step forward in this direction. Researchers at the University of Colorado Boulder have identified a brain signature that is able to predict fibromyalgia with 93% accuracy. Functional MRI scans were used to compare brain activity in 37 fibromyalgia patients and 35 healthy controls as they were exposed to multiple sensory sensations (visual,…

by chronicillness•08/22/202208/23/2025•0

The Start Of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome & Fibromyalgia

A few months later my husband graduated with 2 BS degrees in Finance and we were ready to start our life for real. During the first 5 years of our marriage, he had been completing his undergrad full-time and working full-time. This had left us a bit distant and out of touch with each other. We were really looking forward to some re-connecting and had scheduled a week of “vacation” together while he graduated and…

by chronicillness•08/21/202208/23/2025•0

I Am A Fibromyalgia Patient

I am a mother and I am a daughter. I am a father and I am a son. I was busy living my life, and one day I got sick. I went to the doctor and they ran test after test after test and could not figure out what was wrong with me. I am a student and I am a teacher, I am a grandchild and I am a grandparent. Finally, they gave me…

by chronicillness•08/20/202208/23/2025•0

Fibromyalgia and Opiates for pain: Helpful or hindering?

There has been a study published in the Journal of Pain from Australia that might suggest opiates may cause increased sensitivity in some types of pain. The study had the patients who have chronic pain and hyperalgesia, which is that intense response to pain, we also see in fibromyalgia. They were taking methadone and morphine for the study. Hyperalgesia is an increased pain response such that more pain is felt than dictated by the stimulus…

by chronicillness•08/17/202208/23/2025•0

Fibromyalgia in the Real World

I had an extremely eye-opening and revealing thing happen to me this weekend. Whilst I was dealing with some minor family upset, I Fibro–crashed. All my energy had been spent and exhaustion socked me square in the jaw. I became stiff and inflamed all over my body. I hurt and no position made me comfortable, sitting, standing, lying down, it all just ached. I became foggy and hazy in my brain and the slightest bit…

by chronicillness•08/06/202208/23/2025•0