This post may prove to be somewhat controversial but it comes from my heart and I believe I would be doing a disservice to my fellow “warriors” if I were to let it go unsaid. When I was first diagnosed 15 years ago, I was relieved that having already suffered for 10 years my condition was very real and had finally got recognition and more importantly a name. I remember leaving my doctor’s surgery and…
Fibromyalgia Pain
A comprehensive look at Fibromyalgia pain, its symptoms, triggers, and effective strategies to manage and alleviate discomfort.
Fibromyalgia Awareness… But You Look So Well
Over the years it is true to say that on the days I have felt my worst I am invariably greeted with the words by somebody or another “you look really well”. I have always kind of smiled at this, even joked about how crap I feel yet people think I look amazing. However, this week it really got to me and set me thinking about the realities of living with what is effectively an…
Stories about people who have gone into Fibromyalgia Remission
We love hearing stories about people who have gone into Fibromyalgia remission. So here at But You Look So Healthy, we have decided to seek out those people! Most doctors give little to no hope or guidance on how to feel better. Who better than to ask about feeling better than the experts themselves? No, not the doctors, but the people who have managed to figure it out themselves and live it! Today we talk…
In Fibromyalgia, Some Days Are Just Tough
In past posts, I’ve written about feeling ill-equipped to handle the role of spouse, the (still ongoing) process of learning that I can’t fix everything, and just being there for my loved one. Those are all key components of becoming the best you can be as a partner, spouse, relative, or friend of a loved one who suffers from a chronic illness such as Fibromyalgia. However, some days are just tough… Click Here to Visit…
How to Explain Fibromyalgia Pain to a Doctor
Fibromyalgia ranks among the most puzzling and common chronic pain conditions. Fibromyalgia pain moves around from one area of the body to another or it seems to be everywhere at once. We experience several different types of pain. The intensity of the pain also changes. It can be very difficult to describe fibromyalgia pain to others. We often feel misunderstood and disbelieved. It is hard for people who do not have chronic pain to understand…
Allodynia: Fibromyalgia Skin Pain
Do you experience pain from a simple touch? Do you cringe when someone goes to give you a hug? Do these simple gestures result in excruciating pain? Skin pain is another one of those fibromyalgia symptoms that just doesn’t seem to make sense. This type of pain is called Allodynia and is usually felt as a burning sensation. Allodynia is believed to be a hypersensitivity to stimuli that would normally not cause pain. The pain…
What Fibromyalgia Symptom Do You Resist The Most?
There are basically two ways to deal with Fibromyalgia: accept it or resist it. We start out fighting against it. We push ourselves. We resist. Eventually, we realize resistance is only creating more suffering for ourselves. We begin to accept things are different now. Our life has changed. Fibromyalgia is not going away. We have to look at our situation realistically. Our old life is being replaced by a new life full of limitations. Click…
Managing Your Fibromyalgia Pain Safely
People with fibromyalgia are usually prescribed pain relievers, sleep medicines, antidepressants, muscle relaxants, and anti-seizure medications to help with their symptoms. These medications all come with risks and side effects so they are just as likely to do harm as to help. In this guest post, Marco gives us some tips to treat fibromyalgia pain safely. How to manage fibromyalgia pain safely Fibromyalgia is a very distressing disease, and very challenging to treat. A vast…
New criteria proposed for diagnosing fibromyalgia
“The tender point test also has a gender bias because men may report widespread pain, but they generally aren’t as tender as women. Fibromyalgia may be under-diagnosed in both men and women because of the reliance on 11 tender points, and also due to failing to account for the other central features of the illness,” said Katz. Additionally, due to the confusion regarding the tender point test, the authors note that most primary care doctors…
Fickle Fibromyalgia: My pain flare stories
Venturing out of my abode got me thinking about fickle fibromyalgia pain. Recently I have been thinking about the variety of FM symptoms because some of them overlap with chronic migraine symptoms such that I don’t know which is the cause… such as vertigo; migraine-associated vertigo or FM-related vertigo, or the balance problems and even the sensitivity to sound and light. The thing is FM came first and migraines later and then chronic migraines so…