Explore the conditions associated with Fibromyalgia, their symptoms, and how to manage them for improved well-being.
So there are a lot of issues with sleep and fibromyalgia. I also have other chronic pain and vertigo, but seriously since I was young sleep and I have not been on speaking terms. Yes, this is how I look when I sleep. Child-like and innocent and buried in glitter. Here are some of the random things you can look forward to with fibromyalgia and sleep: Click Here to Visit the Store and find Much…
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…
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…
I recently began reading Toni Bernhard’s wonderful book How to Live Well with Chronic Illness. I was inspired to write this post after reading a section in her book where she outlines her ‘not-to-do list’. Bernhard rightly points out that it takes a great deal of self-discipline to stick within the restrictions imposed on your body by chronic illness. In my own case, I’ve found that most of my self-growth has come from recognizing, accepting,…
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,…
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…
The Spanish study in the Journal of Clinical and Experimental Neuropsychology called “Cognitive complaints in women with fibromyalgia: Are they due to depression or to objective cognitive dysfunction?” recurited105 women with fibromyalgia for their analysis. Fibromyalgia is characterized by widespread pain, cognitive dysfunction, sleep dysfunction and fatigue. However, the cognitive dysfunction of fibrofog with its concentration issues has not always been thought of to be from the FM. Studies have shown it is from the…
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…
This is of concern to me due to my low blood pressure issues and dizziness. And it makes me wonder. Especially since my doc mentioned I may have POTS. So the study is looking at the Baroreflex response. Without it we would stand up and get dizzy and could faint. It is mechanism in the body that tries to regulate our blood pressure. The response involves nerves in the blood vessels near, in and around…
If it means significant restrictions to your daily activities, then, according to medical and government guidelines, yes, you have a disability. This may challenge the ability stereotypes you might have absorbed from the media, where disability is usually linked to the need to use a wheelchair because of a spinal cord injury or limb impairment. This might get you wondering about what exactly the definition of disability is, how do we usually understand it and…