Understand how Fibromyalgia is diagnosed, including key symptoms, medical evaluations, and diagnostic criteria used by healthcare professionals.
Why I Haven’t ‘Gotten Used to’ My Fibromyalgia When people hear that I’ve been living with fibromyalgia for years, their reaction is often rooted in misunderstanding. They assume that with time, I must have adjusted to the pain, adapted to the fatigue, and learned to carry on like nothing happened. They ask, “Haven’t you gotten used to it by now?” with the kind of casual expectation reserved for everyday inconveniences. But fibromyalgia is not something…
How It Feels to Wear My Disability Blue Badge on the Train When I board a train wearing my disability blue badge, I’m not just carrying a plastic card or lanyard. I’m carrying the invisible weight of judgment, assumptions, and sometimes even shame. That small symbol, intended to offer support and recognition, can feel more like a spotlight than a shield. And yet, I wear it—because I have to. Disability, especially when it’s invisible, invites…
When the Brain Fog Comes Before Your Fibro Diagnosis Before the widespread pain, before the chronic fatigue, and before any doctor uttered the word fibromyalgia, there was brain fog. Not a little forgetfulness, not occasional distraction, but an all-consuming mental haze that made everyday thinking feel like pushing through wet concrete. For many, this brain fog begins long before a formal diagnosis, making it one of the most unsettling and often overlooked symptoms in the…
Fibromyalgia is a chronic pain condition that affects millions of people worldwide, causing widespread pain, fatigue, and sensitivity to stimuli. While exercise is often recommended as a management strategy, overdoing exercise can actually become a root cause of fibromyalgia flare-ups, worsening symptoms rather than alleviating them. Many fibromyalgia patients struggle to find the right balance between staying active and pushing too hard, leading to increased pain, fatigue, and long recovery times. In this article, we…
Fibromyalgia is a chronic condition characterized by widespread pain, fatigue, and heightened sensitivity to stimuli. However, many people with fibromyalgia also experience heart palpitations, which can be alarming and uncomfortable. Heart palpitations feel like rapid, irregular, or pounding heartbeats and can create anxiety, dizziness, or shortness of breath. While these episodes may not always signal a serious heart condition, they can significantly impact a fibromyalgia patient’s quality of life. This article explores the link between…
Fibromyalgia is a complex chronic condition that causes widespread pain, fatigue, and nervous system dysfunction. However, many people with fibromyalgia also experience irregular heartbeat (arrhythmia)—a sensation that the heart is skipping beats, beating too fast, or fluttering unpredictably. While these heart rhythm disturbances can be concerning, they are not always linked to heart disease. Instead, they may result from autonomic nervous system dysfunction, stress, medication side effects, or fibromyalgia-related physiological changes. This article explores the…
Fibromyalgia is a chronic pain disorder that affects millions of people worldwide, causing widespread pain, fatigue, sleep disturbances, and cognitive dysfunction. While fibromyalgia is often linked to issues such as low blood pressure, dizziness, and autonomic dysfunction, some patients report experiencing high blood pressure (hypertension). Although high blood pressure is not a direct symptom of fibromyalgia, research suggests that the nervous system, stress levels, chronic pain, and certain medications may contribute to an increase in…
Fibromyalgia is a chronic pain disorder that affects millions of people worldwide, causing widespread pain, fatigue, cognitive difficulties, and sleep disturbances. While fibromyalgia is often linked to autonomic nervous system dysfunction, some patients also experience abnormally low blood pressure (hypotension). Low blood pressure in fibromyalgia can cause dizziness, fatigue, fainting, and brain fog, making everyday activities more challenging. While hypotension is not always recognized as a primary fibromyalgia symptom, it is often associated with dysautonomia,…
Fibromyalgia is a complex and multisystem disorder known for causing widespread pain, fatigue, and cognitive dysfunction. However, many people with fibromyalgia also experience chronic postnasal drip—a condition in which mucus from the nasal passages drips down the back of the throat, causing irritation, coughing, and congestion. While postnasal drip is often linked to allergies, sinus infections, or environmental triggers, fibromyalgia patients may experience persistent nasal and throat issues without an obvious cause. This raises the…
Fibromyalgia is widely known for causing chronic pain, fatigue, and cognitive dysfunction. However, many individuals with fibromyalgia also report experiencing frequent infections, such as sinus infections, respiratory illnesses, urinary tract infections, and skin infections. While fibromyalgia itself is not classified as an autoimmune disease, it appears to have a profound impact on the immune system, potentially increasing susceptibility to recurrent infections. This article explores the relationship between fibromyalgia and recurrent infections, including possible causes, common…