
You feel pain all over your body, and you often feel exhausted. Even after multiple examinations, your doctor can't find anything specifically wrong with you. If this sounds familiar, it is probable that you have fibromyalgia.
Our muscles may feel like they were pulled or overworked. Sometimes fibromyalgia symptoms include muscle twitches and burning sensations. More women than men are affected by fibromyalgia, and it can afflict people of all ages. It is generally estimated that it affects approximately 2% of the population, but in fact it may be as high as 3-5%.
Although the intensity of your fibromyalgia symptoms may change, they probably won't disappear completely. It may be comforting to know, however, that fibromyalgia isn't a progressive or life-threatening disease. Fibromyalgia symptoms treatment is possible and self-care steps programs can improve your condition and reduce fibromyalgia symptoms.
Early symptoms of fibromyalgia are as follows:
Pain - The pain of fibromyalgia has no boundaries. People suffering from it describe the pain as deep aching in their muscles, throbbing, shooting, and stabbing. Intense burning may also occur. Frequently, the pain and stiffness may get worse in the morning and you may find muscle groups that are used repetitively more painful than other ones.
Fatigue - This symptom can be mild in some of the fibromyalgia patients and yet incapacitating in others. The fatigue is often described as fatigue of the brain in which patients feel totally deprived of energy. Many patients depict this situation by saying that they feel as though their arms and legs are tied to heavy concrete blocks, and they have problems with concentration.
Sleep disorder - Most fibromyalgia patients suffer form a sleep disorder called the alpha-EEG anomaly. This condition was investigated in a sleep lab with the aid of a machine that records the brain waves of patients while they sleep. Scientist found out that the majority of fibromyalgia patients could fall asleep without any serious problems, but their deep level of sleep was continuously interrupted by bursts of awake-like brain activity. Patients appeared to spend the night with one foot in sleep and the other one out of it.
Chronic headaches - Recurrent migraine or tension-type headaches are observed in about 70% of patients suffering from symptoms of fibromyalgia and can pose a major problem to deal with for this group of patients.
Other common symptoms - chest pain, numbness and tingling sensations, premenstrual syndrome and painful periods, dry eyes and mouth, morning stiffness, cognitive or memory impairment, skin sensitivities, muscle twitching, irritable bladder, the feeling of swollen extremities, skin sensitivities, dizziness, and impaired coordination can occur. Fibromyalgia patients are frequently sensitive to odors, loud noises, bright lights, and sometimes even the medications they are prescribed.