Why Fibromyalgia Patient’s Life Is More Difficult?
For fibromyalgia patients their symptoms often begin as vague nagging aches and pains that affect their whole body and will just not go away. Because of the mass of myths and misinformation that surround fibromyalgia life can become almost unbearable for sufferers in a myriad of ways. They are tired all the time and however much they sleep they find it hard to summon the energy to make it through the most routine of days. Their doctors may conduct test after test and tell the patients that each is negative and that there seems to be nothing wrong with them.
Often fibromyalgia sufferers find themselves labeled by friends, co workers and even family members as hypochondriacs, whose aches and pains are all in their head. They may even receive that reaction from a medical professional who is not familiar with the concept of the condition, making life all the more difficult for the fibromyalgia patient.
The medical fact is that Fibromyalgia is a specific diagnosis based on symptoms, not as some believe merely a label that doctors impose upon patients when they cannot figure out what is really wrong with them. It is not a life threatening condition, but the pain and misery it causes is just as real as any other health problem and deserves to be taken as seriously.
There is no known specific cause for the onset of fibromyalgia and no known “cure”. Some have suggested that genetics may be play a part in the disease and there has been some evidence that fibromyalgia can be triggered by a single physical or emotional trauma and in some cases an infection that had otherwise been cured.
The most current medical thinking rationalizes that the brains of fibromyalgia sufferers have a lower threshold for pain than others that is organic.
So far in the USA the FDA has approved just one drug to be specifically labeled as for use in treating fibromyalgia and the results of its use vary from patient to patient. The drug has been linked with various side effects including increased depression and suicidal thoughts, especially in younger patients, so its use is carefully monitored.
With a lack of drug therapy doctors and their patients often turn to alternative medicine techniques to relieve fibromyalgia symptoms. Many sufferers are report feeling great relief from regular acupuncture sessions and others experience symptom decreases after massage therapy.
One thing that most medical professionals agree upon is that a healthy diet and a regular exercise program are both beneficial to fibromyalgia patients. When it comes to physical activity however patients are cautioned not to overdo things on “good days”, as that can only make the “bad days” far worse. Maintaining a reasonable daily schedule that is neither too light nor too heavy is the recommended course of action.
October 24th, 2009 at 2:35 pm
Fibromyalgia is a condition related to an inability to get pass Stage 2 sleep. The term used is “alpha interference in delta sleep,” refering to the pattern of brain waves commonly associated with the sleep of fibromyalgia patients. Though many healthy adults only spend 15-20 minutes in deep sleep, several crucial chemicals are produced only during those 15-20 minutes. The one approved drug is actually rohypnol – the date rape drug, because it can force someone into deep sleep. As scientists begin to more fully understand the physiology of deep sleep, more treatments will become available.