If you are one of the millions of people who suffer from fibromyalgia, you know how difficult it can be to manage your symptoms. Diet is a huge part of managing fibromyalgia, and there is no "one size fits all" solution. In this blog post, we will discuss the best diet for fibromyalgia and provide tips on how to improve your symptoms!
I share all of my top fibromyalgia treatments for 2024 as a long time fibromyalgia fighters and advocate -
You probably know the common fibromyalgia symptoms, but have you ever thought that some of your bizarre symptoms are fibro-related?
It's good that Lady Gaga was talking openly about fibromyalgia, don't you think? Here are some things that she has said about living with it... Living with any chronic pain condition is not fun and to get support for it from people in the limelight is wonderful. I think this is especially true of Fibromyalgia which still has the stigma of not being taken seriously, by many people, even some in the medical profession. When people are in the process of getting a diagnosis we have to tell them to make sure they go to a professional who believes in Fibromyalgia. You don't have to say that about many other conditions! So when Lady Gaga began talking about having Fibro it felt like the Fibro community around the world was being given validation. As we would expect from Lady Gaga she was being outspoken about what it's like to live with this chronic pain condition. In her 2017 documentary Gaga: Five Foot Two we see her in pain and having ice-packs, massages and medications but it is not explained. After the release of the film Lady Gaga tweeted to her fans: "In our documentary the #chronicillness #chronicpain I deal w/ is #Fibromyalgia I wish to help raise awareness & connect people who have it." 12th September 2017. 12th September 2017 12th September 2017 on twitter In her cover interview for Vogue, in October 2018, Gaga discussed her past trauma and it's affects on her chronic pain. "My diaphragm seizes up. Then I have a hard time breathing, and my whole body goes into a spasm. And I begin to cry," she told the magazine. "That’s what it feels like for trauma victims every day, and it’s . . . miserable. I always say that trauma has a brain. And it works its way into everything that you do." In the same interview she talked about how people perceive fibromyalgia and other chronic illnesses: "I get so irritated with people who don't believe fibromyalgia is real. For me, and I think for many others, it's really a cyclone of anxiety, depression, PTSD, trauma, and panic disorder, all of which sends the nervous system into overdrive, and then you have nerve pain as a result," she said. "People need to be more compassionate. Chronic pain is no joke. And it's every day waking up not knowing how you're going to feel." Quote from Vogue 2018 Quote from Vogue 2018 Quote from Vogue 2018 We hope that Lady Gaga will continue to speak out about Fibromyalgia to help the cause of Fibro. We wish that she would talk about her treatments to help the millions of people who live with it.
"Fibro doesn’t care if you have things to do that day; if it is a bad pain day, it is a bad pain day.”
I share all of my top fibromyalgia treatments for 2024 as a long time fibromyalgia fighters and advocate -
It's been over a decade since I developed full-blown, symptomatic fibromyalgia. I had no idea what I was dealing with, least of all any potential fibromyalgia cures.
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It's been over a decade since I developed full-blown, symptomatic fibromyalgia. I had no idea what I was dealing with, least of all any potential fibromyalgia cures.
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What food you should eat and which ones you should avoid if you have fibromyalgia. You can improve your symptoms by changing your diet.
I share my experience with recovery factors supplement - my new favourite supplement for fibromyalgia. it helps with sleep, pain and fatigue
Does this sound anything like your case? When you get exposed to fibromyalgia triggers such as stress, do you experience fluctuating symptoms?
What food you should eat and which ones you should avoid if you have fibromyalgia. You can improve your symptoms by changing your diet.
A fibromyalgia flare up is an acute attack when symptoms are more intense. Some flares only last for a day or two but others may continue for several weeks or even months. Just like your symptoms, the causes of your flare-ups can be very specific to you and your condition.
My body crashed with fibromyalgia when I was 23 years old. My life, my world as it knew it, died that year. I don't like saying that, but it's the uncomfortable truth. No one could tell me what was wrong with me. My symptoms were apparently too varied, severe and complex. I didn't fit neatly into any medical condition box.
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The symptoms of fibromyalgia are found in so many other illnesses. That's why diagnosis is problematic. Here are 14 reasons why it may NOT be Fibromyalgia... Fibromyalgia has many, varied and fluctuating symptoms. It should be considered when a patient describes a history of widespread pain, with no evident cause, that lasts three months or more. As well as this chronic musculoskeletal pain, whichaffects the bones, ligaments, muscles, nerves and tendons they have fatigue and sleep problems and stiffness. These symptoms are usually accompanied by a number of other conditions such as sensitivity to chemicals, irritable bowel or restless legs and depression or anxiety. The symptoms can often start, or worsen, during a period of severe psychosocial or physical stress. Fibromyalgia presents a unique medical problem: Its symptoms are so common, that it is both underdiagnosed and misdiagnosed. Because there are no blood tests or scans to easily diagnose it, many physicians have trouble detecting the disorder. It can NOT be easily confirmed or ruled out with a simple blood test. It can't be seen on an X-ray or MRI. Instead, fibromyalgia appears to be linked to changes in how the brain and spinal cord process pain signals. Because there is no test for fibromyalgia, your doctor must rely solely on your group of symptoms to make a diagnosis and rule out other conditions. The key symptoms of fibromyalgia are also commonly found in many other illnesses, and a thorough examination and investigation needs to be undertaken in order to ensure there is not another pathological cause for the symptoms – particularly if there are any ‘red flags’ in the patient’s history suggestive of another serious pathology (Table 1). Table 1. Red flags Older age at new symptom onset Weight loss Night pain Focal pain Fever or sweats Neurological features History of malignancy Doctors need to rule out: arthritis lupus multiple sclerosis chronic fatigue syndrome polymyalgia rheumatica hypothyroidism depression polymyositis hyperparathyroidism adrenal insufficiency myasthenia gravis cushing’s syndrome sjogren's syndrome Infection: chronic viral infection, HIV, hepatitis, Lyme disease So if a doctor asks you about your mood, or skin rashes, or sends you for a blood test of your antibodies or an MRI they are just doing their job. They are ruling out these 14 conditions which have similar symptoms to Fibromyalgia. It is important to do so because these 14 conditions have specific treatments. Symptoms NOT usually found in Fibromyalgia include: arthritis: swelling and redness, loss of motion in joints lupus: butterfly-shaped rash across cheeks and nose, anemia, abnormal blood clotting multiple sclerosis: brain lesions on an MRI chronic fatigue syndrome: profound fatigue that is more intense than pain, sore thoat polymyalgia rheumatica: average age of onset is 70, elevated levels of inflammatory proteins in blood. hypothyroidism: thyroid autoantibodies are common depression: polymyositis: muscle weakness in proximal muscles: upper arms, thighs. hyperparathyroidism: presence of hypercalcemia adrenal insufficiency: severe exhaustion, not typically associated with chronic widespread pain. myasthenia gravis: neurologic signs characteristic of specific disease. cushing’s syndrome: characteristic facial and skin signs of Cushing’s syndrome sjogren's syndrome: dry eyes and dry mouth, presence of anti bodies specific to Sjogren's Infection: chronic viral infection, HIV, hepatitis, Lyme disease Getting a Diagnosis I suggest that you keep a diary of your symptoms. This should make it easier to talk to your doctor or specialist. Especially if you have memory problems, writing things down will provide the doctor with the information that they need to make a correct diagnosis. When you go to a consultation go with: a list of questions a list of current medications a brief medical history including your parents main conditions a list of your symptoms When writing the list of your symptoms try and remember what were your first symptoms and what year they started and then the next symptoms and the year etc. as many doctors ask these questions. More clues for fibromyalgia diagnosis (from MayoClinic) People who have fibromyalgia also often wake up tired, even after they've slept continuously for more than eight hours. Brief periods of physical or mental exertion may leave them exhausted. They may also have problems with short-term memory and the ability to concentrate. If you have these problems, your doctor may ask you to rank how severely they affect your day-to-day activities. Fibromyalgia often coexists with other health problems, so your doctor may also ask if you experience: Irritable bowel syndrome Headaches Jaw pain Anxiety or depression Frequent or painful urination Remember that all ongoing pain should be evaluated. I am saying this because after a while of not getting a diagnosis you may start to question whether the pain is all in your head. Lee Good has 20+ years of experience helping people with chronic illness to understand research information and is recognized as a leader in patient advocacy. She is the WEGO winner, 2018/19 for building the best patient community around Fibromyalgia and editor at Fibro Blogger Directory, which is a community of fibromyalgia bloggers. RESOURCES: Fibromyalgia: Understand the diagnosis process MayoClinic Diagnostic challenges: Australian Family Physician Musculoskeletal Pain: Cleveland Clinic
See what leading experts and more than 13,000 people with fibromyalgia have to say.
It's been over a decade since I developed full-blown, symptomatic fibromyalgia. I had no idea what I was dealing with, least of all any potential fibromyalgia cures.
What is Fibromyalgia? Living with fibromyalgia is tough. It invades all parts of your body and affects your quality of life. The major symptom is pain,
Is there a connection between the hormone progesterone and fibromyalgia? Could low levels of progesterone cause or worsen fibromyalgia symptoms?
The symptoms of fibromyalgia are found in so many other illnesses. That's why diagnosis is problematic. Here are 14 reasons why it may NOT be Fibromyalgia... Fibromyalgia has many, varied and fluctuating symptoms. It should be considered when a patient describes a history of widespread pain, with no evident cause, that lasts three months or more. As well as this chronic musculoskeletal pain, whichaffects the bones, ligaments, muscles, nerves and tendons they have fatigue and sleep problems and stiffness. These symptoms are usually accompanied by a number of other conditions such as sensitivity to chemicals, irritable bowel or restless legs and depression or anxiety. The symptoms can often start, or worsen, during a period of severe psychosocial or physical stress. Fibromyalgia presents a unique medical problem: Its symptoms are so common, that it is both underdiagnosed and misdiagnosed. Because there are no blood tests or scans to easily diagnose it, many physicians have trouble detecting the disorder. It can NOT be easily confirmed or ruled out with a simple blood test. It can't be seen on an X-ray or MRI. Instead, fibromyalgia appears to be linked to changes in how the brain and spinal cord process pain signals. Because there is no test for fibromyalgia, your doctor must rely solely on your group of symptoms to make a diagnosis and rule out other conditions. The key symptoms of fibromyalgia are also commonly found in many other illnesses, and a thorough examination and investigation needs to be undertaken in order to ensure there is not another pathological cause for the symptoms – particularly if there are any ‘red flags’ in the patient’s history suggestive of another serious pathology (Table 1). Table 1. Red flags Older age at new symptom onset Weight loss Night pain Focal pain Fever or sweats Neurological features History of malignancy Doctors need to rule out: arthritis lupus multiple sclerosis chronic fatigue syndrome polymyalgia rheumatica hypothyroidism depression polymyositis hyperparathyroidism adrenal insufficiency myasthenia gravis cushing’s syndrome sjogren's syndrome Infection: chronic viral infection, HIV, hepatitis, Lyme disease So if a doctor asks you about your mood, or skin rashes, or sends you for a blood test of your antibodies or an MRI they are just doing their job. They are ruling out these 14 conditions which have similar symptoms to Fibromyalgia. It is important to do so because these 14 conditions have specific treatments. Symptoms NOT usually found in Fibromyalgia include: arthritis: swelling and redness, loss of motion in joints lupus: butterfly-shaped rash across cheeks and nose, anemia, abnormal blood clotting multiple sclerosis: brain lesions on an MRI chronic fatigue syndrome: profound fatigue that is more intense than pain, sore thoat polymyalgia rheumatica: average age of onset is 70, elevated levels of inflammatory proteins in blood. hypothyroidism: thyroid autoantibodies are common depression: polymyositis: muscle weakness in proximal muscles: upper arms, thighs. hyperparathyroidism: presence of hypercalcemia adrenal insufficiency: severe exhaustion, not typically associated with chronic widespread pain. myasthenia gravis: neurologic signs characteristic of specific disease. cushing’s syndrome: characteristic facial and skin signs of Cushing’s syndrome sjogren's syndrome: dry eyes and dry mouth, presence of anti bodies specific to Sjogren's Infection: chronic viral infection, HIV, hepatitis, Lyme disease Getting a Diagnosis I suggest that you keep a diary of your symptoms. This should make it easier to talk to your doctor or specialist. Especially if you have memory problems, writing things down will provide the doctor with the information that they need to make a correct diagnosis. When you go to a consultation go with: a list of questions a list of current medications a brief medical history including your parents main conditions a list of your symptoms When writing the list of your symptoms try and remember what were your first symptoms and what year they started and then the next symptoms and the year etc. as many doctors ask these questions. More clues for fibromyalgia diagnosis (from MayoClinic) People who have fibromyalgia also often wake up tired, even after they've slept continuously for more than eight hours. Brief periods of physical or mental exertion may leave them exhausted. They may also have problems with short-term memory and the ability to concentrate. If you have these problems, your doctor may ask you to rank how severely they affect your day-to-day activities. Fibromyalgia often coexists with other health problems, so your doctor may also ask if you experience: Irritable bowel syndrome Headaches Jaw pain Anxiety or depression Frequent or painful urination Remember that all ongoing pain should be evaluated. I am saying this because after a while of not getting a diagnosis you may start to question whether the pain is all in your head. Lee Good has 20+ years of experience helping people with chronic illness to understand research information and is recognized as a leader in patient advocacy. She is the WEGO winner, 2018/19 for building the best patient community around Fibromyalgia and editor at Fibro Blogger Directory, which is a community of fibromyalgia bloggers. RESOURCES: Fibromyalgia: Understand the diagnosis process MayoClinic Diagnostic challenges: Australian Family Physician Musculoskeletal Pain: Cleveland Clinic
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Dealing with pain, day in and day out, can be extremely tiring. While there is no cure, there is definitely hope for pain relief. Yoga for fibromyalgia relief is what we are talking about
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What are the main fibromyalgia symptoms? Anyone living with fibromyalgia will tell you there are so many symptoms. In fact, before I was diagnosed I use to try to remember them all when I went to a new specialist by working through the parts of my body and listing all the symptoms in each part. For example head was scalp pain, blurry vision, tingling in lips and jaw pain and a feeling I could not relax my jaw. As you can see there are a lot of unrelated, unique symptoms and not every person will get all of these and they will not get them all at the same time as the symptoms fluctuate. So here I will be listing the main symptoms that most people get. 18 Tender Points of Fibromyalgia (scroll down for image with more detail) One unique thing about fibromyalgia is the 18 tender points on the body. These are specific locations, in the diagram above, that hurt when pressed. People who do not have fibro only feel pressure, not pain, when touched on these points. These are the main symptoms of Fibromyalgia: Widespread, chronic, muscle pain and tenderness (tender points) · pain in arms, legs, neck, shoulders, back, hips Often with: · Morning stiffness · Headache · Fatigue · Sleep disturbances including insomnia, inconsistent sleep patterns, unrefreshed sleep · Memory problems · Light sensitivity · Dizziness · Numbness/tingling in arms/legs Sometimes also: · Irritable bowel syndrome · Bladder control problems · Depression · Anxiety American College of Rheumatology (ACR) fibromyalgia tender points 1990 classification criteria If you are trying to get a diagnosis of fibromyalgia (FMS) you may want to see the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) criteria for diagnosing fibromyalgia. This was endorsed in 2010. Prior to this the tender points were used as a major diagnostic tool. Now that we have the 2010 criteria it does not mean that the tender points have magically gone away. They can still be used as a diagnostic tool but they are only part of what is needed. Here is an excerpt from the ACR. If you are looking for a more in-depth list I suggest you go to MORE INFORMATION ON SYMPTOMS OF FIBROMYALGIA Thanks for dropping in today and if you have just been diagnosed you may want to sign up for my coping tips for living with fibromyalgia. I have been living with fibro for 20 years and have found many helpful ideas to help you reduce the many symptoms you may have.
These are the products our community uses to help relieve their fibromyalgia symptoms.
Is Diet Really That Important? If you are suffering daily with some of the most typical fibromyalgia symptoms like ongoing pain, fatigue, brain fog, and
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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
