Fibromyalgia Syndrome affects millions of people of all ages and all walks of life. There doesn’t seem to be a gender, age or race that is excluded from the syndrome and scientists have not yet found a definitive cause for it so that it could be prevented. This syndrome used to be confused with a multiplicity of illnesses, diseases and psychosomatic illnesses, the most common of which was hypochondria in women.
Today, doctors are more familiar with the syndrome and have compiled a more comprehensive list of symptoms that they can look for in their patients. These symptoms normally have to be affecting the patient for a minimum of six months to conclusively by a Fibromyalgia Syndrome symptom.
Widespread Pain
The most common and debilitating symptom of Fibromyalgia is widespread pain. Patients often express it as an “aching all over” feeling in their muscles, with the inability to lessen the pain. At times the pain might be mild, but it can increase to a point where a patient is immobilized, unable to function daily due to the pain.
Although the pain is widespread, it can also manifest in particular areas of the body. For women, this manifestation may come through menstrual pain that is beyond the norm. Headaches are another common Fibromyalgia Syndrome symptom. These headaches are chronic, going on for days at a time. Morning stiffness in the muscles is another symptom which causes additional pain and discomfort on a daily basis.
Because of the pain, another Fibromyalgia Syndrome symptom is sleeplessness, which can develop into a sleep disorder if it continues over an extended length of time. Since the muscles are always in pain and there is also lack of sleep involved, fatigue is an issue for patients as well, feeling constantly unenergetic, unable to muster the strength to go about daily activities.
Other Symptoms
In addition to the pain, patients report overwhelming feelings of depression and anxiety. Since the syndrome is debilitating to their life, patients become depressed at what they are unable to do, and anxious at what they feel they should be doing in their work life, personal life and family life.
Nausea, dizziness and irritable bowels are other related Fibromyalgia Syndrome symptoms that make it difficult for patients to function in daily life. In addition, there may be skin disorders, weight gain, vision trouble and breathing difficulty, often like cold symptoms.
The severity of these symptoms, especially if left untreated, continually wear patients down so that it can result in Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Fibromyalgia, which adds an entirely new set of problems to an already difficult syndrome.