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Struggling with Fibromyalgia

© Kathern Welsh

I have had fibromyalgia for nearly two years now. Its onset began after my second back surgery for spinal fusion. This occured one year after the first one and my bones hadn't healed. I have been doing water therapy now for three weeks and just today completed what should have been my ninth session. Regrettably, it was only my seventh.

After the first two sessions, my muscles were very painful and sore, and after the third time, I was totally exhausted and unable to sleep. I had cramps in my feet and lower legs and the more I tossed and turned, trying to find some comfortable position, the more my muscles protested. Since then, I have missed two sessions because of severe fatigue. I get so I can barely move around.

What is Fibromyalgia?

Fibromyalgia is a mysterious syndrome, which has been increasing in numbers. Most sufferers tell of an overall, sometimes incapacitating, muscle pain. It is estimated that between 3 to 6 million people in the United States may be suffering from this malady.

Fibromyalgia bears a very close resemblance to Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and mainly affects women between the ages of 25 and 50. Patients complain of the following symptoms: chronic muscle pain, overall aches, stiffness, difficulty in sleeping, depression and fatigue.

After much study there has been a consistent finding on physical examination of the presence of 18 points of tenderness in the muscles, tendons, or bones that are painful to the touch. Many studies have shown that fibromyalgia can be distinguished from other similar painful joint and muscle conditions by applying physical pressure to these points. The diagnoses for fibromyalgia can be determined when pain or tenderness is experienced in at least 11 of the 18 points.

Symptoms of Fibromyalgia

Some of the causes of the symptoms of fibromyalgia have been determined to be: reduced circulation to muscle cells and damage to the cells' energy producing mechanism. It has also become known that with fibromyalgia the body breaks down muscle protein at an unusually high rate and converts it to glucose for energy. This increased rate in muscle tissue breakdown is believed to be one of the main reasons for the pain, aching and fatigue.

No Reliable Conventional Treatment

Though this disease is now better understood, there is still no ideal conventional medical treatment for fibromyalgia. Anti-inflammatory medications have been found to be no more beneficial than a placebo. Though many conventional treatments have been tested, results have been very poor to moderate.

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