by Dean Allen Choate (aka D A Choate)

Created on: January 30, 2007   Last Updated: April 18, 2007

Most people with fibromyalgia Syndrome (FMS) have some sort of generalized widespread muscular pain or pain present at about eighteen tender points throughout the body. The pain is generally felt all over, although it may start in one region of the body, such as the neck and shoulders, and spreads to other areas of the body over time.

Fibromyalgia pain often varies according to the time of the day, how much activity, weather conditions, your sleep patterns, and your stress levels. Most people with fibromyalgia say that they have some degree of pain constantly present. They have the pain mainly in their muscles and often note that fibromyalgia feels like having the flu all the time that don't seen to ever go away.

Fibromyalgia is described as moderate or severe fatigue with lack of energy, decreased endurance during exercise, or the kind of exhaustion felt with having the flu or with lack of restful sleep. Often fatigue is more of a problem and more troubling than the pain with fibromyalgia. Generally, many people with fibromyalgia wake up in the morning feeling tired, even after sleeping throughout the night. They may be aware that their sleep has become lighter and that they wake up often during the night. Scientific and medical studies have demonstrated that most people with fibromyalgia have an abnormal sleep pattern, especially an interruption in their deep sleep.

The fatigue in fibromyalgia is similar to that of chronic fatigue syndrome(CFS). Some people with fibromyalgia have symptoms of both FMS and CFS, and vice versa. A good example, people with CFS can have the tender points and symptoms considered to be the symptoms of fibromyalgia.

Changes in mood and thinking are quite common in people with fibromyalgia. Many people feel "blue" or "down," although only a few feel truly depressed at the time of being diagnosised, many people with fibromyalgia have a personal history of depression or anxiety at some time or another in their life. Mood disorders can share many similar symptoms with fibromyalgia and vice versa.

There is evidence that some people with fibromyalgia have a history of a tramatic event, abuse or neglect during some time their life. It is not clear yet what role these issues might play in the development and continuation of fibromyalgia but these are important things to discuss with your health care professional since addressing such issues may help reduce the severity of the symptoms of fibromyalgia and help the person affected cope with the illness.

As with other chronic illnesses, people with fibromyalgia can and may have difficulty concentrating or performing simple mental tasks. There is no evidence that these problems become more serious. Similar problems have been noted in many people with sleep disturbances of all kinds or with changes in mood.

People with fibromyalgia may have feelings of numbness and tingling in their hands, arms, feet, legs, or sometimes even in their face. These feelings can suggest many other disorders such as carpal tunnel syndrome, neuritis, or even multiple sclerosis (MS). Therefore, people with fibromyalgia often undergo numerous tests for such conditions, only to find that the test results are normal.

Headaches, especially muscular (tension) and migraine headaches are quite common in people with fibromyalgia. Abdominal pain, bloating, and alternating constipation and diarrhea are also common. This may resemble irritable bowel syndrome or "spastic colon." Similar bladder spasms and irritability may cause urinary urgency or frequency.

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