Fibromyalgia is a frustrating condition both for doctors and patients. The disease is not only difficult to diagnose and but also to treat. It was the simple tasks, such as balancing a checkbook that confused Melissa Noll the most. "I thought I might have early stages of Alzheimer's," Noll says. But her memory problems were a symptom of something else, fibromyalgia, a chronic condition that causes pain and fatigue. "I've lived in this area 15 years, and I couldn't find my way to the bank."
Fibromyalgia is a complex condition that's difficult to understand, especially if you don't have a medical degree. Because it involves the brain and nervous system, fibromyalgia can have an impact on virtually every part of the body.
FMS can have different symptoms each time a doctor is visited, and the symptoms don’t appear to be related to each other. This can be a source of frustration to many physicians, because FMS is very complex. Also, no two people have exactly the same symptoms. Furthermore, the symptoms in a child can be different from those of an adult. Diagnosis in a child is also harder, because children have more trouble describing their pain.
Pain is the most prominent and common symptom. It can be all over, or in just one main region. Some people describe it as "knife-like" or a "muscle cramp." Some say it’s like having a persistent flu and can be quite severe in some.
Other factors that effect pain are level of activity, the weather, a person’s sleep patterns and stress. Most people with FMS say that at least some degree of pain is always present.
The pain generally is present in all four quadrants of the body, for at least three months. That means pain is present on both the right and left sides of the body, and above and below the waist.
Fatigue is also a very common symptom. About 90% of people with FMS have moderate to severe fatigue. This fatigue can range from simple listlessness and decreased exercise endurance to total exhaustion.
Some investigators list many other common complaints, including chronic headaches and tenderness of the scalp to the touch. Complaints of chest pain, shortness of breath, and palpitations are common. Serious cardiac problems should be considered and may require extensive evaluation. Many symptoms in patients with fibromyalgia are related to mitral valve prolapse syndrome.
Technically, FMS is not a disease, but is rather a "syndrome." Fibromyalgia is a specific set of signs and symptoms that occur together. It is chronic, but is not inflammatory, degenerative or progressive.
FMS is systemic however, meaning symptoms can be found all over the body. Also, it is not in the joints, but mainly in the muscles. Joints may be sore, but generally the source of the pain is the tendons or ligaments that attach to the muscles.
However, this does not imply that FMS is not serious. In fact, it can be a debilitating as rheumatoid arthritis and lupus, both of which are also technically classified as syndromes.
One of the frustrations with FMS is that there is currently no X-ray or blood test to diagnose it. For a correct diagnosis to be made, a health care professional must first identify the symptoms and then rule out other disorders. A proper diagnosis may be confounded by the fact that fibromyalgia can co-exist with other disorders.
Disclaimer
The information in this site is provided for informational purposes only and in no way should be taken to be the provision or practice of physical therapy, medical, or professional healthcare advice or services. The information should not be considered complete or exhaustive and should not be used for diagnostic or treatment purposes without first consulting with your physical therapist, occupational therapist, physician or other healthcare provider. The owners of this website accept no responsibility for the misuse of information contained within this website.
If you discover any copyright infringement of your material or if copyright owners feel differently of this blog's content, they can send an email and the content will be taken down immediately.
No comments:
Post a Comment