Despite the instant negative reaction to the thought of the Herpes virus and the association with sexually transmitted disease, there are a number of different Herpes viruses, including those responsible for Chicken Pox, Shingles, and Epstein Barr (mono). Even the ones with the most negative stereotypes are much more common than people believe; around 90% of people…

Fibromyalgia is typically characterized by widespread pain, fatigue, headaches, irritable bowel syndrome, inability to get refreshing sleep, waking up tired and stiff, and developing cognitive disturbances including lack of concentration and clumsiness, dizziness, etc. Fibromyalgia syndrome is a chronic and long-term condition that has no cure. About 10 million people are currently diagnosed with this disorder. Although 9 out of…

Urinary incontinence is a term that basically describes any condition that makes it hard to control your bladder. Obviously, it’s not an easy thing to live with. It’s embarrassing, obviously. But many conditions that cause incontinence are very painful as well. And if you have fibromyalgia, there’s a good chance that you’ve struggled with bladder issues at some point. Studies have shown that a…

Fibromyalgia may be known to cause widespread pain and fatigue, but there are a number of other symptoms and side effects we don’t talk about as often. For many with fibro, gastrointestinal symptoms are unfortunately a common occurrence. Although researchers are not yet clear on whether the fibromyalgia itself causes these digestive issues to occur, studies have shown that irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and other GI issues frequently…

Fibromyalgia, a painful condition affecting approximately 10 million people in the U.S., is not imaginary after all, as some doctors have believed. A discovery, published this month in PAIN MEDICINE (the journal of the American Academy of Pain Medicine), clearly now demonstrates that fibromyalgia may have a rational biological basis located in the skin. Fibromyalgia is a severely debilitating affliction characterized by widespread…

Summary: About half of a small group of patients with fibromyalgia — a common syndrome that causes chronic pain and other symptoms — was found to have damage to nerve fibers in their skin and other evidence of a disease called small-fiber polyneuropathy (SFPN). Unlike fibromyalgia, SFPN has a clear pathology and is known to be caused by specific medical conditions, some of which can be treated and sometimes…

I’m a fairly open person when it comes to physical and mental illness, but I can also be very reserved, especially about my chronic pain and fatigue. It’s not because I don’t want to share about what’s going on with me, but because I don’t want people to think I’m a “whiner” or “attention seeker.” I am neither…

“What’s in a name?”, Shakespeare The nomenclature of Fibromyalgia can be known as: “Central Sensitization”, “Post Traumatic Stress Disorder”, “Cycles of Over-Exertion-Relapse”, and “Chronic Fatigue Disorder”, and now a new term: “Systemic Exertion Intolerance Disorder”- all with the same characteristics.  What’s to be done so that we can explain ourselves to others while so many labels…

“Nothing vivifies, and nothing kills, like emotions”, Joseph Roux It’s almost the end of December already and I missed writing a blog in November. Seems I was trying to recover from the many crises (or at least perceived crises) in my life. The physiotherapist (Nick) said my nervous system was “completely exhausted” and to rest. For the past few weeks things…

This is an assignment for my disability studies course in my social work program. The purpose of the assignment is to identify different models of disability in the media by reviewing a news article. This one looks at the construction of the ‘supercrip’ (super cripple) who ‘overcomes his/her disability. Let me know what you think of this image…