Traumatic experiences and stressors in childhood have historically been overlooked as predisposing factors in the development of various chronic pain disorders and psychiatric conditions, including fibromyalgia, irritable bowel syndrome, insomnia, depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder, and chronic fatigue syndrome. However, the tide is turning as research is revealing a significant correlation between childhood trauma and…

Fibromyalgia is a chronic condition in which someone experiences widespread muscle and tissue pain and fatigue. Many people also experience brain fog, headaches, anxiety, depression, digestive issues, and difficulting concentrating.1 Symptoms can change daily, and flares may be unpredictable at times. If you are among the 5% of the population facing fibromyalgia symptoms, you may wonder how to…

ByAdele Alexander After osteoarthritis, fibromyalgia is the second most common rheumatic disorder. Still, it is difficult to pick the fibromyalgia earlier, because its symptoms fluctuate. This condition affects mainly women than men. It is characterized by the pain in all over the body accompanied by stiffness and fatigue. According to Daniel Clauw, MD, professor of…

by Julia Nelson People who are suffering from fibromyalgia know that there are numerous types of symptoms that are connected with fibromyalgia. Those people also know that their syndrome has a huge pain connection that occurs in the chest. Costochondritis is one of these. Costochondritis occurs in a lot of people having fibromyalgia. But people having…

by Julia Nelson I stood in my closet this morning, looking around as though I’d never been there. I couldn’t remember what I was doing, why, or what I should do next. So I stood still, waiting for it to come to me. Moments before I had been violently panting like a wild animal, bent over…

by Julia Nelson You’ve probably read about fibromyalgia symptoms such as pain, fatigue and fibro fog, but the list of possible symptoms is far-reaching and body-wide. Those tiny lists don’t even begin to describe our experience! I put together this “monster list” of 60+ symptoms to let you know that you’re not alone! The list is adapted from…

by Julia Nelson A study in the Oct. 15 issue of the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine found that adults with fibromyalgia had a much higher prevalence and risk of restless legs syndrome than healthy controls. The study suggests that treating RLS may improve sleep and quality of life in people with fibromyalgia. Results show that the prevalence of restless legs syndrome…

by Julia Nelson When I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia, the rheumatologist (who I never saw again) told me fibromyalgia was related to being a perfectionist, and I needed to exercise. And that was it. That was all that his many years of training and experience could bring him to say. When I told a family member (who…

by Julia Nelson “I have a problem—unexplained excessive sweating, like just stepping out of the shower, hair dripping wet, clothes soaked! … It has put a big damper on my lifestyle.” “My limbs get so cold and painful … and yet my face will be sweating from the heat inside.” “What exactly causes the excessive sweating?…

by Julia Nelson 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…