Fibromyalgia Symptoms and Info Sites

This link will take you to the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases.

The 1st list of symptoms on the article below this one are from this website.

Fibromyalgia syndrome is a common and chronic disorder characterized by widespread pain, diffuse tenderness, and a number of other symptoms. The word “fibromyalgia” comes from the Latin term for fibrous tissue (fibro) and the Greek ones for muscle (myo) and pain (algia).

Although fibromyalgia is often considered an arthritis-related condition, it is not truly a form of arthritis (a disease of the joints) because it does not cause inflammation or damage to the joints, muscles, or other tissues. Like arthritis, however, fibromyalgia can cause significant pain and fatigue, and it can interfere with a person’s ability to carry on daily activities. Also like arthritis, fibromyalgia is considered a rheumatic condition, a medical condition that impairs the joints and/or soft tissues and causes chronic pain.

In addition to pain and fatigue, people who have fibromyalgia may experience a variety of other symptoms including:

cognitive and memory problems (sometimes referred to as “fibro fog”)
sleep disturbances
morning stiffness
headaches
irritable bowel syndrome
painful menstrual periods
numbness or tingling of the extremities
restless legs syndrome
temperature sensitivity
sensitivity to loud noises or bright lights.
Fibromyalgia is a syndrome rather than a disease. A syndrome is a collection of signs, symptoms, and medical problems that tend to occur together but are not related to a specific, identifiable cause. A disease, on the other hand, has a specific cause or causes and recognizable signs and symptoms.

Most people don't know that Fibro patients are light and sound sensitive, but it's common. It wasn't listed with the other common symptoms when I was first diagnosed back in 1989 after I was in two car wrecks within 7 months of each other in 1988. After the second time (when I was hit by a pickup truck driver whose brakes failed) the pain just never went away. I was diagnosed the year after the two car wrecks. They are getting much more familiar with what is and isn't part of Fibromyalgia now and even I am finding more things in common with other Fibro patients I get to know that none of us associated with Fibromyalgia previously. Doctors don't listen enough and we don't get to talk with others enough for any of us to get familiar with just what all we have in common. Thankfully there are some good online sites to read and post to that are helping with that, such as Fibro360 on facebook at this link:

http://www.facebook.com/inbox/readmessage.php?t=1096924668272&mbox_pos=0#/Fibro360?ref=ts