I think I have fibromyalgia: what do I do?

Do you feel that your whole body aches and you are fatigued throughout the day? Do you have trouble sleeping at night and have trouble concentrating? There is a disease called fibromyalgia whose symptoms can go unnoticed due to fatigue and the stress of a fast pace of life. However, it must be detected and treated in time to prevent it from ending up leaving serious consequences.

It is very important to know all the information regarding this disease in order to detect it early and start the most effective treatment. To do this, in this Psychology-Online article, we will answer the question of "I think I have fibromyalgia: what do I do?"elaborating a complete description with symptoms, causes and treatment.

Index

1. What is fibromyalgia
2. Fibromyalgia symptoms
3. Fibromyalgia: causes
4. How to know if I have fibromyalgia
5. Fibromyalgia: treatment

We define this syndrome as an alteration in pain receptors. This alteration ends up causing certain stimuli to be perceived as painful that, normally, would not be. It is a chronic and complex disease. In fact, having such a variety of signs and symptoms, it is preferable to call it a syndrome and not a disease. It is associated with high levels of stress, anxiety and a possible implication is being studied Genetics in the appearance of fibromyalgia, in addition, it is known to affect the population in most part female.

Fibromyalgia is a made-up disease?

This disease has a very bad reputation due to the difficulty of making a correct diagnosis, without However, it is important to point out that it is a real syndrome and affects more people than we know. we imagine. According to the Spanish Society of Rheumatology, one million people are affected by this disease to a greater or lesser degree.

The problem in the data collected on its prevalence is the same again, it is very difficult to determine how many people are affected by the fibromyalgia if we can't make a correct diagnosis.

Even with so many doubts on the table, there are numerous studies carried out with the aim of shedding a little light on this syndrome. One of the key points to understanding fibromyalgia is knowing how it is expressed in individuals and what exactly its symptoms are.

If you still have the question of "I think I have fibromyalgia, what do I do?" You can consult the list that we provide below about the main symptoms of fibromyalgia:

Fibromyalgia: initial symptoms

• Less mobility in the muscles: this symptom is more related to subjective perception than to muscle movement itself
• Disturbed sleep rhythms
• Abdominal pain, diarrhea, or constipation
• Irribable colon syndrome
• Very specific pain points in the body
• Low attention and concentration

Symptoms of severe fibromyalgia

• Generalized pain throughout the body
• Fatigue and tiredness during the day, also due to the sleep disorders that accompany fibromyalgia
• Generalized stiffness, especially in the morning.
• Swollen hands and feet
• Disturbed sleep rhythms
• Memory loss

Even if your symptoms appear in the list as initial, it is important go to a specialist to offer you assistance and treatment. When the syndrome worsens, different mental disorders such as anxiety, depression or high levels of stress can appear.

Another of the great doubts that arise about fibromyalgia are its origins or causes. At first, the reason why a person could suffer from this disease was unknown, however, various factors have been studied:

1. Genetic causes

One of the main factors that determines whether or not you will have fibromyalgia is your genetics. In fact, this syndrome appears in a third of the children whose parents are previously diagnosed with fibromyalgia.

2. Physical factors

There are some factors that people who suffer from this disease seem to share, as we have said before, there is a alteration of the receptors neuronal cells that cause the generalized pain associated with fibromyalgia. This means that the alteration of the nervous system is quite a determining cause. Another physical factor to take into account is whether we have had a brain trauma that may have caused the imbalance in our nervous system.

It is possible that, despite identifying certain symptoms in us, we are not entirely clear if we suffer fibromyalgia or not, in this case, the important thing is to go to a specialist to perform a complete examination doctor. Although there are no laboratory tests that diagnose fibromyalgia, a test has been developed based on physical examination to determine if we have fibromyalgia and rule out other ailments medical.

The physical exploration in this case it will be based on locating the so-called "trigger points"These are 18 locations throughout the body where the pain so characteristic of this disease is concentrated. The diagnostic criteria for this test is that 11 of the 18 "trigger points" are perceived as painful.

Others diagnostic criteria to know if we have fibromyalgia are:

• Slow, hunched gait
• Tiredness due to lack of sleep
• Loss of mental alertness

Which doctor diagnoses fibromyalgia

Although physical tests to rule out other medical ailments can be done in a hospital by a general practitioner or GP. According to WHO it is rheumatologist who must diagnose fibromyalgia since he is the doctor who specializes in this disease.

"I think I have fibromyalgia: what do I do?" It is a doubt that may arise from the concern about our state of health, especially if we feel weak, tired and want to find an effective treatment to eliminate these symptoms so annoying.

We regret to report that, being a chronic disease, there is no definitive cure for fibromyalgia, however, the goal treatment It will be based on controlling pain and managing psychological symptoms.

The psychotherapy It is a powerful tool to learn to bear pain and be able to live with it, in addition, there are drugs that are prescribed in a specific way to relieve symptoms, these are usually antidepressants, anxiolytics and medications anticonvulsants.

Fibromyalgia natural treatment

• The physical exercise can help us maintain muscle mobility and relieve pain, in addition, it helps us maintain the sleep cycle by balancing hormones that control it, however, if we decide to exercise, it will have to be gentle and low impact to avoid causing us even more pain.
• Eat fruits, vegetables, and foods that contain antioxidantsIn this way, we will protect ourselves from cell wear and tear and eliminate toxins from our body.
• Exercises and relaxation techniques They can also help us to relax our anxiety and be able to live with the symptoms of fibromyalgia.

This article is merely informative, in Psychology-Online we do not have the power to make a diagnosis or recommend a treatment. We invite you to go to a psychologist to treat your particular case.

If you want to read more articles similar to I think I have fibromyalgia: what do I do?, we recommend that you enter our category of Clinical psychology.