What is fibromyalgia and does it ever go away?

Answer 1

They are finding out more all the time. It has to do with an inability to reach Stage 4 sleep, which repairs and rests muscles, and produces seratonin. At the same time, there is an excess of Substance P (pain receptors) They have found that people with fibromyalgia have been exposed to Epstein-Barr virus, and have had some sort of trauma. These 4 things are what they have found in common with most fibromyalgia patients. It is a lifetime affliction, but not fatal. The most dangerous and life-threatening symptom is the accompanying depression suffered from the constant pain. Go to Ask.com and enter the question, "What is fibromyalgia?" for many sites.

Answer 2

As a person who has fibromyalgia, I can hopefully, tell something about it. There are hundreds of theories as to what causes fibro but whatever causes it, the treatment seems to be about the same. Muscle relaxers, pain meds, gentle exercise, antiinflammatories. There are 18 diagnosing trigger points through out the body, and to be considered having fibro you must have 11 of these points.

Stress makes the pain worse, so can illness, surgery, weather, just about anything can cause a flair.

You also have tiredness that you can't seem to recover from. I have to take a nap everyday (1 1/2 to 2 1/2 hours). If I have to drive more than 30 miles a day I am wiped out for 2-3 days. Your night sleep is not restful. I wake up at least 2 times in the night and am awake for about 1 hour each time. A person does not get much REM sleep, which is the restful sleep.

The best way I can explain it is think about the worst flu you have ever had and quintuple it.

Hope this helps

Answer 3

Does Fibromyalgia Go Away

Answer 4

Nobody is really sure what causes Fibromyalgia but it does not "go away". There are several areas on the body called trigger points that are very tender and sore most of the time. It can cause sore aching muscles and joints as well as fatigue and difficulty sleeping. headaches and depression. The trigger points are always tender but there are days when the symptoms seem much worse and this can last several days. Some days it is not as bad.
Exercise, drinking plenty of water, and getting enough sleep seem to help. Also there are medications you can get from you doctor to help with some of the symptoms of fibromyalgia.

Answer 5

A chronic disorder characterized by widespread musculoskeletal pain, fatigue, and multiple tender points that occurs in precise, localized areas, particularly in the neck, spine, shoulders, and hips; also may cause sleep disturbances, morning stiffness, irritable bowel syndrome, anxiety, and other symptoms.
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Acupuncture may help relieve the symptoms of fibromyalgia, especially the fatigue and anxiety that often comes with the condition, a new study suggests.

Fibromyalgia is a syndrome marked by chronic widespread aches and pains, fatigue and sleep problems, among other symptoms; the cause is unknown, and there are no medications specifically approved for the condition. Instead, treatment usually involves a combination of approaches, such as painkillers, antidepressants and exercise therapy.

Only two well-designed clinical trials have tested acupuncture's effects on fibromyalgia, and these studies yielded conflicting results.

The new study was conducted by researchers at the Mayo Clinic College of Medicine in Rochester, Minnesota and in Jackson, Florida.

Fifty fibromyalgia patients were randomly assigned to acupuncture or to a "placebo" version of the therapy, where a dull surgical instrument was pressed against the skin rather than acupuncture needles.

The subjects were positioned so they could not see which treatment they received. All but one subject was female.

The patients underwent six treatment sessions over two to three weeks. None of the patients had been treated with acupuncture before.

Overall, the fibromyalgia patients who underwent the real treatment showed a significantly greater improvement in their symptoms than placebo recipients did -- particularly when it came to fatigue and anxiety, Dr. David P. Martin and his colleagues report in the journal Mayo Clinic Proceedings.

Acupuncture is among the most popular and best-studied forms of alternative medicine; research suggests it can help ease pain stemming from a range of conditions, including lower back problems, migraine and arthritis.

As far as the therapy's effects on fibromyalgia, "the trend in the evidence is tipping toward a benefit," Martin told Reuters Health.

"I think people can try it, because there are really no bad side effects," he said, adding that many may tolerate acupuncture better than the medications often used for the condition.

It's not clear, according to Martin, why the fatigue and anxiety symptoms in particular improved, just as it's not completely understood why acupuncture works at all.

According to traditional Chinese medicine, acupuncture points on the skin are connected to internal pathways that conduct energy, and stimulating the points with a fine needle promotes a balanced flow of this energy. Research in recent years has suggested that acupuncture may work by altering signals among nerve cells or affecting the release of various chemicals of the central nervous system.

SOURCE: Mayo Clinic Proceedings, June 2006.

Answer 6

Hi I myself is suffering with fibromyalgia
Everyday you have pain, exhausted all the time. Changes your life for the worse.
I can just about get up my stairsdue to so much pain in my legs. Some days I am bed ridden unable able to walk due to heavyness , mega pins and needles, pain, restless legs syndrome. Also pain in your eyes when waking up takes me 2 hours to wake up.
Iv had it fir 3 years now and not getting better exercising causes more pain and alot more cums with this. I find it gets worse as years go on

Answer 7

No fibromyalgia never goes away. I also have it and I haven't found much that makes it feel better. I am not one to take medications but occasionally I do have to take pain meds just to be able to get some relief from the pain. I did have a wonderful physical therapist that helped the pain somewhat. Some people have said that they were in remission from fibro but the fibro come back and they felt worse than they did before the remission. Doctors will tell you it doesn't get worse but I am here to tell you that it does.

Answer 8

I have had fibro for 10 years, I just had pain in my neck and shoulders for the nine years, but it has gone full blown over the last year, I have had to come out of work, which I am very upset , but it is so bad some days that I can't get out of bed, but I still try to think positive, because I have to be for my children's sake.

Answer 9

My fibromyalgia has gone away most of the time, once I learned how to control it (exercise, rest, posture, the way I sit at the computer, taking breaks).

Whether it goes or not depends on the person who has it, what is functionally causing it, and how much they are motivated to exercise despite pain.

Answer 10

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