In America, between three and six million people, or one in fifty, suffer from fibromyalgia, a syndrome characterized by debilitating pain throughout the body with no obvious cause. Although people often improve over time, they will often have to cope with life.
If you suffer from chronic muscle pain, however, this does not necessarily mean that you have fibromyalgia. If you’re worried about having fibromyalgia, it’s important to keep in mind that many other symptoms accompany muscle pain. Review the signs and symptoms below to better understand.
Symptoms of Fibromyalgia
If you find that your muscles are constantly aching with no obvious external causes, check out this list of symptoms to help you determine if you may be developing fibromyalgia.
All the symptoms are unlikely to coincide, but if most of them affect you, raise your concerns with the doctor, who can rule out all other causes first.
Muscles and tissues
twitches muscles in the
morning Stiffness
Swelling
minor and intense pains that they can move to different parts of the body
soft and lumpy breasts (fibrocystic breast like an overlay)
problems sleeping
fatigue
grinding teeth
muscle twitches during sleep
getting the feeling of falling asleep (“starting to sleep”)
Difficulty sleeping/broken sleep, leaving you feeling tired and listless each morning rather than feeling refreshed.
Allergies and sinus disorders
ringing ears thick
mucus
and itchy ears ear infections
drip and postnasal drip
Allergies, mold and yeast sensitivities
Shortness
of breath stomach and digestive problems bloating
, nausea, abdominal cramps and pelvic pain
frequent urination (always need to pee, get up every night, often more than once) Sensory
IBS Problems and sensitivity sensitive to odors, light, noise, temperature, pressure and climate change. Difficulty with night driving and vision in poor lighting conditions. Cognitive difficulties. Poor coordination and poor balance.
Directional difficulties and recognition of familiar surroundings.
Exclude often, difficulty concentrating, short-term memory and differentiation between certain shades of color.
Burning or tingling in the upper limbs
Impaired tongue and difficulty speaking familiar words
Reproductive problems
Loss of libido
Impotence
PMS and other menstrual problems
Heart
problems Irregular heartbeat with
valves
Pain similar to heart attack
Hair , skin and nails
overprinted nails or nails sagging under the
skin that bruises or scars easily or has mottled patches
Hair loss and
mental health symptoms
Anxiety, depression, panic attacks
Unexplained mood swings and irritability
Other symptoms
Family history
Unexplained weight gain or loss
Carbohydrates and Chocolate cravings
Headaches and migraines
Visual changes
Sweating
Remember that all of these signs and symptoms are not specific, which means they may be caused by or indicate another condition, or they may be random and mean absolutely nothing. For example, just because you have PMS from time to time, are moody, have cravings, or have migraines, doesn’t mean you have fibromyalgia. Again, talk to your doctor before jumping to a conclusion.
How is fibromyalgia diagnosed?
Unfortunately, fibromyalgia can be confused with other conditions, and no specific test can diagnose certain diagnoses one hundred percent, making it difficult to diagnose.
First, you must meet specific criteria set out by the American College of Rheumatology to be diagnosed with fibromyalgia.
Diffuse pain that has been present for at least three months in all four quadrants of the body
11 of 18 tender points, with pain felt on palpation over the points
results negative for any other disease on any of the diagnostic tests performed
because While there is no test to determine if a person has fibromyalgia, doctors use a combination of diagnostic tests to rule out other conditions and reinforce the cause of the condition.
