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In the October issue of Vogue, the 32-year-old pop star opened up about her struggle with fibromyalgia, a condition that affects the nervous system and causes pain throughout the body.
“I get so irritated by people who don’t believe fibromyalgia is real,” the singer said. “For me, and for many others, it’s truly a cyclone of anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress, trauma, and panic disorder that blocks the nervous system and causes nerve pain.”
“People need more compassion. Chronic pain is no joke. And every day we wake up not knowing how we’re going to feel.”
Gaga, born Stefani Germanotta, revealed that she was suffering from a debilitating illness last September, just before the release of her documentary Gaga: Five Foot Two.
“I want to help raise awareness and connect people who are affected,” she tweeted.
For Gaga, the pain was so intense that she was unable to perform. In September 2017, she was hospitalized for “intense pain” and canceled her upcoming concerts.
According to Mary-Ann Fitzcharles, associate professor of medicine in the Division of Rheumatology at McGill University, there are many misunderstandings about fibromyalgia. Until recently, this illness was poorly accepted.
Many have felt that the symptoms of fibromyalgia are all “in the head” of those struggling with the condition, as they often appeared to be in good health.
“It’s now a completely recognized condition, no question about it,” Fitzcharles said. “We’ve moved away from the notion that all patients have a mental illness.”
What is fibromyalgia?
Fibromyalgia is a condition in which people experience chronic muscle and tendon pain, often accompanied by other symptoms such as sleep problems, headaches, or mood disorders, Fitzcharles told Global News.
According to the Arthritis Society of Canada, fibromyalgia affects approximately 2% of Canadians, although the majority of those with fibromyalgia (80 to 90%) are women. People between the ages of 20 and 50 are most at risk of developing the condition, reports the Arthritis Society.
Fibromyalgia is not currently curable, but treatment helps manage the symptoms.
What does fibromyalgia look like?
The symptoms of fibromyalgia vary, but include fatigue, sleep disturbances, cognitive difficulties, irritable bowel syndrome, mood disorders such as anxiety and depression, and migraines. There is one common denominator: pain.
“For more than 30% of people with fibromyalgia, simply touching and stroking the skin is perceived as unpleasant,” Fitzcharles said.
She also explained that the painful symptoms in people with fibromyalgia indicate a disconnect between their body and their nervous system.
“It’s as if the nervous system is overstimulated. In many patients, we observe signs of hypervigilance,” she said. “People are therefore overly sensitive to loud noises, crowded environments, and bright light.”
What causes fibromyalgia?
Medical experts are not certain of the exact cause of fibromyalgia, but the condition can often be attributed to a traumatic event, Fitzcharles said.
“A third of people will say they were in perfect physical health, then a [significant] event occurred,” Fitzcharles said. “It could be a serious viral illness, a traumatic event such as a car accident or a fracture, or an extremely stressful physiological event that seems to trigger it.”
Fitzcharles says that the illness seems to come out of nowhere for two-thirds of people with fibromyalgia. The risk of developing the illness increases if you have a family history of fibromyalgia.
Why is fibromyalgia difficult to diagnose?
Fibromyalgia has puzzled doctors for years. It is difficult to diagnose because there is no standardized test for the condition, nor is there a test to confirm the diagnosis. Furthermore, symptoms can change frequently, and people with fibromyalgia often appear healthy.
“The patient looks absolutely normal. There is no swelling, there is no fever, there is nothing to see. So even family and friends are having a hard time understanding the process,” Fitzcharles said.
Because it is difficult to identify, she says patients have to wait five years before being properly diagnosed.
“What doctors need to do [to diagnose] is take a good [medical] history and review it to make sure that one of the conditions that can resemble fibromyalgia is not present,” she said.
Next, doctors will perform minimal tests to ensure there are no other underlying conditions. “We strongly recommend against performing excessive testing on patients, such as excessive X-rays and MRIs.”
How do you treat fibromyalgia?
Fitzcharles says the disease can be treated with medication, but most patients control their illness with self-management techniques, including a healthy lifestyle, proper sleep, and stress reduction.
“The most successful intervention is probably a regular program of comfortable physical activity,” Fitzcharles said. “Non-pharmacological management is extremely important.”
Fitzcharles stated that it was important to find medications that alleviate pain – and do not contribute to it.
“Unfortunately, most of the medications we use have significant side effects, and many of those side effects can be similar to the symptoms of fibromyalgia,” she said. “So, if a patient says they have great difficulty sleeping and [significant] pain, if we can choose a medication that can impact both sleep and pain, that’s how we go about it.”
