7 Fibromyalgia Symptoms - 1 Ray of Hope in Winnebago IL

#1 Chronic Pain in Winnebago IL

Fibromyalgia patients experience what is called central sensitization. This means the person's body is constantly in a state of wind-up where stimuli are perceived as far more painful than they should be. For example, if you accidentally touch the stove while it is on, your body amps up the amount of pain you feel to make you withdraw your hand before serious damage occurs. However, a gentle caress from a loved one should not cause the same amount of pain. Central sensitization causes the body to categorize these non-dangerous stimuli in the same way, leading to widespread pain in the body.

#2 Overwhelming Sensory Responses

For a fibromyalgia patient, touch is not the only sense that is easily overwhelmed. Sight, smell, and hearing are also affected. Thus, a loud noise, bright lights, or pungent odor may prove exhausting and trigger a flare-up of symptoms. Jamming a finger may hurt for hours instead of minutes. Catching a whiff of someone's cigarette as you walk through a parking lot may wipe you out for the rest of the day. A crash from the other room where the kids are playing may lead to days of pain and anxiety. Unfortunately, sensory overload is often unavoidable for a fibromyalgia patient.

#3 Extreme Exhaustion

The exhaustion associated with fibromyalgia can be so debilitating that if you get examined by a doctor on a day when you are more tired than in pain, you could end up diagnosed with chronic fatigue syndrome instead. Exhaustion may be caused by dealing with pain on a continual basis, but it also may be due to the next symptom on our list - sleep problems.

#4 Difficulty Sleeping

For someone suffering from fibromyalgia, sleep problems can result in a debilitating cycle. Lack of sleep actually causes a person to experience higher pain levels. However, that pain can also make it difficult to sleep. Breaking this insidious cycle may mean educating yourself about the best environment for sleep and making necessary lifestyle changes to improve your sleep habits.

#5 Associated Conditions

One big issue that fibromyalgia patients face is the number of associated conditions that a person is at higher risk for if diagnosed with a chronic pain condition. One example is IBS. Researchers keep finding a link between fibromyalgia and an increased risk for irritable bowel syndrome. Other conditions a patient may be at greater risk for are emotional conditions like depression and anxiety. Whether the pain and uncertainty of the fibromyalgia lead to these other conditions or the effect on one's social life and career, the results are the same. Depression and anxiety compound the struggle for a fibromyalgia patient.

#6 Cognitive Symptoms

For many fibromyalgia patients, this can be one of the toughest parts of the condition to deal with. Pain can make it difficult to focus. This can affect both work and home life. Short-term memory issues and information retention problems are common. You may wander the house for half an hour looking for your keys only to forget what you needed to go to the store for in the first place. It can be tough to explain to family and friends what it is like to feel as though you are in a fog at all times.

#7 Chronic Headaches or Migraines

Fibromyalgia patients are also at risk for more frequent migraines and headaches. First of all, chronic pain and the stresses of a long-term illness can lead to tension in the neck and shoulders. This can cause chronic tension headaches. However, pain medication can also lead to rebound headaches (also called medication overuse headaches). For someone with a chronic pain condition, going off the pain meds to give the body time to detox doesn't seem like a viable option. But you may be surprised to find out just how many of the headaches are medication related.

Hope for Fibromyalgia Sufferers

One place that more fibromyalgia sufferers are turning for help is chiropractic care. For example, one 32-year-old woman saw the onset of fibromyalgia following several traumas, one of which was serious enough to result in a separated shoulder. Her health rapidly declined over a two-year period. Then she sought chiropractic care. Within 4 months she reported that her condition had completely resolved. In fact, 90% of the pain was gone within the first 3 months of care.

If you or someone you love is suffering with any of these symptoms please reach out. We will work together with you to help find solutions.