Simple Questions About Fibromyalgia

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We all know that when you start getting a serious health condition, many questions start racing through your mind. It’s hard to adjust to living with a condition, and needing to know more about it. Everyday the pressure can potentially start to build up, and this is why we have put together some common questions about Fibromyalgia (FMS) for you.

Is Fibromyalgia hereditary? Actually, if someone in your family has it, then the risks are higher that you can get it, but it can also happen to people without any family history of FMS.

It has been studied though that women are more prone to getting FMS, especially when they get to their 30s or 40s. It is also possible to get FMS if you, or a member of your family, has a history of sexual or physical abuse, or rheumatic problems.

What signs should I be on the look out for? Fibromyalgia is a condition that relates to muscle pain, and so when you start to feel pain in areas like your neck, back, joints, headaches, chronic fatigue, restless leg syndrome, an irritable bowel syndrome, difficulty in sleeping, and myofascial pain syndrome.

The main characteristic of FMS is widespread pain across your body. It cannot be seen, just felt. It also does not affect any internal organs or tissues, and so this makes it difficult to detect. However, the pain should be chronic, at least for 3 months before a doctor will consider FMS.

However, these signs can be deceiving because FMS is not always the logical reason. What you will need to do is consult with a doctor, and get a professional opinion. It’s useless to try to make your own diagnosis based on what you read.

Can children get fibromyalgia? It is not common, but yes, children have been known to get FMS. Again, the three month period should apply. Of the 11 trigger areas known to be affected by FMS, a child must experience pain at five of them over a period of time. These include chronic headaches, poor sleeping habits, irritable bowel syndrome, pain when the weather changes, or there is tension in the room, swelling of their soft tissues, fatigue, and pain when doing any physical activity.

Of course, all these symptoms do not have to happen at the same, but occur regularly over a period of at least 3 months. As such, it would be a good idea that if you suspect FMS for your child, maybe because it runs in the family, to start a record of incidents.

What drug can treat FMS? As of today, there is only one drug that the Food and Drug Administration has approved, and this is an anticonvulsant used to treat nerve pain and seizures.

Of course, there are other medications that you can take, several, in fact, such as pain relievers, anti depressants, and sleeping pills. You can also try alternative methods like relaxation techniques, acupressure, hydrotherapy, thermotherapy, acupuncture, massage, and exercise.

Do not disregard your diet as it also can provide you with relief by avoiding substances that can trigger pain or restlessness.