6 Things You Didn’t Know About Fibromyalgia – Guest Post

As you know I love to open up this blog to fellow blogging friends, not only is it a way of introducing you to new blogs but also to topics I don’t know as much about but feel they are very important to share.

One thing I’ve not really shared with you often is that Paul, my husband has Fibromyalgia. It’s something he doesn’t talk about often but affects everyday life and means he is in chronic pain all the time. With Lady Gaga recently revealing she also suffers, I thought it was a perfect time to introduce you to Sarah who blogs over at Life in a break Down.

Sarah has been blogging over at Life in a Break Down since 2010, and is someone I have chatted with many times over that period. She is also there to offer advice and actively goes out of her way to help other bloggers. As well as suffering from Fibromyalgia, she also has Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Hyper mobility Syndrome, Keratoconus and a number of mental health issues which she shares her personal experience of over on her blog, and if she weren’t busy enough – she also finds time to run a bloggers FB page and the UK Bloggers forum.

Please to pop over and visit. You can also follow her over on Twitter and Facebook.

I now pass you over to Sarah.

When Clare asked if I would like to guest post on her blog about Fibromyalgia, I of course said yes. It is after all one of the most common pain disorders. However, very little is known about it and what causes it. Interestingly I recently found out my maternal grandmother has been diagnosed with it as well.

So, I thought I would try and put a few misconceptions to bed, such as it is all in the head and tell you 6 facts you (probably) didn’t know about Fibromyalgia.

Senses Are Heightened.

When you have Fibromyalgia all your senses are uncomfortably heightened. This isn’t just an illness based around physical pain. People with Fibro can find themselves with aversions to lights and smells and leave you recoiling at even the gentlest of touches.

Digestive Disorders Can Offer an Early Warning Sign.

Often when someone is suffering a Fibro flare up it can be joined by stomach troubles, so it is interesting to know that around 70% off Fibromyalgia suffers have some sort of digestive disorder such as IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome). What’s more both conditions offer heightened pain responses and as such there may be there is a common cause between the two.

Excessive Sweating is Common.

Yes, another fun part of Fibromyalgia is excessive sweating. In some people, sweating can become frequent enough or noticeable enough to resemble symptoms of hyperhidrosis, especially when it seems out of proportion to the temperature or activity level. What makes it even more frustrating is that you can feel cold and painful on the inside of your body while the outside of you tells a completely different story, which can leave you feeling uncomfortable, self-conscious, and physically drained at the same time.

Everyone’s Experience with Fibromyalgia is Different.

You have a friend with mild pain, who can still get up and do everything they use to. That is awesome (and I totally mean it). However, just because one person can do something, that doesn’t mean everyone else can. The pain experienced with Fibromyalgia is different for everyone and can range from hardly making a difference, to extremely debilitating. This goes for all the other symptoms that come with it as well.

A Vitamin D Deficiency is Common in Fibromyalgia.

Here in the UK studies have shown than it is more likely someone suffering from Fibromyalgia will have a Vitamin D deficiency, what’s also interesting as both have similar side symptoms. Therefore, it is worth checking if you are low in Vit D as it may help to take a supplement if you are.

Fibromyalgia Effects Your Cognitive Thinking.

You may find someone with Fibromyalgia says strange things, asks for the thingy, whatsit or doodah a lot. We aren’t silly, we KNOW we should know what we are after and believe me it can be downright scary when you do things like forget how many seconds there are in a minute. So please be patient as we work out what we are trying to say.

So, there are a few things you probably didn’t know about Fibromyalgia, I hope I’ve helped you get a bit of insight into this commonly misconceived illness. If you have any questions about it please do just ask.