Fibromyalgia and Stroke Awareness Months

May is both Fibromyalgia Awareness Month and National Stroke Awareness Month. While these two conditions are different in many ways, they are alike in that both can be debilitating. And I am well-acquainted with both. Fibromyalgia is not a disease, but a syndrome. There is no known cause and no specific test for diagnosis. There … Read more

Fibromyalgia Pain

Nearly four decades ago, when I was in my early thirties, I complained repeatedly to my doctor about widespread pain throughout my body, but he couldn’t find anything to explain the pain. Then one day, I read an article in a women’s magazine describing the symptoms of fibromyalgia. I took the article to my doctor … Read more

Fibromyalgia Awareness Day 2017

May 12 is Fibromyalgia Awareness Day. Fibromyalgia has a variety of symptoms, and not everyone with the disorder exhibits the same symptoms. Also, the symptoms come and go and vary in intensity, so a person with fibromyalgia can go quickly from feeling okay to having extreme pain, excessive fatigue, and a variety of other symptoms. Now … Read more

Fibromyalgia Awareness Day

May 12th is Fibromyalgia Awareness Day. As you can see from the graphic, fibromyalgia often has many symptoms beyond chronic pain and fatigue. When I was in my early to mid thirties, I had severe pain that none of the several doctors I saw recognized. Some even said it was “all in [my] head.” Fibromyalgia … Read more

Fibromyalgia Awareness Day

Fibromyalgia is called an “invisible disease” because individuals with fibromyalgia look healthy, yet they go through life with chronic pain and a host of other symptoms. I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia in my mid-thirties. Although I had been to several doctors describing my pain, none of them believed there was anything wrong with me. I … Read more

Fibromyalgia Awareness Day 2013

Today is Fibromyalgia Awareness Day. I wrote in detail about fibromyalgia awareness and my experience with fibromyalgia last year. I have experienced the pain and fatigue of fibromyalgia for more than 30 years. Yet, fibromyalgia is an invisible disease—the pain can’t be seen. Often people think someone with fibromyalgia is lazy or a hypochondriac. Let’s … Read more

Fibromyalgia Awareness Day 2012

About 30 years ago, when I was in my mid-30s, I was experiencing fatigue and pain throughout my body. My old-time doctor attributed it to overwork and stress. One day I picked up a women’s magazine and read a cover story about fibromyalgia. The article, which showed an outline of a body with specific tender … Read more