Getting to grips with fibromyalgia

What is fibromyalgia?

Also known as FMS, fibromyalgia is a long-term condition that causes pain all over your body. If you have fibromyalgia, you’ll know it can be challenging to get to grips with, especially early in your diagnosis. The exact cause of the condition is unknown, but it is thought to be related to certain chemicals in your brain that change how your central nervous system processes pain messages carried around your body.

Fibromyalgia targets your musculoskeletal system (your bones, cartilage, tendons, ligaments, and connective tissue), causing a broad range of symptoms, the most prevalent of which is chronic pain. Common areas where people with fibromyalgia feel pain include the arms, legs, chest, and back.

The most common fibromyalgia symptoms

The main symptoms of fibromyalgia include:

Fatigue and fibromyalgia

It is thought that fatigue occurs with fibromyalgia because your body is constantly working to protect you from high levels of pain. Some people also find it difficult to get to sleep with fibromyalgia because they are kept awake by pain, which can make them tired during the day. If you have fibromyalgia, your fatigue might range from a tired flu-like feeling, to complete exhaustion (when you are drained of all energy and feel too tired to do anything except for lie in bed).

Living with chronic fatigue can have a significant impact on your everyday life, because it prevents you from performing usual everyday activities like household chores, exercise, and even socialising – this can have a knock-on effect on your ability to maintain friendships and a regular routine, which can lead to poor mental health.

Brain fog and fibromyalgia

Many people experience abnormal brain symptoms with fibromyalgia (also known as fibro fog). This includes memory loss, trouble with concentration, difficulty feeling alert, and difficulty holding a conversation. People with brain fog from fibromyalgia can also struggle remembering conversations and retaining new information, and might have issues with concentrating on tasks, and a reduced ability to think quickly and efficiently (especially in distracting environments). Unsurprisingly, fibro fog can lead to feelings of frustration, and can take its toll on a person’s confidence, especially when socialising or at work.

Anxiety and fibromyalgia

There is a noted connection between anxiety and fibromyalgia, although it is not fully understood yet. The condition itself can be triggered by an event that causes physical or emotional distress, such as a car accident or a major operation, which can cause long-term anxiety alongside fibromyalgia. Anxiety is also often associated with chronic pain and fatigue, both of which are common symptoms of fibromyalgia. Chronic pain and fatigue can exacerbate feelings of anxiety and distress for obvious reasons – being in pain can be a frightening experience, and feeling tired all the time can make people feel anxious about the future and whether they will ever feel like ‘themselves’ again.

Other symptoms of fibromyalgia include frequent migraines, dry eyes, and rashes (most often across your face). People often experience fibromyalgia in flare-ups, meaning the pain comes and goes at varying intensities at different points in your life. It is thought to be triggered by certain factors such as emotional trauma or a serious accident, but triggers differ for everyone.

Living with fibromyalgia

Living with this condition can make many aspects of everyday life challenging. If you have severe symptoms of fibromyalgia, they might interfere with your social life, your career, and even your ability to complete everyday tasks. As mentioned above, living with constant fatigue can make simple activities feel more tiresome and difficult, and the pain caused by fibromyalgia can prevent you from keeping active and living life to the full.

Although having fibromyalgia can be challenging, there are many ways you can manage the condition effectively. Some of this involves more non-traditional methods of care, such as mindfulness and relaxation techniques, which we’ll touch more on below.

Top tips from an expert

Dr Sue Peacock has helped many people overcome life challenges caused by fibromyalgia. She provides specialist psychological therapy, focusing on improving people’s ability to manage their health conditions and adjust to the different circumstances and challenges faced.

“It often means adjusting many aspects of your life in managing fibromyalgia, but if you do, you can still achieve things and have fun, just perhaps in a different way to what you originally thought,” explains Dr Peacock. “By taking charge of your condition, you can regain a sense of control over your life and your self-esteem and confidence can improve, significantly improving your quality of life.”

Dr Peacock has ten top tips for managing fibromyalgia the right way. They are:

1: Always keep a pain journal

Keep a pain journal so you can record your progress and learn to recognise triggers that may increase your pain and/or fatigue. This will provide useful information that you can use to manage your condition. Your pain journal can include details about the medication you take, what you have eaten and drank in a day, the kind of sleep you have had that night, and how you are feeling emotionally. Your pain journal is a fantastic reference for you and your doctor to monitor what is working throughout your treatment plan, the activities and foods that make your fibromyalgia worse, and the actions you can take to improve your symptoms.

2: Always ask for help

It sounds obvious, but talking to your family and friends to let them know about your condition and how it makes you feel physically and emotionally can ensure you have a solid support network there for you during flare-ups. You might need help getting around the house and fulfilling your everyday routine during bad days, and you might simply need someone to talk to on others. If you are struggling to maintain a support network in family and friends, you might benefit from joining a support group (whether online or in-person), to meet others living with the condition. These people can join your support network and be there to discuss the details of living with fibromyalgia with a first-hand understanding of the condition.

3: Gentle exercise helps

Gentle exercise, such as walking even a short distance or exercising in a warm pool, can help reduce pain and stiffness in your body caused by fibromyalgia. Be gentle with yourself as you perform low-impact exercise to help manage your symptoms.

4: Write things down to reduce brain fog

Get into the habit of writing things down, however small or seemingly ‘insignificant’, to avoid the frustration of brain fog caused by fibromyalgia. Set reminders and make lists to stay organised and on top of your daily planning. You can refer to these lists if you struggle to remember important life details.

5: Have pain relief to hand

Keep all your pain-relieving remedies close by, particularly on a bad day. For example: hot water bottles, heat packs, relaxation CDs, self-hypnosis CDs, cushions, pillows and a TENS (transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation) machine.

6: A long soak goes a long way

A long soak in a warm bath or hot tub can help to relax tense muscles. The warm water of a bath loosens spasms and tension in your muscles, helping reduce pain and stiffness.

7: Allocate time for yourself

Make time for yourself to decompress. Allocate dedicated time so you can spend 30 minutes or so just doing something you enjoy without feeling guilty.

8: Switch to decaffeinated drinks

Perhaps try decaf tea or coffee occasionally, as caffeine can increase anxiety and insomnia. Also be aware of your intake of chocolate and some soft drinks, which also contain caffeine.

9: Practice mindfulness and relaxation

Practice mindfulness and relaxation as frequently as possible. If you practice regularly, it will be more beneficial when you are in flare up.

10: Pace and prioritise

Remember to be gentle with yourself and put yourself first in your everyday routine.

Treatment for fibromyalgia

There are a variety of conservative treatment options for fibromyalgia. These include:

Medication

Depression and anxiety can often accompany fibromyalgia, so your doctor might prescribe a series of antidepressants that relieve your discomfort by improving your sleep, emotional health, and overall quality of life.

Physiotherapy

Physiotherapy can sometimes help you manage widespread pain caused by fibromyalgia. You will work with your physiotherapist to build a tailored physiotherapy plan including specialist exercises to relax your muscles and strengthen your joints, which can in turn help with chronic pain.

Cognitive behavioural therapy

Cognitive behavioural therapy is a generally short-term form of talking therapy – usually between eight and 16 sessions - that focuses on changing the way you think about yourself, with an ultimate view towards identifying negative thought patterns and interpretations that contribute to your low mood, ahead of replacing these thoughts with more compassionate modes of thinking.

When it comes to fibromyalgia, your CBT therapist might focus on the way you 'catastrophise' - namely, believing that something is much worse than it actually is. Holding this belief can keep you in a loop of expecting, and then experiencing, high levels of pain. By making a note of this automatic process, you can then notice it when it arises and use mental techniques to prevent yourself from spiralling into catastrophising mode, allowing you to relax, which in turn can improve sleep, reduce anxiety, increase functioning, and potentially ease your fibromyalgia symptoms.

Getting help with Circle Health Group

At Circle Health Group, we offer a range of services to help diagnose and manage fibromyalgia. Your consultant will work with you to understand how the condition affects you specifically and build your treatment plan centred around your needs. They will ensure you work with a pain management specialist to manage your symptoms.

To speak with a specialist consultant, give us a call or book an appointment online.