Jun 20, 2011
You used to enjoy endless hours of shopping, but suddenly you cannot even stand for five minutes at the shop to buy groceries. The workload in office was always a simple matter to take care of, but now you dread going to the office. There is always a nagging headache, and you don’t sleep well and feel tired all day long. What makes things worse is that no one understands the pain you feel. “It’s all in your head,” they keep saying. You end up going from one doctor to the other, doing a series of tests and undergoing various treatments.
It just plays havoc with your whole life, turning you from a hard working professional into a burned out, confused patient who does not have the energy even to get up every morning. Fibromyalgia is a syndrome and not a disease. It is a mix of symptoms and widespread pain that affects women more than men. Consequently, there are chances that this syndrome will be misdiagnosed.
Your whole body aches, but unlike arthritis, it has nothing to do with the joints and there is no damage to the muscles or joints. Most patients say ‘all sorts of pain’ in the upper and lower limbs. Since it involves the brain and the nervous system, every part of the body is hit by pain.
There is not a specific and identifiable cause to this problem, but stress does play a major role in activating it. It may be one reason why women are more prone to it. Since the symptoms overlap, the patient often consults many doctors for a correct diagnosis. When the treatment does not bring in the expected result, the patient may feel more stressed out. These stressful situations will worsen the symptoms. When a patient comes in with complaints of pain, we have to rule out the potential causes of other problems first. There is no specific test to detect this problem. It can affect people of any age.
There is a criteria established to make a diagnosis of this problem, which helps a doctor pinpoint the syndrome, like the history of pain and the tender points on the body. The treatment depends on individuals and it may include medication along with lifestyle modifications. Keeping stress at bay is the most effective cure. The patient is asked to understand the problem, its causes and the remedy which is nothing more than a having a relaxed mind. Family members should also pitch in with their support to ensure that fibromyalgia is treated fully.
The author is a consultant joint replacement surgeon at Ernakulam Medical Centre.
By Dr Alex Jacob
