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March 28, 2011
Lisa M. McMahon
You get out of bed in the morning and your body aches all over. The pain is deep-down and not in
the joints. You feel like a truck has run over you. You don't have a fever nor a sore throat or
congestion so you rule out the flu. The pain also seems to move around. The pain is constant but
there are occasional sharp, stabbing pains, as well. You can point to the specific locations and
they are very painful to the touch.
You go to bed and can't fall asleep and then when you finally do, you are suddenly jerked awake.
The pattern continues throughout the evening hours so that when it is time to get out of bed you
feel like you haven't gotten any sleep at all. You don't have any energy. Ordinary activities cause
sudden fatigue.
You have trouble concentrating and forget things you used to remember easily, like how to get to
the store or bank. You read and can't seem to comprehend what is before you. You forget a
relative's name or where you put your car keys (they are in your purse).
You may have headaches, chest pain, temporomandibular joint dysfunction (TMJ), difficulty
swallowing, numbness or tingling in your arms or legs, dry eyes, restless legs, allergies and
chemical insensitivities, irritable bowel, pelvic pain, plantar fasciitis, skin problems, weight
gain, muscle spasms, depression, anxiety or panic attacks.
With such a host of possible symptoms, almost anyone might think they have fibromyalgia or that
they are a hypochondriac. Doctors, however, will give you an official diagnosis if you
have:
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Pain that has lasted at least three months
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Pain that occurs in all four quadrants (above and below the waist; both sides of the spine) of
the body
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Pain when touched with pressure on specific "tender spots"
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Pain that can't be explained by another illness or disorder
Up until recently, you had to have pain in 11 out of 18 specified tender spots. Doctors have
recently replaced the tender point test with a widespread pain index and symptom severity scale.
Doctors count the number of areas where you have felt pain in the last week. They are looking for
pain in at least seven of 19 specified areas.
Then they determine a symptom severity score by rating you on a scale from zero to three. Three
means the symptoms are pervasive and severe for the three common symptoms of fatigue, waking
unrefreshed and cognitive difficulties. Additional points are added if you have numbness,
dizziness, nausea, irritable bowel syndrome or depression. The final score is between 0 and 12 with
a five or more giving you the necessary score for a fibromyalgia diagnosis.
Another change is that you could have even fewer pain areas, three to six, and still get a
diagnosis of fibromyalgia if your symptom severity score is nine or higher.
If you these symptoms describe you, you may have fibromyalgia. Although there isn't a cure, there
are treatments and therapies that can reduce or even eliminate your most troubling symptoms. Seek
to find out all you can about fibromyalgia so that you can feel better soon.
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