WORLD #FIBROMYALGIA AWARENESS DAY 12th MAY, 2020…

Help us to promote World Fibromyalgia Awareness Day on 12th May 2020 in any way you can. Some Fibro groups have created unique ways to help promote awareness.

Fibromyalgia UK is still there but with the COVID-19 virus cannot hold any events but say they still have a hotline and contact form.

The Fibro Blogger Directory should be your first port of call for anything to do with Fibro. There is a large database of bloggers who all write about Fibro in one way or another and it is an award-winning blog for all the work it’s writer Lee Good does for this condition. It is CONNECTING the fibro blogging community, inspired by all the fibro bloggers and their stories.

The biggest problem with Fibromyalgia is the fact that you have so much overall pain which has nothing to show for it.

It’s not that you want to go around with a plaque on your head saying ‘I’m in pain’, but if you look at the number of invisible symptoms of Fibromyalgia it makes you realise why people question your pain when there is nothing to show for it.

I had more sympathy for a broken metatarsal which was in plaster than I’ve ever had for my chronic pain and I wouldn’t have minded but once your foot is in plaster there is no pain.

Hopefully, the more awareness raised an out Fibromyalgia the more others will understand your condition. This infographic from Fibromyalgia Treatment Group explains it all.

Fibro and Chronic Pain Support Group promote the awareness day on a Facebook page which is an online event only so you can attend from the comfort of your home or work! Fibromyalgia (FMS) & ME/CFS Awareness Day for May 12th of each year, but will be recognized by us all year round. It isn’t just one day that we want awareness, it’s every day because every day we deal with chronic pain.

Together Walks is another US charity that has been set up to raise funds for research and help people connect for May 12th Fibromyalgia Awareness Day.*  More than 700 live champions and thousands of online champions have joined Together Walks. Obviously, with social distancing, the virtual walk will be the most popular. Click here to register for live and virtual 2018 Together Walks as well as to create and join walk teams.

There are a large number of symptoms of #fibromyalgia but the main symptoms as listed on the Fibromyalgia Support Network are -It is very important that other possible causes are ruled out. The number of, and severity of the rest of the symptoms, seems to be different for every person. They can also vary from day to day, even minute to minute. You could be walking along limping from severe pain in your left leg for a few minutes, that slowly wears off, only to have worse pain in your other leg next time you start walking.

The main symptoms of #fibromyalgia include:

• • • Chronic widespread pain without apparent cause
    • Fatigue
    • Sleep Disturbance
    • Cognitive Dysfunction
    • Morning Stiffness
    • Cramping and Muscle Spasms
    • Restless Leg Syndrome
    • Digestive Problems
    • Headaches and Migraines
    • Skin Sensations
    • Balance Problems
    • Sensitivities – to just about everything are common as well. Sensitivities to:
      • Touch – It can feel ‘uncomfortable’ to be touched. Tickling can be completely unbearable.
      • Heat – sweats and feelings of breathlessness
      • Cold – increases in pain and difficulty getting warm
      • Changes in the weather – pain increases
      • Side effects from meds – more susceptible to side effects and side effects can be more severe. Also, a med that works well for one person can make another very ill.
      • Foods – Common foods that people become especially sensitive to include chilli, dairy, gluten and fatty foods.
      • Light – Bright or glary light can be an issue. So can seeing in low light levels.
      • Sound – Loud sound can cause tinnitus. It can also be very difficult to separate sounds, like when talking to someone in a noisy room.
      • Taste – Some tastes can appear stronger than others, and this can vary.
      • Smell – a sense of smell can be diminished, but it can also be more sensitive. Can cause nausea and headaches.
      • … the list goes on and on.

For me personally from this long list of symptoms I suffer mostly with chronic widespread pain, fatigue, sleep disturbance, digestive problems, balance problems and most definitely some of the sensitivities listed above. What do you suffer from most?