Fibromyalgia

Health Diaries features real health stories by people just like you. Read what others are going through or contribute your own story to the community. It's fun and free! Remain anonymous or use your real name. You don't have to be a brilliant writer, though many of our contributors are! Sign up >>

Our collaborative blog, Eat This! features everything about food in relation to health, from folk remedies to clinical studies.

Our exclusive retro e-cards are just the thing to tell someone you're thinking of them.

Fibromyalgia (FM) affects as many as 6% of Americans, with more women than men being affected. It can cause severe pain and soreness, poor sleep, stiff joints, extreme fatigue, and many other symptoms. Pain often occurs on specific tender points of the body such as the chest, neck, knees or elbows. The cause of FM is not known. Some researchers believe it is caused by a combination of symptoms. Neurotransmitters in the brain that regulate pain are believed to play a role. Another possibility is that a virus in some way causes the onset of fibromyalgia. And because women are more often affected than men, hormone fluctuations are suspected in some cases.

Fibromyalgia contributors:

Fibromyalgia and the Single Mother
Keeon: "I am a single black mother who currently suffers from lupus, fibromyalgia, and depression."

Swimming Through Treacle
Annie: "Single divorced mum of two sons, living alone. Unable to work due to health problems."

My Life with Fibromyalgia
Judy: "A woman who did it all, parenting, career, civic & charitable works, then a screeching halt brought about by FMS changed my life forever at age 35."

Fibromyalgia, You Wear It Well My Dear
Ravensong: "Well I've learned that if I need help I ask for it or I just stop usually right in front of some person who is in a hurry ha ha ha and ask for help."

Living Day by Day with Fibromyalgia
Char-i-ohn: "I am a 55 yr old female who was diagnosed with fibromyalgia in 1998."

The Eternal Struggle
Heather: "I have diabetes, fibromyalgia, depression, and Mondinis Dysplasia with congenital deafness in my left ear."

Living the Fibro Life
The SilvrPixi: "I have it. There is no cure for it. I must learn to cope with it and deal with it as best I can. I will have it, to one degree or another, for the rest of my life."

A Man with Fibromyalgia
"I'm Michael, a 43 year old man who has had fibromyalgia symptoms for at least 16 years and was diagnosed about four and a half years ago."

Fibromyalgia and Its Coworkers
Linda: "I'm a very independent soon-to-be-50-year-old female. I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia almost 3 years ago, after trying to get answers for a little while before that."