Effects of Fibromyalgia
March 9, 2011 | Health
The effects of the condition know as fibromyalgia often result in symptoms which can range from discomfort in some people to disability in other sufferers. Some of the signs of fibromyalgia are as follows –
- Widespread pain and fatigue.
- Problems associated with cognition, and emotions.
- Difficulties with the digestive tract, and urinary tract.
- Sleeplessness.
Effects of Fibromyalgia.
Pain Through the Body.
The main sign of fibromyalgia is muscle pain like the body ache normally associated with influenza. Other times the pain can be severe causing muscle spasms and affecting the body joints. This pain which is frequently accompanied by headaches can vary from hour to hour, and lead to loss of ability to carry out any normal activities.
Fatigue and Tiredness.
Most sufferers from fibromyalgia suffer from extreme fatigue, which interferes with their normal daily activities. The feeling of fatigue is continual, and does not go away even after long periods of rest. A cycle develops. The fatigue induces further pain, which in turn causes more fatigue.
Cognitive Dysfunction.
Many patients being treated for fibromyalgia complain of short term memory loss. They cannot remember where they have placed objects, or remember the plans they had made for their daily tasks. Frequently sufferers have difficulty in understanding or grasping new information, and become confused during conversations. This cognitive difficulty is often referred to as ‘fibrofog’!
Disturbed Sleep.
The problem here is that the person has difficulty in falling asleep, and once having got to sleep, the quality of sleep is not good with much restlessness being experienced. This tends to aggravate the fibromyalgia condition.
Urinary Problems.
The symptoms can include incontinence, problems with the frequency of urination, and the alternation of bowel movement between diarrhea and constipation. All of these signs can cause acute discomfort, and interfere with the daily life of the person.
A further outcome of fibromyalgia among patients is that a significant number suffer from clinical depression also. Unfortunately people who are trying to cope with depression, and the fibromyalgia condition have great difficulty in adopting lifestyles which would help them, and seldom pay attention to personal health, socializing and staying generally active.