Chronic pain is just one of the many symptoms that fibromyalgia presents almost every time, but for me it’s the most common.
Pain affects every aspect of my life.
Costly payment for every physical activity I do; Even the smallest task can cause a sharp increase in my symptoms.
The pain of fibromyalgia is unique because of the severity, complexity and multiple systems involved.
In fibromyalgia , there are three main types of pain: hyperalgesia, allodynia, and paresthesia.
Hyperalgesia literally translates into excessive pain: “hyper” means “excess” and “algesia” means pain. This is the medical term for intensifying pain in fibromyalgia.
Allodynia is the pain you feel when you touch or rub your skin.
For example, light pressure on clothing or a light massage causes pain or a light breeze blowing on the skin.
He is hypersensitive to stimuli that do not normally cause pain.
Paresthesia is a strange nerve sensation that looks like something slippery, tingling, burning, itchy, or numb, such as a mid-foot emotion or a burning sensation in the back.
But to be honest, these words have very little meaning for anyone who does not have fibromyalgia.
So, to give people who do not have an idea of what it’s like to live with this painful and debilitating disease, I will describe the pain I feel in a way that everyone can understand.
1. burning in the skin
Sometimes my skin is on fire, it is raw.
Imagine spending hours in the sun without sunscreen, then taking a dip in the sea and salt water burning your damaged skin. Then dress to go out at night and rub your clothes against your skin.
When you suffer from fibromyalgia, clothes can only cause this pain, they do not need sunlight.
2. acute / burning pain
It is a pain that I find particularly difficult to bear. It’s so bad that it makes me breathe.
The pain comes in waves and is accompanied by nausea.
3. Pain in the joints
My joint pain is a dull and throbbing pain. This mainly affects my knees, but can also affect other areas.
4. Muscle pain
My muscles are still hurting me. Even the smallest activity makes them beat and burn.
I find it impossible to calm down when my muscles hurt, it makes me so agitated.
5. Spirespasmen
I feel muscle spasm every day, they are almost constant. It’s like you’re not controlling your body, as if unforeseen forces are manipulating you.
6. acute pain
You feel that someone is using you as a voodoo doll.
7. Between an itch and a throbbing pain
I’m sure it’s a technical term, but “a cross between itching and tingling” is the best way to describe it.
It is deep in the muscles and it is impossible to scratch it. It also causes shock in the affected part of my body.
8. feeling of bruise
Not only on the skin, but also on the inside, which feels crushed and sensitive.
My chest and my ribcage usually feel blown, which can make breathing painful (kostocondral pain).
9. Failure of the whole body
When I am hypersensitive, I feel a feeling of unease throughout the body.
The slightest touch or movement causes throbbing pain around my body.
10. stiffness
Imagine a healthy person who goes to the gym after months of inactivity. Lift weights and train your entire body.
The next day, they feel stiff and have trouble moving. A person with fibromyalgia wakes up every morning and feels like her.
It looks like he was wearing a suit under the skin, two smaller sizes.
11. irradiated pain
I feel a pain that has a central point but radiates from this point. The pain can begin in the back, but it also crosses my legs, for example.
12. Pain caused by touch
Even the slightest contact with a loved one can cause pain.
I must have two sizes too big, in soft material without seams. I use flat shoes and soft larger and I have to cut my hair because it hurts my skin. Touching causes much of the pain I have described.
13. Migraine / headache
I do not think a day goes by without headaches, maybe it’s because of the tension.
Migraines are exacerbated by stress and hormones. If they hit, I become disabled.
I lose focus and the pain is so intense …
The slightest movement, contact or sound sends a nagging pain around my head and my face.
14. skin tickling
I feel like I have thousands of insects around my skin. In fact, it’s pretty scary.
15. hypersensitivity
Some days, the sound is unbearable. In an instant, I feel pain, nausea, vertigo, tremors and a threatening panic attack. But it’s not just noise, I’m also hypersensitive to smell, light and touch. Yes, a strong scent of perfume can hurt me.
16. Irritable bowel syndrome
Fibromyalgia is often associated with other conditions, such as irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). Contrary to what one might think, IBS pain does not only manifest in the intestines, but also radiates to other parts of the body, especially the back.
It is acute and burning pain. The gas trapped in an already inflamed bowel is one of the most painful symptoms of IBS, it is overwhelming.
Pain is not the only symptom of fibromyalgia, but it is the symptom that has the most negative impact on my life and health.
Thanks for reading!
