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My muscles all over ache day and night and I am not doing any exercise either. How do I know If I have fibromylagia too? My muscles started to ache day and night without any injury to them when I was 16-17 years old and this never stopped and now I am almost 40! Any suffere of this fibromylagia please help. This message was modified May 17, 2010 by roy1
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As far as I know there is no definitive test - the diagnosis is usually made based on symptoms and elimination of other possible causes, e.g. testing for rheumatoid factor. At least the medical profession has finally accepted it as a real disease. Some people with it test positive for the xmrv virus but a bullet-proof link has not yet been established. My symptoms started 17 years ago after a "flu" from which I never seemed to completely recover. Prior to that I could sleep on any kind of mattress. I am a "presumed" sufferer because no other disease has been found to explain my generalized pain. By all means I encourage you to do a web search of reliable medical sites and fibromyalgia support sites to get good information - I haven't researched for several years so maybe there is some new information I don't know about. The bottom line there is no cure, not even a good treatment protocol other than regular exercise, good diet, quality sleep. The worst thing you can do is stop being active - the regular exercise is very important but of no greater than moderate intensity. Overdoing it simply worsens symptoms. I have had to give up on cycle and nordic skiing racing because training at this level worsens my symptoms. But, I continue to cycle, nordic ski, canoe, kayak at moderate intensity. Carrying a backpack is no longer possible, so I've had to stop backcountry hiking. My pain never goes away but varies in intensity. I do not use any medication. By following a good diet, getting a full 7-8 hours sleep, exercising regularly and reducing stress in my life, my fatigue has greatly diminished. That's why finding a mattress that allows for quality rest is so important. I'm not there yet - I sleep well on the mattress I have but do wake up with lower back pain and stiffness that go away after I'm up and moving for an hour or so. I would like to be able to eliminate at least that source of temporary back pain. Unfortunately, if someone doesn't suffer from this it is difficult for them to understand the level of pain. The example I like to use is if I accidently rap my knuckles on the counter, where a normal person would go "oops", I am almost frozen for a few seconds by the pain that resonates through my whole body. When I explain that way to a non-sufferer, they seem to get at least an intellectual understanding. I suspect there are a considerable number of fibromyalgics on the this forum because it is so difficult for us to find a mattress that works. As I said, before that "flu" I could sleep on anything and I never would have been searching for mattress help. Hope this helps Diane |