Fibromyalgia is one of the most debilitating types of musculoskeletal disorder. This condition is characterized by widespread pain in the musculoskeletal area, which is also accompanied by mood issues, sleep disorder, and fatigue. Fatigue and fibromyalgia are often taught to be the same. In fact, the fibromyalgia fatigue is chronic and persistent. Some may describe the fatigue like the one you experience when you have flu. The fatigue is also exhausting and crippling. Even after hours of sleep, you will feel this fatigue when you wake up.
Experts say that fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue share some similarities, one of which is the ongoing and debilitating fatigue, causing the sufferer in some cases unable to continue working or doing their activities. The difference lays on the fact that the fatigue in fibromyalgia is widespread. The sufferer on fibromyalgia may find relief by having some daytime nap, on good days. But on bad days, multiple rest periods will fail to give relief to any kind of chronic fatigue and exhaustion that the sufferer feels.
One of the symptoms of fibromyalgia is abdominal pain. This is why many people often fail to differentiate fibromyalgia and abdominal pain. Many times, people think that the abdominal pain they suffer is just the usual abdominal pain, and not fibromyalgia. Many doctors may also have some diagnosis mistakes, the case of which many fibromyalgia sufferers experience at the beginning the occurrence of the symptoms. The abdominal pain may also be diagnosed as other types of diseases, like PCOS, Graves Disease, and Hashimotos.
Experts say that fibromyalgia and IBS (irritated bowel syndrome) are connected. The fibromyalgia abdominal pain is believed to be caused by the IBS. The IBS causes some problems to the stomach, including cramps, constipation, bloating, and diarrhea. However, other experts believe that the abdominal pain and discomfort may be caused the abnormal sensory processing. Yes, fibromyalgia affect the way the brain process the pain signal, which amplifies the pain. This can explain why many fibromyalgia sufferers feel extreme pain in other parts of the body, including the abdomen.
