What is Fibromyalgia Syndrome (FMS)? Basically a person with Fibromyalgia feels like he or she has the flu, all the time, every minute of every day. It also includes chronic, debilitating fatigue and a host of other irritating problems. It is usually, but not always, brought on by an incident of severe stress or trauma to the body. It strikes women more than men, there is no known cause, universal treatment, or cure.
I was diagnosed with FMS in 1996 after five previous years of not knowing what was wrong. In 1990 I developed two heriniated disks in my lower back that totally disabled me for about six months. My back eventually got better, not "cured," but good enough that I could resume my life. However, the muscle pain and fatigue started about a year later and progressively got worse.
One of the things I have learned in my research into this disease, is that the medical system is severely restricted by the government in their attempts to help people suffering chronic pain. I have included a few FMS related links below, and some links of sites that deal with chronic pain.
Fibromyalgia Research Association
National Fibromyalgia Association (NFA)
If you have FMS (or suspect it) and your doctor(s) has told you something like "you're just going to have to learn to live with the pain," get another doctor and check out these web sites:
AAPM Home- American Academy of Pain Medicine
ASAP - American Society for Action on Pain
American Chronic Pain Association