Migraine Awareness Month #15 - Free Blog

I'm way behind on the blog challenge.  My fibromyalgia flared up very badly causing my wrists and fingers to spasm, stiffen up and have a constant dull and/or sharp pain.  Since this assignment an be about anything, I'll write about my diagnosis of fibromyalgia.  Fibromyalgia is a condition involving painful muscles, ligaments, and tendons.  It isn't related to tissue inflammation like arthritis, although it feels very much like it.  Like Migraine disease, fibromyalgia affects mostly middle aged women.  Pain associated with fibromyalgia may occur in four or more distinct areas of the body and is related to "trigger points".  These can affect muscle spasm and pain when pressure is applied.  Trigger points are often found in the elbows, shoulders, back of the head, knees, and sides of the breast bone  The presence of widespread pain and trigger points, occurring for three or more months, is necessary for the diagnosis of fibromyalgia.

Migraine and fibromyalgia are comorbid conditions.  Hypothalamus neuroendocrine dysfunction has been proposed as a brain mechanism common to both fibromyalgia and migraine.  Both conditions also share the mechanism of central sensitization of pain neurons.  You are also more likely to have anxiety and depression if you have both fibromyalgia and migraine.  I was diagnosed in November 2011 after having widespread pain in all 18 trigger points.  I also displayed symptoms such as IBS, excessive sweating, tinnitus, chronic fatigue, insomnia, and dizzy spells.  I was miserable and didn't want nor need another chronic pain condition.  My rheumatologist put me on Inderal LA (propranolol) and Flexeril as a preventative.  It is working pretty well but I still get flare-ups from time to time.  The latest one kept me off of the computer because my hands and wrists were writhing in pain.  Right now my ankles are still sending shooting pains down to my heels and I can't move my toes without them getting spasms.  No so enjoyable.  It's still something that I'm learning to cope with.  i find myself getting angry about it and then feeling disdain when i can't find a comfortable position to lie in because everything hurts.  Yeah, it's not easy living with two chronic pain conditions, but I have no choice but to adapt to this life.

Works Cited

Peterson, M.D., C. (2012, June 17). Fibromyalgia. Retrieved June 25, 2012, from Migraine and More // Migraine Survival: http://www.migrainesurvival.com/fibromyalgia

Staff. (2012, June 25). MHNI Michigan Headache and Head Pain Treatment - Other Pain Disorder. Retrieved June 25, 2012, from Michigan Headache and Neurology Institute: http://www.mhni.com/faqs.fib.aspx