FIBROMYALGIA, CHRONIC FATIGUE AND WOMEN ENTREPRENEURS
Fibromyalgia is a chronic rheumatic disorder characterized by achy muscle pain that has no obvious physical cause. There is a tremendous overlap between Fibromyalgia (FM) and Chronic Fatigue syndrome (CFS), with approximately 70% of patients who are diagnosed with Fibromyalgia meeting all of the diagnostic criteria for Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. Fibromyalgia commonly affects the lower back, the neck, the shoulders, the back of the head, the upper chest, and the thighs, though any area of the body may be involved. Other symptoms often experienced by people with Fibromyalgia include insomnia, memory impairment, skin sensitivities, PMS, palpitations, and dry eyes and mouth. People with Fibromyalgia often have secondary conditions such as Colitus, an inflamatory bowel condition, and Thrush, a mouth infection which causes sores on the tongue, and some develop a paralytic condition called Epstein Barr. Some experience facial muscle spasms. While there are many different areas of speculation, at this time the cause of Fibromyalgia is not known.
WEEKLY PAIN AND SYMPTOM DIARY (click for printable version):
Being a woman entrepreneur and Jeweler battling Fibromyalgia is the hardest challenge I've ever had to face. It has completely changed my lifestyle and my career path. Anyone who is suffering from these ailments knows how crazy it can be trying to find the right doctors and the right mix of medications which lessen the symptoms without leaving you a foggy, drugged zombie. People with insomnia are not mental giants to begin with, and add the FM/CFS "brain fog" to that and daily life becomes very difficult, especially when doctors want so much information from you and you are lucky you remember your own name.
One way I cope with the doctor/patient discussions is to ALWAYS keep a prescription list (drug name, when taken, side effects, when stopped, etc. ) and to also keep a pain and symptom diary. I use the chart below as the front of my weekly sheet, and I use the back of the sheet for notes about my week and how its going - anything I think will help my doctors to understand my daily problems and improvements. This becomes especially helpful when trying new drugs, as I often don't realize how a drug is effecting me until I refer to these sheets and the notes I've made on the back.
Remember - you are NOT alone in this. There are thousands upon thousands of us - type "A" women who used to be able to juggle 14 projects while handling our home lives and making the lives of our loved ones easier too, who are now sinking into pain, fatigue and finally depression as they watch their abilities change and decrease. The only way out is to take charge, keep your diaries, and seek medical and theraputic help. Don't give up, and don't suffer with medical professionals who don't know what they are doing or who make light of your symptoms. I personally pay out of pocket to see a doctor who doesn't take my insurance because he was the first doctor who was experienced with FM/CFS I could find, and it has REALLY paid off! I may not be the same as I once was, but with his help I am at least able to consider alternative lifestyles which will be fullfilling and interesting! It sure beats the last two years as a zombie in bed!Please feel free to copy this chart format for yourself and change it to match your main symptoms if you need to (everyone has different symptoms).
Click here you want a printable version of the chart below. Please pass on this URL - the more informed we keep each other the better, and I would love to hear from you if you find this chart useful.
If you would like to email me, you can contact me at bcsales@comcast.net. Please put "Fibromyalgia Comment" in your subject line so I don't mistake your email for spam.
Fibromyalgia is sometimes misspelled as Fibromyalsia. This text with the word Fibromyalsia is here for the search engines to find to help people searching for information on Fibromyalgia or Fibromyalgia to find. I am also adding chronic fatigue syndrome, CFS, FM and Fibramyalsia and Fibramyalgia to also assist the search engines.