First of all, if you are a doubter, you have absolutely no idea what fibromyalgia is to live with. If you are a doubter, you have absolutely no idea how it hurts others emotionally who deal with this curse everyday of our lives.
Enough research has come to light now which finds that this is a real disease. If you still doubt, then I feel that you have closed your mind to all new research.
Just a few short years ago, the only thing you heard of "fibromyalgia" were the complaints of those who suffer it. It is invisible. But not so invisible now. I would like to point out the few facts found in the last year or so which show the proof is in the pudding.
First of all, brain scans have actually visualized the pain signals which are present in patients with FM. Now they can "see" it. Also, changes in bloodflow patterns to certain parts of the brain have been detected. These bloodflow patterns are not normal or indiginous to the person who does not live with this illness.
Sleep studies have also revealed that the FM patient has bursts of awake like activity interrupting sleep throughout the night. Therefore, we do not reach the deepest level of sleep (stage 4 sleep). Our muscles never fully rest during the night and repair.
Chemical changes/alterations have been detected. Levels of Substance P in the spinal fluid is higher in those patients with FM. Substance P being responsible for pain signals, no wonder we have interpretations of REAL pain in response to little or no outside stimulus. Light touch is interpreted as pain by our brains. Also we experience pain signals just going awry for no apparent reasons and nothing touching us at all.
A chemical (neurotransmitter) called dopamine has been found to be lowered in patients with FM. Now let me add serotonin and norepinephrine as chemicals off balance with FM patients.
In addition to chemical imbalances clearly seen, research has uncovered the fact that grey matter in the brain dissipates at a much faster rate than in the normal population. Loss of grey matter? Well, that sounds a little scary to me.
Now as for us being called "lazy" or "hypochondriacs", I can assure you my personality type does not fit either label. I gain nothing by having this illness but rather lose much. I work full time as a registered nurse even though this disease or "curse", as I prefer to call it, has plagued me for the last 7 years of my life. I cannot get disability because I am not able to quit working long enough in order to even file. So I trudge on with the misery after misery this disease has in store. I was never one to complain of any physical complaints until the age of about 39 years old when FM grabbed me full force. I am the caretaker of others. I never saw myself as the "patient". Unfortunately, nowadays, I must be both.
