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Welcome to my little corner of the world of chronic pain. I've been dealing with pain since 1998, first as a result of pelvic adhesions, and now as a result of fibromyalgia. I would like to point out that the information on this website is based on my own personal battle - I am not a medical professional, just a normal person dealing with chronic non-cancer pain.
Fibromyalgia is a common chronic illness that affects mostly women between the ages of 20 and 50. Symptoms may vary between individuals, and even from day to day or hour to hour. Symptoms may include sleep disorders, headaches, sensitivity to stress, pressure and temperature changes, fatigue, weakness, cognitive function impairment, emotional disturbances, and widespread constant all-over body pain. The real cause of fibromyalgia is unknown, but it can develop with no apparent cause or can be triggered by a traumatic experience, such as an accident, emotional upset, hormonal changes, abuse during childhood or a viral disease.
Diagnosis is difficult. The symptoms of fibromyalgia can also be caused by other diseases, which must be ruled out before diagnosis can be reached.
At present, fibromyalgia is incurable, but the symptoms can be treated with heat, rest, exercise, reducing or eliminating sources of stress, and medicinal or alternative therapies, such as acupuncture, biofeedback, chiropractic treatents, homeopathy, hypnotherapy, naturopathy, or osteopathy.
Fibromyalgia is invisible to all but the sufferer. The sufferer usually appears to be in perfect health, but may still suffer from constant pain and weakness, sleep deprivation, stress and anxiety, and fatigue.
Adhesions are abnormal connections between two surfaces or two organs. They are made of tissue that closely resembles scar tissue and often occur after surgery or infection in the abdomen. They can also be caused by external trauma, such as a seat belt injury, and by endometriosis.
Pelvic organs usually enjoy relatively free movement, so that during digestion, they can contract and move as they wish for their proper function. Adhesions prevent organs from moving freely, which can cause pain and pulling sensations. Many people have adhesions and are not at all aware of them as they have no symptoms; however, some people with adhesions have serious symptoms depending on where the adhesions are and how the organs are affected.
Adhesions can cause intestinal obstruction, chronic abdominal and pelvic pain, and infertility, however they are another invisible illness, that is, something that will not show up on any test unless they do cause an intestinal obstruction. Surgery to remove adhesions is usually only a temporary measure, as a person who is prone to develop adhesions will develop more as a result of the surgery to remove them. At the present time, there are few surgical barriers that are effective in preventing new adhesions, and those that are available may not work for all individuals.
This site will most likely be constantly under construction - or at least it will seem that way. It will probably never be totally finished.
Many thanks to FibroHugs and to My Fibro Site for making this space available to me.
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