A Day in the Life

A person with fibromyalgia might experience muscle and tendon pain upon waking. They may find it difficult to walk, or move their arms because most movement causes pain in the muscles and tendons. There are several trigger points that are tender to the touch. A doctor may locate these trigger points in order to diagnose fibromyalgia.

Some of the trigger points can be found in the mid section of the chest, the back portion of the elbows, and on each side of the knee. Doctors commonly find that patients complain of there body aching all over. The muscle groups may feel as if they were strained by working out but in reality they are suffering from fibromyalgia.

Another characteristic of fibromyalgia is severe fatigue. Some patients have mild fatigue whereas others are incapacitated by the fatigue. Doctors call this type of fatigue "brain fatigue" because patients find themselves completely drained of any energy. Patients complain that their arms and legs feel very heavy and it is difficult to lift an arm or take a step. Other experience something the doctors call "brain fog," this is the inability to concentrate.

Fibromyalgia can cause a sleep disorder in patients. Sleep studies have been performed on patients with fibromyalgia. It was found that patients could fall asleep easily, but as the night wore on, their sleep was disturbed by brain wave activity. This causes the patients to wake in the morning unrefreshed and tired. Some patients were found to have sleep apnea.