What is Fibromyalgia (Fibro, FMS or FM)?
Fibromyalgia is very similar to CFS because they both have extreme constant pain and fatigue. Though, the easiest way to explain their differences would be that Fibromyalgia generally tends to be more on the pain side and CFS tends to be more on the fatigue side. Fibromyalgia means muscle and connective tissue pain. It is described as chronic widespread pain and a heightened pain response to touch (tactile allodynia). Some other symptoms are a range of debilitations like difficulty swallowing, irritable bowel syndrome, difficulty breathing, numbness and tingling, brain fog, sleep disturbances, depression and anxiety and overall abnormal motor activity. There is also a specific 18-point guide that doctors often use to diagnose Fibro. To get a formal diagnosis from the guide, your doctor must find at least 11 of the 18 tender points.
