Fibromyalgia » The Patient Experience

Allodynia – pain under pressure for people with Fibromyalgia

Mar 222012

Allodynia is a particular type of pain. It has been described as a pain which occurs after a stimulus (such as pressure) where it usually would not. It must not be confused with Hyperalgesia which is increased sensitivity to pain.

With people with Fibromyalgia Allodynia seems to take the form of pain when the body is put under pressure. In some cases this could be a simple touch/slight pressure to the body.

The purpose of this blog is to allow people with Fibromyalgia to share tips about treating Allodynia and how the pain had impacted upon their lives. Click here for more

A Fibromyalgia blog – getting the news out about fibromyalgia and other invisible illnesses

Fibromyalgia

Feb 132012

In a previous blog Julie Wendell has talked about her experience of diagnosis of fibromyalgia which took five months. However other research suggests this may have been a very short time frame for a diagnosis of fibromyalgia to be made.

However Julie pinpoints three main effects of fibromyalgia – pain, weakness and fatigue – as central to her experience of the condition.

It is the lack of recognition of these symptoms that is the focus of this blog. We would like to use this opportunity to explore the issues surrounding the lack of understanding of the some of the people around in the symptoms of invisible illness. In particular the best ways of raising awareness of invisible illnesses such as fibromyalgia to friends, family and the larger community. Click here for more

FIBROMYALGIA – Julie Wendell’s Story

Fibromyalgia

Mar 182011

Welcome to our latest guest post on Fibromyalgia from Julie Wendell. She tells her story of her developing symptoms and diagnosis with Fibromyalgia. Please feel free to use teh comments box to comment on Julie’s story or tell your own FMS/CFS story.
“Mommy, open this, please?”, my 3 year old son asked as he handed me a cereal bar early one morning. I tried to tear off the top of the wrapper, but my fingers would not move or grasp the wrapper! Terrified, I tried opening it again, but to no avail. I had lost all strength in both of my hands! As calmly as I could, I asked my 7 year old son to open the cereal bar for his brother. But inside, I was panicking because the weakness in my hands persisted for about an hour. What was happening to me??? Little did I know that the morning of February 10th, 2008 marked the beginning of a myriad of severely painful symptoms. My life was about to drastically change.
Click here for more

Welcome to The Patient Experience

Welcome to The Patient Experience – a new kind of patient forum

The Patient Experience is a set of discussion forums where patients connect, express their views and share valuable experiences on the subjects of medicine and healthcare. The forums are FREE and open to all.

The forums allow you to interact with other people in your situation and share information and experiences. Thus helping you on your journey through your or a loved one’s medical problems and challenges.

By sharing your story and learning from others The Patient Experience will provide a safe and place to help on the path to wellness.

The service is brought to you by The Patients Voice - a research community dedicated to healthcare and medical information. If you would like to participate in surveys and other kinds of confidential and anonymous research please click here for more information.