Fibromyalgia has two main components, pain and fatigue.
The pain is felt throughout the body and can range from mildly uncomfortable to excruciating, fatigue can be experienced as anything from feeling a
little tired to feeling absolutely exhausted.
The American College of Rheumatology produced a criteria for the classification of fibromyalgia which gives a "history of widespread pain"
and "pain in 11 of 18 tender points" as the defining symptoms. The criteria goes on to state that widespread pain must have been present for
at least three months.
Other symptoms may include-
- Unrefreshing and disordered sleep.
- Restless leg syndrome.
- Headache.
- Irritable bowel, frequent bouts of diarrhoea or constipation.
- Irritable bladder.
- Cognitive dysfunction including lack of concentration and mixing up words.
- Cold intolerance.
- Multiple sensitivities, people with fibromylagia have amplfied sensations which makes them vulnerable to other conditions such as
multiple chemical sensitivity, sick buiding syndrome and drug intolerance.
- Dizziness.
