Fibromyalgia Explained

Fibromyalgia has been a mysterious disease, causing pain throughout the body and deep in tissues with no apparent cause. A large proportion of the medical community has believed that the disease was psychosomatic, and people essentially think that they are in pain. But, a small biopharmaceutical company, Intidyn, or Integrated Tissue Dynamics, have found what they believe to be the root cause of the disease.

Researchers from the company and Albany Medical College have found that the skin of female patients who report pain from fibromyalgia has a unique neurovascular structure or blood flow to the nerves. The scientists believe this structure may be the ultimate cause of the pain experienced with the condition.

“Instead of being in the brain, the pathology consists of excessive sensory nerve fibers around specialized blood vessel structures located in the palms of the hands,” said Dr. Frank L. Rice, president of Intidyn and the senior researcher on the study, in a press statement

Blood vessel constriction can be controlled by nerves in the skin. Patients with Fibromyalgia have an abnormally high number of nerve endings surrounding a blood vessel bridge in the skin.

“This discovery provides concrete evidence of a fibromyalgia-specific pathology which can now be used for diagnosing the disease, and as a novel starting point for developing more effective therapeutics.”

A few years ago, the company published a report in the journal Pain about a case involving a woman who was born without special nerve endings that were at the time believed to be important for touch. But the woman was fine and able to carry on with her life. She did have nerve endings near the fine capillary blood vessels in her skin, which had previously only been believed to control blood flow in blood vessels. “We previously thought that these nerve endings were only involved in regulating blood flow at a subconscious level, yet here we had evidence that the blood vessel endings could also contribute to our conscious sense of touch… and also pain,” Rice said.

Current targeted drugs, made by Eli Lilly and Forest Labs, are serotonin/norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRI) that work on the brain. But they can also act on the nerve endings near blood vessels in the skin. “Knowing how these drugs were supposed to work on molecules in the brain,” Dr. Philip J. Albrecht, Ph.D., added, “we had evidence that similar molecules were involved in the function of nerve endings on the blood vessels. Therefore, we hypothesized that fibromyalgia might involve a pathology in that location.” As the results demonstrate, they were correct.

The team at the company looked at skin samples from women with fibromyalgia collected by the Albany Medical College and examined by a special microscope technology. What they saw was a staggering increase in nerve endings at the sight of blood vessels within the skin. These sites control the flow of oxygenated blood between small blood vessels within the skin. They can cause the blockage of this bridge area to allow the skin to radiate heat or open it up to keep heat in when cold.

“The excess sensory innervation may itself explain why fibromyalgia patients typically have especially tender and painful hands. But, in addition, since the sensory fibers are responsible for opening the shunts, they would become particularly active under cold conditions, which are generally very bothersome to fibromyalgia patients,” said Albrecht.

But these special shunts or bridges do much more than regulate heat in the body; they could be blocking blood flow to the muscles deep within the tissue.

“In addition to involvement in temperature regulation, an enormous proportion of our blood flow normally goes to our hands and feet. Far more than is needed for their metabolism,” noted Dr. Rice. “As such, the hands and the feet act as a reservoir from which blood flow can be diverted to other tissues of the body, such as muscles when we begin to exercise. Therefore, the pathology discovered among these shunts in the hands could be interfering with blood flow to the muscles throughout the body.

This mismanaged blood flow could be the source of muscular pain and achiness, and the sense of fatigue, which are thought to be due to a build-up of lactic acid and low levels of inflammation in fibromyalgia patients. This, in turn, could contribute to the hyperactivity in the brain.” The hyperactivity in the brain may account for the insomnia many patients with the condition experience.

Finding an actual physiological basis for fibromyalgia autoimmune disease will be a positive revelation for many who have been told that their pain is only in their head. With time, researchers will be able to further dissect the causes of the pain from the disease and may develop pharmaceuticals to deal with the actual cause of the pain.

PLUS.

Over 5 million people are affected by fibromyalgia in the U.S and the numbers are keep on increasing. There are numerous uncomfortable signs of Fibromyalgia. It is recognized as an unseen illness as people cannot see the way where people hurt from the disease. Usually, Fibromyalgia is a quite severe situation that the victims experience and its signs should be identified.

We have compiled the list of few of the worst symptoms and also added their coping methods. After that we have compiled the list of all of the fibromyalgia symptoms and categorized them.

Here is the Overall List of Symptoms of Fibromyalgia

GENERAL

1. Activity level decreased to less than 50% of pre-illness activity level
2. Cold hands and feet (extremities)
3. Cough
4. Craving carbohydrates
5. Delayed reaction to physical activity or stressful events
6. Dryness of eyes and/or mouth
7. Edema
8. Family member(s) with Fibromyalgia
9. Fatigue made worse by physical exertion or stress
10. Feeling cold often
11. Feeling hot often
12. Frequent sighing
13. Heart palpitations
14. Hoarseness
15. Hypoglycemia (blood sugar falls or low)
16. Increased thirst
17. Low blood pressure (below 110/70)
18. Low body temperature (below 97.6)
19. Low-grade fevers
20. Night sweats
21. Noisy joints – with or without pain
22. Poor circulation in hands/feet
23. Profuse sweating
24. Recurrent flu-like illness
25. Shortness of breath with little or no exertion
26. Severe nasal allergies (new or worsening allergies)
27. Sore throat
28. Subjective swelling of extremities (feels swollen But can’t find anything)
29. Sweats
30. Symptoms worsened by air travel
31. Symptoms worsened by stress
32. Symptoms worsened by temperature changes
33. Tender or swollen lymph nodes, especially in neck and underarms
34. Tremor or trembling
35. Unexplained weight gain or loss

PAIN

36. Abdominal wall pain
37. Bad hip pain
38. Burning Nerve Pain
39. Chest pain
40. Collarbone pain
41. Diffuse swelling
42. Elbow pain
43. Exacerbated Plantar arch or heel pain
44. “Growing” pains that don’t go away once you are done growing
45. Headache – tension or migraine
46. Inflamed Rib Cartilage
47. Joint pain
48. Lumpy, tender breasts
49. Morning stiffness
50. Muscle pain
51. Muscle spasms
52. Muscle twitching
53. Muscle weakness
54. Pain that ranges from moderate to severe
55. Pain that moves around the body
56. Paralysis or severe weakness of an arm or leg
57. Restless Leg Syndrome
58. Rib Pain
59. Scalp Pain (like hair being pulled out)
60. Sciatica-like pain
61. Tender points or trigger points
62. TMJ syndrome
63. “Voodoo Doll” Poking Sensation in random places
NEUROLOGICAL
64. Blackouts
65. Brain fog
66. Carpal Tunnel
67. Feeling spaced out
68. Hallucinating smells
69. Inability to think clearly
70. Light headedness
71. Noise intolerance
72. Numbness or tingling sensations
73. Photophobia (sensitivity to light)
74. Seizures
75. Seizure-like episodes
76. Sensation that you might faint
77. Syncope (fainting)
78. Tinnitus (ringing in one or both ears)
79. Vertigo or dizziness

EQUILIBRIUM/PERCEPTION

80. Bumping into things
81. Clumsy Walking
82. Difficulty balancing
83. Difficulty judging distances (when driving, etc.)
84. Directional disorientation
85. Dropping things frequently
86. Feeling spatially disoriented
87. Frequent tripping or stumbling
88. Not seeing what you’re looking at
89. Poor balance and coordination
90. Staggering gait

SLEEP

91. Alertness/energy best late at night
92. Altered sleep/wake schedule
93. Awakening frequently
94. Difficulty falling asleep
95. Difficulty staying asleep
96. Excessive sleeping
97. Extreme alertness or energy levels late at night
98. Falling asleep at random and sometimes dangerous moments
99. Fatigue
100. Light or broken sleep pattern
101. Muscle spasms/twitches at night
102. Narcolepsy
103. Sleep disturbances
104. Sleep starts or falling sensations
105. Teeth grinding
106. Tossing and turning
107. Un-refreshing or non-restorative sleep
108. Vivid or disturbing dreams/nightmares

EYES/VISION

109. Blind spots in vision
110. Eye pain
111. Difficulty switching focus from one thing to another
112. Frequent changes in ability to see well
113. Night driving difficulty
114. Occasional Blurry vision
115. Poor night vision
116. Rapidly worsening vision
117. Vision changes

COGNITIVE

118. Becoming lost in familiar locations when driving
119. Confusion
120. Difficulty expressing ideas in words
121. Difficulty following conversation (especially if background noise present)
122. Difficulty following directions while driving
123. Difficulty following oral instructions
124. Difficulty following written instructions
125. Difficulty making decisions
126. Difficulty moving your mouth to speak
127. Difficulty paying attention
128. Difficulty putting ideas together to form a complete picture
129. Difficulty putting tasks or things in proper sequence
130. Difficulty recognizing faces
131. Difficulty speaking known words
132. Difficulty remembering names of objects
133. Difficulty remembering names of people
134. Difficulty understanding what you read
135. Difficulty with long-term memory
136. Difficulty with simple calculations
137. Difficulty with short-term memory
138. Easily distracted during a task
139. Dyslexia-type symptoms occasionally
140. Feeling too disoriented to drive
141. Forgetting how to do routine things
142. Impaired ability to concentrate
143. Inability to recognize familiar surroundings
144. Losing track in the middle of a task (remembering what to do next)
145. Losing your train of thought in the middle of a sentence
146. Loss of ability to distinguish some colors
147. Poor judgment
148. Short term memory impairment
149. Slowed speech
150. Staring into space trying to think
151. Stuttering; stammering
152. Switching

EMOTIONAL

158. Abrupt and/or unpredictable mood swings
159. Anger outbursts
160. Anxiety or fear when there is no obvious cause
161. Attacks of uncontrollable rage
162. Decreased appetite
163. Depressed mood
164. Feeling helpless and/or hopeless
165. Fear of someone knocking on the door
166. Fear of telephone ringing
167. Feeling worthless
168. Frequent crying
169. Heightened awareness – of symptoms
170. Inability to enjoy previously enjoyed activities
171. Irrational fears
172. Irritability
173. Overreaction
174. Panic attacks
175. Personality changes –usually a worsening of pervious condition
176. Phobias
177. Suicide attempts
178. Suicidal thoughts
179. Tendency to cry easily

GASTROINTESTINAL

180. Abdominal cramps
181. Bloating
182. Decreased appetite
183. Food cravings
184. Frequent constipation
185. Frequent diarrhea
186. Gerd-like Symptoms
187. Heartburn
188. Increased appetite
189. Intestinal gas
190. Irritable bladder
191. Irritable bowel syndrome
192. Nausea
193. Regurgitation
194. Stomachache
195. Vomiting
196. Weight gain
197. Weight loss

UROGENITAL

198. Decreased libido (sex drive)
199. Endometriosis
200. Frequent urination
201. Impotence
202. Menstrual problems
203. Painful urination or bladder pain
204. Pelvic pain
205. Prostate pain
206. Worsening of (or severe) premenstrual syndrome (PMS)

SENSITIVITIES

207. Alcohol intolerance
208. Allodynia (hypersensitive to touch)
209. Alteration of taste, smell, and/or hearing
210. Sensitivity to chemicals in cleaning products, perfumes, etc.
211. Sensitivities to foods
212. Sensitivity to light
213. Sensitivity to mold
214. Sensitivity to noise
215. Sensitivity to odors
216. Sensitivity to yeast (getting yeast infections frequently on skin, etc.)
217. Sensory overload
218. Sensitivity to pressure & humidity changes
219. Sensitivity to extreme temperature changes
220. Vulvodynia
SKIN
221. Able to “write” on skin with finger
222. Bruising easily
223. Bumps and lumps
224. Eczema or psoriasis
225. Hot/dry skin
226. Ingrown hairs
227. Itchy/Irritable skin
228. Mottled skin
229. Rashes or sores
230. Scarring easily
231. Sensitivity to the sun
232. Skin suddenly turns bright red

Cardiovascular (Heart)

233. “Click-murmur” sounds through stethoscope
234. Fluttery heartbeat
235. Heart palpitations
236. Irregular heartbeat
237. Loud pulse in ear
238. Pain that mimics heart attack
239. Rapid heartbeat

HAIR/NAILS

240. Dull, listless hair
241. Heavy and splitting cuticles
242. Irritated nail beds
243. Nails that curve under
244. Pronounced nail ridges
245. Temporary hair loss

OTHER

246. Canker sores
247. Dental problems
248. Disk Degeneration
249. Hemorrhoids
250. Nose bleeds
251. Periodontal (gum) disease