Why Marta has fibromyalgia

When pain persists, read this

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Marta was telling me her story the other day, how she is plagued by the very real experience of daily aches and widespread pains with no means of relief. Marta found out recently that she had fibromyalgia.

Because her symptoms are so disabling, she knew that they were real, but the rheumatologist told her she had no signs at all of joint problems. She struggled to accept this: how could the doctor say she did not have any condition? She is a hard worker and not a complainer, but the daily misery of pain was nearly too much to bear, especially when the doctor told her he had no treatment to offer her.

Humiliated and disheartened, she left with just a pill to make her sleep. She was used to not sleeping, but she really wanted something for the pain.

Fibromyalgia is a typical functional condition, with disabling and unpleasant symptoms but all tests are normal. So, this is the point where the doctors, who are excellent at managing physical conditions, may lose interest. (In reality, they are not sure they can help.)

As I listened to Marta, I learned about her harsh and unsupported childhood and how she had striven to rise out of poverty. She worked hard all her life and succeeded in her goals, achieving wealth and a beautiful extended family with loving children and grandchildren. But Marta’s relentless drive to reach her goals meant that, even when it was time to rest, she could not break the habit of her thinking and planning and worrying, so sleep was often poor.

On top of this, Marta had suffered several recent family illnesses, with her young son having a serious accident and her sister developing early-onset dementia, both of which put an extra strain upon Marta. Is it any wonder that she developed fibromyalgia?

For Marta, she needs to read about all the factors that contribute to fibromyalgia. Some of these include:

-          Poor sleep

-          Inactivity

-          Anxiety and depression

-          Recent events, such as trauma, surgery, infections

For more information, https://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/conditionsandtreatments/fibromyalgia

The high proportion of people who suffer from fibromyalgia report that they have had trauma or PTSD as a predisposing factor. Many people have had a bad experience, but what seems to create ongoing problems is when there is lack of support or even disbelief relating to the trauma.

The Me-Too movement created an opportunity for a staggering number of women to reveal, sometimes for the first time, the destruction of their well-being by a sexual predator. But so many had no support following the event. This double-pronged hardship can leave a lasting legacy and lead to devastating conditions such as fibromyalgia.

If members of the medical profession fail to acknowledge the suffering, again, it should be no surprise that those with fibromyalgia continue to suffer.

Recovery is not simply sleep better and keep active. Anyone who has developed fibromyalgia warrants consistent, non-judgmental support and understanding.

As a GP, I am well aware of the time limitations that my fellow colleagues work with, so I recommend community support groups, such as the Blue Knot Foundation.

For the huge number of people who grew up in households affected by alcohol, free and excellent support is available through organisations such as Al Anon. (For Australians: https://al-anon.org.au/)

Learning how to quieten your state of perpetual arousal and create an environment where deep   restorative sleep is possible  are just a few of the goals to seek while on your path to recovery

Best wishes on your journey.