Fibromyalgia
Fibromyalgia is a long term condition which causes varying levels of pain in different parts of the body. It can severely affect people’s lives. For both those that experience fibromyalgia and for the health professionals supporting them, it can be a long journey to find the right combination treatments. It is a condition where longer appointments are needed to address a variety of areas in someone’s life. I incorporate my knowledge of lifestyle medicine with your existing NHS treatments. As a GP qualified in lifestyle medicine and health coaching, it’s not only about listening to people’s experiences but empowering you with the right tools so you can live a better quality of life. It is possible to live a life which is not defined or dictated by your symptoms.
What is fibromyalgia ?
This is a long term condition which predominantly causes pain around the body especially around the muscles and joints. Women are more likely to experience fibromyalgia than men but all people can experience a variety of additional symptoms including:
An increased sensitivity to pain
Difficulty sleeping
Low mood and anxiety
Fatigue
Headaches including migraines
Irritable bowel syndrome
Sometimes these symptoms can often present at different times in someone’s life and be treated as separate conditions. Not all the symptoms of fibromyalgia come at once. Sometimes people get 1-2 symptoms or all of them. Each person that has fibromyalgia can be on different combination of medications and non-drug treatments. What is effective for one person may not benefit another.
What causes fibromyalgia?
There are many different causes and it is usually an interaction of someone’s genes and their environment. It is likely due to abnormal pain pathways in the body which cause people with fibromyalgia to experience pain more than others. More importantly, fibromyalgia is usually triggered by a physical or emotionally stressful events such as losing a loved one, psychological traumas, childbirth, illness, injury or infection. It is not uncommon to experience more than one of these life events which can manifest as physical pain in the body.
How is fibromyalgia diagnosed ?
If you suspect you may have fibromyalgia, your GP will refer you to see a muscle and joints specialist – known as a rheumatology doctor. Some GPs have done extra training in this area and you may be referred to see a GP that specialises in rheumatology or you may be referred to the hospital. You will be asked a series of questions, examined and some blood tests are usually requested to rule out other conditions.
What treatment options are available ?
This is where the challenge lies as no one treatment can suit everyone with fibromyalgia. You and your specialist, along with your GP may have to trial a few medications over time before finding the right one. It is normal after diagnosis for this process to take time. It is important to bear in mind, the doses may change over time and that you may need different medication as you get older to manage the symptoms. Some of these medications include tablets which can target the nerves that cause heightened pain. Treatment may include anti-depressants and anti- anxiety tablets depending on your symptoms.
What about non-drug treatments?
Treatments such as physiotherapy and hydrotherapy can be recommended in combination with any medication you take. Counselling is important too as to work through any traumas as stressful events in the past can manifest as physical pain in the body. Our muscles get weaker over time if we do not use them – this happens with all of us and more so in conditions such as fibromyalgia. So finding the right exercises for you is important to strengthen your muscles in order to continue with daily life.
What about lifestyle ?
As a GP qualified in lifestyle medicine and health coaching, I do believe that people with fibromyalgia need more time to discuss their symptoms and treatment options which is impossible in a ten-minute GP appointment. There are plenty of lifestyle tools which can be used and I tailor make a plan to support you depending on your circumstances.
There are lots of tools I go through as a health coach so people have the options to try a variety of different tools from improving relaxation, sleep and diet with my ongoing support. The sessions do work wonders for lots of people in conjunction with their doctor’s treatment. Over a 12 week period, we cover all your nutritional needs, relaxation techniques and ways we can incorporate gentle exercise. Discussing and developing these tools to suit you can exert a powerful control over your life so your fibromyalgia does not control you. The overall effect will be to improve quality of life and an improvement of symptoms.
I hope this has helped but to conclude:
Fibromyalgia is a long term condition but there are many ways to tackle it so don’t lose hope if one treatment does not work,
Don’t forget what you need now to manage symptoms will be different as you get older. It is ok for treatment combinations to change. For example, females with fibromyalgia will also at some point experience menopausal symptoms as well, sometimes warranting a review of treatment. This can feel like an uncertain time but it is important to engage with the right support.
If you are exercising already, do take rest days where you may just do some light stretching at home. Finding your way to relax is important.
Be open to listening to your health care professionals when discussing managing options
There is some emerging strong evidence that nutrition can play a role - I cover these in my 12 week programme
It can be really hard to tackle all the symptoms without support, Some days you may feel more pain, sometimes fatigue may take over, other days you may feel low or anxious - this is the nature of the condition.
It is a long journey but over time, you will discover the right combination of treatments to suit you.
Book a discovery session to discuss your needs
