A silent disease, the cause of which is still unknown, is increasingly present in the lives of thousands of people. This is fibromyalgia, a chronic pain syndrome that causes widespread pain and is associated with fatigue, morning stiffness, anxiety, depression and other symptoms. ABOUT no date+ wanted to talk a little about what it’s like to live with this disease and how it affects the human body.

Chronic pain syndrome is accompanied by other symptoms and affects 2% of the population – Photo: Pixabay/Ilustrativa/Reproduction/ND

Rheumatologist and coordinator of the infusion center at Unimed Hospital Daniele Patricia Dal Bosco explains that although the exact cause is unknown, some studies point to a link between fibromyalgia and problems in the central nervous system.

Thus, the brain of a person with this disease interprets pain signals abnormally, causing the pain to be more intense than in patients without the disease. Chronic and diffuse musculoskeletal pain is also the main symptom characterizing the disease.

However, fibromyalgia is associated with a number of other symptoms, such as general fatigue, morning stiffness, headaches, anxiety, depression, sleep disturbances and cognitive disorders such as lack of attention and forgetfulness, the doctor explains. She states that the syndrome affects about 2% of the population and mainly affects women, especially between the ages of 30 and 55.

“Diagnosis continues to be a challenge for doctors as there are no laboratory or imaging tests to confirm the syndrome. This is done based on the patient’s clinical history, duration of the clinical condition and pain characteristics. Additional tests are useful to rule out other diseases that mimic this syndrome,” explains Daniele.

Teacher reveals she lives with fibromyalgia

Helia Farias, a university professor and resident of Itajaí on the northern coast of SC, has been diagnosed with fibromyalgia for eight years. She says she initially thought it was due to arthritis or osteoarthritis because she believed the pain she was feeling was coming from her joints and her mother suffered from the condition.

After consulting a doctor and conducting tests, a diagnosis was made. She started attending a support group for people who also had the condition, but says the experience was not very positive as participants seemed to have known the diagnosis for a long time.

They reported pain that “went through” their entire body, ear pain, stiffness when waking up, and pain to the point that they could not get out of bed to go to work. “Then I thought, oh my God, is there going to be a time when I won’t get up too?” he says.

Helia Farias says she was diagnosed about eight years ago. Photo: Personal archive/Reproduction/ND

The main medical recommendation that Helia received was to engage in low-impact physical exercise. She claims that movement is very helpful in reducing pain. “If I don’t do the exercises, everything will become more difficult. My movements get harder, so I move as much as possible,” he says.

Indeed, according to Dr. Daniele, physical activity is the most important factor in the treatment of fibromyalgia. “There is no treatment for fibromyalgia that does not include physical activity. It is a therapeutic method that integrates the majority of scientific evidence, demonstrating significant effectiveness in reducing pain, improving functional status, reducing fatigue and sleep. The most suitable exercises are aerobic exercises, without weight-bearing, without serious impact on the musculoskeletal system, such as dancing, swimming and water aerobics,” he emphasizes.

In addition, medications from the classes of antidepressants, muscle relaxants, and neuromodulators are often used individually to reduce underlying symptoms. Pain medications and other activities to improve sleep patterns and quality, such as stretching, muscle strengthening, and cognitive behavioral therapy, may also be part of treatment.

Are there predisposing factors? How to avoid fibromyalgia?

The doctor explains that genetic factors, psychological trauma, stress, physical trauma and psychological disorders are some of the contributing factors to the syndrome. Depression and anxiety are common in fibromyalgia patients who still have fewer nerve fibers, meaning they have less nerve fiber density in their skin.

Physical activity is necessary to treat the syndrome – Photo: Pixabay/Ilustrativa/Reproduction/ND

Maintaining a healthy lifestyle with regular physical activity, stress management, identifying triggers and adequate emotional support are some medical recommendations that positively contribute to the management of the syndrome. But living with a silent disease comes with many challenges.

“Because it is silent, undetectable in laboratory tests, and does not cause any external changes in a person, people with fibromyalgia are often told that they are “softening up” and that the pain is “all in the head.” However, they feel pain. It is clear that depression is one of the factors that has the greatest negative impact, with damage to the mental sphere, the ability to carry out daily activities and a decrease in work productivity,” says the rheumatologist.

Helia says her way of dealing with pain is to live with it, go outside, have fun, keep doing things and keep her body moving. Stretching, exercise and hot baths are among the activities that help her cope with the disease.

“What I really believe is this: It hurts, but I go out with my friends because between going out with friends to laugh and have fun and being at home feeling pain, I prefer to feel pain but have fun, you know? I try not to stop. This is my truth, my day. I’m trying to move, I’m trying to take a deep breath and move forward,” he concludes.