Have you had fibromyalgia? Antania is a 52-year-old woman, she has a life without many limits: she works in concierge, cleans the property and takes care of her house, she is a good person, she talks to her friends and neighbors, always with a smile She almost never complains, because she must always move on, no matter what it is.
But only she knows the sacrifice she makes every day to lead a seemingly normal life, she feels pain in the body, in different parts and in a diffuse way, she has trouble waking up in the morning because she doesn’t rest well at night. Sometimes he feels so much pain that he can’t finish washing the dishes, leaves them soapy and then rinses them. Other times, do you feel like you have a wooden sword stuck in your back, do you have fibromyalgia?
- People like Antonia.
- Who constantly experience sensations of pain that appear for no apparent reason.
- May develop fibromyalgia.
- Fibromyalgia syndrome is often difficult to understand because symptoms are not perceived from the outside.
- It may seem that these people make up for these pains or complain.
- For no reason.
- Making excuses not to do what they should be doing.
- But it is not.
- Because their pain is real and therefore they suffer.
On the one hand, fibromyalgia has generally been described as chronic pain in fibrous muscles and tissues (ligaments and tendons), i. e. in the muscle and skeletal system; on the other hand, it can also be defined as hypersensitivity to pain. pain-producing stimuli, the brain’s response gives more information, as if there was more pain than this stimulus would normally produce. Even when the stimulus that causes pain no longer exists, it can persist.
Thus, more than a muscle change, there is a central treatment change, at the spinal and brain level, which may be due to a lack of analgesic activity (less endogenous opiates) and changes in the main neurotransmitters associated with central sensitization (less serotonin, norepinephrine and dopamine).
In addition to pain, they often develop other symptoms, such as fatigue, sleep disturbances, partesias in the limbs, lack of concentration and sometimes emotional symptoms such as depression or anxiety.
Fibromyalgia turns out to be a very difficult syndrome to describe. In fact, no specific cause, biological or psychological, has been determined to explain these pains. In any case, fortunately, it was recognized by the World Health Organization (WHO) in 1992.
Diagnostic criteria for fibromyalgia include widespread pain at 11 (out of 13) sensitive points in the body (especially in the neck, back, and joints, such as elbows and knees), for more than 3 consecutive months. In addition, there should be no other pathology that explains the pain.
This was how this ignored pain was recognized, earning a little more votes. This assessment was a very important first step in enthusing these individuals to feel more accompanied and better cope with the disease.
Antania, like so many others, in the face of doubt as to why she had been suffering these pains for so long, consulted many doctors to find the cause and alleviate her suffering, for a long time was invaded by a sense of despair, until she was diagnosed with fibromyalgia, but it was not the end, it was very difficult to accept that this pain was chronic and that it would accompany him throughout his life.
Unfortunately, there is no specific medicine to relieve fibromyalgia pain. Commonly used anti-inflammatory drugs are not effective because they do not eliminate or relieve pain and it recurs. It is important to note that fibromyalgia is not a degenerative disease. it does not destroy the joints and does not cause irreversible injury or deformities, so it is necessary to demystify the false belief that having this disease can lead to serious mobility problems and even the need for a wheelchair.
Although no specific cause or medication is found for fibromyalgia syndrome, it is possible to have a better quality of life, the person can learn to take care of himself so that the pain does not increase, at least remains or even decreases. It’s possible.
Normally, people with fibromyalgia feel the need to do many activities and do not spend time resting, so much so that there comes a time when they are extremely exhausted and then need to rest for hours and sometimes even days, because the pain they feel is so intense that it does not even allow them to move.
It is not a question of depriving themselves of activities or always resting, it is essential to find an intermediate point, which varies by person, it is very important that people with fibromyalgia learn to regulate their activity and rest rate.
To regulate your rhythm of activity and rest, the first thing you should do is look and listen to your body to avoid reaching the maximum level of pain (10 on a scale of 0 to 10). You must learn to be aware of when they are at level 5 and allow themselves to rest, in this way they will avoid the peak of pain and fatigue, in which they feel they can do nothing more and will be forced to stop completely.
It should be noted that, although more time is spent at rest, it is advisable to perform a minimum of daily physical activity, with moderate intensity, to avoid altering the musculoskeletal system by not using, not performing physical activity can cause pain, fatigue, stiffness worse; not only physical condition, but also psychological state.
“The art of rest is part of the art of work. -John Steinbeck-
The importance of spending more time on rest so as not to achieve the maximum sense of pain implies reducing expectations, that is, not proposing to do excessive work in a single day, setting more accessible goals or dividing large tasks into smaller ones. , easier tasks to manage.
It is also beneficial for these people to learn to be more flexible and less demanding of themselves, for example, when one day they cannot do everything planned because they have felt more pain, they should avoid tormenting themselves and punishing themselves, as this will cause them to only increase their discomfort.
Better regulation of emotional and relational levels has been shown to help relieve physical pain, just as psychotherapy allows them to achieve a better quality of life and improve in many respects, such as:
People with fibromyalgia in general (not all, because a specific personality has not been defined) tend to dedicate themselves and help others more than themselves. They have to learn to say no. Of course, helping others is positive, but to the extent that it doesn’t necessarily mean neglecting you.
In this way, psychological treatment is oriented, among other aspects, so that they learn to take care of themselves and respect each other more. This goal means being able to say “no? In certain circumstances and relate more assertively. “
As is often the case, it is easier said than done. They may know that, for example, resting would help them feel better. The problem is that normally people with fibromyalgia are not used to resting, and when they do, they have a great feeling of guilt: they feel the need to fulfill “their obligations”, so they must learn to spend time without feeling bad about it.
While rest seems to be a simple goal, for many who rest question their identity and, in a way, diminish their value. Theory of personal constructions? Kelly, have you found several “constructions” (adjectives) that relate to?Dilemmas? (obstacles) these people have to get the changes they need, for example, generous versus selfish “constructions. “
Normally, people with fibromyalgia are considered hardworking and generous and unconsciously leave out their activities and “obligations”, they feel they are no longer, becoming weak and selfish people. Therefore, one of the goals of psychotherapy is to make them realize that resting or asking for help does not mean to stop being themselves.
It’s important that the changes are consistent with your identity so that they can actually be significant changes.
It seems that the pain of fibromyalgia is uncontrollable, it is not possible to predict when it will intensify and nothing can reduce it, however, according to the “bridge theory”, you can identify some situations that “open” the door of pain or “closing. “
For example, it has been observed that many people with fibromyalgia agree on feeling less pain when they are more relaxed and distracted, in the company of friends and family, on the other hand, the aspects that increase pain are: feeling tense, stressed, oppressed or worried, for example after working, exercising excessively or arguing.
Once they become aware that these situations influence the perception of pain, it would be a matter of reducing the aspects that intensify pain and increasing those that reduce it, such as rewarding activities, something easy to write, but difficult for people to achieve. They have spent their entire lives assuming a sacrifice that tortures them far more than the disease itself.
“If the pain is excessive and you face it alone, it’s destructive. If the person is connected to others and speaks to them, it is a growing experience. Is sharing and accepting pain an opportunity to grow?. – Luigi Cancrini –