A PICTURE OF PAIN

The discomfort of pain is part of life, but with fibromyalgia you experience it every day. How do sufferers carry on with everyday tasks while being in constant agony? Club Editor Charndré Emma Kippie writes from experience

- Charndré Emma Kippie

Fibromyalgia has got to be one of the most confusing and complex diagnoses to digest. What started as a series of physical ailments and misdiagnoses during my university years (I'm now 30 years old) quickly turned into a life-altering chronic condition that I had nearly no control over.

A few aches here, lots of throbbing there, random bruising and blotchy purple skin, migraines every two weeks, emotional sensitivity and losing my train of thought every 10 minutes or so... I thought I was losing the plot! So, I understand why so many people around the world see this condition as perplexing and almost unreal.

After doing my own research and seeking out countless specialists, I've realised that this illness is very real and debilitating, especially in severe cases. Unfortunately, medical experts are still to uncover the definitive root cause of the illness, or a cure.

So, what is it?

The South African Rheumatism & Arthritis Association (SARAA) describes fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS) as a disorder medically identified by widespread musculoskeletal pain (muscles, bones and joints), accompanied by fatigue, and sleep, memory and mood issues.

According to SARAA, researchers believe that fibromyalgia "amplifies painful sensations by affecting the way your brain processes pain signals". Many people who have fibromyalgia also have tension headaches, temporomandibular joint (TMJ) disorders, irritable bowel syndrome, anxiety and depression."

Once I was diagnosed, my doctor called this type of processing of pain signals 'somatic', which means that any psychological and emotional distress I experienced would be physically expressed in the form of physical pain, nausea and fatigue. So, there was a clear mind/body link. But why was I experiencing this? Was I born with it? I had so many questions... Living with this felt so unfair.

Causes and treatment