OK, lets get this straight....

Just like a number of other things, fibromyalgia is unique in everybody. Just because one person suffers in one way, doesn't mean that this is a cookie cutter disease, syndrome or whatever you want to call it.

Personally, mine, while pretty much controlled by a very good pharmaceutical developed specifically for fibromyalgia, still has quite a few times when it rears its ugly head. I also have carpal tunnel syndrome in both arms, arthritis in both hips and knees, so when it hits, it seems to hit those areas that are more prone to pain in the first place. Right now, I have limited feeling in my pinkie and ring finger of my left hand, which makes things like typing difficult since I type by touch, trying to find the letters a, s, z, and x are fun. On occasion I have the pleasure of feeling like my skin is being washed off in the shower, although that has only happened a couple of times, and the "fibro fog" and dizziness are more of a problem than I would care to admit. 

Now, I have another friend who has her fibro under control with her medication, but she has none of the other medical issues that I have, which is hypertension and medical allergies. She has had few flare ups, and I am glad for her.

Another friend of mine has flare ups often, I am assuming because she is so active, has a family of teens, and runs I think two businesses (including a farm). She also is on a medical regimen.

A friend of mine who is a man has fibromyalgia. I am not sure what flares his up, but I know his can be severe.

Another friend has fibro and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome as well as hypertension and is just learning what her triggers are and how they are controlled. She is a single woman, but praise God she has a service dog to help her during times when the flare ups are debilitating.

While it is known that stress can flare up fibro, there are other factors that can trigger flare ups. Food, more activity than normal (even a little bit), fatigue....the list goes on and on, and it all happens differently for everyone. 

What I'm getting at is that with the fact that it is not visible to the naked eye, everyone has different triggers, different pain tolerance levels and will act and react differently.  While it is always nice to have the advice, articles and such, remember that not everyone is the gingerbread man that folks would have you think. While there are the basic tell-tale indications pointing to the syndrome that everyone has, not everyone presents in the same way.

Thanks for listening....

Have a great day tomorrow (with hopefully no flare ups for those of you with this.)!