Fibromyalgia

Can someone with Fibromyalgia do the following:
-Sit for a long time and facebook. Gets up only to go to the bathroom, smoke and get coffee. (At times the whole day!)
-Walk 5 miles and not be in discomfort or have the energy drained out of you.
-Sing on stage for 5 sets. Each set is 45 minutes with 15 minutes break, then come home and start drinking.
I just wanted to know.

Anon,

Welcome to EmpowHER, and thank you so much for your question. I'm sorry that you're dealing with fibromyalgia. As you know, it can be debilitating. But you are not alone -- more than 10 million Americans have it.

Here's some information from our Fibromyalgia page:

Causes
The exact cause is unknown.

The following conditions are commonly associated with fibromyalgia:
◦Depression and anxiety
◦Muscle pain
◦Chronic headache, such as tension headaches (frequently beginning with neck discomfort)
◦Numbness and tingling
◦Sensation of swollen hands and edema (swelling usually in the feet, ankles, and legs)
◦Nocturnal myoclonus (moving legs involuntarily during sleep)
◦Irritable bowel syndrome
◦Complex regional pain syndrome
◦Substance abuse
◦Premenstrual syndrome
◦Female urethral syndrome (irritable bladder)
◦Raynaud's disease

Risk Factors
A risk factor is something that increases your chance of getting fibromyalgia. Risk factors include:

◦Sex: female
◦Age: 20-60 years old
◦Physical or mental stress
◦Physical trauma (eg, accident, injury, or severe illness)

Symptoms
Common symptoms include:

◦Generalized fatigue or tiredness
◦Reduced physical endurance
◦Generalized aches and pains of muscles, tendons, and ligaments
◦Muscle tightening or spasms
◦Pain in specific areas of the body, especially:
■Neck
■Shoulders
■Chest
■Back (upper and lower)
■Hips and thighs
◦Insomnia or poor sleep
◦Sensations of numbness or swelling (although swelling is not actually present)
◦Chronic headaches, including migraines
◦Morning stiffness, worst on first arising

Factors that may trigger or worsen symptoms include:
◦Weather changes, especially cold, damp weather
◦Stress or anxiety
◦Overexertion
◦Medical illness
◦Surgery

Diagnosis
The doctor will ask about your symptoms and medical history, and perform a thorough physical exam. There are no specific tests for this condition.

The doctor will look for the following signs:
◦Widespread pain lasting three months or longer
◦Tenderness (on physical exam) in at least 11 of 18 specific areas of the body

Treatment
The goal of treatment is to relieve or control the symptoms. Treatments include:
Physical and Behavioral Therapies
◦Physical therapy (gradual aerobic exercise and stretching regimen)
◦Application of heat to painful areas
◦Massage, acupuncture, relaxation training may be helpful
◦Trigger point therapy
◦Biofeedback
◦Cognitive behavioral therapy
Lifestyle Changes
◦Eating a healthful diet
◦Learning to cope with physical and mental stress
◦Regular, moderate, low-impact exercise with your doctor's approval
*Try gentle exercise that does not strain painful areas, such as:
•Walking
•Biking
•Swimming, preferably in warmer water
◦Regular stretching exercises
◦Maintaining a regular sleep schedule

A team of experts studied fibromyalgia and recommended the following:

◦Approach that focuses on medication and other treatments
◦Heated pool treatments with or without exercise
◦Individual exercise programs
◦Cognitive behavioral therapy and other forms of counseling
◦Other therapies (eg, massage, relaxation, physical therapy)
◦Tramadol, paracetamol, or other weak opioids
◦Antidepressants (eg, amitriptyline, fluoxetine, duloxetine, milnacipran, moclobemide, pirlindole)
◦Medications for pain relief (eg, tropisetron, pramipexole, pregabalin)

Does this information help you, Anon?

Here's the page itself, which also has a diagram of the trigger points and some links on the bottom that lead you to other fibromyalgia resources:

https://www.empowher.com/media/reference/fibromyalgia#definition

Have you been able to see any doctor other than your regular doctor for this?

Here's a great site by the National Fibromyalgia Association. It can help with understanding the condition, learning about treatment and reading other patient''s stories:

http://www.fmaware.org/site/PageServer?pagename=members_QuestionsAnswersExperts

And this page is for the newly diagnosed patient:

http://www.fmaware.org/site/PageServer?pagename=fibromyalgia_overview

And here's the top 10 things they want you to know (it's a PDF, so it takes a minute to build):

http://www.fmaware.org/site/DocServer/top10_12x9.pdf?docID=2261

And one more, even though I know this is a lot of information for you. This is a list in Arthritis Today of articles that may help you:

http://www.arthritistoday.org/community/expert-q--a/fibromyalgia/index.php

And these pages are about Finding A Doctor for fibromyalgia:

http://chronicfatigue.about.com/od/findingadoctor/a/find_fms_doctor.htm
http://www.managing-my-fibromyalgia.com/fibromyalgia-doctors.html

Please let us know if we can find you anything more specific.