Fibromyalgia is not considered degenerative as it cannot be predetermined how each person will be affected long term. However studies have shown that chronic pain does affect the brain. The term fibro fog is used by patients to describe how this feels. Checking out that the symptoms are down to fibr...

You may find some of the other answers useful under other posts as there are a whole range of things you can try. We have information on our site for patients and medical professionals. It will be up to you to find the best combination for you with your medical professionals help. If your GP really ...

Some health authorities do fund alternatives therapies and under the new Commissioning boards there may be more availability. It does vary but local involvement could be used to influence changes. Look out for your area Healthwatch and make your voice heard. No condition in it's own right entitles y...

Lack of non restorative sleep is one of the main symptoms of Fibromyalgia. One of the first researches showed that people with fibromyalgia suffered from this and volunteers who were woken deliberately during research eventually developed similar symptoms to those with fibromyalgia. So it is not the...

People with FM can have an over sensitivity to many environmental factors - light, heat, noise and smells. Sometimes recognising that it is just that may help cope with the symptom. Usually avoidance is the answer but that would be impossible for you for most of the symptoms you mention. Ask you GP ...

I suggest you go back to you doctor and talk through the options. You may be referred to a nutritionist or your medication be amended to cope with the water retention or both.

My reply to yoga and meditation should be of some help here as well. Even with FM alone, exercise has an effect and often people feel more pain and fatigue if not immediately the next day. The answer is to find the right starting level for you. Usually stretching exercises are the way to start befor...

At present there is no cure for FM but symptoms are managed to a lesser or greater degree by a range of treatments. If you click on the FMA UK logo (seated yellow figure) and then on the link at the bottom this will take you to our website where you will find information about the various ways your ...

As with all treatments for FM it does vary between individuals. Most things have to be started at a low level and gradually increased as the symptoms allow. Yoga and meditation concentrate on listening to yourself and noting the condition of mind and body in a non judgemental way and this is essenti...

Although the taking of blood is simple, the procedure for determining the marker for FM is not. The research on this is very recent and will have to be validated by other researchers before it is accepted by any health authority. My understanding is that this blood test is only available in the USA ...