KOCHI: Savithri (name changed), a 42-year-old housewife, was complaining of chronic pain after she fell in the bathroom thirteen years ago. She had lower back pain initially, but it had subsided after a few weeks. But in a year, widespread pain spread above and below her waist, on both sides of her body. It plagued her daily activities. She was fatigued from sleep deprivation, experienced stiffness, skin hypersensitivity and mood swings. Savithri was extensively evaluated for her symptoms over the twelve years. She has been through MRI scans, one each in the last three consecutive years.
All the tests turned up perfectly normal. She was diagnosed with depression and anxiety, mainly because her problems were not recognized by family or colleagues. Her husband and children said she managed the household chores, which someone with bad health could not have done. Savithri was near desperate when a lucky chance referred her to a rheumatologist.
This time, her condition was diagnosed and given a name- fibromyalgia syndrome or FMS. It is a long term health problem that causes widespread pain and tenderness or sensitivity to touch. Pain and tenderness may occur intermittently rather than constantly, and can also shift from one area to another in the body.
FMS patients are fatigued and sleep-deprived. As the disease is not typically symptomatic, a detailed examination of the case history and patient has to be done.
WHAT IS FMS?
FMS is a neurologic chronic health condition that causes pain all over the body. It occurs commonly in women, though it can also affect men. It can occur at any age although it mostly starts in middle adulthood. A person is at a higher risk for fibromyalgia if he/she has a rheumatic disease.
Symptoms