Describing what it’s like to have Fibromyalgia is difficult. Not only is it an invisible illness, but each symptom “sounds” like typical body aches and issues which accompany any normal life — pain, fatigue, etc. But the fatigue was the instrumental factor in my beginnings of searching for a diagnosis. It was a fatigue I had never felt before. I knew something was wrong with my body, but neither I nor my doctors could pinpoint what was the cause … not for 3 years.
I found this description of Fibromyalgia-related fatigue on Pro Health’s website. It’s the most accurate description I’ve ever come across. It puts words to feelings and struggles.
The fatigue experienced by fibromyalgia patients is nothing like the fatigue most people experience at the end of a long day or following a strenuous workout. It is a pervasive, all-encompassing exhaustion that can interfere with even the most basic and simple daily activities. For example, FM patients frequently say that by the time they shower and get dressed to go out, they are too tired to go anywhere.
Another defining factor of the fatigue of fibromyalgia is that it is not relieved by sleep. Patients may awaken feeling just as fatigued as they did before they went to sleep.
