May 28, 2009 7:47 pm US/Eastern
Invisble Illness Causes Chronic Pain
BALTIMORE (WJZ) ―
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An invisble illness fibromyalgia is a disorder which causes chronic pain.
CBS
It's called the invisible illness because people who have it don't look sick.
Imagine living with pain every day of your life but having doctors tell you there's nothing wrong.
Healthwatch reporter Kellye Lynn reports it's a reality for many of the millions of people in this country who suffer from fibromyalgia.
Fibromyalgia affects about eight million people in the U.S. but many of them don't know they have it. The difficult part is getting the right diagnosis.
Michele Swing says it took her several years to find the missing piece of the puzzle.
She couldn't sleep, her body hurt, and her doctor's couldn't tell her what was causing it.
"There were days when you didn't feel you could function, you had pain in all different areas," said Swing.
Finally, 10 years later, she got the right diagnosis. The most common chronic pain condition in the U.S., fibromyalgia.
Dr. Robert Gerwin says too much stress can trigger the disorder.
"Repeated pain coming from muscles into spinal cord until spinal cord becomes sensitized and then it becomes overly sensitive and interprets not painful stimulation, as painful," said Gerwin.
Up to 90 percent of sufferers are women.
Sufferers often experience fatigue, muscle pain, tender points on the neck, shoulder, back, hips, arms, and legs.
"It affects my activity but not as severely because I'm managing it better with the different ways," says Swing.
A lot has changed since Michele first began experiencing symptoms 20 years ago.
She has family now and keeps the pain in check with medication, exercise, and physical therapy.
Getting a diagnosis for her mystery illness has given Michele her life back and she wants other sufferers to live better too.
"Seek help, listen to your own body and believe in yourself. Don't let other people tell you that there isn't anything wrong," she counsels.
Woman who are often fatigued, have muscle pain, and difficulty sleeping should consult their doctor, to see if they have fibromyalgia.
Earlier this year the Food and Drug Administration approved a new drug to treat fibromyalgia called Savella.
(© MMX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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