Fibromyalgia & Chronic Pain LIFE Spring 2015, Issue 11 | Page 27

“Which one non-pain problem caused most distress?”
Thus a patient with insomnia could also have problems with balance, but such additive problems are not
captured in this chart.

GETTING A DIAGNOSIS OF FIBROMYALGIA
As many people with fibromyalgia symptoms are only
too aware, getting a definitive diagnosis of fibromyalgia can be time-consuming and frustrating. One of the
questions we asked in the survey was “how many healthcare providers did you see before getting fibromyalia?”
Approximately one-third of the respondents had to see
more than 5 healthcare professionals before getting a
definite diagnosis of fibromyalgia.
NON-PAIN PROBLEMS
The survey asked about the symptoms/problems
other than pain experienced by people with fibromyalgia. One of the questions in the survey asked:
Out of all of your non-pain symptoms, which ones
causes you most distress?” Replies are seen in the following chart (the numbers in the lower axis have a
number of subjects reporting each problem). By far
the commonest non-pain problems were insomnia and
problems with memory and concentration (i.e.,
cognitive dysfunction). Note the question asked was

SOME OF THE INDIVIDUAL COMMENTS WERE:
• Fearing that being with people will aggravate pain later.
• Feel like I am a burden to my children.
• Feeling a burden and nonproductive, I can’t meet
simple goals.
• Sometimes feel suicidal.
• Feeling as if I am living a “less than” life; not the life
I envisioned.
• Feeling exhausted and completely overwhelmed by
the smallest tasks.
• Feeling guilty that I can’t fix symptoms without
medication.
• Feeling hopeless because I cannot be who I
was or do the things I love.
• Feeling like a burden due to loss of productivity.
• Feeling that I am not understood and that my
physical/energy limitations interfere with living a
full life.
• Feeling worthless, that my life no longer matters,
having to leave my