Does overwhelming fatigue come with fibro?

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longtimer

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Feb 5, 2020
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DX FIBRO
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02/2020
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CA
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AB
Its been a tough spring with lots of weather changes and resulting pains and aches all over. But I am now really really tired all the time. Is the fatigue part of the fibro ? ( I'm scheduled to have blood work done in July and then to see my doctor so I am checking all possibilities) And if the exhaustion is fibro, what can I do about it other than try and sleep as much as I can?
 
Is the fatigue part of the fibro ?
Hi longtimer,

Yes, extreme fatigue is frustratingly one of the core symptoms of fibromyalgia, although some people receive a dual diagnosis of fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome - this can be a little complicated, as the two conditions overlap a lot!

For me, gentle exercise daily (usually light walking/swimming) and supplements for mitochondrial support make a huge difference to fatigue/fog - others find different lifestyle hacks and supplements more useful. I think the key is to experiment until you find a stack of things that can add up to better quality of life. I hope your fatigue eases up soon!
 
Unfortunately it is part of fibro, and almost everyone with fibro experiences that. What Jemima says above is correct... you just have to experiment a lot to find what works for you to ameliorate it.

For me, it is getting enough activity, but not too much, pacing myself, doing my best to get enough sleep, and eating well. The last one is always a challenge for me because, while I only eat healthy foods, I have a tendency not to eat enough, and I know that affects my energy levels.
 
How would a doctor decide if I had chronic fatigue? or is it just lumped into the Fibro category?
 
How would a doctor decide if I had chronic fatigue? or is it just lumped into the Fibro category?
I'm honestly not sure - it's also a diagnosis of elimination, so it probably would just depend on the doctor as to whether they felt a single diagnosis or dual would be appropriate. From what I've researched, it seems to me that the only real difference between the two is how heavily symptoms are distributed between pain and fatigue.

Also going on what I've read and people I've spoken to, most people with fibro seem to have trouble with really bad fatigue at some point - sometimes to the point of hardly being able to stand. I think the treatment and management protocols for the two are also pretty similar so, for myself at least, I probably wouldn't pursue a new diagnosis unless I had a plan for how it might benefit me. Of course, you might feel differently.
 
You can now get a blood test for the Epstein Barr virus (EBV) that often goes hand-in-hand with Fibro and can cause serious fatigue. I have both disorders and was relieved when I could finally get the bloodwork to prove it. Good luck.
 
You can now get a blood test for the Epstein Barr virus (EBV) that often goes hand-in-hand with Fibro and can cause serious fatigue. I have both disorders and was relieved when I could finally get the bloodwork to prove it. Good luck.
Sabina, I'd understood that there are different types of tests for EBV, and they don't all offer the same degree of conclusivity. Can you remember exactly what the test you had was called? I'm thinking about pursuing this as everything gets a bit more accessible here post Covid. I read that the idea is to look for certain antibody markers during/after a fibro flare, but it all seemed quite confusing!

Also, have you implemented anything into your routine that is specifically anti-viral-focused since your diagnosis, and did anything help?
 
Hi,
The EB test is apparently not easy to get an accurate result in the U.K. several Dr’s have told me over the years, maybe this has improved now, hopefully.
There is no blood tests to define/diagnose Fibromyalgia or ME/Chronic Fatigue unfortunately ..boy do I wish there was. Both are diagnosed by process of elimination of other possible conditions and symptoms.
Unfortunately many Dr’s will still not acknowledge ME/CFS and only Fibromyalgia on the basis there is no medical proof, even though there’s no defined medical proof for Fibromyalgia. Interestingly Long Covid symptons are almost identical and they are willing to acknowledge that, spend huge amount on and work on diagnostic tests.
There definitely seems to be overlaps to both Fibromyalgia and ME/CFS but in general pain is considered to be the overiding factor in Fibromyalgia and extreme fatigue in ME/CFS, though of course neither are quite as simplistic as that 🙄.
On top of all that there are many mis diagnosed when the Dr’s simply cannot find the true problem, even when not all the symptoms fit Fibromyalgia or Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.
x
 
TJB, your reference to Long Covid and all the research money going into that (which no one is saying doesn't exist) makes me wonder if possibly some of those people with Long Covid symptoms have actually developed ME and/ or FM.
And it also makes me wonder if, in their research, they might end up finding something that would help those of us who have FM and ME.
 
Long Covid is easy for medicine to diagnose, because of being able to see the preceding infection.
Whether that makes it easy to find what causing those symptoms is another matter.
Our symptoms also/already intersect with quite a few other chronic pain diseases.
Like other viruses, trauma etc. which may have triggered FM or ME/CFS (not conclusively proven tho), I do think it's likely that Long Covid can also trigger FM, maybe severe non-Long Covid can too.

We mustn't forget that there is a great deal of research going on on FM all the time and not be envious.
Not a perfect example, but to give a lead, I just looked for 'long covid 2021' and 'fibromyalgia 2021' on pubmed.
There were 543 studies/reviews for long covid and 710 for fibromyalgia. And I know from scanning thru them a few months ago that the fibromyalgia figure can be taken seriously (mainly causes & treatments and these studies are almost all really from 2021 or late 2020).
 
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