✨ Understanding Fibromyalgia: A Neurological & Inflammatory Journey ✨

 ✨ Understanding Fibromyalgia: A Neurological & Inflammatory Journey ✨

I wanted to share a bit about my personal journey with fibromyalgia, and how research is finally catching up to what many of us have been saying for years.

From my own experience, fibromyalgia doesn’t just cause  pain—it’s nerve pain that feels like burning, tingling, twitching, itching, and even sudden shock-like jolts in random areas of the body. These sensations happen because our nerves are hyperactive, which also causes muscle spasms out of nowhere.

Another big challenge for me is fibro fog—that frustrating brain fog that makes it hard to concentrate or remember things. Research shows this too is a neurological symptom of fibromyalgia.

For a long time, I believed my pain was solely due to Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA), since I was diagnosed with both conditions. I didn’t think it was fibromyalgia because, back then, the diagnostic criteria were narrower. But over the years, the criteria have expanded, recognizing pain in more areas—and acknowledging that fibromyalgia is so much more than just physical pain.

🧠 Recent research is confirming what we’ve felt all along: fibromyalgia is not “just in our heads” or a “catch-all” diagnosis—it involves the nervous system, immune system, and inflammation.

Studies show fibromyalgia patients have:
✔️ Central sensitization—where the nervous system amplifies pain signals (Sluka & Clauw, 2016).
✔️ Neuroinflammation—increased inflammatory markers in the brain and spinal fluid (Loggia et al., 2015).
✔️ Possible small fiber neuropathy—damage to small nerve fibers causing burning, tingling, and pain (Oaklander & Klein, 2013).

One fascinating study even found that injecting mice with antibodies from people with fibromyalgia caused the mice to develop fibromyalgia-like symptoms (Goebel et al., 2021). This suggests an autoimmune or immune-mediated component—something many of us suspected but couldn’t prove until now!

I truly believe we’re making progress because so many fibromyalgia patients are speaking up and advocating for research. We’re finally being heard. And no—we can’t all be making this up!

If you’re navigating fibromyalgia, please remember:
✅ It’s not “just pain”—it’s a complex neurological and inflammatory condition.
✅ Your symptoms are real.
✅ You’re not alone.

Here are some credible sources to learn more and fact-check information:
🔗 National Institutes of Health: https://www.nih.gov
🔗 National Academy of Medicine: https://nam.edu
🔗 Oxford Academic: https://academic.oup.com
🔗 BMC Health Services Research: https://bmchealthservres.biomedcentral.com

Please always do your own research before trying new treatments, and be cautious of advice that tells you to stop medications or follow unproven remedies. We need scientifically-backed approaches to manage this complex condition.

💜 To everyone living with fibromyalgia—you are strong, you are valid, and you deserve compassionate care.