The frustration of living with chronic pain, difficulty sleeping, stiffness, and many other uncomfortable physical maladies—sometimes without even having a diagnosis—is hard enough. Almost worse than the pain, or at least as bad, is something so common, it has a name. Fibro fog. Problems with thinking and memory. Cognitive problems.
Luckily, medicine and research have come a long way since the days when sufferers of fibromyalgia were not taken seriously when reporting their ailments. The term was coined in 1976 even though the illness had existed for centuries. How it could be that such a serious illness suffered by so many women was not identified until 1976 is a subject unto itself. Healthcentral.com has an excellent article detailing the interesting history of fibromyalgia.
Luckily for modern women, much has been learned and discovered since 1976, and those afflicted with fibromyalgia have more information and resources than have ever been available to women before.
Fibromyalgia Network has been providing treatment and research news since 1988. It contains breaking news, frequently asked questions, doctor referrals, and a tremendous amount of information that spans a range, from general advice on how to increase the quality of your life to specific explanations of symptoms and what you can do about them.
Something many people don’t know is that fibromyalgia also affects men. MenWithFibro is an eight-year-old website. Although its title is self-explanatory, it is not a male-only website. Men with fibromyalgia have unique and similar issues—women should not feel excluded. This is bold coverage of the disease, born of frustration by the lack of information available on the topic of men with fibromyalgia. It has a forum where men can communicate about their experiences and women are welcome to participate as well, with many opportunites, such as discussions for spouses.
Afsafund.org is a professional organization of physicians, researchers, clinicians, therapists and other interested individuals. There is a membership fee with a discounted rate for students, patients, and other “nonprofessionals” who wish to join. They sponsor bi-annual physician/patient conferences about fibromyalgia and other topics related to chronic pain.