Fibromyalgia Research Paper

Fibromyalgia is a condition that affects five million Americans over the age of eighteen. It is a condition that affects women primarily, but men can also develop this disease. The disease is characterized by extreme fatigue, tenderness, and soreness throughout the whole body. Accompanying symptoms include depression and anxiety, which are the most crippling side effects of fibromyalgia. My mother developed fibromyalgia at the age of 37, which is a common age in which symptoms first appear. Fibromyalgia affected her life in every way, even in regards to getting out of bed in the mornings, going to work, and maintaining her usually positive attitude. My mother’s illness started to become apparent especially in the mornings when it became increasingly difficult to get out of bed in the mornings. She felt drained and unmotivated to fulfill daily

Once she was “diagnosed” with fibromyalgia, she noticed that more severe symptoms began to emerge. She began having more widespread pain in all major parts of her body, as well as extreme fatigue and depression. Since she was always tired and drained of energy, her motivation to perform day-to-day tasks, such as going to work and taking me and my sister to school, became nonexistent. As a young child in elementary school, I remember my mother always coming home from work and going straight to bed because of how much pain she was in. While my mother was sick, my father became the main method of transportation and support for my sister and I. As a child, I did not understand why she was always so distant, and I remember feeling resentment for her and her disease. As I have grown up, I now understand why she was upset and in pain. Fibromyalgia and associated disorders need more recognition and awareness, especially for families who have known the destructive consequences of