FIBROMYALGIA INFORMATION

ABOUT ME:

I've had Fibromyalgia  and Arthritis for about 40 years now, and I do all I can to keep functioning despite it's effects on daily life.  I've been under doctor's care for many years, and take some medications that do help, but I feel best when I also try to minimize the discomfort with warmth and gentle massage.

Our Ebay store offers some of the same items that I use to try to maintain a tolerable comfort level.  Nothing completely relieves the aches, pains, tingling and tightness that I have, but these things have helped.  We have fingerless gloves and leg warmers, microwavable heating pads, and massage items; all chosen to offer gentle protection, warmth and manipulation. 

Fibromyalgia is no fun, but we try to offer comfort items that are!  Our fingerless gloves and leg warmers come in many colors from black to fluorescent; our heating pads are made with fun fur and chenille dots, and our massage items are bright and cheerful.  They look fashionable, not medical, and I think that's important.  You can use them anywhere without embarrasment.  Whenever possible we try to get items that are made in the USA; sometimes we make them ourselves.   Country  of origin is listed on all our products. 

I truly hope that some of the items we offer will help people deal with this difficult condition.  There is no cure for Fibromyalgia yet.  Let's all hope that someone finds one!  Please see below for more information on Fibromyalgia.  If you don't have a diagnosis, but you think you may have it, please visit your doctor.  There are new  medications that may help. 

THE WIKIPEDIA LIST OF SYMPTOMS:

The defining symptoms of fibromyalgia are chronic, widespread pain and tenderness to light touch. Other symptoms can include moderate to severe fatigue, a heightened and painful response to gentle touch (allodynia), needle-like tingling of the skin, muscle aches, prolonged muscle spasms, weakness in the limbs, nerve pain, functional bowel disturbances, and chronic sleep disturbances. Sleep disturbances may be related to a phenomenon called alpha-delta sleep, a condition in which deep sleep (associated with delta waves) is frequently interrupted by bursts of alpha waves, which normally occur during wakefulness. Slow-wave sleep is often dramatically reduced.

Many patients experience cognitive dysfunction known as "brain fog" or "fibrofog", which may be characterized by impaired concentration, problems with short and long-term memory short-term memory consolidation, genitourinary symptoms and interstitial cystitis), dermatological disorders, headaches, myoclonic twitches, and symptomatic hypoglycemia.

MORE SYMPTOMS:

Although fibromyalgia is classified based on the presence of chronic widespread pain, pain may also be localized in areas such as the shoulders, neck, low back, hips, or other areas. Many sufferers also experience varying degrees of facial pain and have high rates of comorbid temporomandibular joint disorder. Not all patients have all symptoms.

Symptoms can have a slow onset, and many patients have mild symptoms beginning in childhood, that are often misdiagnosed as growing pains. Symptoms are often aggravated by unrelated illness or changes in the weather. They can become more tolerable or less tolerable throughout daily or yearly cycles; however, many people with fibromyalgia find that, at least some of the time, the condition prevents them from performing normal activities such as driving a car or walking up stairs. The disorder does not cause inflammation as is characteristic of rheumatoid arthritis, although some non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs may temporarily reduce pain symptoms in some patients. Their use, however, is limited, and often of little to no value in pain management.