Around two million people in the UK are living with Fibromyalgia and many more might not even be aware they have the medical condition.
That’s because it’s often thought to be rather difficult to diagnose, due to doctors not being able to identify it using standard tests and x-rays and a number of its symptoms are also similar to those associated with other conditions.
According to the NHS website, the symptoms of Fibromyalgia include widespread pain in the body, increased sensitivity to pain, extreme tiredness, muscle stiffness, difficulty sleeping, problems with mental processes such as memory and concentration, headaches and irritable bowel syndrome.
If you’ve been experiencing any of these symptoms for a while, it’s possible you could have the condition.
Of course the best thing to do is speak to a medical professional, as they are able to give you a proper diagnosis.
However, if you’re unsure whether you need to seek out a doctor, there’s currently an at-home questionnaire doing the rounds online that might be of use to you.
Created by Doctor Oz, an American doctor with his own TV show, the simple test features four steps to follow and was recently shared on the website, thefibrowarriors.com.
The first step is to calculate how widespread your pain is.
The questionnaire features two images of the human body, one showing the front and the other the back. Each image features check boxes, which you tick off if you’ve felt pain in any of the areas over the last three months.
You then write down how many boxes you ticked.
The second step is to work out which symptoms you have as well as the pain, such as heartburn or headaches. Once again you note how many of these you’ve checked off.
The third step is to tally up your totals, so add together the number of boxes you ticked in steps one and two.
The fourth and final step asks you to take a look at your final score.
It says: “If score is seven or higher… bring this sheet to your doctor to discuss fibromyalgia.”
Obviously this test won’t tell you for sure whether or not you have fibromyalgia, but it’s a good starting point for you to examine your health.
And of course anyone who is experiencing pain in their daily life should do something about it – no one should have to live in pain, so seek medical help as soon as you can.