What’s the Worst Case of Fibromyalgia?

Have you ever wondered what the absolute worst case of fibromyalgia would be? After all, it’s a disease that affects everyone differently. And it makes sense that some people are affected by it more severely than others.

So what would be the worst case of fibromyalgia? How severely could it affect your life? And what could you do to treat it?

What Is Fibromyalgia?

Fibromyalgia is a disease that is not well understood. Essentially, it creates a general feeling of pain and fatigue around your body. There are a number of possible explanations for what causes fibromyalgia, but no one is sure what the right one is.

Some doctors believe that fibromyalgia is an autoimmune disease. That means that the body’s immune system begins to attack the healthy cells which make them inflamed and tender and causes aching in certain points around your body.

While no one knows exactly what the cause of fibromyalgia is, it’s a debilitating illness that affects people in a lot of different ways.

What Does It Do To Your Body?

Fibromyalgia causes a number of very different symptoms. And it varies so much that no two people have the exact same reaction to fibromyalgia. However, the most common system, and one that all fibromyalgia sufferers have, is chronic pain.

The pain is located along 18 specific points of the body. These are usually in your joints on both sides of the body and the level of pain can be different for different people. The level of pain can also change throughout the day.

And another common symptom for people with fibromyalgia is fatigue. Fibromyalgia sufferers often find that they can’t sleep very well, and when they do, they don’t wake up feeling refreshed the next day. As a result, people with fibromyalgia end up feeling something that is usually called a “fibro-fog.”

Fibro-fog is the name for a sort of mental cloudiness that comes with fibromyalgia. It usually presents as short-term memory loss, or trouble focusing on tasks.

Finally, fibromyalgia can cause some slightly more unusual symptoms. People with fibromyalgia often have irritable bowel syndrome, and gastrointestinal problems are very common among people who have fibromyalgia. And there are other conditions like constant itching which sometimes affect fibromyalgia sufferers.

What’s The Worst Case Of Fibromyalgia?

So if you’ve been diagnosed, you’re probably wondering how bad your fibromyalgia might actually get (what the worst case of fibromyalgia might be, basically).

Well, the good news is that your fibromyalgia won’t kill you. But fibromyalgia can still severely limit your quality of life.

Fibromyalgia affects many people by causing them to feel a constant feeling of pain and fatigue. So for people who have fibromyalgia, daily life can get very difficult.And the stories of people who have suffered from the illness for decades are heartbreaking.

Generally, fibromyalgia begins in its early stages with some warning signs. These are things like chronic fatigue and mysterious pain in eighteen points around the body. This pain is what causes most fibromyalgia patients to go to the doctor for a diagnosis. Though, if you have fibromyalgia, you probably already know how that goes.

Fibromyalgia then progresses into the chronic stage, where the pain and fatigue are constant. This is what most fibromyalgia patients live with every day. And though there are treatments, not all are effective. And everyone’s fibromyalgia seems to respond differently to different drugs.

Even the most up to date and cutting edge treatments might be completely ineffective for a lot of people. And this kind of treatment-resistant condition is the worst case of fibromyalgia since it is unresponsive to treatment and can often seem to get worse.

This is a tricky subject to discuss with any certainty, however. While most doctors will say that fibromyalgia isn’t a progressive disease for most people, some sufferers definitely report that their disease gets worse over time.

Can Fibromyalgia Make You Disabled?

So if you’ve just been diagnosed with fibromyalgia, there’s a chance that your pain and fatigue levels might begin to plateau and stay roughly where they are, though some days will be worse than others.

But in the worst case of fibromyalgia, the disease will get more painful and debilitating over time.

For people whose situation is the worst case of fibromyalgia, they will likely suffer their entire lives with constant, and unmanageable pain. This leads to serious problems in their daily lives.

Often, they lose their jobs due to the fact that they are effectively disabled. The constant pain and fatigue and the mental cloudiness, or fibro fog, makes working impossible.

And for people with extremely severe fibromyalgia, even getting out of bed is close to impossible. They require heavy doses of painkillers to even walk. And it takes them heavy doses of sleeping medication to get anything close to a full night’s sleep.

For those people who have the worst case of fibromyalgia, every day is a physical struggle. But it can be an emotionally struggle as well.

Can The Worst Case Of Fibromyalgia Affect Your Relationships?

Having severe fibromyalgia makes it difficult to maintain relationships with friends and family. People who used to enjoy your company sometimes drift away because your chronic pain and lack of mobility become tough for them to deal with. While that isn’t even remotely fair, it’s often how people are.

So in the worst case of fibromyalgia, expect to lose some of the friends you had who aren’t really friends. But the good side is that you will see who truly cares about you because they will stick around.

In addition, dealing with such a severely limited quality of life is extremely difficult emotionally. The constant pain can make it feel like life isn’t worth living. And suicide is tragically common among people with severe fibromyalgia.

It’s important to get help if you feel like you might be considering taking your own life. Suicide is never a good solution, and the saying that “it doesn’t end the pain, it only spreads it to the people who care about you,” is very true.

Fibromyalgia is a horrific disease to live with. And it takes a special kind of courage to endure the worst case of fibromyalgia. So tell us, has your fibromyalgia gotten worse? What are your worst symptoms like? Does anything work for you? Tell us in the comments.

Comments 11

Leah Reed-Gittus says:
I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia 8 years ago after having septicaemia from pyelonephritis and complicated uti.
I think it is a progressive condition, however after having it for years, some may not notice it getting worse, they are use to pain. For the past 7 months I’ve been treated for acute on chronic pain condition called fibromyalgia, in and out of hospital to get my pain to a point where I’m able to control it with my Meds at home. I do use a fair bit of medication, but I’m told that I have it severely advanced fibromyalgia and I’m on tramadol fast and slow release, Valium, targin, and a few others, I have also been on medication that may help, so I’m a lab rate. One med baclafin, it effected my sight, Lyrica did the opposite and the pain in my legs were mind blowing, there is no score for that. Norflex gave me 3 grand mile seizures, tapentadol which is relatively new, did nothing. I live everyday with an average score of 5 but if it gets to a 9, I give up and go to hospital for morphine and steroid injections. I also have sciatica which I’ve had injections into the nerve root, of steroids and numbing stuff however, my facet joints are badly degenerated, so I’m waiting to have all lumber injections done in facet joints and again the sciatic nerve root because it has come back after a month. They would consider surgery but are reluctant to do it due to my fibromyalgia condition and how bad it is. The only real none medical relief is water, in the pools, bath etc but at about 34 degrees, the longer I’m in, the better I can cope with the pain. Now they are looking at my brain cos the grey matter is less than it should be for my age. So yes, it is progressive and it sucks and it’s ok to say I’m not ok. I know how lonely fibromyalgia can make you, but I have no control over what it does and when or where. I have about 6 admitted to hospital atleast a year, but a lot more I’m treated in the emergency department.
As for god, nope, iv lost too much for there to be a god.
Lisa bannister says:
It’s very depressing. I have always been the strong one! My grandbaby and I have climbed mountiams, captured ghosts in our trap, swung on a mountain like lara croft….we were inseparable, but now I avoid him because I’m always in pain..sometimes immobile. I don’t want him to remember me like that. When we are togther, I put on a show and then I surf Dr later. My docs are always bugging me to excercise..let them squat with 50 thousand knives in them. As far as God…he didn’t abandon just me…he abandoned the whole world….who could blame him. We’re on our own.
Donna Wisbey says:
I’m sorry I know a lot of people believe in God and that’s their choice but the way I see it is if there was a “god almighty “ the great healer why did he give us fibromyalgia to begin with!!! I have days quite a few recently where I can hardly get out of bed. Why does this so called God make us suffer!!
Sue Kesler says:
God never said we would not have trials. I am 66 years old and was diagnosed in 2000 but had it at least 4 years before that. I have terrible days but I have God’s strength to get me through them. There is no other way. It helps to read his Word. Start with the book of Job.
Dianne Hayter says:
Dianne from Toronto, Ontario, Canada. CFS/ME in 1990 led to six years in bed, 1992 FM intensified the symptoms, IBS, hypothyroid, sleep disorder became severe. Felt like i had meningitis. every day like a month, and how I survived the intense suffering in my body with no physician of any help, I’ll never know. Family and friends abandoned me within five years, lived for decades confined to bed in the worst, pain, fatigue, loneliness and depression possible~! I wanted to die for decades, but no relief. Short term narcotics did nothing but make me feel stoned, no hope. Now 28 years later, born again Christian of five years, got off ten years of Oxycontin which turned me into a nodding off vegetable! Run an online support group, called Jesus First for FM and Chronic Illness. Now my only light and salvation. Dr.s, drugs, treatment only made me worse, life savings gone…Definetely progressed to DDD, herniated discs, arthritis, severe brain fog and now eye cancer.
Lullie Rolon says:
I have Fibro for 24 years or maybe more.I lost my job,house,my dog.my kids live with their father which that has taking my health to another level.I’ve been suicidal.i see the doctor like every week & My therapist. I call it “fibro thief” it steals you’re life!
Kathleen Catrios says:
I totally agree with you it does steal our lives I think we are all a hero for surviving with this ours lives have changed for us all in different ways. I THINK GENTLE HUGS TO US ALL I HOPE YOU ALL AGREE
Melissa says:
What does fibromyalgia level 9 mean?
Morgan Leigh says:
Im 21 years old and when i was ten i hit a tree sledding and messed me up for life. Fibro is genetic in my family and its a horrible thing to live with. From the going to bed tired and waking up tired to not even being able to hold my babygirl for more than 10 mins without my arm going numb, hip start burnin and next thing i know im in a full blown flare up. I get migraines for days even had one for a full month. Doctors could never figure out what was wrong but i was diagnosed in 2015 with fibromyalgia. I wouldnt want this pain on my worst enemy. Im 21 with thr body of a 65 yr old. But its hard finding people with the disease. Everyone i know is like your fine. Like yeah sure am just feel like someone put a cattle prod in my back/hip. It fucking sucks.
Kim says:
Have your doctors not prescribed any pain meds etc?
Kim says:
I am 34 and can totally relate to what you have said in your post. I thought I was the only one who struggled feeding their child and trying to settle the kids at bedtime. Just that alone is exhausting in itself. X