The
National Fibromyalgia and Chronic Pain Association (NfmCPA) is recognizing Fibromyalgia Awareness Month with an awesome theme - "
C.A.R.E. & Make Fibromyalgia Visible.” C.A.R.E. stands for
Contribute, Advocate, participate in
Research, and
Educate others about fibromyalgia, and that’s exactly what’s going on throughout May.
Fibromyalgia (commonly shortened to “fibro”) causes widespread body pain or aching muscles – myalgia – that can be localized to specific areas called tender points. Other symptoms include tingling, numbness, fatigue and sleep disturbances.
1 In most cases, fibromyalgia is limited to women, but men and children can also be affected – it’s estimated that 3% to 6% of the world’s population has the condition, and about 1 in 50 Americans are living with fibro at any given time.
2 3
So how can you help raise awareness for fibromyalgia in May?
The
fibro community on PatientsLikeMe is one of the largest on the site, and it’s growing by the day – this time last year, there were about 30,000 in the community, and now, it’s more than 42,000 strong! They’re donating their data through personalized health profiles and sharing their stories
in the forum to help others with fibromyalgia.
The cause of fibromyalgia is not fully understood,
1 and if you’ve been diagnosed, no one understands what it’s like better than you – connect with others living with fibro today and start sharing your experiences for Fibromyalgia Awareness Month.
“
PatientsLikeMe is the most empowering place I could ever imagine, giving us all not just information, but courage enough to be proactive rather than sit back and hope the doctor is doing the right thing…” – Fibro member Lizupatree
Share this post on twitter and help spread the word for Fibromyalgia Awareness Month.
1 http://www.cdc.gov/arthritis/basics/fibromyalgia.htm
2 http://fmaware.org/site/PageServera6cc.html?pagename=fibromyalgia_affected
3 http://www.myfibro.com/fibromyalgia-statistics
