Fibromyalgia: touch me soft

Fibromyalgia Disorder is characterized by the presence of chronic widespread pain and a heightened and painful response to gentle touch. Other core features of the disorder include debilitating fatigue, sleep disturbance and joint stiffness. In addition, persons affected with the disorder frequently experience a range of other symptoms that involve multiple body systems, including difficulty with swallowing functional bowel and bladder abnormalities, difficulty breathing, diffuse sensations of numbness and tingling, abnormal motor activity, and cognitive dysfunction. An increased prevalence of affective and anxiety-related symptoms is also well known. While the criteria for such an entity have not yet been thoroughly developed, the recognition that fibromyalgia involves more than just pain has led to the frequent use of the term "fibromyalgiasyndrome". Not all affected persons experience all the symptoms associated with the greater syndrome. Symptoms can have a slow onset of mild symptoms beginning in childhood, that is often misdiagnosed as growing pains.