English version Introduction “Today is one of those days when every little move seems heroic to me …” – Fibromyalgia (FMS) or “invisible disease” This is just one of the desperate comments in the article by a rheumatologist, Dr. Fulvia Rossi, in which he talks about the so-called “invisible disease” (Fibromyalgia – FMS). Hi! My name is Lelia and I suffer from Fibromyalgia! I invite you to go together through the information that I have discovered! Let me tell you about my own experience! Why? The goal is to penetrate a little into the world of a patient who has been diagnosed with Fibromyalgia! For the first time I found out about this condition in the summer of 2018 following a rheumatological consultation performed in Italy, the country where I have been living for some years. I had never heard of it, nor did I realize that most of the problems I was facing were related to this syndrome. Besides Endometriosis, being the “happy owner” of it too :)! I managed to make the Jackpot in one fell swoop … but life goes on! It is important that me or anyone in my situation learn to live with these intruders. But in what ways? You will find out everything in the following lines! So, what is fibromyalgia? After a minimal search on the internet, I notice that those on the Sfatul Medicului website (romanian medical website) describe it as follows: “Fibromyalgia – a chronic condition characterized by diffuse pain and tenderness in muscles and soft tissue (tendons, ligaments), localized hotspots and sleep disturbances, weakness, and a variety of other symptoms. These problems can be bothersome and can disrupt daily activity. Fortunately, this syndrome does not permanently affect the muscles, joints or internal organs. Fibromyalgia is a chronic pain syndrome, it is not a disease or a physiological medical problem. “* Given that my confidence in the Romanian health system is almost to zero, I preferred to look for information on sites in other countries. · I would like to specify that I do not want to offend the medical staff in Romania, especially since I have relatives, acquaintances and close friends who work in this field! What did I find out? It seems that fibromyalgia is a chronic or long-term disease, the second most common condition that affects the bones and muscles. However, it is often misdiagnosed and misunderstood. It’s classic symptoms are: widespread muscle pain, joint pain and fatigue. In fact, the term “fibromyalgia” refers to pain (algos) in the muscles (mio) and fibrous tissues (fibro), such as tendons and ligaments. Fibromyalgia is, consequently, a rheumatic disease that affects the muscular and skeletal system. Thus we are dealing with a skeletal muscle syndrome that causes pain and fatigue that affects the bones and muscles causing chronic pain all over the body. It is defined as “invisible” because, unfortunately, it is very difficult to diagnose, as there are no scientific parameters or laboratory markers to help identify it. On the contrary, the manifestation in the patient is quite aggressive due to quite strong and debilitating symptoms. These pains lead to a state of muscle stiffness and general fatigue. It goes without saying that every aspect of a person’s life is affected in a negative and debilitating way. And even those who live with them suffer the consequences. Apparently, these are symptoms that any of us may experience at some point in our lives. For this reason it may be easy to associate them with other problems and / or pathologies. But this is the key to starting the diagnosis of fibromyalgia: if the pain persists for at least three months and if none of the symptoms can be attributed to another pathology, then it COULD be! Symptoms of fibromyalgia Widespread and chronic pain in muscles and bones, general fatigue (patients sleep for long periods of time without feeling rested), stiffness in many locations of the muscular and skeletal system. In addition to the manifestations described above, more are often added, including: · asthenia (chronic fatigue and debilitating fatigue), · mood and sleep disorders, · inability to concentrate or difficulty paying attention, · lower abdominal pain, · headache, · irritable bowel syndrome, · psychiatric disorders such as depression and anxiety are often linked to the struggle to accept the condition, · stressrelated disorders, such as post-traumatic stress disorder. Among the symptoms listed above, I face with the muscle and bone pain, pelvic pain (here is also endometriosis) and back pain, sleep disorders and chronic fatigue, anxiety and panic attacks. I confess that they are terrible, but they are part of the “program”, so let’s go further! Unfortunately, even in 2022, doctors do not fully understand the factors that cause people to experience widespread chronic pain associated with this condition. These manifestations could be the result of a misinterpretation of the brain and nerves or an overreaction to normal pain signals. This may be due to a chemical imbalance in the brain. Some theories suggest that pain may be lowered in the brain. What was once not painful becomes very painful over time. Regarding the above statement, among the countless checks performed, I met doctors who explained to me that my resistance to pain has decreased so much that I feel everything much more intense. For example, if someone has a headache and puts it in intensity at 5, on a scale of 1 to 10, for me the pain is directly between 9 and 10. So, I personally confirm the above theory! Another theory suggests that the body’s nerves and receptors become more sensitive to stimulation. This means that they can overreact to pain signals, causing excessive pain. However, how can this syndrome can be diagnosed? The symptoms of fibromyalgia are considered subjective and cannot be determined or measured by tests, however it is defined as “fibromyalgia syndrome” due to the simultaneous presence of clinical signs that may occur simultaneously, thus helping to establish the diagnosis. However, at this time some