Fibromyalgia Voices

Fibromyalgia Pain & the Spinal Cord: What Research Is Finding 🧠💜

Fibromyalgia pain is real—and researchers continue to investigate how the brain and spinal cord process and regulate pain signals differently in people with the condition.

Studies using spinal-cord imaging and neurophysiological testing have found evidence of altered neural activity and pain modulation in fibromyalgia. One study found an imbalance in activity within regions of the cervical spinal cord, while other research has identified differences in spinal cord–brainstem signaling during painful stimulation.

More recent research has also explored spinal disinhibition—a possible reduction in the nervous system's normal ability to dampen incoming pain signals—as one mechanism that may contribute to fibromyalgia pain.

This fits into the broader concept of central sensitization, in which the central nervous system becomes unusually responsive to sensory input. It may help explain why someone with fibromyalgia can experience:

• Widespread pain and tenderness
• Pain from normally non-painful touch
• Increased sensitivity to pressure or other stimuli
• Persistent pain without obvious tissue injury
• Fatigue and other sensory symptoms

However, saying fibromyalgia is caused by “spinal cord dysfunction” is stronger than the evidence currently supports. Fibromyalgia is complex, and research also points to changes involving the brain, peripheral nerves, autonomic nervous system, immune signaling, sleep, and other mechanisms.

💜 The pain isn't imaginary.
💜 The nervous system plays an important role.
💜 And scientists are still working to understand exactly how these changes produce fibromyalgia symptoms.

Chronic pelvic pain is a frustrating and often misunderstood symptom especially for people living with fibromyalgia.

When pain settles deep in the pelvis and refuses to go away, it can affect everything from walking and sitting to sleep, intimacy, and emotional well-being …… see 🔗 comment⬇️.

Selena Gomez’s Lupus Journey: When an Autoimmune Disease Affects More Than You Can See 💜

Selena Gomez has spoken publicly about living with lupus, a chronic autoimmune disease that can affect many parts of the body—including the joints, skin, kidneys, blood vessels, heart, lungs, and nervous system.

Her experience became especially serious when complications from lupus affected her kidneys, eventually leading to a kidney transplant in 2017.

Lupus can look very different from one person to another. Possible symptoms and complications include:

• Extreme fatigue
• Joint pain, stiffness, or swelling
• Skin rashes
• Fever
• Kidney problems
• Cardiovascular complications
• Neurological symptoms
• Anxiety and depression

Because lupus symptoms can overlap with other chronic pain conditions, people experiencing persistent widespread pain or fatigue may need careful medical evaluation rather than assuming every symptom comes from one diagnosis.

Selena’s openness has helped bring greater attention to an illness that is often invisible to everyone except the person living with it.

💜 Chronic illness isn't always visible.
💜 Serious complications deserve appropriate medical care.
💜 Awareness begins with accurate information.

Loss of taste and smell can be deeply unsettling, especially when it appears without a clear explanation.

For people living with fibromyalgia, this experience can feel confusing, frightening, and frustrating. Fibromyalgia is already known for its wide range of …… see 🔗 comment⬇️.

Fibromyalgia & Other Health Conditions: Understanding the Overlap 💜

Fibromyalgia rarely exists in a vacuum. Research shows that people with fibromyalgia may also have other health conditions—including gynecological, endocrine, and autoimmune disorders—but an association does not necessarily mean that one condition causes another.

Some conditions reported alongside fibromyalgia include:

• Gynecological conditions: endometriosis, chronic pelvic pain, painful menstrual symptoms, and other pain-related disorders may overlap with fibromyalgia.

• Endocrine conditions: thyroid disorders—particularly hypothyroidism—can produce symptoms such as fatigue, muscle aches, sleep difficulties, and cognitive problems that may resemble or coexist with fibromyalgia.

• Autoimmune diseases: rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, Sjögren’s syndrome, and other inflammatory conditions can occur in people who also have fibromyalgia.

One important distinction: fibromyalgia itself is not currently classified as an autoimmune disease. It is generally understood as a disorder involving altered pain processing and increased sensitivity within the nervous system.

Because many conditions can cause similar symptoms—widespread pain, exhaustion, stiffness, sleep problems, and “brain fog”—it’s important not to assume every new symptom is simply fibromyalgia.

If symptoms change, become more severe, or include new swelling, fever, unexplained weight changes, abnormal bleeding, or other concerning signs, talk with a healthcare professional about whether further evaluation is appropriate.

💜 Your symptoms deserve to be investigated.
💜 Overlapping conditions can happen.
💜 The right diagnosis can make a meaningful difference in treatment.

For many people, getting dressed is a simple, automatic part of daily life. For those living with fibromyalgia, however, clothing can become an unexpected and overwhelming source of pain, irritation, and sensory overload. …… see 🔗 comment⬇️.

Rheumatoid Arthritis, Fibromyalgia & Depression: The Connection Matters 💙🧡

Living with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) can involve much more than painful or swollen joints. Research has found that fibromyalgia symptoms and depression are more common among people with RA, and these overlapping conditions can make the overall burden of illness feel significantly heavier.

RA is an inflammatory autoimmune disease, while fibromyalgia is associated with altered pain processing rather than the joint inflammation that characterizes RA. Yet a person can experience both at the same time.

When fibromyalgia overlaps with RA, symptoms may include:

• More widespread pain and tenderness
• Persistent fatigue
• Poor or unrefreshing sleep
• Difficulty concentrating or “brain fog”
• Greater interference with everyday activities

Depression can also occur alongside chronic inflammatory illness and persistent pain. Pain, fatigue, disrupted sleep, reduced mobility, stress, and the emotional burden of managing a long-term condition can all affect mental health.

Importantly, more pain does not always mean more RA inflammation. If fibromyalgia is contributing to symptoms, treating inflammation alone may not address everything a person is experiencing. That’s why careful assessment by a healthcare professional matters.

💙 Physical pain deserves treatment.
🧡 Mental health deserves care.
💜 And overlapping conditions deserve to be recognized—not dismissed.

If your RA symptoms seem unusually widespread or you’re struggling with persistent low mood, fatigue, or sleep problems, consider discussing the whole picture with your healthcare team.

💬 Have you experienced rheumatoid arthritis alongside fibromyalgia or depression?

Unexpected swelling is one of the most confusing and distressing experiences. People wake up with puffy hands, swollen feet, tight joints, or a feeling of fullness in their limbs that seems to appear out of nowhere.

Tests come back normal. Inflammation markers look fine. Yet the swelling is real, uncomfortable, …… see 🔗 comment⬇️.

People with fibromyalgia frequently say that if others could truly understand one symptom, it would be the fatigue. Pain can sometimes be described or visualized. Fatigue, especially fibromyalgia related fatigue, is harder to …… see 🔗 comment⬇️.

For many people with fibromyalgia, one of the most painful parts of the condition is not only what they feel, but how little others understand it. Being told that pain is “just pain” minimizes a lived reality that is exhausting, frightening, …… see 🔗 comment⬇️.