You've probably had a doctor ask you where you hurt and how badly. Have you ever had a doctor ask you what kind of pain you have? It's a whole different conversation, and often a difficult one because most of us don't have a good vocabulary when it comes to pain – and that sometimes is true of the doctor as well.
It becomes more difficult when you have fibromyalgia, because fibromyalgia pain isn't like other kinds of pain:
- Its location isn't tied to physical damage;
- It doesn't respond to treatment like other kinds of pain;
- And it's not just one kind of pain.
For you to get adequate pain treatment and management, it can help to understand your pain in medical terms so you can communicate effectively with your doctor. Learning the terms listed here can also help you understand your options and why the doctor is suggesting certain types of drugs. This is all important for making informed decisions about your health.
Pain Basics
First, it helps to understand some basic pain terminology. There's a lot of confusion about the difference between pain threshold and pain tolerance, and they're sometimes used interchangeably. However, they are very different things and the two distinct concepts can help you better understand your fibromyalgia.
In the next section, you'll learn more about why pain threshold is a key part of your illness.
Types of Pain
Pain comes in many forms, and there's no one-size-fits-all treatment option for them. If you can accurately describe your pain to a doctor – beyond the basics of throbbing, aching, burning and stabbing – it can help clarify what's going on in your body and how best to approach it.
It's entirely possible that you have more than just these 3 pain types. For more information, see: 7 Types of Fibromyalgia Pain.
What's Making You Hurt?
It seems like everyone with fibromyalgia, especially early on, wants to know why they're hurting – what's behind these myriad bizarre pains? We still don't know exactly what's going on in our bodies, but we're learning more all the time and have a lot of good theories as to what is making us hurt.
These terms can help you understand what's going on in your body, and they can also help you understand different treatment options that may target them.
As you read about fibromyalgia, it's common to come across the terms tender point and trigger point. However, there's a lot of misunderstanding about the difference between them and their roles in our illness. Here's more information on them: Tender Point vs. Trigger Point
Pain Treatments
Some of us with fibromyalgia take conventional pain medicines, others take drugs aimed at changing the brain chemistry that may be behind our pain, and still others take a combination of them. Understanding the basics of these treatments can help you work with your doctor to make treatment decisions.
- Analgesic
- Narcotics
- Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatories (NSAIDS)
- Serotonin-Norepinephrine Reuptake Inhibitor
- Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitor
The term "reuptake" can be a difficult one for people to understand. You'll find an explanation of it here: What is Reuptake?
You can learn more about treating fibromyalgia here: Fibromyalgia Treatment Options
Communicating With Your Doctor
Finding a good doctor for your fibromyalgia, establishing a good relationship, and maintaining that relationship can be difficult. However, it can make a big difference in how successful your treatments are. The resources below can help you get started on the right track.
