DISABILITIES

By Daniel J. Vance

Ask Carol Morehart, 46, of Columbus, Ohio, if fibromyalgia is real.

"It started after I permanently ruptured a neck disc and went to physical therapy to exercise," said Morehart in a recent telephone interview. "I was supposed to be getting better. Then I went off medication and literally felt like I'd been flattened and every inch of my body crushed. I hurt from head to toe."

The National Institutes of Health web site defines fibromyalgia as a "common condition characterized by widespread pain in joints, muscles, tendons, and other soft tissues." Its dominant characteristic is "long-standing, body-wide pain with defined tender points." The cause is unknown.

After being diagnosed by a doctor last year, she did her own research. "First, I learned I was fortunate having a doctor who knew me well and knew I wasn't looking to abuse pain medication," she said. "The pain isn't in my head. So many doctors pooh-pooh the idea that fibromyalgia is real. They say you're just a stressed, anxious woman. Some people I've read about end up going through test after test and doctor after doctor trying to determine what's wrong."

She is careful not to overdo herself. Something simple as sweeping the kitchen floor can cause "major" pain in her arms for up to three days. Taking the long walk to the mailbox can cause deep hip pain. She also has fatigue. She could take "stronger" pain medication, but resists because she knows it will affect her thinking and moods.

She said, "Actually, the most difficult aspect is that I must always sit in a chair that supports my body and arms well. Because of that it's hard visiting people's homes. I have to take a (special) chair with me everywhere. It's difficult taking it places because it makes me feel different from everyone. I wonder if people think I'm nuts."

Depending on her activity, her pain often "breaks through" the medication. Recently her shoulder hurt because she had been over-using her arms a lot while sewing.

"And I had to find a special bed," she said. "At one point I was screaming in my sleep because of the pain. With fibromyalgia, I never seem to get a deep sleep."

She knows only one other person with fibromyalgia, a woman whose pain is milder. The disorder is most common with women between ages 20 and 50.

For more, see www.danieljvance.com or www.nih.gov