Do you hurt all over? Do you feel exhausted, with no energy most of the time? Have you had several tests, and your doctor still cannot find anything specifically wrong with you?  If this is your case you may have fibromyalgia.

Fibromyalgia was first recognized as an illness in 1987, by the American Medical Association. In 1987, Dr. Don Goldenberg published a paper in the Journal of the American Medical Association and called the syndrome fibromyalgia.

Before 1987, fibromyalgia was known by several names. It was known as muscular rheumatism, chronic muscle pain syndrome, chronic widespread pain, fibrositis, psychogenic rheumatism, tension myalgias and tension myositis syndrome.

Fibromyalgia affects around 2-6% of the population of America. It is estimated that 1 in 50 people in the United States have fibromyalgia. This means that somewhere around 7 to 10 million people are living with fibromyalgia in America.

Women have fibromyalgia 7 to 9 times more commonly than men. Fibromyalgia is found in all age groups, and it affects people in all racial and ethnic backgrounds.

Fibromyalgia is a painful, chronic condition that primarily causes signs and symptoms in your musculoskeletal system. Fibromyalgia causes widespread pain in your tendons, ligaments and muscles, as well as fatigue and exhaustion.  It produces tender points on your body. Places where slight pressure causes pain.

The effects of fibromyalgia can vary, depending on physical activity, stress, the weather or even the time of day. Some of the common ways that you may be affected are:

• Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)
• Widespread pain
• Facial pain and headaches
• Sleep disturbances and fatigue
• Greater sensitivity
• Chest pain
• Dizziness
• Anxiety
• Depression
• Mood changes
• Difficulty concentrating
• Tingling or numbness in your feet and hands
• Mood changes
• Dry skin, mouth and eyes.

These effects caused by fibromyalgia may be the reason you or a loved one is unable to work. Fibromyalgia may be the cause of your disability.

You or your loved one may need help. You may need financial assistance.

Are you or your loved one considering applying for Social Security disability benefits or disability benefits from the Social Security Administration because of the disability caused by fibromyalgia? Have you already done this and been denied?

What options do you have now? What recourse do you have? What do you next?

One option that you or your loved one has is to appeal the denial by the Social Security Administration. If you decide to do this, here is something important that you need to know.

You or your loved one may need a disability lawyer like the one you will find here to represent you in this procedure. The reason this is true is because people who are represented by a caring disability attorney are approved more often than those people who do not have a lawyer.

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