Fibromyalgia is a medical condition that is both common and extremely mysterious. It is characterized by widespread pain and tenderness throughout the body, leading to fatigue and tiredness.
Fibromyalgia can be hard to diagnose, difficult to treat, and still poorly understood by the medical community.
Nowadays, it is acknowledged as a stand-alone syndrome, but it wasn’t until a few decades ago that this happen.
In the past, fibromyalgia was either believed to not exist at all or to be a form of depression.
The wide range of symptoms and medical conditions associated with fibromyalgia make the syndrome very difficult to diagnose and it is most commonly mistaken for other medical conditions.
Even more, the causes that lead to the development of fibromyalgia are not yet known and although research has been made, nobody has been able to give a clear answer as to why this medical condition develops. Do you know the Weird Signs of Fibromyalgia?
Fibromyalgia affects millions of people out there and it is not related in any way to a person’s social status. Do you know How Magnesium and Fibromyalgia are related?
Believe it or not, there are a lot of celebrities out there who live with fibromyalgia as well.
If you want to find out more about this, then do read on. But if you are a video person, we have got you covered right here.
Morgan Freeman –The Golden Actor, the Fibromyalgia Patient
Morgan Freeman is one of the most popular celebrities out there who have openly admitted to suffering from fibromyalgia.
According to his statements, he believes he started to develop this syndrome after a car accident he had back in 2008.
Although chronic pain is a huge part of the actor’s life, this has never stopped him from his work.
Sinead O’Connor – A Strong Voice, a Strong Woman
Sinead O’Connor is another celebrity out there who has openly admitted to suffering from this medical condition.
Although she did take a break from her work when she discovered the cause of her pain, she also returned on stage later on.
Now, she believes that fibromyalgia may not be completely curable, but that it can be successfully managed.
Susan Flanner – Bold, Beautiful, and Strong
Another celebrity that was forced by fibromyalgia to take a break from her work is Susan Flannery.
The star from the famous soap opera The Bold and the Beautiful retired in 2007 to treat the affection that had been troubling her for a long time. However, she returned to the show later on.
Michael James Hastings – A National Voice
One of the celebrities that also retired because of his battle with fibromyalgia is Michael James Hastings. After he retired from the show business, he became a national spokesman for those who suffered from the same condition as him.
Rosie Hamlin – Finding a Way
Rosie Hamlin is another very popular person who suffers from fibromyalgia.
Like many of her show business colleagues suffering from the very same condition, she was forced to leave her musical career behind.
However, she became one of the most important spokespersons for those suffering from fibromyalgia and she managed to take the path of another artistic career: painting.
Jeaneane Gorafalo – Smiling in the Face of Pain
Jeaneane Gorafalo is a celebrity you would expect to suffer from such a terrible medical condition as fibromyalgia, especially because her main area of activity is comedy.
Even though she was diagnosed with fibro, she managed to cope with the pain and the fatigue and she continues to appear in movies and TV shows.
Frances Winfield Bremer – Decades of Pain
Frances Winfield Bremer is the wife of Ambassador L. Paul Bremer III and both of them have made multiple public appearances to speak about the realities of fibromyalgia.
Although she has been suffering for 30 years due to the pain and fatigue associated with her medical condition, she continues to inspire people from all over the world to manage their everyday fibromyalgia-related struggles.
A.J Langer – The Story behind the Fairytale
A.J. Langer is one of those celebrities people would believe to live in a real-life fairytale. Married to an English Earl, she has been living the dream when it comes to her life path.
However, fibromyalgia has affected her badly over the years and she is still struggling with it, despite her social status.
Florence Nightingale – the Victorian Lady
Florence Nightingale is probably one of the first people to ever speak out for those who suffered from fibromyalgia.
A pioneer in the field of medicine, she believed that her fibro was triggered by an infection. After decades of struggling with the syndrome, she died in her sleep when she was 90.
Mary McDonough – A Public Fibromyalgia Patient
Mary McDonough is an American actress who became famous due to her part in The Waltons and she has openly admitted suffering from fibromyalgia.
Jo Guest – From Modeling to Fibro and ME
Jo Guest is another popular figure that is known to suffer from this medical condition.
A former model, she was diagnosed with fibromyalgia in 2007, and later on, she was also diagnosed with ME.
Paula Abdul – Rumors about Her Fibromyalgia
Paula Abdul is another celebrity that has been rumored to suffer from fibromyalgia.
However, it seems that she suffers from reflex sympathetic dystrophy, which is quite similar to fibro.
Debbie Allen – a Dancer that may suffer from Fibro
Debbie Allen is an American dancer and choreographer that has been rumored to suffer from fibro as well.
However, she never openly admitted being one of this syndrome’s victims.
Frida Kahlo – The Painter in Pain
Although it is not known for sure, it is also believed that painter Frida Kahlo may have suffered from fibromyalgia as well. This seems to be a logical conclusion, considering the severity of her pain when she was an adult.
In addition, Diego Rivera is known to have said about Kahlo: “She suffered more than anyone else I’ve ever known… No one will ever know how many nights I’ve passed holding Frida in my arms.”
Job – Back to Biblical Times
If you want to go way back in time, it is believed that the biblical Job suffered from fibromyalgia as well.
According to what the Bible describes, it may be that fibro was the medical condition to have affected him.
I’m a doctor and mother and i had been diagnostic from fibromialgia 11 years ago. I tried to spend time to know more about this illness and trying to help people to have it and myself
I have suffered from fibromyalgia since 2009 after an auto accident. I also suffer from the chronic fatigue, depression and other textbook symptoms, along with spinal injuries, and lasting results of two concussions. It is not only the
symptoms that negatively affect me, it is the LACK of effective treatment
offered by pain management centers
and covered by health insurance other
than strong narcotics and other
controlled substances.
On December 17, 2013, I was hit by a
truck (hit & run), three days later, I was
dropped as a patient from New York
spine and wellness, Syracuse, N.Y.
due to having a major anxiety attack in the dr’s office, and with the dr
knowing that I would not be accepted as a patient in any other pain
management office for the much
needed medications to control
my pain. Seven months later, I was in
a psychiatric hospital due to a major depression break down from
uncontrolled pain.
With the amount of people suffering from this condition, and with all of the modern medical advances, why is there not very much being done to learn to
control this condition? Medicaid will pay close to $300/mo. for lyrica, but
will not pay anything for relief to help a person to relax, with no side affects.
I am a fan of just about all of the famous people listed on the page, especially Morgan Freeman and Sinead O’Connor, who can afford palliative treatment. I am a little person with limited income due to the disabling nature of this condition. There is no palliative treatment for me (all of the little people). PLEASE help our screams and cries to be heard. When I am in a position to help the less fortunate, I help. Please show that you are no different than me. High fame status or dirt poor, we are all just people.
I have fibromyalgia and adenomyosis not a good combination. Cold rainy Scottish weather doesn’t help fibro pain.
I understand why some celebrities would not admit to it. Many Dr’s still do not believe Fibro is real. Articles stating just that has made it even more difficult for those of us suffering from Fibro to gain understanding and acceptance from our families, friends and general public.
I have it and I believe it was brought on by 9/11. It took about 8 years to be diagnosed. I manage to get by because I have no other option. I come home from work and go into hibernation until I have to go back.
So weird you never realise ´stars´ can have fms too. I was diagnosed about ten years ago but I probably have it a long longer. It´s very up and down . I´m in a bad time right now. Tired, difficulties with walking, dropping things and after two days have done too much my whole body is aching, I´m having a headache and before my VERY hot shower I was freezing. Tomorrow is a total do nothing day otherwise it will only get worse.
I’ve had it over 10 yrs now Started after i lost my mum, some days the pain is bearable and some day’s it’s bloody terrible but what you can’t see My doctor told me i don’t have pain but i do have pain, I looked at him as if he was going a bit gar gar ! but he said your brain is telling you – you have pain but you dont really but what the hell it’s here now and to stay it’s like the mother-in-law doesn’t want to go home. I go swimming and walk the dog that takes me ages due to having to stop but i just get on with it now, nobody give a dame so i try to put it to bed and then the bugger wakes me up, HAYHO HOPE YOU ALL FEEL BETTER FOR CHRISTMAS XXX
I hurt so bad for 25 yrs now. My grown 2 boys think its laziness and i did everything under the sun for them. Depression comes with it, im so very tired of being sick.
Help Us here your voice please. Because nobody heres mine,
https://www.youtube.com Have you tried Reliv?
It is good to hear from so many people who suffer from this illness and other (invisible to the naked eye) illnesses. It is great to know many others who suffer from this however when this illness affects each individual differently, then not all of us (like Morgan Freeman) who by the way is one of my all time favorite actors, can continue working through it. I have had my longest time off work now nearly 3 months, however it was partly my fault as I allowed and pushed and pushed my body to work so much with very Little ( only 1-3 hrs sleep) on a regular basis. Then back to work for anything between an 8-14 hour day. Depression Anxiety and Insomnia have just taken over my life, which is not me. I am however slowly on the mend, but the pain (which is real) is still there more so in my arms and elbows and hands. Last week I couldnt walk I had to shuffle the pain in base of my spine and hips was so bad. I have (since diagnosis) 16 years with this illness however my symptoms I have had for 25 or so years, but was told I was too Young to have anything wrong and just continued to put up with it all. I want to work there is no doubt about it, as I am a people person, however I wish more people would and could understand that putting makeup on (being a female) does not cover the pain I have in my body, and being told by bosses to just get on with it…Is insulting. Specialist should be able to inform Management that yes people can work with this illness but when a bad time occurs it is NOT the individuals fault. From one sufferer (sometimes I wish I could give this illness with its flare-up just for a month to some bosses out there and see how they cope). Gentle hugs to all sufferers from any invisible illness. Take care. (I moved abroad into the sun to help me but at the moment its taken its toll) but definitely reccomended if you can. Somewhere warm and dry most year around.
I as in a major accident in 1986. It took over 10 years of chronic pain and depression before I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia. For years I had it managed but as I’ve gotten older (now 60), the condition has gotten worse to the point of disabling me. I can’t work, have little to no savings and there is no end in sight to my condition. I would hope for more recognition of Fibro as a, sometimes, crippling disease. With the new laws on the drugs I need for pain, it’s only made it more difficult for me and more expensive to get the palliative care I need. We need more research which means more money which means more publicity! Here’s hoping more celebs come “out of the closet” on Fibromyalgia.
I contracted fibromyalgia from a breast implant medical recall (the foam variety) I had them in my body for twenty five yrs,now I suffer from not only the left over toxins that will forever live within my tissue, but also the horrible pain of fibromyalgia, my husband abandoned me and his whole family turned their backs on me,they have had a lot of cancer within their family and one might think that they would be more compassionate, but in fact they never reached out not one time to see if I needed anything of if I was OK,it breaks my heart to know that some people won’t take the time to learn about this horrible condition,I pray for each and every person that lives with this health problem, because unlike caner and other horrible heath conditions, it is such a mystery that no one seems to take the time to learn about, I may never be perfect but I will never stop trying, I refuse to give up,stay strong and God bless you all!
I had fibrositis from age 14 as well as other undiagnosed leg pains. In Feb 2002 I had spinal surgery to remove ruptured discs and free up the trapped psiatic nerve. In July 2002 I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia. At that time I worked in the community, helping others. It became more and more difficult to work as I was suffering chronic fatigue, pain and sleep deprivation due to FMS. I set up and ran a support group for FMS sufferers. Every one of them had experienced some kind of physical or emotional trauma. In 2007 I had to stop doing the work I so much loved. I am a single woman who raised 3 daughters without any financial assistance from their male parent since 1982. I’m sad to say that two of those daughters refuse to understand how this illness has changed me. I used to be full of energy. Now I’m in constant pain and need at least one full day of complete rest and quiet. I can’t afford special treatments, retreats to quiet places, and I’ve found it difficult to find a GP who really understands this illness. I wish there was some publicity about it. Generally people understand that illnesses like MS and cancer have tragic affects on sufferers and their families. There’s a saying “when someone has cancer, the whole family has cancer” and there are support groups to help those families. It’s like that with FMS too, but no support, and in many cases partners and children, (young or adult) see FMS as an excuse for laziness, irritability, depression and even anger. I’m definitely angry that my enjoyment of life has been cut short and I have very little support from my adult children or from the medical profession. I know there are many others who are experiencing the same difficulties. So PLEASE, someone who has the resources to help, PLEASE help to put this illness out in the open, make it real to those who don’t understand.
Watch Dr Dan Clauw’s great 92 minute video about Fibromyalgia on youtube.
I have battled fibro for a long time … 6 years of doctor after doctor, finally diagnosed by my orthopedic surgeon/employer and sent to a rheumatologist for confirmation. That was 1993 and quite a few medications finding the right combination at bedtime of Lyrica, Ambien, amitriptyline, and a morning backup of sertraline. I have flare ups with cold and wet weather. I have diabetic neuropathy that causes problems. I was on Lyrica from the time it came on the market until about a month ago when I started having severe swelling in both lower legs and both feet. I stopped the Lyrica and had my fluid pill dosage doubled, plus I had to take tramadol more regularly. My endocrinologist started me on gabapentin last week and I feel a little better, but I don’t think this flareup will get under control until after this miserable weather goes away!!!
I too suffer from Fibromyalgia.
Sometimes it helps family to see it is not just you but millions of us. I made this video to encourage family support by having a better understanding of our lives. I hope it helps! Watch and share.
http://youtu.be/OkslGkwirkA
The causes of my Fibromyalgia could be a number of many different personal things. I got it in August 2014. It took many months & countless tests to rule out everything else. I was 37 when I got it. I couldn’t work for 3 1/2 months. I take 150 mg of Lyrica in the morning & evening. Lyrica has been a HUGE help. I can actually work again & have a life. I haven’t felt like my old self since I got it & probably never will. I always feel at least a little pain and/or discomfort, but Lyrica took most of it away. I’ve had several people tell me that they can’t handle Lyrica, but it’s a lifesaver for me.
I am a nurse I have fibro & hashimotos thyroiditis
Pain, fatigue, insomnia,dressing, anxiety,
I work full time. But have had some perids of being off sick.
Don’t know how much longer I can keep working full time.
I have had fibromyalgia since 2007. It was to the point that I barely functioned due to pain and fatigue. I was taking 9 sleeping pills a night just to get some rest. I’m 2014, I was introduced to an all natural product that has 36 anti inflammatories and my pain and fatigue improved immensely. I no longer take sleeping pills and I am in the gym 3-4 days a week. This product gave me my life back.
I too suffer from fibromyalgia
Very stiff joints and a lot of pain every day
Suffered from 2000