(F M .A. N I) is a registered charity organisation dedicated to providing help and support to Fibromyalgia sufferers and those who care for them.
Our mission is to provide an organisation where those with Fibromyalgia can find understanding, knowledge, support and practical help in coping with this disease.

FM.A.NI receives NO council or government funding for our charity & depend on donations to raise the funds it needs to continue, we hope you will find this site useful and informative.

 FM.A.NI was set up to raise awareness of Fibromyalgia especially in Northern Ireland.
Fibromyalgia is a chronic pain illness that can affect a person from head to toe.
There is no cure, and it includes a wide range of symptoms that affects everyone differently.

Chronic means this illness is for life. Yes there are good days, but for a person living with Fibromyalgia even a good day equals pain. They require living hour by hour, and not knowing what the day ahead will bring, or when the next flare up could happen.

We really want people to help us spread awareness of this debilitating illness, so that the people who are affected with Fibro can live in a more supportive world.
It is hard enough living with chronic pain and all the other nasty symptoms

without being judged because there illness is invisible.

We want to give those affected by (FMS) Fibromyalgia Syndrome a voice.

We want to make Fibromyalgia VISIBLE!

FM.A.NI BLOGS

The short answer is that we really do not know what causes fibromyalgia.

 

 

Trauma

“The causes of fibromyalgia are unknown, but there are probably a number of factors involved. Many people associate the development of fibromyalgia with a physically or emotionally stressful or traumatic event, such as an automobile accident. Some connect it to repetitive injuries. Others link it to an illness. For others, fibromyalgia seems to occur spontaneously.”

 

Problems in Pain Processing

“Many researchers are examining other causes, including problems with how the central nervous system (the brain and spinal cord) processes pain.”

 

Genes

“Some scientists speculate that a person’s genes may regulate the way his or her body processes painful stimuli. According to this theory, people with fibromyalgia may have a gene or genes that cause them to react strongly to stimuli that most people would not perceive as painful. There have already been several genes identified that occur more commonly in fibromyalgia patients, and NIAMS-supported researchers are currently looking at other possibilities.”

 

The United Kingdom’s National Health Service lists these as the causes: Abnormal pain messages

Chemical imbalances which regulate mood, appetite, sleep, behavior and stress responses. Sleep problems

 

Genetics

Possible triggers. These include an injury, viral infection, giving birth, breakdown of a relationship,

being in an abusive relationship, death of a loved one.