
For as long as I can remember, I have suffered with aches and pains. Some days it would get me quite low.
I always remember thinking how I shouldn’t feel like this at my age, but everyone would always shrug it off as either, growing pains, because I carry a little extra weight, the fact I’m diabetic etc…
It was made worse when about 8 years ago, I slipped over and hurt my back, which then gave me a weakness.
For years I would just keep going, not moan too much – even when close friends would notice something was up. I started to talk to doctors, I saw a private physio & osteopath, I was referred for acupuncture and saw an NHS physio. All helped for a short while, but nothing long term!
As years moved on, about 3 years ago things got worse, I noticed other joints hurt, I was losing grip in my hands so I started to seek more medical help, it was just put down to my previous back injury.
I started to feel like I was going mad, like it was all in my head. People weren’t believing me. This is when my anxiety started, and I started to feel like people were against me.
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January Accumulator Challenge
From the organisers of the Great North Run, you can walk, jog or run at any pace and distance comfortable for you.
Complete a minimum of 21 activities by 31 January to finish the challenge, and you will receive a special edition medal and digital certificate.
For those looking for a more demanding challenge, there is the option of three distances to cover.
How to take part for Fibromyalgia Action UK?
Register for a place
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Sign up here. Entries close on Monday the 11th of January 2021.
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Then register your fundraising by filling in our online fundraising form.
Have your own place?
If you lucky enough to already have your own place and would like to join our team of runners, we would love to hear from you. Fill in our form here, and we will get back to you shortly.
FMA UK still receive donations from our stamp appeal and we are regularly asked if the collection is still ongoing. It is still accepted and the details for it are below.
Send to:
FMA UK Stamp Appeal
10 Chestnut Avenue
North Walsham
Norfolk, NR28 9XH
Please trim no more than 1 cm around each stamp. Avoid damaging perforation when trimming. British and foreign stamps accepted.
"I am still receiving donations of stamps through the post and implementing a 'Covid Secure' process by quarantining all mail received.
I am aware most charities have had to cancel a lot of traditional fundraising events this year, but the stamp appeal is something which has continued, with some charities seeing an increase in donations."

13 years ago, my life changed forever. I was an 11-year-old girl beginning her life at secondary school which was already a big transition as it is in every young girl’s life. However, it was not the only change in my life, in 2008 I had developed symptoms of chronic pain. I was left with no understanding or answers as to what this pain was, how to make it better or why this was happening. I was then diagnosed with chronic pain syndrome 4 years later in 2012 although this was a diagnosis t it is where I lost a lot of my hope. Knowing there was no cure or very much knowledge to this unbearable, excruciating pain that I was experiencing 24/7 at such a young age was soul destroying. It was only till early last year that I was further diagnosed with Fibromyalgia.
I remember waking up every day in agony, not knowing how to get rid of this aching, stabbing, electrocuting pain that I was experiencing. But one thing I did know was that I had to get up and get my mind and body to school. Having Fibromyalgia at such a young age meant that I had to grow up and I had to grow up and face things fast because this was my reality.
I am not ashamed to say that I became an angry person behind closed doors, I was angry at the world. I felt like my teenage years up until I was in my twenties was ruined. Fibromyalgia had taken so much away from me physically and mentally and I was constantly asking myself “why me?”. I would cry every day and night that this is what my life had become, I was sick of missing so much school, being sent to different hospitals, the pills, the therapies, the blood tests and all the treatments. I was determined in searching for a cure that didn’t exist and looking for answers that would never be found.
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The article below was written by Steph and sent in to us about her experience with fatigue.
"Everyone gets tired. Pain is a part of life. Your forgetfulness might be age or stress related. Funny how everyone seems to have fibromyalgia these days....
Are these sentences ones you’ve heard since your diagnosis? Do you struggle to explain your symptoms to people? If so - me too. I think it’s easy for people to discredit a pain they’ve never felt, or assume tiredness is a natural occurrence. Fatigue and being tired aren’t the same thing, but that’s not always easy to explain, is it?
As a mum, I try to liken my chronic fatigue to that of pregnancy fatigue, it’s the only analogy that seems to do it any justice, however if you’re trying to explain this to someone who’s never experienced pregnancy, that won’t resonate either. So here’s another depiction. Imagine your limbs are laden down with lead, then imagine trying to run through treacle with said limbs, imagine living your life in slow motion and no matter how much rest you get, you’ll never get enough to speed up. Does that sound more accurate?
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The COVID-19 pandemic has been tough on everyone, with early research indicating an increase in anxiety in the general population. But what effect has the pandemic had specifically on fibromyalgia? A group of researchers led by Anna Kharko from the University of Plymouth investigated just that. They had two main questions:
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Has the COVID-19 pandemic become a source of anxiety?
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If so, how is that COVID-19 anxiety connected to fibromyalgia pain?
The study recruited 58 participants with the help of Fibromyalgia Action UK, among other chronic pain non-profit organisations. For 10 days, participants completed an online survey, asking what, if any, aspects of the COVID-19 pandemic evoked feelings of anxiety. They then rated how strong that anxiety was alongside of their fibromyalgia pain.
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