A Man's Struggle with Fibromyalgia

Fibromyalgia is a chronic disease characterized mainly by constant and crippling musculoskeletal pain, which is frequently focused on several specific spots, commonly known as tender or trigger points. Said spots are random and may vary from person to person; while one individual might have a tender point in their left forearm, it is likely that another person won’t have the same pain. Moreover, the disease is also recognizable by another combination of symptoms, among which we can find constant fatigue, which doesn’t seem to improve.

While the cause of fibromyalgia has yet to be discovered, it has been determined that the symptoms are caused by a chemical imbalance in his or her nervous system, which is responsible for the constant pain, the appearance of the trigger points, and the constant and unrelenting fatigue, which assails the individual on a daily basis. It has been observed, however, that the disease is more commonly observed on those who are suffering from another musculoskeletal disorder, such as rheumatoid arthritis. Furthermore, stress has also been known to be a very likely fibromyalgia trigger, as the adoption of a hectic, fast-paced lifestyle can serve to bring about the disease or exacerbate its symptoms, should they already be present.

Suffice to say, a person who suffers from this debilitating condition is, more often than not, bedridden due to the painful episodes which, if left unchecked, can severely cripple him or her to the point of requiring assistance even just to move around the house.

Curiously enough, this disease is almost 10 times more common in women than it is in men. However, there are still men being diagnosed with fibromyalgia, and one of them is Jonathan Lyon.

His Case

Jonathan Lyon was a young man when he first received his official diagnosis. Throughout most of his school career, he spent his time in the gym training to improve his performance in martial arts and gymnastics, which he actively participated. When Lyon was 17, he came down with the swine flu, a disease from which he never really bounced back from. During the latter days of the flu, while Jonathan was recovering, he would constantly feel a dull ache in his muscles and a heat coursing through his glands. These symptoms persisted well past the flu and would sometimes subside, only to come back a few days later.

The constant symptomatic back and forth was also accompanied by a persistent fatigue, which would not abandon him even after a good night’s rest. Lyon described the sensation as the one felt after a night of heavy drinking, which subsequently would lead to an equally heavy hangover, only this time the fatigue would not subside by any means. Walking a few feet felt like running a marathon, and trying to work out in the gym was akin to sprinting to the summit of Everest. Focusing on specific tasks quickly became an impossibility as the fatigue kept increasing. But the disease was only just beginning to rear its ugly head.

A few weeks after he began to feel constant exhaustion, Jonathan started feeling a different type of ailment, pain. The dull aches evolved into full-blown bouts of pain which, at first, felt like he had slammed his forearms into a door. At other times, he could feel knives going through his stomach, or his ankles being crushed by heavy objects. As soon as the pain took place, Jonathan was quickly diagnosed with fibromyalgia, coupled with myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME), which is also known as chronic fatigue syndrome.

While fibromyalgia is frequently linked to constant exhaustion and fatigue, some clinicians believe the symptoms can be caused by other conditions, such as ME. However, other professionals believe that chronic exhaustion is just another symptom of the nasty package that is fibromyalgia. Jonathan was diagnosed with both fibromyalgia and ME, though he treated his symptoms as 2 sides of the same ugly coin, as symptoms which had to be dealt with in order to live as normal a life as possible. The problem was that, since the disease is so rare in men, it took several years for Jonathan to get a proper diagnosis. By that point, the disease had already taken place and developed significantly, which complicated the treatment and delayed his recovery.

As a result of his disease, Jonathan’s lifestyle suffered. While his friends were busy graduating from high school and building their own lives, he was confined to his bed and forced to experience the pain of his body being slowly torn apart by fibromyalgia. His grades suffered immensely, and his social life even more; he needed to get out, but how? What possible way out would a jobless, friendless, and (mostly) hopeless person hope to find? And then, like a ray of light at the end of a particularly long and dark tunnel, a solution appeared: Jonathan wanted to hit the gym again like he used to in his teen years.

Now that the ‘what’ was established, the ‘how’ became the next obstacle Jonathan had to surpass. Most of the literature about fibromyalgia and the exercises that those who suffered from the disease could perform was geared for older women, since they were (and still are) the demographic who suffers the most from the condition. Said material recommended gentle stretching routines, followed by slow walks to exercise leg muscles. However, Jonathan wanted something stronger; an exercise routine which could help him work out his arms and core, and also to develop strength in said muscles.

Nevertheless, his efforts were cut short after his first trip to the gym. The simplest exercises would cause him to feel extreme pain and leave him bedridden for days, or even weeks. It was clear that traditional exercises were not the solution to this predicament. Regardless, Lyon remained committed to his goal and began exploring other exercises he could perform that would not cause him excessive pain.

It was then that he discovered calisthenics, which are variations of traditional strength exercises and feature moves that have, for many years already, become popular nowadays, like push-ups, pull-ups, squats, lunges, and dips, to name a few. These exercises are commonly practiced outdoors, and seldom require special equipment to perform. Furthermore, the routines, which require special devices can be easily practiced in public parks that have bars or other equipment, which can be used by someone to pull themselves up or to assist in push-ups.

The outdoors helped Jonathan to immediately feel better, as he was usually bed-bound due to pain. As he began experimenting with calisthenics, he could feel his strength coming back to him as he explored the lengths at which he could strain his body. More often than not, Jonathan would tire himself out and become bedridden. Regardless, through perseverance, hard work, and a sheer commitment to improving his condition. Jonathan discovered the limits of his body and developed the patience necessary to exercise himself within said limits.

Fibromyalgia is not only a great strain on the person’s body, it is also a heavy burden on his or her emotional health. The pain makes it unbearable to remain active for extended periods of time, while the inactivity slowly chips away at that person’s sanity. Through his newfound exercises, Jonathan was able to bring balance back into a life that once lacked the faintest hint of the word. In moments when he is able to focus exclusively on his workout and shut out everything else, he is in control of fibromyalgia. In these times, the pain just seems like a distant memory, and the presence of fibromyalgia is as fleeting as the rainbow after a few drops of rain.