Derby Evening Telegraph  Tuesday 13th November 2007


 LIFELINE FOR PATIENTS WITH A SILENT ILLNESS 

BY JADE BEECROFT
JBEECROFT@DERBYTELEGRAPH.CO.UK

09:30 - 13 November 2007

 A Simple task like walking the kids to school can cause intense agony for Derby mum Anne Hughes.

The 34-year-old has broken down crying in the street because she cannot walk home due to a painful condition called fibromyalgia.

Know as the silent illness, sufferers are wracked with muscular pains that change constantly, meaning one day they are active and the next day they need a wheelchair.

Now, fibromyalgia patients in Derby have formed a support group to speak out against the prejudice they sometimes face.

For Mrs Hughes, of Coleman Street, Alvaston, the group has been a lifeline. She said: "Fibromyalgia has changed my life completely - even the clothes I buy are different because I can't cope with buttons or zips.

"It was wonderful to meet other people with the condition because so many people have never heard of it and get confused when one day they see me walking and the next I'm in my wheelchair."

Fibromyalgia causes pain to muscles, tendons and ligaments, as well as tiredness, depression and problems sleeping. The cause of the illness is still unclear although it can be passed down through families, and there is no cure, so patients are offered pain management to control symptoms.

Single mum and group member Lynda McGuinness, from Abingdon Street, Derby, described the pain as an intense cramp.

She said: "You just don't know how you are going to feel when you wake up in the morning. I look healthy enough but I often move like an old woman, so it makes people look at me."

Jackie Banton founded the Derby Fibromyalgia Support Group after being diagnosed with the condition because she felt there was not enough support available. The group already has 55 members and meets in Derby every month.

Mrs Banton, 40, from Cromarty Close, Sinfin, said: "Fibromyalgia can be really isolating because it can mean you don't leave the house for days on end so our meetings can be really emotional as members find friends and realise they are not alone."

Committee member Paula Crawford, from Larkhill Crescent, Sinfin, has suffered from fibromyalgia for nine years.

The 37-year-old said: "It's hard to keep your sparkle when you are in constant pain but together we help each other out."

For more information call 0845 3452319 or visit www.derbyfibro.co.uk