About: Fibromyalgia is a chronic condition of widespread pain and profound fatigue. The pain tends to be felt as diffuse aching or burning, often described as head to toe. It may be worse at some times than at others. It may also change location, usually becoming more severe in parts of the body that are used most. The fatigue ranges from feeling tired, to the exhaustion of a flu-like illness. It may come and go and people can suddenly feel drained of all energy – as if someone just “pulled the plug”. Besides pain and fatigue fibromyalgia symptoms often include:

• unrefreshing sleep – waking up tired and stiff

• headaches – ranging from ordinary types to migraine

• irritable bowel – alternating diarrhoea and constipation, sometimes accompanied by gas in the abdomen or nausea

• cognitive disturbances including lack of concentration, temporary memory impairment and word mix up

• clumsiness and dizziness

• sensitivity to changes in the weather and to noise, bright lights, smoke and other environmental factors

• allergies

Treatment: At the present time treatment for fibromyalgia aims at reducing pain and improving sleep. In other words, some of the symptoms are being treated, rather than the condition itself. There is currently no cure for this condition and it is a case of managing it on a daily basis. It can be really difficult to get a diagnosis,due to signs and symptoms being found in other conditions as well as some GPs having a lack of knowledge, it took me two years of going to the doctor on and off to try and get a diagnosis and having to keep telling myself "that I am not going mad", my original doctor was not very helpful about the matter. It was only when I began to see a different doctor at the same surgery a breakthrough occurred  and I was then sent to a consultant and finally diagnosed in January 2014.

I am able to currently manage my fibromyalgia and I was fortunately already doing the right things to help myself prior to diagnosis despite never even hearing about the condition until I was diagnosed. Despite having fibromyalgia I consider myself lucky, I am able to work and I am also extremely stubborn, this condition is a part of me, the pain is always in the background and I refuse to let it rule what I can and cannot do. There are though fibromyalgia sufferers who are not as fortunate as I am, they have it more severe and cannot work, they have stopped work or are forced into early retirement.

This leads me on to why I have created this Just Giving Page, I have began an eight week womens' boxing training programme and at the end of the eight weeks training I will get matched up with an opponent that will culminate in a 'white collar' women's boxing event at Preston North End football club on Saturday 1st November 2014. There will be lights, music, announcer, professional referee, doctors, corner crew, the full works! 

Over these next eight weeks I would like to raise money for FMA UK so they can continue to raise awareness and continue to provide support for fibromyalgia sufferers and information. My aim is to also make people aware of the condition as not many people have heard of it, my target is £150 but I would love to smash through the £150 barrier and raise more, if possible, so if you have a spare bob or two, please donate, it would mean a lot to FMA UK and me too.

About FMA UK: Fibromyalgia Association UK is a registered charity administered by unpaid volunteers. The majority of volunteers are also fibromyalgia sufferers who work extremely hard, despite their condition, in order to forward the cause of fibromyalgia.  FMA UK was established in order to provide information and support to sufferers and their families. In addition, the Association provides medical information for professionals and operates a national helpline.For more information on the work FMA UK you can visit:  http://www.fmauk.org/home-mainmenu-1/about-fma-uk-mainmenu-44

Other Ways to donate: Send a text with the following details JAYQ78 followed by £? (amount) to 70070