I´m tired of being tired - Fatigue as experienced by women with fibromyalgia

AbstractThe aim of the study was to explore how fatigue was experienced and explained in life stories of women with a long history of fibromyalgia to gain a deeper understanding of fatigue as a phenomenon. The data was drawn from the narrative interviews of 20 purposively chosen women with fibromyalgia. In the analysis, the ideas of episodic reading and paradigmatic analysis of narratives were used to find recurrent and repeated experiences of fatigue from the data. Five main themes emerged from the data: sleepless nights, physical weakness, loss of mental energy, social withdrawal and overwhelming exhaustion. The narratives indicated that in fibromyalgia, fatigue is a transient, extreme an…

Women's narratives on fibromyalgia, functioning and life events

Ei päivää, ettei jostain särkis.. : fibromyalgiapotilaiden käsityksiä ja kokemuksia kroonisesta kivusta

Fatigue, Worry, and Fear—Life Events in the Narratives of Women With Fibromyalgia

In this article we explored narrated life stories of 20 women with a long history of fibromyalgia to reach a deeper understanding of how people interpret the causes and consequences of different life events and illness experiences. Based on narrative analysis, we identified three model narratives that illustrate the different life courses of women with fibromyalgia. In addition, we described a counternarrative that questions fibromyalgia as a chronic disease. In this narrative study, we give insights to the invisible symptoms and unheard experiences that are associated with fibromyalgia and to the ongoing discussion on the etiology and maintenance of fibromyalgia.

Finally heard, believed and accepted – Peer support in the narratives of women with fibromyalgia

Abstract Objective The aim of the present study was to analyse how experiences of peer support were described and reflected upon several years after a group rehabilitation intervention. Moreover, we wanted to learn more about what meanings were ascribed to peer support in the narratives of women with a long history of fibromyalgia. Method This was a qualitative study in which narrative life story interviews of 20 women with fibromyalgia were collected and analysed to elicit the impact of peer support in their lives. Results We identified four main domains of experienced peer support; permission to talk, need of information, reciprocity and self-evaluation through comparison. The meanings as…