What it means to live with fibromyalgia for Peruvian women: A phenomenological study

Introduction

Patients with fibromyalgia experience pain at a constant and incapacitating pace. It is still a complex entity yet to be fully understood but meanwhile affects patients in every aspect of their lives.

Objective

The purpose of this study is to describe what living with fibromyalgia means for Peruvian women and how it affects their family, work, and social lives in 2021.

Materials and methods

The study has a qualitative design with a phenomenological approach; snowball sampling and theoretical saturation sample size; 10 patients were interviewed through semi-structured in-depth interviews. An ideographic and a nomothetic analysis were conducted, divergences and convergences in the statements were sought and units of analysis were obtained.

Results

There were 12 categories: meaning of fibromyalgia, clinical picture, complications and sequelae, diagnostic process, impact on work, impact on family life, impact on social life, experience with health personnel, lessons learned from fibromyalgia, ecclesiastical support, and myths, misinformation, and prejudices about fibromyalgia.

Conclusion

The experiences and the clinical picture are diverse, the family remains an active and reliable support network for patients, unlike social and work lives, where there is a lack of initiative or empathy towards patients. In light of our findings, we expect healthcare workers and the public in general to learn and see beyond “just histrionics” or “attention seekers” and thus improve the patient's quality of life.