About Me
Within the UK, at least 2% of the population are suffering from Fibromyalgia, a little known and often misunderstood condition which can be debilitating and extremely painful. Symptoms include chronic pain and fatigue, sleep disturbances, IBS and irritable bladder, numbness, tingling and weakness, migraines and headaches, cognitive problems, dry eyes and mouth, dizziness, painful periods or pre-menstrual syndrome and visual problems, sensitivities to odours, loud noises and bright lights, to name but a few.The Fibromyalgia Support Group for Surrey & Sussex was founded by Jo Fisher in 2003. Jo had been diagnosed with the condition herself and found that there was no support in the area so decided to set up and run a support group, despite her own health problems. The Group went from strength to strength, became a registered charity in 2005 and now has over 400 members.We support sufferers and their families and carers by reducing isolation, improving quality of life and by empowering people living with Fibromyalgia to develop the knowledge, skills and resources needed to secure a positive future. There is no cure for the condition, so it is important for sufferers to find coping strategies. We produce a quarterly magazine, hold monthly meetings in Crawley and Worthing in Sussex and Long Ditton in Surrey, where we have guest speakers such as doctors, alternative therapists and benefit agency representatives to name but a few.We hold several yoga classes, Tensho Chi, swimming/aqua-exercise groups, an art class, and have a resource library. We also sell DVDs and books to educate people about living with fibromyalgia. There are also coffee mornings, local lunches, awareness days, conferences and alternative therapies/feel good days. Jo Fisher has attended several conferences in the USA, where more is known about fibromyalgia.The Trustees of the Group are working closely with healthcare professionals and alternative therapists to raise awareness and understanding of Fibromyalgia so that those diagnosed with the condition will receive the best possible care and support and are not abandoned and left desperate and isolated.We have an advisory panel of international reputation consisting of medical professionals knowledgeable about fibromyalgia.
