Men's descriptions of their experience of nonmalignant pain of fibromyalgia type

The purpose of this study was to gather men's descriptions of their experie nce of nonmalignant pain of fibromyalgia (FM) type in order to gain a deepe r understanding of this phenomenon. Fourteen men participated in the study. A qualitative method with narrative interviews and content analysis were u sed. The findings showed that the men's experience of pain fell within two major themes: 'perceptions of diversified bodily pain' and 'perceptions of fluctuating pain'. The pain had progressed from being local to being widesp read. Characteristic was that the men described both pain that worried them and pain that did not worry them and also that the pain passed through bot h calm and difficult phases. This study highlights the importance of acknow ledgement that men had specific experiences and used metaphorical expressio ns to make the pain visible. The clinical indication in this study is that health care staff need to listen intently to each man's narrative and learn to interpret the descriptions of their experience of long-term pain that i nvolve a great variety of both bodily and emotional symptoms. These finding s are a crucial prerequisite for the health care staff's possibility to off er support and relief to men with pain of FM type.