About TAPFM

Tayside Angus and Perthshire Fibromyalgia Support Group in Scotland, or T.A.P.FM for short, was started in 1999 because there was a great need of some kind of support for sufferers of Fibromyalgia.

One of the nurses at the local Rheumatology Department noticed that people being diagnosed with this illness were being left with nowhere to go for support, so she contacted some of the patients and called a meeting to set up a support group.

That’s how we began!

The management committee of 12 volunteers consists of mostly sufferers and carers, all striving to promote more awareness of Fibromyalgia and provide help and support to sufferers, their families and friends.

People with Fibromyalgia hurt all over and that can change from day to day.

Sometimes in the back, legs, arms, shoulders and even in the face. It’s like having toothache all over the body, all the time but much worse.

Dealing with pain every day is bad enough, but to cope with irritable bowel syndrome, Headaches, Dizziness, Lack of Concentration, Panic attacks, and Chronic Fatigue as well, makes life hard going.

Daily routine chores such as ironing, cleaning, preparing a meal, sometimes even having a shower or bath are major tasks that have to be planned to find the easiest way of doing these tasks, if at all and can leave the sufferer completely exhausted.

Fibromyalgia is known as the “Hidden Disability” because no one can see the pain that is felt inside. Even close family members find it hard to believe that a person can look so good and yet feel so bad.

Learning all about the illness and talking to other sufferers is the first step in learning to cope. There is no known cure for Fibromyalgia, which is one of the reasons that T.A.P. FM continues to campaign for more awareness and more funding for research.

You can become a member of T.A.P. FM Support Group for an annual membership fee of £10, which entitles you to all membership benefits and also receive a monthly newsletter sent direct to you before the monthly meetings.

If you would like more information about our monthly meetings please go to our “Enquiries” page, fill in your details and we will send an information pack to you.