EVERY day for the past 12 years has been a battle with agonising pain for Lynda Murphy.

She has fibromyalgia syndrome, a chronic condition of widespread pain and profound fatigue that leaves her living a half-life, unable to move properly or do all the things she took for granted before.

Hers is a severe case of the condition, which leaves her struggling to hold down a full-time job, enjoy any meaningful social life, or even play with her children.

After years of living with the misunderstood pain 38-year-old Lynda, of Brook Avenue in Latchford, decided to form an awareness group in Warrington and was surprised to see how common it was.

“It’s been a big help having the group. We share tips and talk about the things that help us and it’s good to hear what other people do to deal with it.

“It feels like having rheumatoid arthritis, it’s in your joints, but it’s not arthritis and there’s no cure and no treatment except painkillers,” she said.

Any contact with her joints makes her ache with pain, and on bad days her whole body hurts for hours on end.

Fibromyalgia is often triggered by a trauma. Lynda’s started following a motorbike crash, but became worse after childbirth.

For years fibromyalgia, or FMS, was considered a psychiatric problem, but in 1990 an international standard for diagnosing it was adopted.

Since then awareness has been growing and last week saw the UK’s annual FMS awareness day.

“A lot of people know they’ve got something but they don’t know what it is,” said Lynda.

“They need to go to their doctors so they can start getting help.”

Physiotherapy, exercise and relaxation are often prescribed to manage FMS.

Lynda’s support group meets once a month at St Margaret’s Community Centre, Lindley Avenue, Latchford.

The next meeting is June 15.