Yvonne Gray lives with almost constant pain, a tiredness she describes as an "achy exhaustion", fatigue, and numbness. A good night's sleep is a rare thing and getting up in the morning can be difficult because her body is so stiff and sore. Even getting in and out of the car can be a chore.

Yvonne, 48, has fibromyalgia, a musculoskeletal disorder and a form of arthritis which will be highlighted tomorrow (May 12) on World Fibromyalgia Awareness Day with an open day at the Canterbury Arthritis Society (10am - noon)

However, the Shirley resident does not let her illness affect her life too much. "My life is quite full - I'm very, very busy. I have four grandchildren and five children myself so I'm always on the go. There is always something happening so I'm very active."

Fibromyalgia affects muscles and fibrous tissues causing widespread pain, fatigue, sleep disturbance and all-over stiffness in the morning. There are also tender points at certain locations on the body (shoulders, back of the neck, lower and upper back, chest, elbows and knees) which can be very painful when pressed.

Yvonne, who mainly gets pain in her upper arms, legs and shoulders, says the illness is hard to diagnose, as there are no tests for it, just symptoms. "A lot of people probably have it but don’t realise they do. They probably think they're just tired or run down."

Yvonne believes her own fibromyalgia is related to stress and a bowel condition. She has injections to relieve the pain but also treats herself through diet, exercise and keeping her stress levels down.

"I was a very stressful person but I've learned over the years, to let things go over my head and not let them affect me - but it's taken a long time to get to that point. I now know that if I take any stress on, it will affect my body."