Learn how Fibromyalgia is diagnosed, including key symptoms, diagnostic criteria, and the tests used to rule out other conditions.
IMHO, I blame two things. Misogyny, and a lack of high-tech diagnostic tools. Misogyny: 95% of sufferers are women over “a certain age”! A lot of the medical cohort, particularly the senior ones were and still are male. Recent studies have shown that even today, a woman with chest pains, is more likely to be discharged than a man, and as a result, more are dying from heart attacks! Men don’t take women’s reports of…
Maybe the doctor you followed some patients with the presumptive diagnosis of fibromyalgia. And maybe after years of following them, and checking for objective signs of disease- lab abnormalities, physical changes, etc. your doctor never found anything to document a medical illness. But the patients always had the same complaints, always complained of fatigue, not sleeping, muscle aches and not being able to work (I am not saying that this is a description of many patients with…
How do I be confident using the cane in public when I look like an otherwise healthy, able-bodied person? I can’t give you a direct definite answer to your question. But I will share a couple of things with you. When my oldest daughter was 13 she had surgery for scoliosis. She walked back to the surgery suite turning back, smiling and waving. Totally secure in what she was doing. 13 1/2 hours later they…
Seem like? I hope no one you know ever has this awful syndrome. It affects your muscles, your nerves, and your brain. The pain is intense and fluctuates with the only blessing being there is no visible tissue damage. The brain has much higher cortisone levels with less relief and the signals between neurotransmitters get glitchy increasing difficulties such as muscles losing reaction time or function but luckily these as temporary and intermittent. One minute…
It’s not taken seriously for many reasons. They’ve been doing more and more research on it but it’s very complex. Some of the medical community claims it’s a rheumatological issue like lupus or rheumatoid arthritis. Some claim it’s all in our brains and faulty nervous systems. Some claim it’s a virus like Epstein-Barr. It’s usually the last thing you’re diagnosed with when they can’t seem to find out what’s wrong through many tests, X-rays, MRIs,…
Like you have the flu constantly. Affecting your concentration and memory. And the pain itself is very distracting and tiring. Generally just feeling physically tired all the time. Sometimes worse than others. Numerous fibromyalgia symptoms come and go. From hour to hour your symptoms change. Often ith little reason. Other symptoms can last for years. Allergies can be very problematic. Sometimes with chronic inflammation. And chronic pain can lead to clinical depression. The symptom of…
I have lived with Fibromyalgia for 30 years. The answers to this question are true and help to explain some of the new symptoms I’m experiencing. For example, when I stand up, I’m dizzy and have to be very careful or I walk into walls or furniture or trip and fall down. Everyone has been blaming this on the medication I take for depression and pain but when I look them up, dizziness is not…
Multiple doctors have told me I very likely have fibromyalgia (but my mother never took me to a rheumatologist), and I would say that I only am controlling to protect myself from being harmed… So I am not officially diagnosed, but doctors have told me I likely have it, as in a neurologist, psychiatrist, and a family practitioner. A physical therapist named Marcos who is not an MD, but knows my family, also told me he…
I’ve had two difficult pregnancies. Two boys were born healthy This is going to sound awful. It hurts just to say it. It’s the silver bullet, though, against fibromyalgia. Exercise. Don’t stop reading yet. You have to start very, very slowly. 5 minutes of gentle exercise is perfect for the first week. If you have access to a warm pool, then it’s even better because you have less weight in the pool and the warm…
Keeping a journal is the single best way to identify your triggers. So, what kinds of things should you write down? Here are some of the most common flares: Click here to Get this or Visit Fibromyalgia Store Over my 16 years with fibromyalgia, I’ve found a few non-invasive things that have helped me immensely. Some of them are a bit pricy, others are homemade, and still, others are absolutely free. For More Information Related…