Fibromyalgia

[MorriseysGladioli]

Would anyone be able to give a rundown on how they were diagnosed, please?

Been so run down with so many aches, pains, twitches, hair problems and just fatigue like I've never known before.

All tests have come back clear so I'm at a loss as to what it could be.

Not thyroid. Not vitamin or iron deficiency. Had a lot of tests.

Doctor is pretty unsympathetic but I know something is wrong somewhere.

Thanks; happy for other suggestions and to what it could be too.

You need to be referred to a specialist.

You need to see a Rheumatologist specialist who will request xrays and specific tests, and then ‘possible diagnose fibro’

I'm really crap at being assertive with doctors.

I know you're right though. I can't carry on like this

Thanks by the way!

Ask to be referred ....

You need to talk to a specialist

Is your Vitamin D ok? Have you actually seen your results of your blood tests?

Yes, definitely get a referral to the rheumatologist. They’ll want to rule out RA and lupus etc and do a general check.

I feel like I'm living a half life.
Get the Hoover out. Have to sit down. Go to work. Have to sleep as soon as I get home. Can't carry my shopping. Can't walk anywhere most days.

Menopause? asks doc.

That’s horribly familiar

Pace yourself and be kind to yourself! I find that the hardest bit.

I did have my results read and explained to me. Including vit D.
Blood sugar perfect. Thyroid and cholesterol both brilliant.
Nothing to suggest anything sinister or infection anywhere. Chest xray fine. No long covid.

Fibromyalgia is usually diagnosed by exclusion. You need to be referred to a rheumatologist who may want to run more bloods and x-rays. If they can't find anything else and you have the pain point markers on your body, they diagnose fibromyalgia.

I've lived with it for over a decade now. It isn't pleasant and with hyper mobile EDS on top, I'm unable to work because my conditions are so variable that I am an employers worst nightmare. I hope you get a speedy diagnosis, hopefully of something treatable!

Ridiculous, but I just want them to find something. Anything!!

Thanks a lot for discussing it. Even that helps.
I'm not usually one for even going to the doc. No anxiety or anything.

My GP tested my vitamin D levels, and I was VERY deficient. However 3 months of high dosage of the vitamin brought me up to normal levels but I still felt the same.
So I was referred to a rheumatologist who tested me on various tender spots on my body, noted all my other symptoms e.g. muscle pain, joint pain (separate to my osteoarthritis), extreme tiredness, sore burning skin, and pronounced that through a process of elimination she diagnosed me with Fibromyalgia.

I've since been prescribed Sertraline for depression and anxiety and I've found my Fibromyalgia is much improved.

Bollocks.
I've got to be brave and ask for a referral then.

Fibromyalgia is usually diagnosed by exclusion. You need to be referred to a rheumatologist who may want to run more bloods and x-rays. If they can't find anything else and you have the pain point markers on your body, they diagnose fibromyalgia

Yes, I got diagnosed that way. They couldn't find out what the problem was, so in the end they decided that it was fibromyalgia. But - and this might just give you hope, OP - after a year or so, all my problems gradually faded out and went away.

Good luck, OP. I hope you manage to get some answers and help.

That would be brilliant if it happened to me. I'll live in hope!
It's so frustrating, especially when there is nothing ostensibly wrong.

Definitely get referred to a Rheumatologist OP. It's not a 'scary' consultation so don't worry about that. But, have you ever had a virus?

Have you had covid and if so have symptoms started since. I have all them symptoms have been diagnosed with long-covid

I felt like I was coming down with flu all the time. I had no energy and was in pain. My Vit D was very, very low but my symptoms didn't improve when they were back to normal levels.

I had signs of inflammation in my blood for a year. My Dr kept telling me to go away and that ADs were what I needed. I didn't take the ADs as I wasn't depressed and I kept telling her that I wasn't depressed.

I eventually pushed for further blood tests and after that to see a rheumatologist. The rheumatologist diagnosed me with autoimmune and I has put on medication that made no difference to me. After two years, I was taken off the medication and told that I have fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue. I had had positive ANA when diagnosed with autoimmune but it's negative now.

I didn't think I did and asked for a second opinion. I was given another opinion that I could have either but they were going to diagnose fibro.

You need to start getting pushy OP as women are often labelled hysterics and not taken seriously. It's hard when you don't feel well but change Drs and start to push for further tests. Ask to see a rheumatologist and take it from there.

I don't have the tender spots by the way. They are no longer used as markers of fibro.

I've not had covid.
I asked for the antibody test as I felt my symptoms matched the long v
Covid ones.

Thank you all for your input.
It's really helpful to hear how you've had to push past what the gp says, if necessary.

poppyzbrite4
They don't use tender spots as markers for Fibro. What do they use now?

@bebarkered

poppyzbrite4 They don't use tender spots as markers for Fibro. What do they use now?

Exactly what has been described here. Symptoms and elimination. I don't have tender spots and I've got a fibromyalgia diagnosis.

If you have the tender spots can it be something else?

Fibromyalgia isn't diagnosed just on tender spots. You need to have other symptoms as well. My whole body is a tender spot. You could prod me anywhere and it hurts! Sometimes my clothes hurt my skin. I was having this argument with the rheumatologists at the the time and they said that diagnosis is not based on tender spots and it's not really used anymore.