IS YOUR PAIN FIBROMYALGIA PAIN, OR SOMETHING MORE SINISTER?…

As a Fibromyalgia sufferer myself I know that pain from Fibromyalgia can be just about anywhere in your body with extreme sensitive tender points, stiffness, chronic fatigue, IBS symptoms and much more. But, the question is how do we know if the pain could be something a little more sinister than Fibromyalgia ?

I have read on numerous websites, blogs, Facebook groups, and forums how many patients new symptoms can be ignored or even dismissed as just another possible problem linked to Fibromyalgia.

As we start to mature in age there are many other conditions which these symptoms could imply. Simply checking yourself for such conditions can be quite painful and off putting but none of us are Doctors so we can only listen to their advice.

Even a leaflet with suggestions of other conditions that mimic Fibromyalgia like rheumatoid arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, Lyme disease, and lupus to name a few could be useful. But should we be looking out for anything else that is not linked to these types of conditions ?

With my skeletal problems in my cervical and lumbar spine and my diagnosis of Fibromyalgia and IBS I simply put any symptoms new or old as something I just have to live with as it must be coming from one of my conditions.

Webmd wrote that there are some symptoms which can overlap with the diagnosis of Fibromyalgia which could possibly be a more serious disease like Hypothyroidism, Sleep Apnea, or Malignancy. Of course it can also apply that a person with a coexisting condition like Lyme disease, or arthritis could also have Fibromyalgia.

They finish by saying that ‘ Health professionals, especially those unfamiliar with Fibro, May limit themselves to treating one disease and fail to check whether Fibro could be contributing to the symptoms”.

What are your thoughts on this ? I find it a very interesting topic and I suppose the only solution at the moment is for us all to be vigilant and check our own bodies on a regular basis.