Newbie awaited 36 years for a diognose of Fifromyalgia

Hi,

I think it is about 20 per cent of patients that are male..so many drs overlook it still in women , let alone men, where they see it even less..

I know a couple men that i am pretty sure have it, but have never been diagnosed..one is an older brother.we have a genetic type , my mom and an older sister also have it..i asked my brother to discuss it with his dr..not sure he did or if the dr just blew it off..he lives on the other side of the country..

What helps one of us , does not always help the next, but do your research , because we can find things to help ourselves.

Personally i am med sensitive, so its been very important to find alternative help rather than just medicating..

Do you mind sharing what your dr is recommending?

Lj

The Dr also recommends that I go on a pain management course, Ive handled this pain for 36 years. not sure how they can help

Hi, Fuzed, and welcome! Quite a few members have gone through what you are going through. It sure is frustrating but finally fibro is being recognized as a true illness. But there are still doctors out there in the Dark Ages when it come to fibromyalgia. You need to do your homework when choosing doctors and make sure they treat fibro patients. And, yes, we have had members sent to a psychiatrist because they were told it was all,in their head. Grrrrr

Make sure the doctor has ruled out other illnesses that have many of the same symptoms as fibro...things like lupus and Lyme disease. There aren't good tests for fibro so they need to rule these out first.

What works for one with fibro doesn't necessarily work for another. It's a trial and error type thing but you will get a lot of ideas of what to try by reading threads. I use ibuprofen with food, Tylenol, magnesium malate, vitamin D3, and a muscle relaxer called Robaxin that has made a significant difference in my pain. I also walk daily as a gentle form of exercise and I pace myself when doing things.

Be sure to read Fibro 101...the first thread on the forum. There are links to good info about fibro and you will learn a lot there. Good starting links for you would be What Else Could It Be and A Thorough Explanation of Fibromyalgia. There are links about the magnesium malate and vitaminD3 and how they work in the body also. All of Fibro 101 is good so do read it.

I'm looking forward to getting to know you better. Don't hesitate to ask questions because we are here to help you. Hope to hear more from you soon.

Sherrine

Welcome to the forum, fuzed. Sorry you are also dealing with this condition. I'm 60 and was diagnosed (I think it was) 14 years ago, though I had odd symptoms long before. Yes, it can be very frustrating at times!

Something that may sound minor but that helps me is diverting my attention from the pain (or whatever is bugging me that day involving fibro). Hobbies and crafts, reading, calming music, prayer and my spiritual reading all have given me huge boosts.

Short and fun outings have also helped me---a change of scenery is good. I know all of these are not always possible, but it helps me to 'sneak' in any of them that I can, when I can.

Pacing is super important, too, and something I need to work more on at times. Planning needed work for short periods is a plus, and scheduling breaks seems to help. Healthy eating, of course, is a biggie, too. But all of these are probably obvious to you by now!

This is a great forum---wonderful people who know what you're going through. I've gotten so much support here.

Hope you can continue to find answers and wishing you the best!

Fuzed, there is no cure for fibro. They don't know for sure what is causing this illness so there really isn't a medication to kick it to the curb. We just find things that help us be in control of our pain. I believe I listed what I take to help me in my previous post on this thread. I've had fibro for 30 years but still have lived a full and enjoyable life in spite of it.

I'm a positive thinker and this has helped me a lot. I don't think about how I feel. I just set doable goals for me each day and focus on that. When I'm focusing on other things, the pain fades somewhat in the background. There is a good link in Dibro 101 about how t maintain a positive attitude when you have chronic pain. It's very good.

Sherrine

You can't let illness take over your life like that. I'd have had no life at all if I did. I started having health problems as a toddler. I'm now 70 years old. But I still married, have three fabulous children, and I look forward to each new day with anticipation. I've done things I never thought I would be able to do but I always try and most of the time I CAN do it! This has worked for me and I've had a happy life so far.

Specialists? I have a rheumatologist, gastroenterologist, dermatologist, opthomologist, gynecologist, an Internist and a Doctor of Audiology in my list of doctors that I see regularly. Yikes! 😂

You do have to do your homework when choosing doctors. I always get board certified doctors and nearly all are diplomates too. To keep the title of diplomate, they have to take a test every couple of years on the newest things in medicine. Without that title, doctors aren't tested. So I know my doctors are on the cutting edge of medicine. Because of this I was never told it was all in my head.

My Internist knew about fibro. Lyme disease had just been discovered at the time and he knew about that too. So I was fortunate. Remember, 50% of the doctors graduated in the lower half of their class. Besides, I know my body, what I'm feeling, and it's their job to find what my problem is. That why I hired them in the first place. So don't let a doctor jerk you around. Find another doctor who will listen to you and work with you.

Sherrine

Yes, I'm from the States. But Google to see how to find the best doctors that you can choose from. What's the point of spending money to see a doctor if they don't know anything about your illness. That's a shame. I'll ask a friend of mine who used to live in the U.K.

Sherrine