What Steps do I take to find out if my problems are fibro

Hi, Marciea, and welcome!  I'm so glad you found us and joined in.  Well, first of all, I'd get a new doctor.  You need a doctor that will help you...no matter what you have.  I use a board certified Internist for my doctor and many use a rheumatologist.  There is a post all about doctors that we did yesterday.  This might help you.

Check out the Fibro 101 thread...the second thread on the forum.  There are links to good information about fibromyalgia, including symptoms.  You can look that up and see if that fits you.  We don't have all of them but we sure do have a mixture of them.  If it seems to apply to you, print it out, mark all the symptoms you have and take it to the doctor.  There is also a link with good stretching exercises that really do help. 

If you have fibro, you need to keep moving.  If you sit or lay too much you will be stiff as a board.  Light exercises does help and it helps with the pain, too.  My choice of light exercise is walking.  I couldn't go far at first but now I walk my dog one mile each morning before I start my day.  I do feel better and it does help with losing weight.

I hope this helps a little.  Let us know what you do and if you do have fibromyalgia.  A good doctor will run you through a myriad of tests to rule out other illness before giving the fibro diagnosis.  (Check out the link on Fibro 101 called What Else Could It Be.)  Do let us know what you are doing.  We really do care about you. 

Meanwhile read back posts and ask questions and we will try to help as much as possible.  Hope to hear more from you soon.

Sherrine

Many doctors conduct a brief interview before taking on new patients. I would consider myself as ïnterviewing the doctor. List your problems and ask how he would help you deal with them. I have been to too many quacks who kept brushing off my symptoms as, hysterical, all in my head, imaginary, like I was making it up for attention. And so on. Now they all know I'm crazy, they just help when I say, yeah but, what would it hurt to treat this pain as though it were real. Exactly, humour me here doc, exactly what would be wrong with taking me at my word? Does Fibro exist/ Well, there's lot's of things we can't see or prove, but they are real. Like bacteria. I can't see it, but I know when it's there. If I stop paying attention to it, I get sick. So, many things are there, w/o being seen. Too many docs are brainwashed by the Pharmaceutical companies. Same old drug, brand new name, brand new packaging, brand new purpose. Neurontin at age 10 became Lyrica, now selling for 6 x's as much and now directed at Fibro, a new target. Neurontin was originally prescribed for BiPolar, Nerve Pain, MS. Didn't do much for many so it was a drug in search of a disease. Now it's targetting Fibro. so what to do. Cymbalta is Effexor. 6X's as much, very same drug. Brand new target, Fibro. I need a doc who can see beyond this hocus pocus, and listen when I describe what is hurting me.