Is Fibromyalgia A Disease, A Collection Of Symptoms Or Is It All
In Your Head?
By Terry McDermott

For weeks you have been aching from head to foot. You have no
energy, you can’t concentrate and you can’t remember the last
time you got a good night’s sleep. You have been to the doctor a
few times already and all he can tell you is what you DON’T
have. You have read about fibromyalgia and even talked to others
that have been diagnosed with the disease. Yet, so far, no one
can tell you whether you have it or not?

Sound familiar?

Well welcome to the world of fibromyalgia diagnostics. It is
bad enough that there is no cure or significantly effective
treatment for this condition, but it is even more frustrating
when it takes so long for anyone to tell you that the problems
you are having are caused by fibromyalgia.

There is no debate as to the validity of fibromyalgia as a
disease. In fact, the World Health Organization has recognized
the disease for many years. It is the diagnosis that is
debatable.

Fibromyalgia is a very confusing and misunderstood condition.
It has been known by many different names for well over a
century but was not termed “fibromyalgia” until the 1970’s. The
term is derived from the actual experience of the condition.
“Fibro” – which represents the fibrous tissues affected (i.e.
ligaments and tendons); “Myo” – representing the muscular
system; and “Algia” – meaning “pain,” which is the dominant
manifestation of this disease. Essentially, fibromyalgia means
being in pain almost everywhere.

Fibromyalgia must be diagnosed through a process of
elimination. In other words, before a complaint can be labeled
fibromyalgia, it must first be determined that there is not some
other cause. If your appendix is inflamed, you have
appendicitis. If you fall and bang your head a CT scan will
indicate if you have a concussion. But if you ache all over and
suffer from chronic fatigue for months on end, have trouble
focusing and struggle with anxiety and depression, it must first
be determined what you DON’T have rather than what you DO have.
Because if you have fibromyalgia, there is no test that will
indicate that you have it.

In other words, diagnosing fibromyalgia is difficult.

This process is very contrary to the health care system as
currently structured. The optimal level of testing and analysis
to reach a confident diagnosis of fibromyalgia can be cost
prohibitive. As a result, the symptoms of fibromyalgia can be
conveniently dismissed as psychosomatic. Conversely,
fibromyalgia can become the catchall diagnosis when there is
resistance to traveling the long road to a conclusive diagnosis.
Either way, the patient loses.

Sometimes, a patient receives great relief when they are told
what the problem is, even if a solution is unclear. Receiving a
confidant diagnosis of fibromyalgia may not provide relief but
at least it allows the sufferer to move forward to explore
treatment alternatives.

The American College of Rheumatology has made this diagnostic
process easier for patient and physician by developing criteria
for fibromyalgia that can be used in diagnosing the disorder.
According to the criteria established by the ACR, a person is
considered to have fibromyalgia if he or she has experienced
widespread pain for at least three months in combination with
tenderness in at least 11 of 18 specific tender point sites.
While this may not be as definitive as a blood test or X-rays
for other conditions, at least there is guidance that results in
diagnosis with a high degree of confidence.

As for treating fibromyalgia… well that’s another story! (I’ll
deal with treatments in a subsequent article. Stay tuned.)

About the Author: J. Terrence (Terry) McDermott is the
developer and administrator of a variety of websites that offer
information, resources and products related to health care.
Alpha Medical Supplies is at http://www.alphamedicalsupplies.com
and is a site featuring medical supplies and equipment plus
resources for home caregivers.

Source: http://www.isnare.com

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