Fibromyalgia – Have You Been Given The Wrong Diagnosis?

Do you live in Ottawa and have been diagnosed with Fibromyalgia?

You may have been given the wrong diagnosis.

Fibromyalgia symptoms can be ambiguous and varied, which makes it a complex condition to diagnose accurately.

Most doctors have heard of the disease but have little in-depth knowledge of its true nature.

According to Dr. David Brady, Functional Medicine Practitioner and author of the Fibro Fix, doctors often use fibromyalgia as a “throwaway diagnosis” for a patient presenting with nonspecific pain and fatigue.

Dr. Brady has studied Fibromyalgia for the past 20 years. His mission is to help educate both doctors and the public about the true nature of the condition.

In this vein, on a podcast, Dr. Brady gave an excellent outline of the exact origin and fibromyalgia symptoms. He also gave a fascinating insight into how to diagnose fibromyalgia correctly.

The Origin of Fibromyalgia Symptoms

According to Dr. Brady, if you ask any doctor, “What is fibromyalgia?” their answer is, “it’s a muscle problem.” In reality, the origin of the condition is in the central nervous system (CNS). The problem originates in the CNS and is expressed or perceived elsewhere in the body.

The problem originates in the CNS and is expressed or perceived elsewhere in the body.

Fibromyalgia Symptoms

1. Pain

According to Dr. Brady, the pain of fibromyalgia has particular characteristics, which include;

1. People with fibromyalgia often comment that they “hurt everywhere.” They have “global pain” rather than hurting in many different areas of the body.
2. People with fibromyalgia pain feel it in the soft tissues such as the ligaments, muscles and tendons. The pain is not usually of the joints. It is not arthritis. If there is joint pain, it may suggest a type of inflammatory joint disease such as Rheumatoid arthritis.
3. The pain is constant and does not come and go.
4. People with fibromyalgia are hypotensive to touch.
5. Pain is not the only symptom of fibromyalgia. There are always other associated symptoms, such as fatigue.

2. Fatigue

Fibromyalgia fatigue is often persistent, ongoing where the person does not have much energy at all.

3. Insomnia

People with fibromyalgia have specific problems with their sleep. These issues include:

1. They find it hard to go to sleep because of a “racing mind.”
2. They sleep for an abnormally long time, up to 14 hours.
3. On rising, they feel like they have slept.

4. Digestive

Dr. Brady associates fibromyalgia with hypersensitive gastrointestinal symptoms such as:

1. A lot of bloating and gas, particularly after eating.
2. Often there is constipation and occasionally diarrhea.

After a negative finding from a gastroenterologist, these symptoms are often diagnosed as irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).

Studies show a 100% correlation between fibromyalgia and the person also fitting the criteria for irritable bowel syndrome.

The opposite is not true. So not all people with IBS have fibromyalgia.

5. Mood

Dr. Brady characterises fibromyalgia by anxiety and some level of depression.

6. Early Life Trauma

People with Fibromyalgia have often experienced some level of early life trauma. This trauma could be physical, sexual or verbal abuse.

But also it could be from being brought up in an unstable environment due to:

1. Moving homes often.
2. Being a child of divorce.
3. A rancorous relationship between the mother and father.
4. An authoritative, demanding parent, particularly a father figure to a young girl where she could never feel she would measure up, never be good enough no matter how well she did.

7. Gender

Research shows that fibromyalgia occurs in women more than men.

Diagnosis of Exclusion

Unlike Diabetes or Hypothyroidism, there is no medical test for Fibromyalgia. As such, Fibromyalgia is a diagnosis of exclusion.

This conclusion means that a person should only be diagnosed with Fibromyalgia when all other possible reasons for their symptoms have been ruled out.

According to Dr. Brady, three main possible conditions may mimic Fibromyalgia. These conditions include:

1. Hypothyroidism
2. Mitochondrial dysfunction
3. Myofascial pain

A healthcare practitioner should rule out the above conditions before making a diagnosis of Fibromyalgia.

Disclaimer

This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.

Now I would like to hear from you

Do you have Fibromyalgia?

What have you tried to help with their symptoms?

Let us know in the comments below.