Fibromyalgia is a disorder that affects over ten million Americans. Like any disease, if fibromyalgia is caught early, doctors can prevent it from progressing or getting worse. You don’t want to wait until it is too late. How would you know if you have fibromyalgia? What are the symptoms? Well, before you read about the symptoms and causes of fibromyalgia, it is important that you understand what the disorder is.
What is Fibromyalgia?
Fibromyalgia (FMS) is a chronic pain condition that is known to cause intense pain all over the body – especially on a points called “trigger points.” There is usually painful tenderness and achiness that occurs in a person’s muscle and tissue. Although most people are known to develop this disorder later in life, young people in their 20s and 30s can develop this disorder too.
What causes Fibromyalgia?
Research about the causes of this disorder is still going on. Because the causes of the disorder are still a bit of a mystery to doctors and scientists, diagnosing the disease and treating the disease can be difficult.
Misdiagnoses of Fibromyalgia
It is not surprising if you and your doctor misdiagnose fibromyalgia. It occurs very often. As mentioned before, research into this disorder and its causes are ongoing. Because of this, many doctors and patients commonly misdiagnose fibromyalgia and fail to identify the underlying cause of a patient’s symptoms. Here is a list of some disorders that are frequently misdiagnosed as fibromyalgia:
Gluten Intolerance
Gluten is a protein that can be found in wheat, and some other grains. Even though most people would think that gluten intolerance has to do with the foods we eat or has something to do with our digestive system, this is not often true. Since gluten intolerance is a type of autoimmune disease, it presents itself as a neurological condition. People who have gluten intolerance might have pain, cognitive impairment, and fatigue. Because many of the symptoms of gluten intolerance are the same as the symptoms of FMS, it is easy for doctors and patients to misdiagnose FMS as gluten intolerance. Even if your gluten intolerance is not linked with FMS, it could be linked to other diseases. Research on gluten intolerance has shown that the disease is linked to over 50 different diseases.
Vitamin Deficiencies
People with FMS often suffer from vitamin deficiencies. You can find out if you have a vitamin deficiency with a simple blood test. The blood test would show you and your doctor your vitamin levels. Then, you and/or your doctor can determine if your levels are too high, too low, or normal, and adjust your diet or identify nutritional supplements needed to bring your levels back to normal.
Mycotoxins
Mycotoxins are toxic substances that are released by molds in the environment. You could have mycotoxins in your body because you are exposed to the toxins through skin contact or air contact. A simple blood test would show if you have elevated levels of mycotoxins. If you do, you would experience similar symptoms as FMS patients. Because of the similar symptoms, doctors and patients often misdiagnose FMS as high levels of mycotoxins in the body.
Mercury Toxicity
Do you have silver fillings in your teeth? Do you know that these silver fillings contain mercury? We have always been told to stay away from mercury. So, how could it be safe in our mouths? In fact, every time that we chew, grind our teeth, or have a teeth cleaning, some mercury from the silver fillings can be released into our body. The mercury in your silver fillings is released in very small amounts into your body. These amounts are so minimal that they cannot hurt you. However, exposure to large amounts of mercury can cause mercury poisoning. Mercury poisoning is very dangerous and can cause FMS along with many other diseases and disorders.
There is always the possibility of misdiagnoses of FMS, just like any other disease.
Symptoms of Fibromyalgia
Now that you know a little bit about the disorder and the common misdiagnoses of the disorder, you are ready to learn about the symptoms. Besides tests and thorough examinations, symptoms are a great way to determine if you have FMS or if you don’t have FMS. These symptoms are not a checklist for FMS. You can’t check off the symptoms you have, total up your score, and see if you have FMS. If you have most of the symptoms listed, you should be tested for FMS to be safe.
- Pain
- Fatigue
- Anxiety
- Depression
- Lack of energy
- Pain in muscle and tissue
- Feeling of tenderness and achiness on the body
- Sleeping problems
- Change in moods and/or mood swings
If you have a majority of these symptoms, you should talk to your doctor about fibromyalgia and get tested. You want to get tested early so that the disease can be prevented from developing. If you do have FMS, you don’t want it to get worse.
The most common symptom that is linked with FMS is pain. If you are feeling pain in your muscles and tissues or pain in most of your body, you should talk to your doctor about FMS. It is better to be safe than sorry. Most people with FMS have said that they experienced pain before any other symptom.
Fibromyalgia is not a disease that should be joked about. It is very serious and it affects over ten million Americans. If you have symptoms, go to your doctor. Do not wait and think that the symptoms would go away by themselves. Even if you and your doctor don’t think that you have FMS, it is possible that you and your doctor have misdiagnosed FMS as some other disease or disorder. I The tests for verifying the cause of your symptoms are simple to do, and receiving the correct treatment will can greatly improve your quality of life.
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