Fibromyalgia Diagnosis - How It Is Done?
Fibromyalgia is one of the most difficult to diagnose diseases of the present age because despite of the appalling pain it is characterized by, there is no other test that can confirm it. All the laboratory tests come negative though the pain originally points towards arthritis or rheumatic joints.
A fibromyalgia diagnosis is positively made only when a complete battery of tests that rules out all other possibilities is negative. This method is quite frustrating not to mention very expensive.
Two Methods That Confirm Fibromyalgia Diagnosis
As mentioned earlier in most cases fibromyalgia diagnosis is reached at by excluding all other possibilities. Besides this exclusion method, you have two more processes that would corroborate the finding.
Personal Medical History
The first method than can help you is a thorough investigation of your own medical history. The doctor would probe into your past to get a sketch of your psychological profile that would point to fibromyalgia. These would include symptoms such as muscle weakness, lack of concentration, excessive fatigue, acute body ache for no apparent reason, skin rashes, any injuries and medication taken during the past one year, and so on. Such details would help the doctor confirm the fibromyalgia diagnosis.
Physical Examination
The second process that normally supports the first method is the physical examination. Given the fact that your tests have come out negative the doctor would examine your whole body looking for the 10 to 20 tender spots that so much characterize this disease. These tender spots would look and behave as fresh bruises but unlike bruises there would be no history of getting hurt in those spots. These places would be extremely painful to touch though they show no untoward signs of inflammation or infection that would justify the pain. These tender spots tend to shift over time.
Since the fibromyalgia diagnosis needs to rule out all other possibilities the physical examination would also look for signs of arthritis, thyroid problem, rheumatism, etc. so in the end there would be no doubt about the fact that the pain you are suffering from is due fibromyalgia.
The Plan of Action After the Fibromyalgia Diagnosis
Once the diagnosis is made you need to concentrate on how to effectively reduce the pain. There is medication that would help you sleep better, manage depression, reduce pain and improve your mobility. There are indications that regular and specifically tailored-for-you exercises would not only help you control the devastating pain, but also improve your ability to move freely as well as fight depression effectively.
