The first step in getting suspected fibromyalgia diagnosed is to find a doctor, nurse or other provider of health care that is knowledgeable and compassionate. It may be the opposite: the compassionate and competent.
The only sure way to find the healthcare provider is by trial and error. You can narrow the field, talking to other people, especially people with fibromyalgia or suffer from some type of chronic pain, and ask for recommendations. Rheumatologists are specialists in the treatment of fibromyalgia, but many times an internist or family physician is as efficient and helpful as an expert.
Make an appointment with the chosen doctor and tell your story. Describe your pain and other symptoms and tell how long you have had. Answer your questions, and get an idea of how to treat. If you feel that you did not follow, or not taken seriously, make an appointment with a qualified health care differently.
Continue until you find a professional who can relate to. Diagnosis and treatment of fibromyalgia is a partnership between you and your provider of health care, and must be able to work together on this issue.
You can expect a provider of health care who knows fibromyalgia have a medical history, perform a physical exam, blood tests done and make a test point tenderness. This is the minimum.
The blood usually ensure that there are no other problems, such as rheumatoid arthritis, causing symptoms. The real "test" for fibromyalgia is trigger point tenderness. The medical press 18 specific areas of your body to test tenderness. If you have pains everywhere and is especially tender and 11 or more of these trigger points, usually found to have fibromyalgia.
Even this is a little fragile, but because, as you know, fibromyalgia pain comes and goes. There are many other points shooting over your body that may be sensitive. Those used for diagnosis were chosen by the researchers as the most affected.
Until recently, there was no evidence of diagnosis of fibromyalgia, other than the trigger point tenderness. Some tests are starting to use now, though. The doctor may or may not order these tests; that are not yet widely used and its usefulness has not been proven they. The tests are:
* The levels of cytokines, which are often abnormal in people with fibromyalgia.
* Testing the APA (antipolymer antibody). APA levels are believed to be higher in people with fibromyalgia.
* Sleep Study. This can be done at once because most FM patients have sleep disturbances, if an abnormal sleep makes clear diagnosis, and to identify and address specific sleep problems.
* MRI or PET scan. People with fibromyalgia have abnormalities on magnetic resonance imaging and PET.
* EEG. Some researchers have found EEG abnormalities in people with fibromyalgia.
More research is done, better more definitive evidence for fibromyalgia may be available. It would be a great benefit to patients and providers of health care, because the diagnosis of fibromyalgia would be easier and safer.
No comments:
Post a Comment