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What Test Are Given to Diagnoise Fibromyalgia?

Fibromyalgia is a painful condition that is difficult to diagnose. It involves pain in four quadrants of the body that should be present for at least three consecutive months. The pain can generally be found in 11 of 18 specific points of the body. The pain is unexplainable by other causes.

  1. Testing for the Condition

    • In testing for the condition, doctors generally must rule out conditions in order to reach a conclusion of fibromyalgia. Initially, blood tests are given to rule out similarly painful conditions. Blood tests are done for hypothyrodism, infections, polymyalgia, rheumatica, rheumatoid arthritis and lupus.

    Further Testing

    • If all the blood tests come back negative, a doctor may order further lab tests or imaging tests. These imaging tests, like MRIs, are not considered to be very reliable in the diagnosis and are used secondarily for that reason.

    Treatment

    • It is often difficult to find a doctor to treat fibromyalgia because of the difficulty in diagnosis. For many years, it was treated as a psychological condition, but is now seen more as a neurological condition. There have been recent medication developments that seem to help patients cope with the pain, but due to the difficulty of finding a doctor to treat for the condition, patients must be very persistent in seeking treatment.

    Ambiguity

    • Patients must be ready to deal with a large amount of ambiguity as they await diagnosis. Since this condition is diagnosed by process of elimination, it can take a lot of time to get answers that are needed. Sufferers must be proactive in seeking treatment, but must also be patient, as many tests are needed to be done.

    Support

    • Families and friends of patients must be supportive not only as they await diagnosis, but also once the condition is dignosed for certain. Fibromyalgia is a condition of ongoing pain that can make movement difficult. Talking with other patients and having supportive friends and family can help the patient cope with the condition.

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