My mom thinks she has fibromyalgia

[victoriasf]

Hi Dr. Nicolson,

My mom thinks she might have fibromyalgia, but how can we be certain?  Is there a test she can take?

Thank you in advance!

[Garth L Nicolson, PhD]

Good for you!  You brought up an important point about proper diet and the use of supplements.  We always stress that diet is important in any chronic illness.  We also stress that many food supplements, vitamins and minerals are important adjuvants to the drugs that are routinely used to treat chronic diseases.  

In some cases, these can even substitute for drugs, but you have to be careful here to inform your physician about any supplement use.  Sometimes certain supplements can interfere with drugs or even cause adverse drug reactions.

[luvmylulu]

I was diagnosed with FMS about 10 years ago, before it was widely diagnosed. I was involved in 2 studies and I am better today...honest!
I found a doctor that tested my "feces" and found that I had leaky gut syndrome and infested with yeast.  
I immediatly changed my diet, NO SUGAR, no Alcohol, no bread, no dairy or yeast products very strick for about 6 months.  Took lots of vitamins, enzymes, pre/pro biotics and I can say that it truly helped me.  NEVER use artificial sugars of any kind...yellow, pink or blue packets!   There are very good sugar substitutes on the market today, that taste good and are actually healty for you...
I was almost totally on bed rest, could not raise my arms to dress myself or do my hair,.ended up cutting my hair real short (not good for me!).  My kids and husband would help me out of chair, bed...needed chair in tub...honestly I was so depressed and the pain was just horrible so my heart aches for anyone diagnosed with FMS!  Know that you can beat it, believe in your doctor (if you are lucky to find one that will work w/you) and you can get better... I am living proof!!

[Garth L Nicolson, PhD]

Fibromyalgia Syndrome (FMS) typically presents in young or middle-aged females as persistent widespread pain, stiffness, fatigue, disrupted and unrefreshing sleep, cognitive difficulties, among others, and is often accompanied by multiple other unexplained symptoms.  For example, it is often associated with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS), irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), rheumatoid arthritis (RA), systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and other diagnoses.  A characteristic of FMS is the presence of multiple tender points that are painful to pressure from, for example, your thumb, that would ordinarily not cause any painful sensation in normal perople.

FMS is usually diagnosed by a rheumatologist or other physician that deals with chronic illnesses.  It is generally a diagnosis based on physician examination rather than laboratory tests.

[victoriasf]

A related discussion, Thank you was started.