Is fibro over-diagnosed

[BrendaMarie]

I've heard a lot of people saying that they have fibromyalgia and it seems like this is all of the sudden. I believe that some doctors clamp onto something and then use it as a diagnosis whenever they can't figure out what's wrong with something. For instance, a lot of kids who don't have ADHD were being diagnosed with it a few years ago. I'm not saying that nobody has fibromyalgia but do you sometimes wonder if too many people are being diagnosed with it when there's actually something else wrong with them?

I hope this isn't taken wrong. I just believe that if this were happening then it would make it harder on those who really do have this illness to get the help we so desperately need. I hope you can understand...

 

[twiztc]

I totally understand.
I have often said that I wonder if even I believe in Fibro as there seems to be so many differences with so many similarities. It can be so confusing.
Is it misdiagnosed when so many suffer for so many years before getting that diagnosis?
I won't blab on again as I have gone into it here somewhere else, but it does make you wonder.

 

[1sweed]

What you have said is no doubt true in many cases. The problems doctors often face is that many disorders have the same symptoms, and some my drag out for years before being diagnosised. In the begining some illness do not show up in bloodwork or X-rays, MRI or CT scans, or even spinal tests, and so doctors are left will a patient who is hurting and has no cause for it. So you might receive a diagnosis of fibro and then years later another group of symptoms is diagnosised as something else. But too worry about it is wasting time, that is better served in trying to learn coping skills and trying to enjoy life, without worrying about a serious illness that may or may not ever arise. Worry and depression come about in the course of any illness, but can be far worse if we spend our free time worrying about something that might never happen.

 

[BrendaMarie]

I agree 1sweed. It's not that I'm worrying about it. It's just that I like to ponder things of this sort.

 

[Cynder]

I wonder a lot about this, too. Maybe there is something going on that is not yet diagnosed. I have various things wrong with me... Mitral Valve Prolapse, Keratoconus, Interstitial Cystitis.. now Fibro, and I just so wonder if there is something that could tie all these together. There's no test for FMS, but there are tests for the others, and I pass them all with flying colors (LOL).

I Google a lot about what could be a cause for them all, but there's not much out there. Maybe someday we'll know.

My doctor told me she doesn't like to diagnose FMS because she thinks it's over diagnosed, but she didn't know what else I could have, so she said "I think you have Fibromyalgia.." not a solid diagnosis by any means.

 

[Janet L]

I've heard a lot of people comment it's over diagnosed, but that doesn't change the fact that we have it. I think doctor's like to be positive on things, and the fact that Fibromyalgia is still relatively knew to medicine and unknown, it's difficult for them to be certain of much. I've almost had the impression that it frustrates some doctors.

 

[Libragirl67]

I totally understand what you are saying. It sometimes seems that when a new diagnosis comes along the medical field jumps on a bandwagon. I think things like fibro and even ADHD has had the doctors baffled for such a long time. When a diagnosis finally came along then they tend to go over board in diagnosing people with the same blanket results. Doctors are very intelligent and informed human beings. Bu they are sometimes given to much credit or even to muc resposibility. Maybe at some point they are shying away from the fact that they do not know everything. And there are alot of diseases that will baffle them. So to appease people they will look at the basic symptoms and give you a blanket diagnosis.

 

[mariposa]

I think that this could actually go both ways. I can see it being over-diagnosed when the doc can't find
anything wrong (which means it certainly could be Fibro as well as anything else)... but at the same time
I have to wonder if it's being *under-diagnosed* often, too.

Some doctors just haven't bothered coming up to speed on what Fibro is. Seems that it would be much
easier to throw out something like "you have severe arthritis" or "this is how depression manifests
sometimes", etc. than to admit you don't know much about Fibro.

 

[MercyL]

Fibromyalgia certainly seems like the "diagnoses du jour".

Part of the problem rests in the disorder's name, in my opinion. It only describes a symptom, so you go to the doctor, telling him or her "my muscles ache all over, all of the time". They do a few tests after verbally exploring your symptoms, then return to say "yes, you have aching muscles".

"Fibromyalgia" translates, from Latin to "muscle fiber pain". It does not reveal the cause of the symptoms the way a diagnosis of "influenza" does. This is bound to change as medical research reveals how fibromyalgia develops.

 

[candygirl]

Sometimes you just have to realize that doctors are people too and the person that graduates medical school with the lowest grade is still considered a doctor. I've had a few pretty bad experiences with doctors (Not in dealing with fibromyalgia. I participate in these forums because I'm curious about finding an herbal or homemade cure or treatment for the disease) and I realized that they're human. As a kid, they're doctors, super smart super able to help you, but they're just people with a different education. I do think it's possible that some doctors might take the lazy route if they can't figure out what's wrong.

 

[TheMagician007]

Hopefully, I don't offend anyone. But, I think in some regards it may be over-diagnosed and in some instances it may be under-diagnosed. Depending on variables such as the physician, the patient's demographics and insurance, there are going to be some people w/o fibro that are getting false diagnoses. On the other hand, there are going to be those w/ fibro that are disregarded as having mental health issues or are "drug-seeking." Although this is not directly fibro related, but is related to my inflammatory arthritis. I have found I can get slapped with a "drug-seeking" label for asking specifically for a stronger anti-inflammatory medicine than what I can buy OTC. I'm fairly certain the word "narcotic" didn't appear anywhere within my request. But, the next thing out of the doctor's mouth was "We don't prescribe narcotics." Oh, well...the nightmare continues.

 

[cherryjelly]

I believe it is.

 

[MercyL]

Hopefully, I don't offend anyone. But, I think in some regards it may be over-diagnosed and in some instances it may be under-diagnosed. Depending on variables such as the physician, the patient's demographics and insurance, there are going to be some people w/o fibro that are getting false diagnoses. On the other hand, there are going to be those w/ fibro that are disregarded as having mental health issues or are "drug-seeking." Although this is not directly fibro related, but is related to my inflammatory arthritis. I have found I can get slapped with a "drug-seeking" label for asking specifically for a stronger anti-inflammatory medicine than what I can buy OTC. I'm fairly certain the word "narcotic" didn't appear anywhere within my request. But, the next thing out of the doctor's mouth was "We don't prescribe narcotics." Oh, well...the nightmare continues.

This is one of the most difficult aspects of my journey.

Being Afro-American, female, and living in an area as part of the "gentrification" crowd. I am certain that doctors saw my address and assumed I was one of the original welfare queens living in a slum and looking for a pusher.

I could feel the air in an exam room change when a doctor, meeting me for the first time, started running through a mental flip chart. Their attitudes were to true to ignore and too sad to tolerate.

I never felt that from my pain specialist. He has been the most respectful of all the doctors I have seen during my quest for effective pain management.

 

[mariposa]

I participate in these forums because I'm curious about finding an herbal or homemade cure or treatment for the disease) and I realized that they're human. As a kid, they're doctors, super smart super able to help you, but they're just people with a different education.

How wonderful that you're looking for a cure, candygirl! I wish you all the luck in the world with finding something... it would be so wonderful for *soooooo* many people to have something that helps, whether or not it's an actual "cure."

Very true what you said about doctors. I've found that out by have a best friend who's a doctor... just regular people with a different education.... *AB*solutely!

 

[girl223]

In my personal life outside of the internet, I don't know anyone who has fibromyalgia besides myself. I know people who have friends or relatives with it, but not any friends of my own and I haven't met any of them. Online though, there are so many groups and forums, I feel like it's common place. It's nice though to find people who understand and I guess in order to be misdiagnosed, they must be suffering with something too.