If you suffer from fibromyalgia, you know the symptoms: the constant fatigue, the intense muscle pain, and the tender areas of the body. While this terrible disease is most common in women of childbearing age, there are men with fibromyalgia as well. This is rare, however. According to a 1999 study, there is only one man with fibromyalgia for every three women with the condition. This makes men with fibromyalgia difficult to diagnose and treat, because cases in men are so rare.
The Symptoms Of Men With Fibromyalgia
It is a common misconception that anyone suffering with fibromyalgia could simply visit their physician, undergo an examination and maybe have some lab tests run, receive a pinpointed diagnosis, and then go off to the pharmacy to purchase a prescription drug that will make them well again. The reality for the fibromyalgia sufferer is very different. She may go and visit her doctor, but instead of receiving a very clear diagnosis, the odds are very good that the physician will be somewhat surprised at the plethora of symptoms. Although it is known that more women than men are affected by this disease, the certainties end at this stage.
What differentiates the symptoms of fibromyalgia from virtually any other disease is the intertwined relationship between pain and fatigue. Within this framework, pain is commonly considered to be most debilitating aspect of the illness known as fibromyalgia. Most patients relate that if it were not for the throbbing pain, they could muster up the strength to push through the fatigue and work on energy conservation with the help of nutritional supplementation as well as targeted exercises.
Doctors can have a difficult time processing information and making a diagnosis of fibromyalgia. It is important that individuals have an accurate diagnosis so that proper treatment can be started. Fibromyalgia can be very uncomfortable and involve many different symptoms. Fibromyalgia does not have any specific test but can be diagnosed based on symptoms.
Your doctor must of course be aware of fibromyalgia and understand the symptoms. If your family doctor, is not familiar with fibromyalgia a referral to a rheumatologist may be in order to help the diagnosis along. Pain specialists, psychiatrists, and neurologists are all important medical experts.
Many think of lupus and fibromyalgia as two different, distinct medical syndromes, and indeed they are. Each has a certain set of symptoms and treatments; in fact, rheumatologists sometimes say that the presence of fibromyalgia interferes with the correct diagnosis and treatment of lupus. These two conditions can be co-existing, complicating treatment for each. Lupus, fibromyalgia, scleroderma and rheumatoid arthritis are referred to as branches stemming from the same tree.
Lupus fibromyalgia, Sjogren’s syndrome (excessive dryness of the eyes and mucous membranes), chronic fatigue syndrome, and systemic lupus erythematosus are all considered to be capable of co-existing. Specifically, both lupus and fibromyalgia are connective tissue diseases and auto-immune disorders. Although they both have similar symptoms and also differing symptoms the lines between these conditions is often quite thin.
Due to the large figure of magnesium (Mg) lack related health conditions that are report to occur more often in women. It would be sensible to consider the possibility that women may be more prone to magnesium deficiencies than men. Since the above conditions are not only more common in women of child bearing age, then another rational possibility to consider is that menstruation may be the reason women at higher risk for Mg deficiencies. Magnesium lost through the process of menstruation would explain why the above conditions are less common in men, pre- and post menopausal women. Women are more at risk of iron lack anemia due to menstruation, but perhaps there are more minerals than iron that are lost during the process of menstruation. If menstruation were a risk factor for magnesium loss then this would also provide a logical clarification as to why the above conditions occur more often in women of menstrual age and are often noted to be inferior just prior to menstruation.
The healing of FMS is frustrating to both physician and enduring. Sinking pain and improving the quality of sleep are two major factors in combating FMS. Medicines that boost your body’s level of serotonin and nor epinephrine which are neurotransmitters that modulate sleep, pain and immune system function are commonly prescribed. Other options comprise trigger point injections. Physical therapy, massage, acupuncture, acupressure, relaxation techniques, osteopathic manipulation and gentle work out if tolerated. The base line is that the symptom is still the major focus rather than the fundamental illness. Fibromyalgia (FMS) is the commonest reason of widespread pain yet it may remain undiagnosed for a long time. Uncertainty and recurrent misdiagnosis can cause substantial mess in the lives of patients. Every expert in the field seems to have his or her own approximation of how many people actually have FMS. This disorder will remain until doctors are trained in complete differential analysis. Most FMS patients are female but again experts disagree on the percentage.
Existing with chronic fibromyalgia pain is not easy, especially right after the diagnosis. It is certainly not easy to go from being an active, productive individual to finding that one needs to adjust the life just to cope with the fibromyalgia pain. In time one will learn effective ways to cope with the chronic pain to again lead a happy and productive life. Fibromyalgia living does not have to be bad. There are millions of others who are in the process of learning or who have had to learn how to cope with fibromyalgia pain. It is absolutely okay if, after the diagnosis, angry, sad, or depressed. The key will not allow remaining in that mindset by finding active ways of coping with the chronic fibromyalgia pain. Coping with fibromyalgia pain comprises learning the limits. Sure, one might wake up feeling great one morning and decide to tackle that project. Whether it is trimming the lawn, taking a bike ride through the park, or spending a day out shopping. As because one wants to take advantage of that good feeling while it lasts
When an individual first receives a diagnosis especially one that is long-term or chronic they want to know what to expect next? What now, that I have this condition? How will my life be impacted by this diagnosis? Questions revolving around the degree of pain to expect, or what new symptoms may occur are all normal questions for the newly diagnosed patient to be asking of any condition or disease.
The Fibromyalgia or the FMS disorder is characterized by mystery and it is a medical mystery that has not been solved yet and researchers and investigators are trying hard to know the cause of the disease so that the treatment can be devised effectively. The disease is such a mystery that it shows many symptoms of different diseases in one single patient which makes the right diagnosis difficult and the condition is more prone to misdiagnosis. The disease is also being researched for its genetic predisposition because there are patient who seems to have the disease by their genes through their parents. The National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS), this organization supports the research in the FMS disease by which the scientists and investigators can find out the real cause behind the disease for the effective treatment of the disease. Currently the research focuses on the causes of the FMS disease.
