FIBROMYALGIA
Fibromyalgia is a chronic condition that causes musculoskeletal pain. It can also cause fatigue, trouble sleeping, non-restorative sleep, headaches, depression, anxiety, trouble focusing, belly aches, dry eyes, and bladder problems.
A fibromyalgia diagnosis can be made once pain is already widespread or experienced in both sides of the body. Since there are currently no specific diagnostic tests for it, a physical examination can be done but only to rule out the many other conditions that mirror its non-distinctive symptoms. This makes it hard to make a correct diagnosis.
From Everyday Health
Physicians often miss the diagnosis in those who have fibromyalgia and diagnose it in those who don’t.
A cure hasn’t been found for fibromyalgia. However, there are treatments in form of medication, self-care strategies, lifestyle changes could possibly reduce symptoms and help improve quality of life. Seeking support and guidance through a therapist or a support group could also be options.
STORY
Stephanie Tait was misdiagnosed for 15 years before being correctly diagnosed for Lyme disease.
Tait, a mother of two in Salem, Oregon, has been struggling with chronic fatigue, arthritis, memory issues, joint pain and more. for many years.
She was initially diagnosed with depression and epilepsy as a teenager. Her illness was further labeled as Fibromyalgia and possibly even Chronic Fatigue Syndrome as her doctors were nowhere near identifying what it was that she had.
Stephanie Tait
© HuffPost
“Then (my doctors) would just add things — ‘You have fibromyalgia and you probably also have chronic fatigue syndrome.’ But they didn’t tell me how to fix it. Everything was, ‘Try antidepressants because we don’t really know.'"
- Stephanie Tait (Misdiagnosed with Depression, Fibromyalgia, and CFS)
Throughout those years, she took medication that did not improve nor eliminate her symptoms.
Around 2015, Tait started to suspect she had Lyme disease because of the similarity of the symptoms she saw with a friend who did have the disease. She then proceeded to be tested but it came back negative.
Her doctor refused another test so she went to a private lab and the test came back positive. Still, her doctors weren’t convinced although she had the results at hand so she went to get treated at a private clinic in Idaho instead.
Tait is currently getting the appropriate Lyme treatment. However, some of her health problems are now unfortunately irreversible because she has been technically untreated for 15 years.
“Ultimately, no matter how much work you do to treat Lyme, when you’ve had it for 15 years, that’s bacteria that’s just growing and growing and taking over in your system, some of that damage is just not fixable.”
- Stephanie Tait (Misdiagnosed with Depression, Fibromyalgia, and CFS)
Stephanie Tait, now a writer and speaker, has published her own book “The View from Rock Bottom: Discovering God’s Embrace in our Pain,” to share her journey to wellness as well as its impact on her faith.
Read the full article and watch the full coverage here.
Please review medical papers discussing the Fibromyalgia and Lyme connection here.