Diagnosing Fibromyalgia: Common Misdiagnoses

Getting a Correct Diagnosis continued...

Keep a pain journal.  "Doctors will listen more if you keep a daily record of how you feel -- even if it's just for one month or for three months," says Yencha. In your pain journal, make note of intensity of pain (on a scale of 1 to 10), what you were doing at the time, and how you felt emotionally. It will help you and your doctor see patterns in the pain, she says.

There are no lab tests or scans that can help doctors diagnose Fibromyalgia. But various blood tests can help them rule out other medical conditions. Some patients need to have respiratory problems checked or get a sleep apnea study, Berney says. "On occasion, the problem is sleep apnea or snoring, both of which disturb sleep."

Find the right doctor. It's important to find a doctor who cares about you -- and wants to help you, says Mary Rose, PsyD, clinical psychologist and behavioral sleep specialist at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston. "It's very common, physicians having very little time. Sometimes they don't really hear everything a patient says."

Never stay with a physician you don't like or trust, Rose tells KB120. "It's not all in your head -- and while you may be depressed, depression is not the whole picture of Fibromyalgia. We see depression with cancer, cardiac disease, and we know those are real. Pain is very frustrating. In the medical community, we probably don't have the empathy for pain that we should."

Get emotional support. A therapist's support can be helpful when you're dealing with fibromyalgia, Rose notes. "Fibromyalgia has such a stigma. Sometimes it is really helpful to see a therapist -- not because you're crazy, but because you have to deal with pressure and stigma. It's nice to have someone objective to talk to." 

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