Fibromyalgia is a challenging condition to live with and treat. It can cause symptoms such as wide spread pain, fatigue, memory problems, insomnia and many others. It affects each person differently. Understanding all you can about this condition can help you to work with your health care team to decide if you need tests to diagnose fibromyalgia.
Medical History Overview
The National Fibromyalgia Association states that currently there are no laboratory tests that can identify fibromyalgia. This makes it challenging to properly diagnose. Patients can go for years without knowing the exact cause of their symptoms. Your physician will start by asking you about your symptoms--what symptoms you have, what eases them, what exacerbates them and how long you have had them for. It may be helpful to keep a diary of your symptoms to share with your doctor so he can use it along with other tests to confirm a diagnosis. If you have fibromyalgia you will most likely have been living with widespread pain for at least three months. The pain must be chronic and affect each side of the body equally. Extreme fatigue, difficulty sleeping, restless leg syndrome and depression are other warning signs.
Tender Points
Along with taking a history of your symptoms your physician will perform a physical exam. According to the National Fibromyalgia Research Association, there are specific tender points in various areas of the body that can be palpated to identify fibromyalgia. You must test positive in at least 11 of the 18 known spots. Your doctor will press on the various sites to see if they are painful. If you have fibromyalgia even a light touch in any of these areas will cause real pain and not just tenderness. These spots are located in the neck, shoulders, arms, buttocks, hips and knees.
Blood Tests
In some cases your doctor may run blood tests to see if there is another disease that may be causing your symptoms. The Mayo Clinic states that blood tests do not confirm fibromyalgia, but rather rule out other conditions. Arthritis, lupus, thyroid conditions, cancer, inflammatory bowel disease, viruses and many other conditions can all have symptoms similar to those of fibromyalgia. However, these other conditions will show up in blood tests and can cause physical changes in the body. This allows them to be distinguished from fibromyalgia.
