Why Is Diagnosing Fibromyalgia Difficult?
On average, it takes five years for a person with fibromyalgia to get an accurate diagnosis. Some people go from doctor to doctor without receiving a medical diagnosis for their fibromyalgia symptoms. Many wonder if their painful symptoms are simply imagined. There are no scientific measures, such as laboratory tests or X-rays, that “prove” you have fibromyalgia. In the past, millions of fibromyalgia patients were misdiagnosed as having depression, inflammatory arthritis such as rheumatoid or lupus, chronic myofascial pain, or chronic fatigue syndrome. There are, of course, a few similarities between fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome and between fibromyalgia and arthritis. But fibromyalgia is different. It is a distinct condition that needs an accurate diagnosis and appropriate treatment.
