Today is the day! Another doctor appointment with test results. If you are like most people with fibromyalgia, you have had the symptoms for years. you have gone to multiple doctors, had innumerable tests and possibly carry scars from surgeries that did not help.

Fibromyalgia cannot be diagnosed with blood tests, x-rays, cat scans or any of the numerous other tools that doctors use to identify what is attacking your body. Many doctors still do not believe FMS is a true illness. So many times, when the test results come back negative, you might hear, "There is nothing wrong with you", or even worse, "It is all in your mind."

The diagnosis for FMS is made by ruling out other diseases and syndromes. Fibromyalgia mimics multiple illnesses that can be diagnosed with simple blood tests. Theses exclusion include:

• Addison's disease
• Cushing's Syndrome
• hypothyroidism
• hyperthyroidism
• iron deficiency
• iron overload syndrome
• various types of anemias
• diabetes millitus
• cancer
• treatable sleep disorders
• rheumatological disorders such as rheumatoid arthritis
• neurological disorders such as multiple sclorosis, Parkinson's, B-12 deficiency
• infectious diseases such as AIDS, hepatitis, tuberculosis
• Lyme disease
• primary psychiatric disorders and substance abuse

Unfortunately, you can have one or more of the above listed illnesses and also have fibromyalgia. So there is the possibility of being diagnosed and treated for an illness and still continue to have symptoms. Hopefully you have found a doctor who knows about Fibromyalgia Syndrome and how to diagnose it.

Back to your appointment today. A new doctor. A small glimmer of hope that today will be the day. Today the doctor will look at the test results and say that you have xxxx and this pill or surgery or treatment will alleviate the symptoms.No such luck. The doctor says all of the tests come back negative. Crushed again. But this doctor goes further. He walks up to you and pushes on certain spots of your body. Your eyes see him touching lightly. Your body disagrees ... loudly! Cringing in pain, you whimper. He touches a few more. At this point, if you hadn't been taught that it was wrong, hitting the doctor, HARD, may come to mind. He backs up (wise man) and states, "You have fibromylagia".

Joy of joys, you have a name for your illness. Fibromyalgia. Huh? Now the questions, the searching, the hope for that magic pill. Depending on your doctor, you will be told a variety of different things about your illness. They will range from learning to live with it, narcotics, diet change, psychiatry. Once again you are stymied.

What is fibromyalgia? What are its symptoms? What is its treament? There are multiple answers to each of these questions.

FMS - Fibromyalgia Syndrome. FMS is considered a syndrome, not a disease. A syndrome is a group of symptoms that do not fulfill the medical criteria for disease. This does not make it less legitimate, less symptomatic or less disabling. But it does make it more difficult to evaluate and treat.

Ten years ago, FMS was rarely diagnosed.  Today it is often over-diagnosed.  There are some under diagnosed syndromes that could be the actual culprit.  Two of these are Sjogren's Syndrome and Disautonomia.  If dry eyes and dry mouth is part of your symptoms, ask your doctor about Sjogren's.  If you have mitro-valve prolapse, ask your doctor about Dysautonomia.

Treatment does not come in a magic pill.  Today there are two drugs FDA approved for FMS.  They do not treat all of the symptoms and they do not work for all FMS patients.  One of the hardships of FMS treatment is the drug sensitivity fibro sufferers have.  We react differently than most people to medications.  Keep a list of medicines tried, side effects and effectiveness.  This will come in handy over time as treatments or doctors change.

Research fibromyalgia.  Be prepared for multiple descriptions of the cause and the treatment for FMS.  Read testimonies of actual patients to see what has helped them.  Be willing to try different things.  Anything you do try, make sure your doctor is aware of it.  Herbs and vitamins can interact with medications and throw off test results.

You now have a diagnosis.  The bad news is there is no cure for fibromyalgia.  The good news is that you can do things to improve your quality of life.  Now that you have a name for your illness, you can go forward in treating the symptoms.  you no longer have to "just live with it".