Hubby's convinced he's got fibromyalgia - can anyone help please?

woodyt

Hi there,
My husband has just turned 46 and with the help of Dr Google, he is convinced he has fibromyalgia.
Over the past 4 years he has had both shoulders operated on and now they are starting to improve he's getting intermittent stabbing pains in his arms and legs plus he feels like he has 'spiders' crawling over his head occasionally.
He's been referred by the doctor and there is a 3 month waiting list to see a specialist however if he pays £250 he can go private and be seen in the next couple of weeks.
This is the dilemma - he reckons there is no cure for fibromyalgia and to fork out that amount of money (maybe to only be in the consultants room for 5 minutes!) seems a lot.
He's had his symptoms for about 4 months however he is still going down the gym 4 times a week and last week did a couple of 10 mile hikes!
Can anyone enlighten me as to what they think as 3 months doesn't seem that long on the NHS waiting list to me.
Hubby is a renowned worried and a hypochondriac so I don't know what to suggest!
Many thanks in advance.

Mrs_Ryan

I have fibromyalgia and I'm fortunate enough to be told that mine is quite mild.
To put it bluntly my rheumatologist diagnosed me then said there's bog all he could do to help me and to exercise as much as I can bear. I would suggest £250 for that is a huge waste of cash. And if he's going on 10 mile hikes I hugely doubt he has fibromyalgia- I can walk a fair way but not unaided and I'm in constant agony.
Also to have fibromyalgia there are pressure points tested and if he doesn't have them then he ain't got fibro.
He's right though- there isn't a cure!

tensandunits_2

You would get more than a quick 5 minute appointment for £250 - that's why people pay to go private! The appointment time would be about half an hour, I would think, but you'd need to check the hospital website.

I would, however, recommend he stays off the internet if he happens to be a hypochondriac. It's bad enough having a medical book in the house, let alone the internet. Dr Google is even worse at making people worry needlessly about their health.

trailingspouse

If he pays his £250 and the doctor tells him that he doesn't have fibromyalgia, will he believe it? If the answer is yes, then I would say it's £250 well spent. But if he's going to continue to think he has it, regardless of what he's told, then there doesn't seem much point.

Nicki

Fibromyalgia is a diagnosis of exclusion, so the doctor will want to exclude all other options first. This will involve blood tests, MRIs, X rays and ultrasounds IME. I was diagnosed with it privately after about 10 consultations and all of these tests, and whilst my medical bills were paid by health insurance, I'd estimate they came to at least £10k in total. I'd be amazed if your OH could be diagnosed in one appointment with no other tests ordered, so if he thinks this is a possibility then he should wait for his NHS appointment.

Even though there is no cure, it may be helpful to have a formal diagnosis in some situations - eg if he needs to change his working pattern or if he were ever claiming benefits and needed to show that some very physical jobs were not suitable for him.

Mrs_Ryan

Nicki wrote: »

Fibromyalgia is a diagnosis of exclusion, so the doctor will want to exclude all other options first. This will involve blood tests, MRIs, X rays and ultrasounds IME. I was diagnosed with it privately after about 10 consultations and all of these tests, and whilst my medical bills were paid by health insurance, I'd estimate they came to at least £10k in total. I'd be amazed if your OH could be diagnosed in one appointment with no other tests ordered, so if he thinks this is a possibility then he should wait for his NHS appointment.

Even though there is no cure, it may be helpful to have a formal diagnosis in some situations - eg if he needs to change his working pattern or if he were ever claiming benefits and needed to show that some very physical jobs were not suitable for him.

Tbf I know for myself and a lot of other members of my fibro support group it didn't work that way. I was diagnosed and discharged after one appointment- I previously had an MRI of my back but that was it.

Pop_Up_Pirate

There is definitely a way to 'cure' fibromyalgia, which in essence is 'a collection of unexplained symptoms'

But, I suspect your husband isn't looking to feel better; he's looking for a badge.

Mrs_Ryan

What's the cure then? Would love to hear the answer to this one (roll eyes)

lessonlearned

I think what Pop Up means is manage symptoms rather than "cure".

I know from my own experience that if I stick to my healthy eating regime I remain symptom free.......this applies to my IBS and GERD as well as fibromyalgia and migraines. My blood sugar levels will also start to creep up again too if I start to backslide.

I Can indulge in the odd treat, say a bread roll or a piece of cake now and again but If I fall off the wagon for any length of time symptoms come back with a vengeance and I am in pain. A couple of slices of pizza has me in agony, so I just don't bother.

I just accept that this is the way it has to be. It can be a bit inconvenient at times but the benefits far outweigh any difficulties.

I am 65 and spent around 55 years with stomach problems and around 20 with fibromyalgia.

Now that I have found a way of controlling symptoms and feeling well there is no way I would go back to eating the way i did in the past.

All I can say is try it, you have nothing to lose.

If you experienced carb flu last time and it was just too rough then just take it a bit more slowly and give your system time to adjust.

Withdrawing from carbs isn't just a case of "craving" them. They can be very addictive and like any addiction going cold turkey is rough.

teddysmum

I agree with the above; ie keep him away from Google. You can be convinced that you have all kinds of problems if you read too widely on the internet.


Internet curiosity resulted in my being terrified of having a colonoscopy, which wasn't at all bad and very afraid after looking up a term used in a report.


If he can exercise so well, he isn't in any urgent need and the time scale mentioned is small for the NHS, so save your money. I have just had a report on a test result, which used to take a few weeks at most, but it's taken about 12 weeks and I am still waiting for MRI results, which used to be through in 8 weeks.

A.Penny.Saved

If he is doing 10 mile hikes, spending lots of time down the gym and has no pain or exhaustion then I doubt very much that he has fibro.

Can fibro be cured? Yes I think it can but science is very far from finding that cure. I am far closer than science will be in the next 10 to 15 years.

I am a bit shocked that his doctor would "waste" money on such a case.