While MS and fibro may have some symptoms in common, they are ultimately distinct conditions with very different causes and treatments.
Researchers found that fibromyalgia, a condition involving widespread musculoskeletal pain, was more than three times as common in people who were later diagnosed with MS.
It's unlikely that you'll need an MRI for a diagnosis of fibromyalgia or chronic fatigue syndrome unless your particular set of symptoms is similar to that of a neurological illness that requires evaluation with an MRI. You may also need an MRI at some point to diagnose an injury or a different illness.
Celiac Disease, Lyme May Be Misdiagnosed
Fibromyalgia may be mistaken for one of the following six conditions, among others: Celiac disease or a gluten sensitivity. Hypothyroidism/Hashimoto's disease. Lyme disease and other tick-borne diseases.
Research has uncovered evidence that FM is an autoimmune disease. Neuroinflammation and small-fiber neuropathy appear to be important elements of it.
Not all neurologists are embracing fibromyalgia, however. "It's a difficult condition to take care of. The patients have chronic pain, they call a lot, and they tend to have a lot of comorbidities," says Dr. Kissel.
Many neurologists have an understanding of fibromyalgia, but like rheumatologists, they're not all familiar with it. The pain from fibromyalgia is what typically prompts people to visit a neurologist, and this specialist may prescribe medications to control your pain.
Most people with MS will experience periods of remission where their condition stabilises and they don't suffer major symptoms, but people with fibromyalgia pain tend to experience ongoing issues without remission episodes.
While MS and fibromyalgia do have overlapping symptoms like depression, pain, and brain fog, the larger symptomatic picture provides important clues to the correct diagnosis. So, disparate signs matter.
“They don't tell you about the emotions you will have to deal with every single day, the grief for the person you used to be, the guilt you'll feel every time you let someone down and cancel plans, the fear of the future and the feeling of being a burden to your family.
Fibromyalgia is diagnosed based primarily on having pain all over the body, along with other symptoms. Currently, there are no specific laboratory or imaging tests for fibromyalgia.
The FM/a ® Test analyzes your immune system's white blood cells for their chemokine and cytokine protein patterns. Those who suffer from fibromyalgia will show an abnormal pattern of these protective proteins.
Smell and Sound Sensitivity
Sometimes, they may also experience light sensitivity. Fibromyalgia causes an extreme response to external stimuli, which include sound, smell, and light. As such, you may experience headaches, dizziness, or nausea when exposed to stimuli that cause a sensory overload.
These include fibromyalgia and vitamin B12 deficiency, muscular dystrophy (MD), amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS or Lou Gehrig's disease), migraine, hypo-thyroidism, hypertension, Beçhets, Arnold-Chiari deformity, and mitochondrial disorders, although your neurologist can usually rule them out quite easily.
Complicating the process, FM is often secondary to other pain conditions or autoimmune diseases, so a diagnosis of one of these conditions doesn't always rule out FM. That's when a specialist is really important, because they're more likely to have the experience to figure out what all is going on.
An MRI scanner uses a strong magnetic field to create a detailed image of inside your brain and spinal cord. It's very accurate and can pinpoint the exact location and size of any inflammation, damage or scarring (lesions). MRI scans confirm a diagnosis in over 90 per cent of people with MS.
This type of pain can occur all over the body. If a person has neuropathic pain in their back, it can manifest as a sharp, stabbing, or shooting sensation. A person may also experience a burning sensation in the lower back. This pain can feel as if it moves from the lower back into the leg.
While there are no definitive blood tests for diagnosing MS, they can rule out other conditions that may mimic MS symptoms, including Lyme disease, collagen-vascular diseases, rare hereditary disorders, and acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS).
Surveys for patient pain indicate that the most common pain syndromes experienced in MS are: continuous burning in extremities; headache; back pain; and painful tonic spasms.
Although MRI is a very useful diagnostic tool, a normal MRI of the brain does not rule out the possibility of MS. About 5 percent of people who are confirmed to have MS do not initially have brain lesions evidenced by MRI.
Nerve pain
Your arms and legs might shoot out uncontrollably and might have pain like cramping or pulling. Nerve pain can also be chronic in the form of painful or unusual sensations on your skin. These types of pain can happen anywhere on your body but are usually in the face, arms and legs.
Financial help can make a huge difference when you've been forced to stop working due to a disability like fibromyalgia. Financial help for fibromyalgia comes in two main forms in Australia. Disability Support Pensions and TPD insurance claims from your super policy can each give you assistance.
While fibromyalgia's root cause remains a mystery, rheumatologists can help patients better manage their symptoms and help understand if there are any other underlying medical conditions that may be contributing.
For several centuries, muscle pains have been known as rheumatism and then as muscular rheumatism. The term fibrositis was coined by Gowers in 1904 and was not changed to fibromyalgia until 1976. Smythe laid the foundation of modern FMS in 1972 by describing widespread pain and tender points.