I have read that men who
suffer with fibromyalgia do not always have the same type ills or the same pain,
fatigue, and depression levels as women do while dealing with this ill called
fibromyalgia, and there are differences in the types of medications and treatments
for men with fibromyalgia.
Everything I have read
and experienced as a fibromyalgia care-giver for my wife Ann who has had severe
fibromyalgia issues since the late 1990s and my own relative recent bouts with
fibromyalgia ills tend to verify most of what I have read on fibromyalgia.
Talk about a unique
situation with both Ann and I being care-givers for each other as well as being
the patient, we have lots to deal with, lots to remember, and must deal with
Fibro Fog, Mood Swings, and all the ills that go with Fibromyalgia while trying
not to ruin our friendship and relationship. Those of you who have experienced
the mood swings due to pain issues know just how touchy being a care giver or patient
can be and how it is so easy to upset the other individual.
Fibromyalgia ills do
seem to vary from person to person in the forms of widespread body pain;
persistent fatigue, tender areas of the body that hurt to the bone, stiffness
in joints of the body, Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) and numerous other
symptoms and ills.
The many symptoms of
fibromyalgia are hard to pin down and that is in my opinion why fibromyalgia is
hard to diagnose and that uncertainty leads to the reasoning by many the ills
experienced are in the patients mind and are not a real physical medical issue
other than something for a psychiatrist to deal with.
Trying to suggest to an
Army or DoD doctor I may have fibromyalgia has always been useless since most of
those doctors do not believe there is an ill referred to as fibromyalgia and if
there were such an ill, men would not have it since only women complain about
having fibromyalgia.
My life has been one of
heavy physical exercise in school and later in the U.S. Army and in the
Department of Defense (DoD) and during those times my body hurt all the time
but my doctors always told me to endure the pain, take my pain pills and get
the daily job or sport done, keep quiet about my ills and “be a man” whatever
that means and that I should deal with any physical or mental ills by myself.
In fact the first time I
kind of mentioned I felt depressed the doctor advised me being treated for
depression could result in my life in the military being over, so I never
mentioned any bouts with depression while serving in the U.S. Army or the DoD
and have only started talking and typing about my bouts with depression now
that I am retired and it is not likely the Army or the DoD will be able to take
any adverse action against me for being ill.
When I do mention what I
refer to as severe pain an even numbness in my fingers, hands, ankles, elbows,
knees and thighs my doctors always advise me I have bad arthritis and treat me
for arthritis instead of looking to see if there is another culprit such as
fibromyalgia causing the pain and numbness.
The Army decided to lump
all of my ills into what was called IBS while the DoD decided IBS and Coronary
Artery Disease (CAD) were my issues and forget about fibromyalgia. Once I was
retired and continued to complain about my bouts with depression the Veterans
Administration (VA) decided I had Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome (PTSD) and
started treating me for that ill along with all the others, but still did not
mention anything about fibromyalgia.
Of course with PTSD came
even more types of pills to take to resolve my medical issues and since PTSD in
a mind issue, now I have pills to calm my brain down to stop my pain issues and
that makes me feel like I am being treated as if all my pain and depression issues
are non existent – the old hypochondriac diagnoses.
More to follow on the
life and times of ME – Fibro Guy – when my brain fog melts away some and I can
remember what I was trying to tell all yall about – smiles.
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