By\u00a0Julia Nelson\u00a0\/<\/p>\n\n\n\n
By Tiffany Vance-Huffman,<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n There is so much mystery in the world of fibromyalgia, in large part because it\u00a0effects\u00a0everyone differently. Another reason for the mystery is due to the similarity in fibro symptoms compared to other diseases and syndromes. Fibromyalgia is sometimes misdiagnosed as a different problem and vice versa. This is because the myriad of symptoms associated with fibro\u00a0are\u00a0commonly\u00a0foundin\u00a0other illnesses such as multiple sclerosis, also known as MS. So how can you tell if it\u2019s\u00a0fibromyalgia or multiple sclerosis?<\/p>\n\n\n\n The\u00a0National MS Society\u00a0defines it as follows: \u201cMultiple sclerosis (MS) involves an immune-mediated process in which an abnormal response of the body\u2019s immune system is directed against the central nervous system (CNS), which is made up of the brain, spinal cord and optic nerves.\u201d If you or a loved one live with fibromyalgia, you can definitely spot some familiar buzz words and phrases, can\u2019t you? Specifically, \u201cimmune system,\u201d \u201cabnormal response,\u201d and \u201ccentral nervous system.\u201d In fact, the similarities in symptoms become quite striking when you review a side-by-side comparison. Note that most, not all, of the fibromyalgia symptoms overlap with MS symptoms, making it difficult to distinguish whether it\u2019s fibromyalgia or multiple sclerosis:<\/p>\n\n\n\n It is plain to see many similarities in symptoms between fibromyalgia and multiple sclerosis, including clear\u00a0neurological connections\u00a0associated with pain, numbness, and tingling. However, experts\u00a0explain\u00a0that unlike MS, fibromyalgia does not show up as brain lesions on an MRI. Furthermore, while both conditions have no known source, MS is distinctly categorized as an auto-immune disease, but fibromyalgia is not. So that is one way to determine if it\u2019s\u00a0fibromyalgia or multiple sclerosis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A key difference in MS is that the patient actually accrues long-term nerve damage which leads to physical and cognitive impairments. In fact, some types of MS are progressive. Primary Progressive MS (PPMS), for example, \u201cis characterized by worsening neurologic function (accumulation of disability) from the onset of symptoms, without early relapses or remissions.\u201d While fibromyalgia, on the other hand, is often mistakenly considered an arthritic condition, it does not actually cause damage to joints, muscles, or tissues.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Fibromyalgia is primarily characterized by chronic and widespread pain. A close second is the\u00a0debilitating\u00a0fatigue. But as you can see from the chart above, the symptoms are quite broad. The problem many patients run into is that fibromyalgia resembles so many other conditions that it\u2019s usually difficult to nail down a diagnosis. However, some physicians are\u00a0more inclined\u00a0to spot it than others.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The\u00a0University of Maryland Medical Center\u00a0explains that a fibromyalgia diagnosis is comprised of a detailed muscle exam that includes checking for tenderness at specific locations on the body. Rating the severity of specific symptoms is another key part of the exam. The symptoms must be present for at least three months. They add that there are no blood, urine, or laboratory tests which can provide a conclusive\u00a0fibromyalgia diagnosis. However, fibro diagnosis also means that no other disorder or condition can explain the symptoms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Diagnosing MS, however, is quite different because it causes several more neurological symptoms than fibromyalgia. Thus, exams tend to focus on brain and nerve function, including a brain MRI and sometimes a spinal tap. Even though MS can also be difficult to diagnose, it is often easier than fibromyalgia. This is because the evaluation requires searching for lesions or damaged areas to the central nervous system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It\u2019s true that the similarities between multiple sclerosis and fibromyalgia are striking. But given the neurological damage caused by MS, it is a condition that is slightly easier to target than fibromyalgia. Patients with MS are usually treated by a neurologist. But so are many fibro patients. As such, a neurologist likely has a keen eye in making the distinction between the two. Only tests will be able to tell. Were you misdiagnosed? How did it effect you? Tell us your story, please!<\/p>\n\n\n\n Source:\u00a0<\/strong>www.redorbit.com<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" By\u00a0Julia Nelson\u00a0\/ By Tiffany Vance-Huffman, There is so much mystery in the world of fibromyalgia, in large part because it\u00a0effects\u00a0everyone differently. Another reason for the mystery is due to the similarity in fibro symptoms compared to other diseases and syndromes. Fibromyalgia is sometimes misdiagnosed as a different problem and vice versa. This is because the myriad […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":96,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-95","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-english"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/fibromyalgiaawareness.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/95","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/fibromyalgiaawareness.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/fibromyalgiaawareness.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fibromyalgiaawareness.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fibromyalgiaawareness.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=95"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/fibromyalgiaawareness.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/95\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":97,"href":"https:\/\/fibromyalgiaawareness.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/95\/revisions\/97"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fibromyalgiaawareness.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/96"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/fibromyalgiaawareness.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=95"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fibromyalgiaawareness.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=95"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fibromyalgiaawareness.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=95"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}WHAT EXACTLY IS MS?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
MS SYMTPOMS<\/strong><\/td> FIBROMYALGIA SYMPTOMS<\/strong><\/td><\/tr> Fatigue<\/td> Fatigue\/Exhaustion<\/td><\/tr> Numbness or Tingling<\/td> Numbness &\/or Tingling<\/td><\/tr> Weakness<\/td> Muscle Weakness<\/td><\/tr> Dizziness & Vertigo<\/td> Dizziness<\/td><\/tr> Pain<\/td> Pain<\/td><\/tr> Emotional Changes<\/td> Anxiety<\/td><\/tr> Walking (Gait) Difficulties<\/td> Impaired Coordination<\/td><\/tr> Spasticity (i.e., muscle stiffness and spasms)<\/td> Muscular aching, throbbing, & twitching<\/td><\/tr> Vision Problems<\/td> Vision Problems<\/td><\/tr> Bladder Problems<\/td> Bladder Problems<\/td><\/tr> Bowel Problems<\/td> Irritable Bowel Syndrome<\/td><\/tr> Cognitive Changes<\/td> Cognitive Problems<\/td><\/tr> Depression<\/td> Depression<\/td><\/tr> Tremor<\/td> Restless Leg Syndrome<\/td><\/tr> Headache<\/td> Headaches\/Migraines<\/td><\/tr> Swallowing Problems<\/td> Dry Eyes & Mouth<\/td><\/tr> Itching<\/td> Itching &\/or Burning<\/td><\/tr> Sexual Problems<\/td> Insomnia\/Poor sleep<\/td><\/tr> Speech Problems<\/td> Ringing in the Ears<\/td><\/tr> Breathing Problems<\/td> Neurological Symptoms<\/td><\/tr> Seizures<\/td> Skin Sensitivities & Rashes<\/td><\/tr> Hearing Loss<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n JUST WHAT IS FIBROMYALGIA?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
HOW ARE MS AND FIBROMYALGIA EVALUATED?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
HOW CAN I TELL IF IT\u2019S FIBROMYALGIA OR MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n