I've seen several people comment that they (or their doctors) think they may have fibromyalgia, but they're just not ready to go there. While I can understand the reluctance to accept a diagnosis of fibromyalgia, there are significant benefits to acknowledging it and starting treatment as early as possible.
A new thesis from the Swedish medical university Karolinska Institutet showed that medications that affect the central nervous system, which can be effective in treating FM, are even more effective when administered early in the course of the illness. The thesis looked at and reviewed four FM studies.
"The patients who had had their pain symptoms for the shortest amount of time were those that responded best to the drug treatments tested," says thesis author Karin B Jensen. "This shows how important it is that fibromyalgia is detected and taken seriously as early in its development as possible."
While no one wants to receive a fibromyalgia diagnosis, it's far better to face it early on when you have the best chance of reducing the symptoms and getting it under control. Some of us didn't have a choice. We suffered for many years before most doctors even knew what FM was.
So if you think you might have FM, please don't put off being diagnosed and beginning treatment. Hiding from FM doesn't make it go away – it only allows it to get worse. It's best to get control of FM before it gets control of you.
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Source: Jensen, K.B. (2009). Brain mechanisms in pain regulation. Karolinska Institutet, Retrieved from http://diss.kib.ki.se/2009/978-91-7409-646-0/
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