Hi there,
I'm feeling lost with this diagnosis. I've had chronic pain in my right rib cage area for three years along with brain fog, exhaustion and muscle spasms and weakness in my legs. I was diagnosed with Celiac Disease, Gallbladder Disease, and Uterine Fibroids last year and have had to have surgeries for those issues. I have many GI and reproductive symptoms that are attributed to those conditions but I guess can also be symptoms of Fibromyalgia.
My question I guess is brain fog, muscle spasms, leg weakness, and exhaustion attributed to depression with this disease? I had my first Rheumatologist appointment today and he immediately said I must have a depressive disorder and/or Fibromyalgia. He kept insisting I'm depressed and have anxiety but I do not. I have a therapist who has been helping me to deal with managing the chronic pain and she's always told me that in her professional opinion I'm not depressed, just frustrated about not getting anywhere with a diagnosis.
My Rheumatologist told me if I'm not mentally showing signs of depression my symptoms are physical manifestations and I have to decide if I'm going to keep shopping around for a diagnosis or face my mental health issues. I guess he sees my working with a GI and OB specialists for valid medical conditions as shopping around? I'm just in shock and don't really know where to turn. Are depression and anxiety required for a Fibromyalgia diagnosis or is it just a symptom common with this disease? He told me to stop stigmatizing myself but I've never been diagnosed with any type of mental health issues! His insistence that I'm depressed has me rejecting the validity of his diagnosis completely even though I'm desperate to do something to feel better. Is this a thing that I'm just in denial about?
Thanks
I'm feeling lost with this diagnosis. I've had chronic pain in my right rib cage area for three years along with brain fog, exhaustion and muscle spasms and weakness in my legs. I was diagnosed with Celiac Disease, Gallbladder Disease, and Uterine Fibroids last year and have had to have surgeries for those issues. I have many GI and reproductive symptoms that are attributed to those conditions but I guess can also be symptoms of Fibromyalgia.
My question I guess is brain fog, muscle spasms, leg weakness, and exhaustion attributed to depression with this disease? I had my first Rheumatologist appointment today and he immediately said I must have a depressive disorder and/or Fibromyalgia. He kept insisting I'm depressed and have anxiety but I do not. I have a therapist who has been helping me to deal with managing the chronic pain and she's always told me that in her professional opinion I'm not depressed, just frustrated about not getting anywhere with a diagnosis.
My Rheumatologist told me if I'm not mentally showing signs of depression my symptoms are physical manifestations and I have to decide if I'm going to keep shopping around for a diagnosis or face my mental health issues. I guess he sees my working with a GI and OB specialists for valid medical conditions as shopping around? I'm just in shock and don't really know where to turn. Are depression and anxiety required for a Fibromyalgia diagnosis or is it just a symptom common with this disease? He told me to stop stigmatizing myself but I've never been diagnosed with any type of mental health issues! His insistence that I'm depressed has me rejecting the validity of his diagnosis completely even though I'm desperate to do something to feel better. Is this a thing that I'm just in denial about?
Thanks