Can Fibromyalgia be Cured?

A common question I see asked is, Can Fibromyalgia be cured? This is a simple question with a complex answer. But I thought I would take a stab at answering it for you.

What is Fibromyalgia?

To answer the question it will help if I first define what Fibromyalgia is, and how doctors diagnose it. Fibromyalgia is a syndrome, meaning different symptoms come together to create it. In some places they still use a test of pressure points to help with the diagnosis, you can read more about these at WebMD. Here in the UK I have not had that test, but many of these pressure points are painful for me. In my experience, here in the UK, the diagnosis involves ruling out many other conditions first. You can read about my journey to diagnosis in this post.

A Diagnosis

As you may imagine because there is no specific test for Fibromyalgia (as I write), Doctors are basing their diagnosis on an if it’s not A, B, or C it must be D theory. Most times there is a likelihood they are right, they are professionals with a medical training. However, here are things to remember:

• There are few Fibromyalgia specialists
• If a GP diagnoses you, they may not have experienced Fibro before
• Specialists like Rheumatologists do not always consider your full range of symptoms
• Other conditions can have a similar range of symptoms and equally no clear test.

When we look at these facts, it is possible they can diagnose a person with Fibromyalgia who has a different condition which equally has no clear test. Often people with Fibro have other conditions alongside it.

Can Fibromyalgia be Cured?

To answer the question therefore (I have no medical training but I live with Fibromyalgia and regularly communicate with other people with Fibro), at the time of writing this, they can’t cure Fibromyalgia. When we see articles claiming people are completely Fibro free the logical answer is, they didn’t have Fibro to begin with but a syndrome with similar symptoms. 

Can you live with Fibromyalgia?

Can you live with Fibromyalgia? Is probably your next question and the answer to that is yes. If you saw my post last week about pacing yourself, you will see I talk about three phases. Energy, Recovery and Flare-up. If you learn to respect Fibro and look after your body you can reduce the amount of flare-ups of your symptoms. One of the best ways to do that is exactly what I talked about last week, pacing yourself. Throughout the blog you will find plenty of tips to help you live with Fibromyalgia and still enjoy your life. I will not lie, it will turn your life upside down in ways you can never imagine. However, whatever your personality there will be things you can still do to offset everything you can’t. Another of my best tips is sign up for positivity. I was thankfully a glass half-full person before I developed Fibro. Fill your Instagram or Twitter account with positive people because if you can avoid depression your quality of life will be far greater.

If recently your doctor gave you a Fibromyalgia diagnosis or you suspect you may have it, you will find lots of helpful Fibro articles here. Although the answer to can Fibromyalgia be cured? is unfortunately no, it is equally not a death sentence.

Until next time,
Gentle Hugs,
Susan