One of the problems that an average rheumatologist in Austin, Texas faces has to do with the condition known as fibromyalgia. No one really knows what causes it, so methods of treatment can sometimes be difficult to discern. Various theories abound, including the possibility that it is caused by trauma that has an either a direct effect or indirect effect on the nervous system, or that infection may play a role, or that it is somehow related to a breakdown of the immune system. Other speculations persist as well.
Since there is no adequate way to diagnose it, a rheumatologist in Austin can’t just place a patient on a fibromyalgia machine and get some results in minutes and know how to proceed from there. No such machine exists. No confirmation of the condition exists; expect that it does present itself in a specific array of symptoms, including a rather vague but useful condition – that widespread pain is present throughout the body for at least ninety days, having an influence on both sides of the body both above and below the waistline. As a diagnostic procedure, a rheumatologist may test various parts of the body to see if the patient confirms that it feels tender.
Another common symptom that should be present when diagnosing for fibromyalgia is fatigue. This doesn’t mean that a patient just feels like she lacks energy, but it is life-debilitating fatigue which makes it hard for the patient to just get through the day for no apparent reason. Some women may blame the feeling of fatigue on hormonal influences due to menstruation when it is really a symptom of fibromyalgia.
Although not every patient presenting with possible fibromyalgia may have chronic headaches, many do, especially women. While there may be a range of headache pain, these are often severe, including migraines. Ruling out other causes for headache will need to be done before it can be included than a patient is suffering from fibromyalgia. But generally, is a patient meets the first criteria (systemic pain throughout her entire body for ninety days or more) and this is accompanied by headaches and other related symptoms, the potential for diagnosis are increased. Headaches without the body pain, however, are likely not fibromyalgia.
Some of the other symptoms that are associated with fibromyalgia but which may not be experienced by any given patient include insomnia and other seemingly mental health conditions. Mood disorders and even depression may have a physical rather than an emotional or psychological cause. A rheumatologist in Austin will likely begin to narrow down possibilities by ruling out alternative causes until a diagnosis of fibromyalgia is all that is left.
