Finding a Fibromyalgia Doctor
When you are suffering from a complicated chronic illness such as Fibromyalgia, finding the right doctor, who understands both you and your condition, is critical.
Without this, it is much harder for you to get the correct treatment and begin to feel better and supported.
Support Through Diagnosis
This starts from the very beginning, before your diagnosis. Some doctors are reluctant to diagnose patients with fibromyalgia; instead, they will send them for multiple blood tests and suggest changes in diet.
There may be cries of “let’s see how it goes" while you remain in pain with no improvement. If you feel you are not being taken seriously by your doctor, it is time to find a new one.
Having a doctor who is an expert on fibromyalgia is the absolute ideal; however, this is not always possible and so accessing a doctor who is empathetic and supportive is the next best thing. Of course, there isn’t currently a cure for fibro, but that doesn’t mean there is nothing your doctor can do to help you.
Although it might be difficult, they should be willing to try to help alleviate some of the symptoms and improve your quality of life.
The first step, of course, is getting a diagnosis. Once your doctor has established this, it is important that they do not just send you away thinking that there is nothing that can be done.
Although it is necessary to manage expectations and for you to understand that there is no magical cure, that does not mean that there are not things that can be tried to help with the symptoms that come along with your condition.
Finding the Right Treatment
As with all things, there are no medications that will work perfectly for everyone, so your doctor needs to be prepared to try different medications until you find what works best for you. That said, with your condition, you may be a little more sensitive to medications so they must be willing to be patient by starting with small doses and increasing them steadily.
It’s certainly not a job for a doctor who wants a quick fix!
You may end up needing a cocktail of drugs to be able to ease the various symptoms that come along with fibromyalgia, so your doctors will probably end up prescribing quite a few different pills. You need a doctor who is happy to do this and understands what a delicate process this should be.
Of course, alongside all the different medicines, pills, and treatments, you also need a doctor who is supportive emotionally and makes you feel comfortable. As time is stretched for doctors, it can be easy to feel rushed or forgotten about, and when you are living with a chronic illness this is the opposite of what you need, and so you must choose a doctor who does not make you feel guilty and who is happy to spend time helping you.
Your doctor is a vital part of your treatment for fibromyalgia, or any other chronic illness, and so you need to be prepared to change doctors or spend time finding the right one for you.
Although it may seem quite daunting a task to undertake, it will be more than worth it in the long run. You deserve a supportive doctor and the best treatment.